#and also giving each other gifts before john leaves for the villa

[ananinidraws]

Followers who don’t care about this content, i’d like to once again apologise for all the spam lol

As for chatical john fans, hiiiii here’s more food~ /lh

[hedwigstalons]

Rite of Passage

This is written for #irrelief set up by @gumnut-logic.  This is for both @tsarinatorment who wanted Scott teaching a younger brother how to fly, and @scribbles97 who wanted anything with Scott and Alan.  

xoxoxox

“Up and at ‘em, birthday boy.  These pancakes won’t last long if you don’t get down here quick.”

 Grandma Tracy’s voice reverberated down the corridor to Alan’s room, stirring him in to action.  At twelve years old he had lost the desire to be up at the crack of dawn and even his own birthday couldn’t entice him out of his room any earlier than was necessary.  Although if pancakes were on offer that could only mean one thing – Virgil was cooking.

The thought of Virgil’s thick and fluffy pancakes gave him the final push he needed otherwise he risked losing his share.  He thundered down the stairs towards the kitchen and snagged a stack of pancakes from the pile in the middle of the table.  The serving platter was loaded to overflowing and the jug of maple syrup was still full.  Despite the threats no one else had started although Gordon was practically drooling from his place at the far side of the table.

 All the Tracy boys appreciated good food.  It could be in short supply on a rescue and in even shorter supply on the island if Grandma Tracy took it into her head to care for them with a good old fashioned dose of home cooking.  Taking their cue from Alan the stack of pancakes was soon demolished.  Blocks of butter were carved in to.  Syrup dribbles were slurped off fingers.  The feeding frenzy only finished when Virgil announced that there was no more batter left, much to the disappointment of everyone present.

 With his stomach finally full Alan was able to take a proper look around the table.  For once all of his brothers were present, even John.  Comms must have been routed through to the island to allow his space monitor sibling to attend.  He appreciated the effort; having John around was a rare treat and he missed the sibling who had inspired his love of space.  He just hoped the Earth stayed quiet for a few hours.  It always hurt watching his brothers dash off in their craft to save the world.  Since Gordon earned his full IR blues last year he was the only one left behind when a call for help came in.

 There was still one noticeable gaping absence in the assembled company.  The place at the head of the table was empty.  No one yet had the heart to sit in the chair that had until recently been the preserve of their father.  This was Alan’s first birthday since the Zero-X exploded.  His first birthday without his father.  The thought made the pancakes sit heavily in his stomach, as though they had been made of cardboard.  

 All joy seemed to leach out of the day.

 Birthdays were meant to be special.  Twelfth birthdays even more so.  Turning twelve allowed a Tracy to obtain the freedom of the skies.  That magical rite of passage that was the first time being in control of an aircraft.  He was no stranger to flying as a passenger, all Tracys seemed to clock up air miles from birth, but to actually take control was a privilege that had so far been denied to him.

 It had all started with Scott.  Scott, who would bleed aviation fuel if you cut him and had been obsessed with the skies from the moment he had first been placed on a blanket outside as a baby to watch the clouds go by.  Scott, who had been asking to fly since he could talk.  Other boys might ask for bicycles for their birthday, Scott asked for aeroplanes.  And when Scott turned twelve he had been deemed mature enough, and tall enough, to move into the pilot’s seat.  

 It was a milestone that had carried on with each brother in turn.

 It was a milestone that Alan was to be denied.  There was no father around to take him up and hand over control.

 The celebration moved through to the lounge where a stack of presents were arranged on one of the sofas.  Books, video games and new clothes all appeared from the brightly wrapped parcels.  A box of snacks and candy from Gordon was quickly whisked away to his room to be hidden from thieving brothers.  Even birthday candy wasn’t sacred if left in a communal area; exhausted brothers returning from the danger zone could demolish a pack of Oreos quicker than you could say ‘Thunderbirds are go!’.

 Soon there were no more parcels left.

 “So, Alan, any plans for your big day?”  Scott asked.

 With his attention taken up with reading the back of one of the video game boxes Alan completely missed the smirks that were exchanged between his brothers.

 “Maybe play one of these.  Anyone up for it?”  He held up one of the boxes.  A space rocket filled the cover and the tagline promised intergalactic adventures that were out of this world.

 “Sorry.  Maybe later. I’ve got some maintenance to do.”

 The disappointment on Alan’s face was clear to all as Scott turned and headed off towards the hangers.

 “Anyone?” He waved the box in a hopeful manner but the lounge was already clearing as everyone went off to their respective duties.

 “Sorry, Al.  I don’t really have time for games.  Scott’s right, there is maintenance to do.  If you come and give me a hand on Three I might get done in time for a game before I head back up to the office.”

 Alan perked up at this prospect.  Thunderbird Three was his favourite craft but one he was rarely allowed near.  The mighty space rocket seemed to call out to him and he longed to one day feel her power. Every time she launched in to orbit Alan could be found drooling at the windows of the villa.  It was a sight he never grew tired of.  The thought of spending time with John was also not to be sneezed at.

 Alan willingly followed John to the elevators but instead of heading towards Thunderbird Three’s silo John started leading the way towards the private hanger.  Alan trailed along behind.  Maybe John needed to collect some tools or speak to one of the others first.  They would get to the rocket soon enough and then Alan could lose himself in the mighty machine.  If he was lucky John might even let him sit in the pilot’s seat.

 As he entered the hangar Alan found himself blinking. Bright tropical sunshine spilled through the open door, exposing the view of the runway and the ocean beyond.

 Once his eyes stopped watering and adjusted to the brightness Alan noticed his brothers and Grandma all gathered round.  There, lined up to exit the hanger, was the small two-seater propeller plane that rarely saw the light of day.  Probably not since Gordon had turned twelve.

 “You didn’t think we would forget would you?”  Scott stepped forwards, already kitted out in his blues and holding out one final parcel.

 Alan stepped forwards to meet him and accepted the gift. He peeled off the paper almost reverentially, partly because of the significance of the gift and partly because he knew better than to leave litter in the hangar that could get sucked in to aircraft engines.

 Hidden underneath the folds of paper was a familiar flash of blue.  He shook out the material and held up the small flight suit.  The stiff cotton was unblemished and still heavily creased in its newness.  He rubbed his thumbs over the material as he held the suit by the shoulders.  A patch badge on the breast proclaimed ‘A. TRACY’.

 It might not be the high-tech material of his brothers’ uniforms but it was his.  A symbol of the next stage of his life.  Each brother in turn had been gifted their first flight suit on turning twelve.  The significance of the colour was not lost on him. For each of the others the flight suit had been in the traditional green used by the US Air Force.   His was sky blue with patches of a slightly darker shade on the knees and elbows. This suit was proof that one day he would be accepted as a Thunderbird.  Provided he could actually master flying.

 He undid the velco down the front of the suit with a satisfying rip and stepped in.  The legs and arms were a little long but it gave him some growing room.  Scott knelt down in front of him and folded up the cuffs into a fetching pair of turnups while Alan rolled back the sleeves a couple of turns.

 “Can’t have these catching on the controls.”  Scott murmured and he stood up, stepping back to admire his handiwork.  “You ready?”

 Alan could only nod dumbly as Scott led him over the aircraft and helped him in.  

 The aircraft was rather more basic than anything else in the Tracy fleet.  Dual controlled with a simple stick and rudder pedals.  It was the perfect trainer plane to learn the principals of flight.  Of course it had had a few Tracy upgrades over the years.  The instruments were now more in line with those found on the Thunderbirds and the comms unit was able to connect to the secure International Rescue frequencies.  The technology was nothing new to Alan who had grown up with a lot of these features as standard but an outsider might have found the juxtaposition between high and low tech to be a touch strange.

 “At least you are a bit taller than Gordon was” Scott said as he slotted himself into the second seat by Alan’s side, “Dad had to put him on a booster wedge.”

 Alan smirked a little about this piece of ammunition. His next older brother made a big thing about Alan being the baby of the family.  Next time Gordon teased about him having homework to do or not being allowed to swim without on of the others present Alan knew just what he would throw back in his fish brother’s face.  

 Lost in his imaginings of being able to retaliate against Gordon Alan missed that Scott had stared speaking again.  Information about pitch, roll and yaw; rudders, flaps and ailerons had passed him by.

 “Earth to Alan.”

 A hand was waved in front of his face, jerking him back to reality.

 “Huh.  What was that, Scotty?”

 “Wake up, kid.  This thing won’t learn to fly itself.  I said the stick controls the flaps and ailerons” Scott gave the stick a waggle and Alan watched as sections on the wings and tail moved correspondingly, “and the pedals control the rudder”.  Alan turned around and saw the rudder section in the tail swing left and right as the pedals at his feet shifted, mirroring the action caused by Scott manipulating his own pedals.  “Now lets get this baby fired up.  Just watch what I do for now.  You can keep your hands and feet on the controls but make sure you don’t put any pressure on them, just touch them lightly so you can feel what I’m doing.”

 Scott’s fingers flew deftly over the various switches in the cockpit.  The engine stuttered in to life and the propeller began to turn until it was a near-invisible blur at the front of the plane.  A few more switches that Alan recognised as belonging to the radio and they were ready to go.

 “Trainerbird One requesting permission to take off”.

 John’s hologram popped up in the cockpit showing that he had evidently headed back to the lounge to run comms.

 “Trainerbird One you are cleared for take off.”

 Alan felt the small aircraft vibrate as Scott increased the power and they slowly rolled forwards towards the hanger doors and the outside world.  Soon they were moving at speed towards the end of the runway and Alan was suddenly struck by how short the strip was.  Normally he was the passenger section of one of the jets or they used VTOLs.  The small training craft gave him an entirely new perspective of the world.

 Scott really was a master of all things aeronautical and Alan barely felt them leave the ground despite the most basic component of the Tracy fleet providing little protection against the pull of forces.  He kept a fingertip touch on the controls and felt the aircraft turn and dip to Scott’s commands.  The ocean glittered below, blending with the crystal clear sky on the distant horizon.

 Despite normally piloting the most advanced plane in the world Alan could tell that Scott was enjoying himself too.  The small propeller plane was neither fast nor elegant but the primitive controls only served to deepen the connection between man and machine.  Every action had a reaction which was fed back to the pilot via the controls.  Every gust of wind was felt and needed to be responded to.  Pilot and craft needed to work in harmony rather than one assuming control of the other.

 “You ok there Alan?  Feel ready to take control for a bit?”

 Alan looked across at his eldest brother, his eyes shining.

 “Really?”

 “Sure.  Just avoid hitting the island and you’ll be fine.  You have control.”

 “I have control” Alan responded, parroting the interaction between pilot and co-pilot that he had witnessed so many times previously.

 And then he did.  Scott’s hands were no longer on the stick but were instead placed neatly in his lap.  Alan had no doubt that those same hands would be back on the controls in an instant if anything went wrong but for now the sky was his own.

 After a couple of minutes of level flying, circling around the island, Scott looked across at his youngest brother.  He could tell that Alan was just itching to try something a little more adventurous.  

 “Go on, put her through her paces.  I’m here if anything goes wrong.”

 Alan needed no second bidding.  Soon the small plane was dipping and turning.  First moving with the wind, then against, as he got a feel for the craft and her abilities.  The freedom of the skies was his and he could see why his brothers soon got miserable if they were grounded.  Even Gordon, whose natural habitat was in the ocean, was not immune to the lure of the skies and griped if he couldn’t get airborne.  His heart soared as he felt the shifting air currents and the pull of the forces as he coaxed the plane through progressively more ambitious and demanding manoeuvres.

 All too soon it was time for lesson one to come to an end as Scott took control again with Alan gently feeling the movements required for landing.  The short runway rushed up as Scott took the steep approach angle necessitated by their island home.  A subtle bump and bounce announced their reconnection with the ground.

 Once the craft was still Scott reached out and draped an arm around his brother’s shoulders.  In the confined space of the cockpit they had been practically touching for the whole flight and it took no effort at all to turn it in to some semblance of a hug.

 “So what did you think, Al?  Another lesson tomorrow if rescues allow?  You did great up there.”

 Alan nodded against his brother’s shoulder, not trusting his voice as an unexpected wave of emotion washed over him.

 Scott sensed the younger boy stiffen against him.  He looked down and spotted the moisture welling up in Alan’s eyes, the clenched jaw showed just how hard Alan was fighting to stay in control.

 “Hey, what’s wrong?”

 “Did...did I really do ok?”

 “Yeah.  I’m proud of you.  Dad would have been proud too.”

 And that was the tipping point.  Alan twisted in the confined space and Scott found himself wrapped in a tight embrace as Alan fully buried his face in the shoulder of Scott’s uniform, sobs wracking his body.  Scott rubbed a hand gently up and down the back of Alan’s flight suit, letting Alan have his moment and burn out in his own time.

 Soon the moment had passed.  With one final sniff Alan pulled himself out of the embrace and suddenly became very interested in the wall of the hanger visible through the side windows of the cockpit.  

 “I mean it Alan.”  Scott spoke to the back of Alan’s head.  “Dad would be so proud of you today.  I know it’s not the same for you but it was an honour to take you up today. You’re a natural up there.”

 Alan turned back to face him, a grin splitting his face.

 “So, next time you’re going to take me up in Thunderbird One?”

 “Nice try, kid.  Nice try.”

[arlocedwards]

╰ ✧ HARRY STYLES. MUSE NINE. PANSEXUAL ❞ say hello to the s club’s very own ARLO EDWARDS! a TWENTY-FOUR YEAR OLD, CISMALE that goes by HE/HIM pronouns. i heard they were voted BEST SHOULDER TO CRY ON in high school, which says a lot about them because they’re very IDEALISTIC and INTUITIVE, but watch out for their DETACHED and DESTRUCTIVE side as well. i hope they’re ready to take a break from being a MUSICIAN and finally get this summer started! ( kt / 24 / pst / she/her )

hiya! i am kt &+ underneath the read more is some info about my bb, arlo. ** insert clown emoji but make him yee-haw ** 

trigger warning : death .

NAME: arlo cornelius edwards. GENDER: cismale. PRONOUNS: he, him. AGE: twenty-four ( 24 ). BIRTHDAY: february 14th. ZODIAC: aquarius !! HOMETOWN: kent, england. ORIENTATION: pansexual OCCUPATION: drummer. LANGUAGES SPOKEN: english & french. FACECLAIM: harry styles ~ currently featuring long hair.  :’-) 

kt’s note: I KNOW THIS IS SO LONG, SO IF YOU DON’T READ IT, I WILL NOT GET OFFENDED. 

but, just read this so y’know what you’re getting yourself into when interactions open : death tw: arlo will be joining this summers reunion coming from his parents home, post-funeral, trying to escape boxing up his brothers stuff and wanting to not be pitied. :’-( my boy is going through it, so his typical behavior and personality is gonna be v muted for a while.

ᴀʀʟᴏ'ꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ

arlo was born in kent, england. i know what you’re wondering, and yes, he does have an accent. :’-) his family moved to new york when he was five years old because arlo’s father was offered a high level position within his company.

arlo was born into a loving family, him being the middle child. he has two supportive parents, sasha edwards (his mother), & carter edwards (his father). there are two years separating him from both his older brother and younger sister. his older brother ( now deceased ) was named holden edwards, and his little sister is named ivy edwards. his older brother can be imagined as eric matthews from boy meets world ( at the end of the day, they were bffs ) & his little sister is quite literally cher horowitz from clueless mixed w/ a splash of bianca stratford from 10 things i hate about you  ( they are polar opposites which makes for a fun dynamic !! )

growing up, arlo enjoyed playing all types of sports - there truly wasn’t anything that he wasn’t really good at, and that’s simply because he’s always been such a competitive individual. he would go home and practice a skill or trick for hours in order to be able to come back the next day and whoop everyone’s asses. he will fight  you over board games and make alliances in monopoly to mess w/ you. 

his interest in taking up an instrument kicked in when he was seven years old. he and his dad were driving back from a hockey game together late at night, and his dad played him the song moby dick by led zeppelin & he knew it was something that he wanted to pursue bc “john bonham was a genius.” ~ arlo vc. and so his dad gifted him a drum set on his eighth birthday !! :’-) soft. but over the years he was exposed to other instruments and can also play the guitar, piano, and he has a nice set of pipes !! harry styles being his vc as well ~ makes it easy. he really wants to learn the saxophone tho??? don’t get him started - he will go on and on and on.

throughout highschoool ; arlo was a v dedicated student. although he’s a bit reckless and loved to goof off, he was always acing classes and applying himself. he genuinely cares for others, you could’ve seen his ass volunteering at a soup kitchen with his mom on sundays and what not! just soft things.

until now - now anti-soft. hard things.  sdgjdjgd okay, so, arlo is A Mess™️. and i say that with so much love in my bones. arlo is the type of friend that is honest, and all about tough love when it’s needed. he doesn’t mind getting into a fight or two if he knows its worth the outcome he’s envisioned. he will tell you when you’re fucking up, and if you’re throwing a punch as a result - catch him leaning into it. this ties in l8r !!

he’s just a bit desperate to feel against following the death of his brother & also post-break up with shanley? ( which give me one hot sec and i’ll go into those v soon ) but overall he just wants to feel like himself again, y’know ?? don’t we all. amen & what not. to break it down, he just feels so intensely that he ends up numbing himself in the aftermath of it all, and he’s sadly willing to put himself into harms way in order to get a bit of that - happiness / pain, it doesn’t matter to him as long as he no longer feels numb. so, if ya see him with some scrapes and stitches ~ MIND YA BUSINESS.

arlo’s lurve life : woo ! okay, welcome back -- let’s get into it. so shanley and arlo dated throughout hs and into their first year of college, for a whopping five years together before they broke up. god if you’ve made it this far, i applaud you...but hmu and let me know your fav color, okay? like and comment below ?? subscribe ?? thx. OKAY BACK TO BUSINESS. in case you’re wondering who broke up with who, gosh so nosy, let me just tell you ‘twas arlo. he did it, we can unfollow his ass now. BUT ~ he didn’t want to ? y’know. he felt like due to the long distance, she was missing out on college experiences and her waiting by the phone for him to call was just sad, and he felt guilty. he wanted her to enjoy her time and felt as if he was weighing her down. although he did try make an effort to fix this doing by visiting her that weekend at her university in chicago, but when he came across her with friends he felt stupid and bailed back to cali again. a couple months later he called her, hoping to apologize for his poor judgement and admit to his mistake of ending the relationship, but she wasn’t the one who answered the phone. arlo assumed the random guy who answered was shanley’s new boyfriend (although , he was shanley’s roommates boyfriend but my sad dumb ass boi didn’t know ). arlo only assumed the voice belonged to shan’s bf bc he swears the voice distinctly said “coming, babe!” ( although he did, just not to shanley) and ever since arlo’s been a bit jaded when it comes to romance. shanley called him back later that day, and arlo shrugged her off bc he was jealous af and drunk - claiming he “butt dialed her and it wouldn’t happen again.” :’-( since then they haven’t been in contact. 

he was so in love with shanley, and despite him being the one to end things, he’s never fully gotten over her. he’s definitely hooked up with other people, but my boy is not the committing type after that relationship. 

after high school, arlo attended stanford university, as they offer one of the best criminal law programs across the nation. wahoo ! yahtzee !

after graduating college, arlo moved to san francisco & moved in with ali !! they have a nice little place overlooking the golden gate bridge w/ quality acoustics for their creative music projects. / also where he currently lives !! :’-) we love a bromance.

while in san francisco, arlo attended university to continue on pursuing his law degree  and after two years was able to graduate with his juris doctor. 

TRIGGER WARNING : DEATH / CAR ACCIDENT / DRUNK DRIVING. the death of his brother is very recent, like four weeks ago recent. arlo and his brother were road tripping across the states back to their family home in NY to visit their parents, when a drunk driver struck the driver side of their vehicle, which on impact killed his brother. arlo has survivors guilt as a result from the accident. he and his brother had switched seats a couple minutes prior to the collision, after arlo had asked to switch with him in order to rest for a bit. :’-( miraculously, arlo was unscathed in the greater scheme of all things injury-based. he’s entering the villa w/ a couple broken ribs, broken left arm and scrapes/cuts. so plz sign his cast. 

post-break up with shanley, they had some type of unspoken agreement of trading off years of who gets to attend the summer( aka who has custody of the sclub ) and so last year, arlo did not attend. however, this year, they somehow got their info wrong about who was going / not going, so they have found themselves here at the same time. this being the first time they’ve seen each other since holidays during their first year of college previous to their break up. so get ready for some spice.

last summer, since arlo wasn’t attending the sclub reunion, he was taking the california state bar exam. which is only offered twice a year - he opted for the one in july and passed! :’-) he spent some time after the exam in europe with hastrid. <3

however, arlo will be joining this summers reunion coming from his parents home, post-funeral, trying to escape boxing up his brothers stuff and wanting to not be pitied. :’-( my boy is going through it, so his typical behavior and personality is gonna be v muted for a while.

ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

overall : arlo truly strives to be kind, and genuinely wants for everyone to get along. treat people with kindness and the like. he has the best of intentions, but often times that can get a bit muddled with the way he goes about things due to his chaotic energy. he will do anything to lighten a dark mood, and will sacrifice / throw himself under the bus if its needed. however, he also is the type to cause the dark mood depending on the day.

however rn, with his current state of mind, arlo is just going through the motions. numbing himself with unhealthy outlets and has a different type of mentality. definitely engaging in a bit of the more chaotic activities, as well as leaving everyone alone to their own vices as well. whereas his typical behavior would be more so attempting to lead them onto a better path if it meant well for their overall wellbeing. 

habits : smoking cigarettes ( ali likely nags him bc they aren’t herbal ) . staying up into the early hours of the morning, and yet somehow still an early riser ( hence, he drinks an absurd amount of coffee ). yeah, hence. - get it, from the house bunny? sdjfkngdg any who, he’s in a phase of numbing via alcohol and drugs rn. 

personality type : INTP - T / THE LOGICIAN

moral alignment : chaotic good

tarot card : the hermit ( currently )

character inspo : connor walsh from how to get away with murder, jess mariano from gilmore girls, & ambrose spellman from chilling adventures of sabrina ( literally his #1 ranked personality match on a quiz i took ) !! so, we have that ! and also a heavy sprinkle of seth cohen from the o.c.

ʜᴇᴀᴅᴄᴀɴᴏɴꜱ

the album ‘fine line’ by golden child, harry styles in this case will be used as a hc for arlo. arlo wrote and recorded the album - all songs included, with his muse being shanley over the course of the last couple of years. he’s just kind of been sitting on the entire thing, never really feeling it was the right time to release his work/side solo project...but later this summer, he may just leak it. :’-)

arlo is a vegetarian ! he has been since his freshman year of high school.

those who inspire him : roger taylor, mick jagger, alex van halen, john bonham.

LUNA : ali and arlo co-founded the band with friends edie dorn and guy perkins in junior high. playing gigs where they could as often as possible. arlo was on lead vocals, ali as lead guitarist, edie on bass, and guy on drums. although when it came down to recording and what not they seemed to bounce around when it came to other instruments - v experimental. the band took off in college, prior to something strange and over the years they’ve produced numerous albums and have won a couple awards. 

red roses are his Thing™️ ; fans of the band will walk up and hand him them. i think that’s soft. and i am here for it.

he loves fancy wine ~ he’s cultured.

fun fact : dirty dancing is v much so a sharlo movie. they used to practice and be able to successfully pull of the jump & lift dance move literally just for fun / bc they wanted to. after nailing the lift, they learned the entire dance - i can't. dfjkgndjkg SOFT.

arlo has all of harry’s tattoos !! makes it simpler, might add more along the way !! stay tuned, folks !!

also the ‘ h & s ‘ rings that will be seen in photographs later on are for his brother, holden, and bbg, shanley </3

arlo is a gucci enthusiast - having much of his closet filled with staple pieces over the years. to further his love for the brand, he was recently asked to be in an upcoming campaign for the fall season - he’s v jazzed about it.

ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ

𝖌𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖑𝖚𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 ( open connection ) : with arlo being a bit chaotic in nature, he needs somebody that is likely going to steer him clear from all the ideas that’ll bring him to the brink of disaster. he’s impulsive and in that desperate attempt to feel again, he’s very likely to bring a bit of mayhem upon himself. so while they may constantly worrying and attempting to talk his ideas down, he’s trying to get them to go along with his plan. it may be rare that he actually takes their advice, but when he does it seems to be for the best.

𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖞 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉 / 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖎𝖉𝖆𝖓𝖙 ( open connection ) : these two know how to have a good time together. despite the amount of alcohol they are throwing back and the shenanigans they find themselves in as a result, this is a time where they also find themselves confiding in one another. if you look at their camera rolls, it’s likely they have tons of embracing and unflattering videos and pics of one another, in between their sob-worthy confessionals and venting/rants. these two trust one another, and although they love getting wreckT together, they find themselves discussing very raw and personal details.

open to other connection you may have in mind! :’-)  LMK!!!! <3 i love me some chemistry !!!

ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ( featured on arlo’s connections page here !! )

𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖇𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖋𝖎𝖙𝖘 ( taken - simon peralta ) : these two went through rough break ups of their own, and a rebound didn’t sound too bad to either of them at the time things started. it may not occur all the time, but they sometimes still find themselves offering up to one another. this occurred more frequently then any of arlo’s one night stands, obvi, but it never surpassed anything other than the physical aspect of their relationship. the nature of their relationship outside of the bedroom can go either way !!!  :’-)

𝖆 𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖘 ( taken - ali mallick ) : as if living together for the past two years wasn’t enough, ali & arlo are also roommates every summer that arlo attends the sclub reunions. these two are always laughing, and saying some ridiculous ish. you’ll likely hear loud jam sessions and howling laughter / the occasional excited shouting back and forth from their room in the late hours. they are truly nothing but a good time and tbh, they know it. that and the fact that they have the best hair in the villa. djfgnjkdfg FIGHT ME !!

𝖍𝖎𝖌𝖍 𝖘𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑 𝖘𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖘 ( taken - shanley evans ) : these two began their relationship in their freshman year of high school - spending five years together before breaking up in their freshman year of college. * cries in sharlo * they were the “it” couple, no pennywise included … unless ? anyways, everyone thought that they were going to get married, and arlo was v much in love / thinking shanley was his romantic soulmate. yet when they did break up everyone was shookith - even the birds and the bees.

𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖘 ( taken - ali mallick , willow finch , sirena rose ) : these four formed something strange. arlo is the drummer of the group, and also writes some songs for the group. they’ve blown up over the years and are a quite successful group.

𝖛 𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌-𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕 ( taken - sirena rose / willow finch ) : these two have a love/hate relationship, very sibling like filled with pranks, competition, teasing and playful banter. however, when it comes down to it they have so much love and respect for one another. they know that no matter what happens they will always have one anothers back and be supportive of the other. pure relationship.

𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖊 𝖔𝖗 𝖉𝖎𝖊 ( taken - delilah jacobs ) : ride or dies ! need i say more ?? these two have one anothers backs despite anything and everything going on otherwise. they play in to one anothers antics and enjoy one anothers presence as they can likely be seen dragging one another across town and causing a bit of mayhem together. you can catch them in their beautiful, bitch #1 & #2 tee's.

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖆𝖓𝖎𝖔𝖓 ( taken - ramona verdez ) : it would be wrong to say one is the more likely the bad influence over the other, although arlo may just be. these two find themselves bounding into, well hell, ( i guess??? ) together. playing on one anothers impulsiveness and if one ends up in the back of a police car, the other is handcuffed to them. and yet despite the length of their potential injuries, they find themselves thinking of something crazier to subject them to the next time around. with arlo having his law degree, he’s always able to squeeze them out of trouble before it gets too serious, so trust - it’s ok !! 

𝖚𝖓𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖘 / 𝖕𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖗 𝖔𝖕𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 ( taken -  izzy de la rosa ) : these two may have ran in the same circle, but were complete opposites when it came down to their personalities / styles / perhaps even humor, so it was expected for them to stand their distance. however despite the odds, they just clicked !! opposites attract and what not, ya dig??  somehow their dynamic just works and they have a lot of fun together by introducing new things to one another.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

17th March >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on

Luke 5:1-11 for the Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary (Ireland)

& on

Luke 9:28-36 for the Second Sunday of Lent, Cycle C.

Solemnity of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary  (Ireland)

Gospel

Luke 5:1-11

They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflections (7)

(i) Feast of Saint Patrick

We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Britain, and what has come to be called, ‘St Patrick’s Confession’. In these invaluable historical documents, Patrick gives us a lot of information about himself. He came from a well to do family, the rural gentry, who lived somewhere in Britain or in what is now Brittany. He was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was only sixteen years of age. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture, his faith was lukewarm.

During several years of harsh slavery in Ireland, when he was struggling with the loss of so much that was dear to him, he had a spiritual awakening. He began to experience a strong desire to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’. His time of exile was a watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before his faith was rekindled, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that this reawakening of his faith was the Lord’s doing. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. Whenever, in our own lives, we experience some devastating loss, and we find ourselves in a dark place, we too can find, as Patrick did, that the risen Lord comes to us in that dark place and touches us deeply.

Patrick’s spiritual reawakening had enormous consequences for the people in the land of his captivity. After several years of slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to his home. Against all the odds, he managed to escape and make his way back to his family. However, after many years, he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity, this time to proclaim the gospel to the very people who once enslaved him. After studying for the priesthood, he was eventually sent back to Ireland on mission as a bishop. He gave himself wholeheartedly to proclaiming Christ to those who had never heard of him. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all… I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’. He engaged in this mission at great personal cost to himself, as he wrote in his letter to Coroticus, ‘I sacrificed my homeland and parents and I offer my life to the moment of death’.

Every year, as I reread the two writings of Patrick, I am struck by something new in them. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular in Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him to share in his work, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner… I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in this text he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. A little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the purity of true religion that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord’. He is honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his Confession acknowledging that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’.

Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work of leading others to God. The Lord can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit when it comes to witnessing to our faith and if we recognize our dependence on the Lord for everything.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick lived at a time and place very different to our own. He was born at the end of the fourth century on the embattled edge of the crumbling Roman Empire, probably somewhere in Britain. This was a time when the Roman legions had been withdrawn from the edges of the Empire, and there was a general breakdown in Roman law and order. The way Patrick speaks of his family in his Confessions suggests that there were from the rural gentry. His father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather a priest. Yet, their reasonably well to do background did not prevent them from suffering the effects of the general breakdown of order in Roman society. The protection of Rome was not there to prevent Patrick being captured at the tender age of sixteen. He spent six years as a slave in Ireland, escaping only at the age of twenty-two. Ireland, at the time, was a very different society to anywhere in the Roman Empire, even the edges of the Empire where Patrick was from. He often refers to himself as living among strangers. Coming to Ireland at that tender age must have been a huge culture shock, apart altogether from the hardships of slavery.

Yet, he subsequently came to see these six years as a time of great grace. He refers to ‘the many great blessings and grace which the Lord chooses to give me in the land of my captivity’. When he was taken captive, he said, ‘I did not yet know what I ought to desire and what to avoid’. Although born into a Christian family, he had never taken his faith seriously. He uses a striking image to describe his life at the time he was taken captive, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire’. Yet, in exile as a slave in Ireland, he underwent what can only be called a profound spiritual transformation. He writes, ‘I must not hide the gift of God which he gave us bountifully in the land of my captivity, because it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. He writes at one point in his confessions, ‘When I had arrived in Ireland and was looking after flocks the whole time, I prayed frequently each day. And more and more, the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased’. This spiritual renewal would form the basis of his extraordinary missionary work in Ireland many years later. This was a time of great loss in Patrick’s life, but also a time of deep spiritual and personal growth. It is often the way in our own lives that the most painful experiences can also be the most life-giving, for ourselves and for others. Patrick discovered that when so much was taken from him, the Lord worked powerfully in his life. The Lord is always at work in a life-giving way in all our struggles and losses. At any stage of our lives, we can find ourselves in a kind of exile experience. Our personal landscape changes and we feel estranged, lonely, frightened. We are not alone at such times. The Lord is at our side. He is always close to the broken hearted, those whose spirit is crushed, working to bringing something new out of what is dying.

After six years of captivity, Patrick made his escape and managed to board a boat. After a long and perilous journey, he finally made it back to his home. He writes, ‘I was again with my parents in Britain who welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, or ever leave them again’. It is likely that Patrick believed he would never leave them again. However, God works in mysterious ways. Patrick writes in his Confessions that after many long years ‘God chose to give me a great grace towards that people (who had held me captive), but this was something I had never thought of, nor hoped for, in my youth’. He had a vision in which he heard the voice of the Irish call out to him, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. After studying for the priesthood, he was eventually sent on mission to Ireland as a bishop. In the course of that difficult mission, he says that he often felt the urge to go back to his homeland, but he resisted it because, as he writes, ‘I fear the loss of the work I have begun here, since it is not I but Christ the Lord who ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. If his first visit to Ireland was as a young slave, this second visit was in response to the Lord’s call; he came as a slave of the gospel. As he says right at the end of his Confessions, ‘the one and only purpose I had in coming back to that people from whom I had earlier escaped was the gospel and the promises of God’. This second visit of Patrick to Ireland with all its momentous consequences brings home to us the unexpected nature of God’s call to all of us. God’s call can surprise us. God can be prompting us to take a path we might never have considered if left to ourselves. God’s purpose for our lives can be so much greater than our own plans. Patrick teaches us to hold ourselves in readiness for the Lord’s surprising call in our lives.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Patrick

Today we celebrate the feast of the missionary who was the first to preach the gospel in large parts of this Island. Two of his writings have survived. It is nothing short of a miracle that these two texts have come down to us through the turmoil of history. They allow us to hear in our own time the voice of Patrick. We must be grateful to Patrick for sharing something of his story with us and to the scribes who made copies of the texts down through the centuries.

There is great humility in these two texts. Patrick recognizes his imperfections. He says in his confession, ‘I am imperfect in many ways’. Looking back on his youth he writes that ‘We had turned away from God and had not kept the commandments’. He goes on to declare, ‘I did not believe in the living God… I remained in death and unbelief’. It was the experience of captivity that opened him up to God. He says that in the land of his captivity, he was ‘seized by an awareness of God’s presence’. Patrick seems to have come from a very privileged background. When all that was taken from him, he became sensitive to God’s presence. He expresses this religious awakening in a very striking image, ‘Before my humiliation, I was like a stone lying deep in mire; and the Mighty One came and in his mercy… raised me up and placed me on top of a wall’. Having been living in a kind of spiritual death, he was now raised to a new life in God. His spiritual awakening was an experience of God as Love. He writes in his Confessions that ‘the love of God surrounded me more and more and my faith and reverence towards God was strengthened and my spirit was moved so much that in a single day I would pray as many as a hundred times’. He was so deeply touched by God’s love for him that he had a deep desire to communicate with God in prayer.

Yet it is clear from his writings that this period of rejoicing in God’s love did not stay with him every day ever after. He is very open about the times when his faith was put to the test. Sometime after he escaped from captivity and before he arrived at his home, he endured a great assault on his relationship with God. He speaks of this experience in very vivid imagery, ‘While I was sleeping, Satan assailed me violently, which I will remember as long as I am in this body. He came down upon me like a huge rock, so that none of my limbs could move’. He goes on to say that when he saw the sun rise he cried out with all his strength and he declares, ‘the splendour of the sun fell upon me suddenly and immediately freed me from all the weight of oppression. I believe that I had been helped by Christ my Lord’. Elsewhere he writes, ‘there is a strong force which strives every day to subvert me from the faith’. He knew the darker side of faith and, also, the presence of Christ as light in the midst of the darkness.

Sometime after returning home from captivity, Patrick heard the voice of the Irish calling to him to leave his home once more and return among them as a free man, as a messenger of the Lord. ‘We beg you, O Holy youth, to come and walk once more among us’. His subsequent mission among the Irish bore great fruit. Yet, it is evident from his writings that he suffered a great deal in the exercise of that mission. One of the most painful experiences was when some senior members of the church tried to undermine his ministry when some sin of his youth was brought to their attention. He writes that ‘on that day I was hit so hard I could have fallen here and forever’. Yet, he managed to keep going because, as he writes, ‘the Lord… boldly came to my assistance in this trampling, as a result of which I did not fall apart badly even though shame and blame fell upon me’

His accusers were made aware of some weed from his past, in the language of the gospel reading, and, on that basis they were prepared to undermine all the good he was doing. Patrick was very aware that he was a mixture of wheat and darnel and, yet, he also knew that the Lord loved him and was working powerfully through him, flawed though he was. One of the messages Jesus is giving us in that parable is that the attempt to root out evil may destroy the good as well. There is a mixture of good and evil, of virtue and sin, in each one of us and in the church as a whole. Patrick’s story teaches us that the existence of evil is not a cause for disillusionment. If we acknowledge it and open ourselves to the Lord’s love in our weakness, he can strengthen what is good in us and empower us to be his messengers in the world.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Patrick

The Confessions of Saint Patrick is one of two written works that have come down from him. They are very far removed from us in time, Patrick having written them towards the end of his mission in Ireland sometime in the mid to late fifth century. Yet, it is a very personal document, a personal statement of faith, and, it can continue to speak to us today, almost one thousand six hundred years later.

He speaks in that document of his two periods of time in Ireland, the first during which he was a slave of a slave owner, and the second when he was a slave of the Lord, faithfully doing the Lord’s work as a bishop. Patrick’s father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather was a pries; they were reasonably well off. He said in his Confessions that at the time of his captivity by pirates at the age of sixteen he was ‘ignorant of the true God’’ and had abandoned God’s commandments. It was while he was in captivity in Ireland, in an alien land, that the Lord touched his heart. As a result, he came to see his time in captivity as a blessing. He uses a striking image to express his spiritual awakening during his time of exile, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire; and, then, he who is mighty came and, in his mercy, raised me up’. He spells out in some detail how this spiritual awakening transformed him, ‘I prayed frequently each day, and more and more the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased and my spirit enlivened... come rain, hail or snow, I was up before dawn to pray... I now understand this: at that time the Spirit was fervent in me’. In his Confessions he is giving thanks to God for this reawakening of faith that occurred in him. He declares, ‘I must not hide that gift of God which he gave me bountifully in the land of my captivity, for it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. The God to whom Patrick had been so indifferent in the comfort of his own home, he became passionate about when he was torn away from all he knew and loved. Perhaps this experience of Patrick might resonate with us. It can be the darker experiences of life that open us up to the Lord more fully. When what we treasure is taken from us we can become more sensitive to the Lord’s presence in our lives.

After six years in captivity he ran away from his master and after a journey of two hundred miles he boarded a ship which sailed to Gaul. He finally made his way back to his family in Britain. He writes that his parents ‘welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, nor ever leave them again’. Patrick must have presumed that he was home among his own for good. Yet, he then had this powerful spiritual experience which sent him back to the very people who had taken him captive. He had a vision in which a man called Victorinus came to him with innumerable letters and as he read one Patrick said that he thought the heard the voice of those who live around the wood of Foclut which is close to the Western Sea shouting with one voice, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. He was ordained priest and then appointed bishop and travelled back to Ireland to begin his mission. Looking back over his mission towards the end of his life, he was very aware that his second coming to Ireland was no more his own decision that his first coming. He says at the end of his Confessions, ‘It is not I but Christ the Lord who has ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. He had a very successful mission in Ireland but, clearly, it cost him a great deal. He writes that ‘not a day passes but I expect to be killed or waylaid or taken into slavery or assaulted in some other way’. Patrick’s sense of being called to this work, even though he knew in advance it would cost him so much, is very striking. He encourages us all to be open to the Lord’s call in our own lives. ‘What is the Lord asking of me?’ is a question worth pondering. Sometimes, as in the case of Patrick, he may be asking us to do something that, from a merely human point of view, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To become aware of what the Lord may be asking of us, we need to give ourselves time and space so as to listen to him.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saint Patrick

We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Wales, and his own Confessions. In these invaluable documents, Patrick describes himself as a Briton of the Roman nobility who was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was about sixteen. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture at the age of sixteen, he had lost his childhood faith and had become an unbeliever. He writes, ‘I was only a young man, almost a speechless boy, when I was captured, before I knew what I ought to seek out or avoid’.

Nevertheless, several years of brutal slavery in Ireland turned him into a fervent believer. During that traumatic period of exile and slavery he had a spiritual awakening. His time of exile was a spiritual watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before this conversion moment, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is interesting that Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that it was the Lord rather he himself who brought out this change in him. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. He found in himself a great need to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’.

This spiritual awakening had enormous consequences not just for Patrick but for so many others in the land of his captivity. After several years of brutal slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to Britain. Against all the odds, he managed to escape to Britain and eventually made his way back to his family. However, after some time he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity to proclaim the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him. He did not set out on this mission immediately but trained for the priesthood, possibly in Auxerre in Gaul. He was quickly appointed bishop and sent on his mission to Ireland. The sense we get from his writings is that he gave himself wholeheartedly to sharing the gift of faith he had rediscovered with those who had never heard of Christ. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all... I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’.

I always try to reread the two writings of Patrick that have come down to us as we approach his feast day. Every year something new in them strikes. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this particular year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular of Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Simon Peter seems to have had a realistic sense of his own past and present failings. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus with the sentence, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very ignorant man’. He begins his Confessions in a similar way, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very unsophisticated man. I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in his Confessions he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. S little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the pure chastity that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord. But the hostile flesh always drags me toward death, to those enticing, forbidden desires’. He is very honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. There is a great realism about his writing. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his confessions with the acknowledgement that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’.

Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work. He can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit and a recognition of our dependence on the Lord for everything.

And/Or

(vi)  Feast of Saint Patrick

We venerate Patrick on this his feast day because he gave himself over to proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says of himself in his Confessions, ‘The love of Christ gave me to these people to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’ He was amazed at how much God had done through him. We are the heirs of Patrick’s great missionary work. He lit a new fire in this land which has never gone out. Patrick was all the more amazed at how God had worked through him because he was very aware of his failings and weaknesses. At the beginning of his Confessions he says, ‘although I am imperfect in many ways I want my brothers and sisters and my relatives to know what kind of man I am so that they may understand the aspiration of my life’. Later on in his Confessions he says, ‘I realize that I did not altogether lead a life as perfect as other believers’. Patrick knew that he had been a continued to be a mixture of wheat and weed, like the field in the parable of today’s gospel reading. In that parable the owner of the field does not despise the field because weed was to be found among the wheat. He was happy to allow both to grow together knowing that they would be separated at harvest time. When the Lord looks upon us, he looks beyond our failings to the good that is within us. Patrick did not allow his awareness of his imperfections to hold him back from doing what he knew God was calling him to do.

On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland, a truly traumatic experience for a young adolescent. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day... My faith increased… the spirit was burning within me’. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he... lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. This spiritual awakening in captivity had enormous consequences for himself and for the people of the land where he was held captive.

In the course of our lives we can find ourselves in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, our brokenness can provide the openings for the Lord to enter our lives. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, the Lord will be there to lift us up, and he will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we seek the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will grace many others through us.

After six years as a captive Patrick was given the opportunity to escape from his captivity. He was directed to a boat some distance from where he was minding sheep. The captain reluctantly took him on board. Three days sailing was followed by twenty eight days journeying through deserted country, probably Gaul. At the end of that journey Patrick describes a very dark spiritual experience that he had, ‘when I was asleep Satan tempted me with a violence which I will remember as long as I am in this body. There fell on me as it were a great rock and I could not stir a limb’. However, he goes on to say that when he cried out in prayer he saw the sun rising in the sky; he says, ‘the brilliance of that sun fell suddenly on me and lifted my depression at once’. Reflecting on that experience, he declares, ‘I believe that I was sustained by Christ my Lord and that his Spirit was even then calling out on my behalf’. Although he was a very successful missionary, Patrick struggled with the darker experiences of life. Yet, he knew that the Lord was as present to him in his darkness of spirit as much as in the success of his mission. Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence in difficult times as well as in good times, in those times when we are more aware of the darnel in our lives than of the wheat. His story also teaches us that even when all is not as well with us as we might like, the Lord continues to work powerfully within us and through us.

And/Or

(vii) Feast of St. Patrick

Last October twelve months I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time, in the company of my sister and brother-in-law. They both live in California. Patrick, who is from the United States, came to Ireland determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He is recovering from cancer and he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through the surgery and the treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about.

The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our own time. We venerate Patrick today, not so much as the one who first brought Christianity to this island. Historians tell us that the bishop Palladius first preached the gospel in Ireland, some years before Patrick arrived. We venerate Patrick because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people who never heard of him. Patrick says in his Confessions, ‘I am very much in debt to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’

Today we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. His first journey to Ireland was not of his own choosing. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. His identity was anything but fully formed at this stage. He says in his confessions: ‘I was taken captive… before I knew what to seek or what to avoid’. This experience was a personal disaster. Yet, out of this traumatic experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. In his captivity, he had a religious awakening. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for him came to me. My faith increased… As I now realize, the spirit was burning within me’. That spiritual awakening in the land of his captivity had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for huge numbers of people in the land where he was held captive.

The Lord somehow got through to Patrick during the rigours of captivity in a way he had not got through to Patrick during his reasonably privileged upbringing at home. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’.

Patrick’s own story brings home to us that the Lord can work powerfully in and through our own experiences of captivity. In the course of our lives we sometimes are brought somewhere we would rather not go. We can find ourselves in situations where we are conscious only of loss. We are separated from someone or from some experience that has been very significant for us, that has helped to define us. We experience ourselves as isolated and adrift, in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord does not abandon us. On the contrary, when we seem to be loosing much, he graces us all the more. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. The Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick in the land of our captivity, whatever form that might take. If we remain open to the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will also grace many others through us.

There is a sense in which it is true to say that the church in Ireland has been going through something of a wilderness time in recent years. Many of us in the church are conscious of a sense of loss. The numbers coming to the Sacraments have fallen greatly; there has been a dramatic decline in the numbers going on for priesthood and the religious life; the fabric of our society seems to be more and more resistant to the values of the gospel; the way we have come to relate to each other seem more and more at odds with the Lord’s teaching and lifestyle. Patrick’s story is a reminder to us that the Lord continues to work powerfully in what appears to be unpromising terrain. In the gospel reading Jesus instructs the seventy two to proclaim the same message regardless of how they are received, ‘the kingdom of God is very near to you’. Even in barren and lean times, it remains the case that the kingdom of God is very near to us. Patrick teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s kingdom even in periods of loss. He encourages us to be attentive to the new deed that God is always doing in the land of our captivity.

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Second Sunday of Lent. Cycle C

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Luke 9:28-36

Jesus is transfigured before them

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

Gospel (USA)

Luke 9:28b–36

While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying, his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

Reflections (5)

(i) Second Sunday of Lent

We all have our good and bad days. There are times in our lives when we feel very content and at peace, and there are other times when a kind of darkness can descend on us. Very often the light and shade of life has to do in one way or another with other people. When we are with those we love and who love us we are at peace. When we are without them, we can find life empty. Whether we experience life as a joy or a burden can also have to do with our state of health. When we feel physically well, we have a spring in our step. When we are battling with serious illness, life can be a depressing struggle. Our contentedness or otherwise can also have to do with how we are spending our time. Certain activities can give us momentary pleasure but do not leave us very content in the long term. Other activities, which can take a lot out of us at the time, can leave us with a sense of having done something worthwhile, and confirm for us our own sense of worth. Putting ourselves out for others, sharing our gifts with them, enriches us, even though it can cost us something.

If we have people in our lives that we love and who love us, if our health is good, if we are engaged in activities that are deeply satisfying, then we are indeed fortunate. Yet, invariably there will come a time when we will be without some or even all of these realities. There is a certain letting go which we all have to face into. What then? What are we left with? The readings today suggest that the supreme and ultimate reality that brings us deep and lasting joy is our relationship with the Lord. When that relationship is significant for us, our lives can be full and rich, even when we find ourselves separated from those we love, even when our health is not good, even when we are not engaged in satisfying activity.

Today’s second reading is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. At the time he wrote that letter Paul was confined in prison. The future did not look good. Yet, he writes as someone who is full of joy. The human support he experienced from others at that vulnerable time was one reason for his joy. A more fundamental reason was his relationship with the Lord. In the course of that letter he says, ‘I can do all things in him who strengthens me’. In a time of great human weakness, he knew the Lord’s strength. As he faced into the prospect of his own death, he looked forward in hope to that moment when the Lord would transfigure his broken body into a copy of his own glorious body.

Paul’s faith, and the faith of others, kept him joyful, when there seemed to be little to rejoice about. I am sure that all of us who are here this morning value our faith, our relationship with the Lord. His involvement with us and ours with him sustains us, keeps us hopeful and joyful, even when much that we have come to value has been taken from us, whether that be loved ones, or health or various activities that were important to us. In the words of today’s responsorial psalm, ‘The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? Before whom shall I shrink?’ Lent is a good time to acknowledge to ourselves that our relationship with the Lord is the most important value in our lives. Lent is a good moment to consider how we might deepen that relationship, how we might grow in our response to the Lord’s call and presence in our lives. Today’s responsorial psalm invites us to ‘seek his face’. If we are to grow in our relationship with the Lord, we need to seek him, to reach out towards him, as so many people are portrayed as doing in the gospels. One of the ways we seek the Lord’s face is in prayer. To pray is to open ourselves to the Lord’s presence. Lent is a good moment to create more space for prayer in our lives.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus takes Peter and John and James up a mountain to pray. He went up the mountain to seek God in prayer, and in prayer he was transfigured. Jesus was very aware that he was facing down a long road to Jerusalem where rejection and death awaited him, where everything would be taken away from him. He had just told his disciples as much in Caesarea Philippi. Now he goes up the mountain to seek the face of the Lord to be strengthened for the road ahead. His relationship with his Father was one thing that could not be taken from him. Here was the greatest value of his life that would endure when all else failed. In prayerful communion with God, he was transfigured; he experienced himself as he would be, beyond the rejection, suffering, and death that awaited him in Jerusalem.

This was a wonderful moment not only for Jesus himself but for those who went up the mountain with him. ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here’, said Peter. Some of us may be fortunate enough in the course of our lives to have known such moments when God seemed very near to us, when we felt fully alive in God’s presence, fully loved with a love greater than any human love. Such moments are little glimpses of that final transfiguration that awaits us all; they assure us that when we have to let go of everything, God remains, and in God we will find all again, transformed and renewed.

And/Or

(ii) Second Sunday of Lent

There are times in all of our lives when we feel deeply happy and at peace, and there are other times when life seems an endless struggle. If we were to look at why we can be deeply happy at some times and struggling greatly at other times, we might find that both have a lot to do with other people in our lives. When we are with people whom we love and who love us, we find ourselves at peace and content, even when other things are going against us. When we are with people who do not have our good at heart, then we struggle, even if other things in our life are going well. Who we are with, the ways that people relate to us, can be very influential in determining whether we find ourselves in a place of light or a place of darkness. Our response to the psalm this morning was, ‘The Lord is my light and my help’. Like the person who composed that psalm, we believe that our relationship with God brings light into our lives. If people who love us can bring light into our lives, the Lord who loves us with an eternal love can do so even more.

Jesus also knew times in his life when he felt deeply happy and at peace and other times when life was a real struggle. In last Sunday’s gospel reading Jesus struggled with Satan in the wilderness. Today’s gospel reading puts before us a very different moment in Jesus’ life. In the wilderness Jesus was alone with only Satan for company. Here on the mount of transfiguration, he is with his three closest disciples, Peter, James and John. Not only has he his three closest disciples for company, two of the great Jewish prophets appear to him and speak to him, Moses and Elijah. Even more significantly, Jesus heard his heavenly Father address him as ‘my Son, the Chosen One’. If in the wilderness, Jesus was being put to a great test, here on the mountain he is being given great consolation. Jesus needed this moment of assurance, because he was about to set out on the most difficult journey of his life, the journey to Jerusalem. A few verses after this scene, Luke the evangelist says, ‘When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem’. According to our gospel reading, Moses and Elijah were speaking to Jesus about his departure which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem, his death. Jesus had gone up the mountain to pray, and it was while he was at prayer that Moses and Elijah appeared to him, and the voice of the Father was heard to speak. This time of prayer on the mountain was for Jesus a time of great consolation, of great reassurance. It was an experience which strengthened him for the journey that he was about to face into.

Lent is a time when, in a sense, the whole church is called to go up the mountain to pray, as Jesus did. It is a season when we are called to nurture, through prayer, the most important relationship in our lives, our relationship with the Lord who is our light and our help. Our prayer can take many different forms; none of us prays in the same way all of the time. Today’s gospel reading of the transfiguration, however, draws attention to one particular form of prayer, the prayer of listening. When Peter, James and John were on the mountain with Jesus, the voice of God spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him’. The three disciples were being called to the prayer of listening. Jesus was just about to head for Jerusalem with his disciples. In the course of that journey, Luke presents Jesus as having a great deal to say to his disciples. Along the way he gave them a lot of teaching and instruction. Before they headed out on this journey, the disciples were being called to listen to Jesus.

As we begin our Lenten journey, we too hear the voice from the cloud say to us, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him’. Lent is a journey of listening to the word of the Lord. Last Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, people in the church were invited to come forward to receive a copy of the gospel of Luke on behalf of their family or on their own behalf. This Lent the church in Dublin is being called to listen to the word of Jesus as it comes to us through the gospel of Luke. The prayerful reading of that gospel would be a worthwhile Lenten exercise, one in keeping with the call of today’s gospel reading. As Jesus was praying on the mountain, he was transfigured. As we prayerfully listen to the Lord’s word, we too will be transfigured; we will be transformed more fully into the image and likeness of God’s Son. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading our ultimate destiny is that our earthly bodies will be transfigured into copies of the Lord’s glorious body. In giving ourselves over to the prayerful listening of the Lord’s word, that process of transfiguration can begin here and now.

And/Or

(iii) Second Sunday of Lent

We live by the sea here in Clontarf and we are very fortunate to do so. We have wonderful opportunities for walking along the promenade, down the Bull Wall, in Saint Anne’s Park. There are some people who might find the terrain around Clontarf a little bit flat. They like a bit of height when they are walking; they like to climb. Our nearest high ground here is the Hill of Howth and there are some lovely walks around the Hill of Howth. Those looking for higher ground might be more inclined to head towards the Dublin hills or the Wicklow Mountains. Mountains do have an appeal of their own. When you are on a mountain, you have a sense of being away from it all, above it all. There can be a great sense of peace on the mountain.

Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his public ministry, was very flat in places but it also has hills, some of them quite high. This morning’s gospel reading is set on such a hill or mountain. In the gospel reading, this mountain is a place of worship. Luke tells us that Jesus took Peter and John and James up the mountain to pray. That intense moment of communion with God on the mountain had a profound effect on Jesus. We are told that the aspect of his face was changed and his clothes became brilliant as lightning. He was transfigured. He heard God call his name in love, ‘this is my beloved Son’, and that had a transforming effect on him. Whenever we hear our name called in love, we are, in some sense, transfigured. Our faces light up; our hearts burn within us. The disciples were caught up into Jesus’ experience of transforming communion with God. Their hearts too began to burn within them; they wanted to preserve this wonderful moment. Peter cried out, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. He was saying, ‘let us preserve this moment’.

Yet, this was a moment that could not last indefinitely. Jesus knew that he would have to come down the mountain. Luke tells us that Jesus was speaking to Moses and Elijah about ‘his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem’. He was talking to them about his coming suffering and death. He knew that he would soon have to set his face to go to Jerusalem where he would be put to death. He would have to face into the valley of work and suffering. He was being strengthened on the mountain for the journey ahead, for the valley that had to be entered. This was something the disciples were slow to appreciate. When the voice from heaven said to the disciples ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!’ they were being called upon to listen to Jesus when he spoke to them about the inevitability of his suffering and death. They would show themselves to be very slow to listen to these painful words of Jesus, just as they were slow to come down the mountain.

As followers of Jesus we live our lives between the mountain of prayer and the valley where we live and work and navigate our various struggles. Like Jesus we spend far more time in the valley than on the mountain. Yet, we need the mountain of prayer as Jesus did. We need to step back and simply be before the Lord. It is on the mountain of worship and prayer that we inhale the power, grace and truth of Jesus. The place of prayer is where we listen to the Lord and allow ourselves to hear the Lord call our name in love. It is the place where our spiritual resources can be renewed and our moral vision clarified. The mountain of prayer can take many forms. It can be a building like this, a church, a space which we enter alone or gather with others as we are doing this morning. It can be any place where we step back from our daily routine and prayerfully open up ourselves to God present to us in his love.

We need these places when we become conscious of a source of life and goodness beyond ourselves and others, so that when we enter the valley of life, of work, of struggle, we can exhale what we have inhaled on the mountain of prayer. Jesus went to the mountain so as to bring its grace and peace to the valley. Raphael’s famous painting of the Transfiguration in the Vatican Art Gallery shows Jesus virtually floating in mid-air, glorious and splendid on the mountain. The bottom half of the painting depicts the valley where a father is pleading to the his disciples to do something for his possessed son. That was the situation Jesus would immediately face into when he came down the mountain. Lent is a time to journey afresh to the mountain of prayer so as to recommit ourselves to the work of the valley, a sharing in Jesus’ life-giving work. We need to inhale and exhale. This is the dynamic of our lives as followers of Jesus.

And/Or

(iv) Second Sunday of Lent

Coming towards the end of my time in secondary school I noticed I could not see the writing on the blackboard very well. I went to an optician and discovered that I needed glasses. As I got older the prescription for the glasses have got gradually stronger. Some years ago I ended up with bifocals. Needing ever stronger glasses is part of the aging process for some of us.

There are different forms of seeing. There is physical sight, for which some of us need help in the form of glasses as we get older. Then there is a deeper kind of seeing, where we see below the surface of things. Some kind of light comes on in us and we see in a way that we have never seen before. We often refer to these experiences not so much as moments of sight as moments of insight. Perhaps this is the kind of seeing that the disciples were gifted with in this morning’s gospel reading. They had been with Jesus for some time now. They had seen him heal the sick, share table with all sorts of people, feed a multitude in the wilderness. However, now, on the mountain, they saw Jesus in a way they had never seen him before. The gospel reading says that they saw Jesus’ glory. They saw beneath the surface of his life to the person he truly was. He saw him in all his full reality. He was more than a wonderful human being; he was the Son of God. The disciples on the mountain were graced with an ability to see the personal reality of Jesus unveiled. It was a momentary experience. Peter wanted to prolong it, ‘let us make three tents...’ However, this was an experience that could not be bottled. It could not be frozen, so as to avail of it as Peter chose. It was a momentary gift; it could be savoured for the moment. The memory of this experience could sustain the disciples for the difficult road ahead as they walked behind Jesus who was soon to set his face to go to Jerusalem.

There are times in our own lives when we can be graced in a way that is similar to how Peter, James and John were graced on the mountain. We may think we know someone well. Then we get a sudden and momentary insight into some dimension of their being. It is as if we see them more deeply than we have ever seen them. We sense that these moments of insight come to us as a gift. We are not aware of having done anything to make them happen. They are given to us and, yet, every gift has to be received and, so, in some sense, we have been receptive to this gift. The gift of seeing Jesus in a way the disciples had never seen him before came to them in the context of prayer. Jesus had taken Peter, James and John had up the mountain to join him in prayer. In our own lives, a prayerful spirit can dispose us to receive this momentary grace of seeing people in all their full reality, indeed, in their glorious reality, as people made in the image and likeness of God. Having seen someone in this deeper way once, this experience can live on in our memory, to be called upon when we might be tempted to see them in a much more surface way.

This deeper seeing can impact not only on how we see other people but on how we see all of reality. When we look at a certain situation in life in a purely surface way, we might see it as a problem and no more than that. However, when we open ourselves to that grace of seeing the situation more deeply, we can come to discover that the problem is not only a problem but it is also an opportunity that calls out to us. There is a sacramental quality to all of life. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The flesh of life, all of it, reveals something of the Word who is God. God is revealed in all of our experience. The Word of God speaks to us through all of our human experience, even those dark experiences that seem devoid of God’s light. There is a spiritual quality to all of life and the Lord will give us eyes to see this deeper dimension to all things if we are open to this gift.

The gospel reading invites us to reflect not only on how we see others, how we see life, but how we see ourselves. In that second reading, Paul tells us that our ultimate destiny in eternity is to be transfigured, so that we finally become copies of Christ’s own glorious body. There is a sense in which this transfiguration is already underway through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As Paul says in one of his other letters, ‘we are being transformed into the same image (the image of the Lord) from one degree of glory to another’. Something of the same depth that the disciples saw in Jesus on the mountain is to be found in each one of us if we have eyes to see.

And/Or

(v) Second Sunday of Lent

I watched an interesting programme on Michelangelo on the T.V. last Sunday night. It showed how he worked to transfigure a huge block of marble into a beautiful work of art. It is easy to forget that his wonderful David in Florence and his powerful Pieta in Rome were once rough blocks of marble cut out of the mountainside. In a similar way, an artist with the brush, a painter, takes a blank canvass and transfigures it into an image that people delight in looking at. Or an artist with the pen, a writer, takes blank pages and transfigures them into something engaging and absorbing to read.

It is not only marble, canvass and paper that can be transfigured. People can be transfigured. You may have noticed people at airports waiting to greet a loved one. They search each face as the passengers come through the arrival doors. The longer it goes without seeing the person they have come to greet, the more concerned they become. When they suddenly recognize their loved one, their faces light up. In a sense, they become transfigured.

We have all had our transfiguration moments, when, not only our faces light up, but our hearts light up as well. Such moments will often be times when we hear our name spoken in love, when we have a deep sense that we are accepted and welcomed and valued by someone. We find it easy to remember those moments. In more difficult times we can find ourselves going back to such moments in memory and continuing to draw life from them. Such experiences live on in our memories, and can sustain us long after they have happened.

The gospel reading describes a moment in the life of Jesus when he was transfigured. We are told that, while he was at prayer, ‘the aspect of his face was changed’. Not only his face but his whole being lit up; he was glorified. Jesus was transfigured because, in prayer, he heard God his Father call his name in love. ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One’. This, for Jesus, was a moment of deep communion with God, with the one who loved him with a perfect love, a love that would prove stronger than death. The gospel reading says that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus about his passing, his death. Jesus knew that his leaving this world in death would also be his entry into the hands of his loving Father beyond death. ‘Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit’. On the mountain, Jesus experienced a love that was faithful enough to carry him through death, and the experience of such a love was transfiguring.

Jesus has called us into the same relationship with God that he has. He has sent his Spirit into our hearts, and that Spirit prompts us to cry out ‘Abba, Father’ to God as Jesus did. If we share the same relationship with God that Jesus has, hopefully their will be moments in our own lives when we experience God as Jesus did on that mountain, in a way that leaves us transfigured in the very depths of our being. Such an experience of God speaking our name in love may not be a regular occurrence, but it is surely a gift that God gives to us from time to time. Different people can hear God call their name in love in different ways. For some, it might happen in and through some experience of nature. In the first reading, the Lord prompts Abraham to look up to heaven and to count the stars. The sight of the stars deepened Abraham’s faith in God’s loving purpose for himself and his descendants. The sky at night, the setting sun, the wonder and beauty of nature in all its forms, can speak to us of God’s abiding love for us. The sense of God saying to us, ‘You are my chosen one’, can also come through the celebration of the Sacraments. God’s love can touch us at a very deep level in and through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We can come away from those sacramental moments transfigured in some way. For many of us, God’s transforming love is experienced in and through the relationships that matter to us. The experience of a human love that is faithful without being possessive can be transforming of us, transfiguring, and can give us a foretaste of that moment in eternity when we will experience God’s love to the full.

St. Paul in the second reading encourages us to look forward to that future moment, when the Lord will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. We live in hope of that final transfiguration, when we will be conformed to the image of the risen Christ. On the mountain, Jesus gave his disciples a glimpse of their own future destiny. This glimpse was so appealing that Peter wanted to prolong the moment for as long as possible. ‘It is wonderful for us to be here’, Peter said, ‘Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah’. Yet, this was only a glimpse of what would come at the end of life’s journey. It was not yet the end. They all had to come down the mountain and face into a difficult journey to Jerusalem. We are familiar with that same journey. We all have to face down the road to our own Jerusalems. We know the way of the cross. Yet, we also know that at the end of our journey there will be a wonderful moment when we will hear God calling our name in love, and we are transfigured. We also believe that along the way we will hear echoes of that loving call of God, if we are attentive.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or  frmartinhogan@gmail.com

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie  Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

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[pamphletstoinspire]

A Padre Pio Inspirational Story

Padre Pio let himself be guided solely by the intense desire to disappear in Jesus. . . He considered this complete and voluntary subjection to be the whole meaning of his earthly existence and also of his eternal life. To him, this represented the only way that he could be useful to his brothers and sisters in Christ. – Padre Pellegrino Funicelli __________

The Testimony of Umberto (Bert) Longo

Umberto (Bert) Longo was born and raised in San Giovanni Rotondo and lived just one mile from the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. When Bert’s father emigrated to the United States to find work, Bert became very close to his Uncle Gerardo Miniscalchi who became like a father-figure to him. Previously, Uncle Gerardo had joined a religious order, but when his mother (Bert’s grandmother) became ill, he left his religious community and moved back home to help his family. A devout and prayerful man all his life, Gerardo never married. Every afternoon, he taught Bert a lesson from the catechism. Uncle Gerardo went to church twice daily and eventually became the president of the Third Order of Saint Francis in San Giovanni Rotondo. Padre Pio was a great promoter of the Third Order of Saint Francis. He would say to the members, “Let us act in such a way that Saint Francis will be proud of us.”

Gerardo had a barber shop in San Giovanni Rotondo. For many years he had the honor of being Padre Pio’s barber, as well as barber for the other Capuchins. He went regularly to the monastery to cut their hair and he considered it a great privilege. As a sign of respect, he always wore a suit and tie whenever he went to the monastery to give the Capuchins a haircut.

In 1939, when Bert was eight years old, Uncle Gerardo started taking him each Sunday to the afternoon Vespers service at Padre Pio’s monastery. They walked the one mile distance, since there was no public transportation to the monastery at that time. On the way, Bert and his uncle passed an occasional farmhouse nestled among cherry trees but other than that, the surrounding area was almost completely undeveloped.

Sunday Vespers at the monastery, which included singing, prayers and Benediction, lasted almost one hour. Padre Pio and the other Capuchins always sat in the balcony of the church for the prayers. Very few lay people attended Vespers at the time, probably due to the fact that it was a long uphill walk from the town of San Giovanni Rotondo. After Vespers, Bert and Uncle Gerardo would go into the monastery garden and visit with Padre Pio. There were usually six or eight priests along with several laymen in attendance. A high wall surrounded the entire area, which afforded complete privacy. Past the garden entrance was the monastery’s well. Padre Pio would often hold Bert’s hand and walk down the garden pathways while the other men would follow along behind. Even though Bert was just a small boy at the time, while in Padre Pio’s presence, he felt no desire to play or run about like children often do. Padre Pio would frequently sit on a bench and converse with the adults while holding Bert’s hand.

On one occasion, Padre Pio spoke about Bert’s father to everyone who was gathered. “Just like my own father, Bert’s father, Matteo, has emigrated to the United States in order to make a living,” Padre Pio said. “Many people believe that the United States is so rich that the tiles on the roofs of the homes are made out of pure gold. That is why so many people want to leave Italy and move there,” Padre Pio added. Grazio Forgione, Padre Pio’s father, had traveled to South America and also to the U.S. to work and earn money for his family and for Padre Pio’s education in the seminary.

Bert recalled some of the “regulars” who visited Padre Pio during the period of recreation in the monastery garden after Sunday Vespers. There was Basilio, the town’s electrician, Michaelino, who had a newsstand where he sold tobacco and newspapers, the English Count John Telfener, who owned a villa nearby, and little Pio Abresch, the young son of the monastery’s photographer. Pio Abresch, who attended the same school as Bert, eventually became a priest and was sent to Rome to serve at the Vatican. Not to be forgotten was the monastery’s dog, a German Shepherd who was instinctively good at guarding the Capuchins’ property and keeping strangers at bay.

Although Bert was too young to fully comprehend Padre Pio’s spirituality, he always knew that there was something special about him. For one thing, he always wore brown half-gloves and Bert knew that he did so in order to cover the wounds of the stigmata on his hands. Bert served as altar boy for Padre Pio on one occasion only. The Mass was very long and the Consecration was especially long. It seemed to Bert that it lasted for several hours. Kneeling on the hard marble floor was uncomfortable and making the effort to remain still during the long periods of silence, proved to be almost impossible for young Bert. The Mass took place very early in the morning and although Bert tried to stifle his yawns while serving at the altar, he did not succeed. He never signed up to serve Padre Pio’s Mass again.

Bert also found out by experience that it could be daunting to go to confession to Padre Pio. One memorable confession occurred when Bert was ten years old. Padre Pio heard his confession in one of the cells of the monastery. Bert had not made a good preparation to receive the sacrament and had not given very much thought to what he was going to say. He confessed several venial or minor sins and when he said his final words, Padre Pio asked him, “Is that all you have to confess?” “Yes, it is,” said Bert. “I don’t think so,” said Padre Pio. “I want you to go to my cell and meditate on your sins and then come back.”

Bert did as instructed. He was very familiar with the monastery and knew that Padre Pio’s cell was just down the corridor. Once inside Padre Pio’s cell, Bert saw the kneeler close to his bed. There he knelt as he had been instructed. He remembered that it was common knowledge in San Giovanni Rotondo that Padre Pio was often tormented by the devil. He also knew that Padre Pio led a very penitential life. He looked around the room to see if there were any chains and there were none. As he was kneeling, he suddenly began to remember other sins that had completely slipped his mind. “I talked back to my mother,” Bert reflected. “I was disobedient to Uncle Gerardo,” he remembered. “I neglected my prayers.” Suddenly, Bert became afraid. “I have a feeling that Padre Pio already knows this,” Bert said to himself. “He can probably read my mind and know my sins even before I confess them.” Bert did not have the courage to go back to Padre Pio’s confessional to receive absolution that day. He left the monastery and went straight home.

It was true enough that Padre Pio was exacting and meticulous regarding one’s conduct. Bert Longo learned that lesson from Padre Pio at an early age. On one occasion, Padre Pio was speaking to one of his spiritual sons, Professor Enrico Medi, about the serious sin of telling lies. Medi had recently been elected to Parliament and a prosperous and successful career in politics lay ahead for him. However, in the political world, Medi felt that it was impossible to always tell the truth. Occasionally, one had to tell a lie. He expressed his opinion but Padre Pio saw no room for compromise and strongly disagreed with Enrico. “Well then, if it is wrong to tell even small lies, I must resign from my position as a member of Parliament,” Professor Medi said. Padre Pio was very happy about his decision.

Bert’s Uncle Gerardo used to direct the religious plays that were performed in the hall adjacent to the church of Our Lady of Grace. On one occasion, young Bert was assigned to play the part of a mendicant Franciscan. When it was time for his entrance, he forgot the instructions he had been given. He made his way to the stage, not in a dignified manner, but running full speed. He delivered his lines quickly and ran off stage even faster. Padre Pio was in attendance for Bert’s acting debut. Seeing his ill-fated performance caused Padre Pio to laugh out loud. It was determined by the director that Bert Longo had no acting ability, and he was never cast again in any of the plays.

Bert used to go to Mary Pyle’s home where everyone gathered to rehearse for the plays. There, he became acquainted with Padre Pio’s father, Grazio Maria Forgione, who lived at Mary’s house. Bert and Grazio often played “Scopa” together, a card game they both enjoyed, during the rehearsals for the plays.

Grazio Forgione, a man of deep faith, was described by those who knew him as, “very simple and very good.” His kindness in his dealings with others was always evident. He was careful not to harm any living thing, not even an insect. He and his son, Padre Pio, had always been very close. When Padre Pio was a child, Grazio would take him on day pilgrimages to nearby religious shrines. They alternately walked and rode a donkey. Every year, on the feast day of St. Donato, Grazio took young Padre Pio to the fair in Pontelandolfo to buy sheep. In later years, Padre Pio would speak about the beautiful church in Pontelandolfo that he and his father visited each year on St. Donato’s feast day. After he became a priest, Padre Pio would hear his father’s confession. Grazio said that at times Padre Pio surprised him by informing him of sins which he had forgotten to confess and to which he had told no one.

Grazio understood that his son had received special graces from God. Not only did he have the gift of reading hearts while hearing confessions, he also expressed intuitive knowledge in many other circumstances. When the Holy Family Capuchin monastery and church were being built in Pietrelcina, a big problem presented itself. Many times the area had been probed for water, but with no success. The builders went to San Giovanni Rotondo to discuss the problem with Padre Pio. The construction of the Holy Family monastery was a project that was very close to Padre Pio’s heart and he was anxious for its completion. He was shown a blueprint of the area where the monastery would one day stand. Padre Pio pointed to a certain spot on the blueprint. “Dig five meters in this area and you will find all the water you need,” Padre Pio said. The advice proved to be accurate. When the workers dug in the area indicated, a spring of water came forth which was so plentiful that it supplied more than enough water for the needs of the monastery. The overflow was used by the town of Pietrelcina.

Many people were anxious to meet Grazio Forgione, knowing that he was Padre Pio’s father. “What a beautiful son you have,” they would often say to Grazio. At the words, tears would well up in his eyes. He would say in response, “I didn’t make him. Jesus Christ did.”

Many of the people who visited San Giovanni Rotondo would share their stories about Padre Pio with Grazio. One man from Pietrelcina told Grazio of his experience in Padre Pio’s confessional. The man had left Italy for a time and had moved to America. While there, he committed a terrible crime. He moved back to Italy without anyone knowing that he was the perpetrator of the crime. While making his confession to Padre Pio, he withheld his dark secret. When Padre Pio asked him if he had any other sins to confess, his answer was no. Padre Pio told him to turn around and look behind him. The man did so and saw the whole scene of the crime in miniature, reenacted before his eyes. He was filled with terror. What terrified him even more was seeing the devil standing directly behind him, ready to seize him. The man fainted. When he was revived, he again confessed his sins to Padre Pio, this time, withholding nothing.

Padre Pio had received the stigmata in 1918, in the monastery church of Our Lady of Grace. When the news reached Grazio that his son had received the stigmata, he was profoundly moved. One late afternoon, when Grazio came in from doing the farm work on his small land holding, he saw that his wife Giuseppa’s eyes were red with tears. She told Grazio that she had been summoned that day by the parish priest of Pietrelcina. The priest showed Giuseppa a letter he had received from Padre Pio’s monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. The letter was to inform him that Padre Pio had received the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet, and side. Padre Pio was the first priest in the history of the Church to receive the stigmata. When Grazio heard the news about his son, he too, cried with Giuseppa.

Following the custom of kissing the hand of a priest, Grazio often tried to kiss his son’s hand, but Padre Pio would not allow it. “It is I who should be kissing your hand, father,” Padre Pio would say to Grazio. One day Grazio managed to succeed in kissing Padre Pio’s hand. “Do not worry. I am not kissing your hand, son. I am kissing the wounds of Jesus Christ,” Grazio said. His respect for his son was so great that he didn’t speak to Padre Pio using the word, “tu,” the familiar second person singular that family members use when speaking to each other. He used the more formal, “voi.” When Grazio passed away, Padre Pio was so grief-stricken that he could not resume his normal priestly duties for many days.

In 1939, Padre Pio attended the dedication ceremony of one of the beautiful and early Via Croce (Stations of the Cross) that had been erected in San Giovanni Rotondo. Bert Longo and his Uncle Gerardo attended the ceremony as well. Though Bert lived in San Giovanni Rotondo for the first twenty years of his life, Padre Pio’s presence at the dedication ceremony that day was the one and only time that Bert ever saw him outside the monastery. Padre Pio was not a cloistered religious. If he had wanted to, he could have gone on outings or taken a vacation like the other Capuchins in his religious community did. But for reasons of his own, he chose not to. It was his desire and his practice to stay within the monastery walls. He spent his time either in prayer or in priestly service to those who needed his help.

Bert and his Uncle Gerardo faithfully attended the Vespers service at Our Lady of Grace every Sunday afternoon for five years. Their weekly visits were curtailed due to an event that happened in San Giovanni Rotondo in February, 1944. That was the year that German soldiers placed a cannon in the center of the town and ordered all the citizens to turn in their hunting rifles, pistols and automobiles. There were only about four automobiles at that time in San Giovanni Rotondo. The cars were taken to the Umbrian Forest and hidden among the trees but the German soldiers soon found them and destroyed them. After that, everyone became more concerned for their safety. For that reason, Uncle Gerardo stopped taking Bert to the monastery for Vespers.

Bert’s high school class in San Giovanni Rotondo consisted of fourteen students. When graduation approached, Bert began to think seriously about his vocation. He had been accepted at the University of Bari but could not decide between medicine or engineering as a career path. He asked Padre Pio for his opinion on which would be a better choice. “Why don’t you go on a retreat and pray about it?” Padre Pio said to him. Bert was a teenager at the time and going away on a retreat for the weekend did not seem feasible. However, he decided to go alone to Monte Calvo, the large mountain that was directly behind the monastery. He spent time there in seclusion as he walked and prayed, asking God to help him with the important decision regarding his future. Afterward, Bert felt that he should choose engineering over medicine. It proved to be an excellent decision. Later, when he thought about his conversations with Padre Pio, he reflected that Padre Pio never told him what to do. Instead, he always suggested that he pray and ask the Lord to guide him.

Bert’s father, Matteo Longo, had been working in the United States for many years to help support the family. In 1951, twenty-year-old Bert, along with his mother and brother, moved to the United States to be reunited with Matteo. Before they left San Giovanni Rotondo, the family wanted to see Padre Pio one last time. Uncle Gerardo arranged for them to meet Padre Pio at a side area of the church to say good-bye and to receive his blessing. It had to be done discretely and almost in secret, since there were so many people who were constantly trying to see Padre Pio.

After Bert relocated to Massachusetts, he kept in touch with Uncle Gerardo and Padre Pio through letters. When Bert needed Padre Pio’s counsel, he would write to his Uncle Gerardo and ask him to relay the message to Padre Pio. Bert became interested in an Irish girl and started dating her. He wrote to Uncle Gerardo and asked him to tell Padre Pio the news. Padre Pio gave Uncle Gerardo a message to pass on to Bert. “Does the girl come from a religious family? Does she go to Mass on Sunday?” Bert reflected on Padre Pio’s words and could not answer in the affirmative. He decided to stop dating the girl. He became interested in a second girl and started dating her. He thought about Padre Pio’s comment, “Is her family religious? Does she go to church?” Again, he could not reply in the affirmative. He stopped seeing the second girl.

Bert served as an usher every Sunday morning at St. Anna’s parish in Leominster, Massachusetts. One of the parishioners was a very nice Italian girl named Clara DiNardo. Bert used to usher Clara to her seat for the Sunday morning Mass. Soon they started dating. He wrote to Uncle Gerardo and told him to pass the news on to Padre Pio that he was dating Clara. A short time later, Uncle Gerardo wrote back. Padre Pio told Uncle Gerardo to tell Bert that it sounded like Clara came from a good Italian family and it sounded like a good match. And indeed it was!

After Bert and Clara got married, Uncle Gerardo would come to visit them and would stay for long periods of time. By that time he had retired, and his brother, Vincenzo had assumed the privileged task of cutting Padre Pio’s hair. Uncle Gerardo still attended church twice each day and gave much of his time to prayer and spiritual reading. Knowing the great esteem that Bert had for Padre Pio, Uncle Gerardo gave him several precious relics. From his days as Padre Pio’s barber, he saved some of Padre Pio’s hair and gave it to Bert. Bert also received a piece of bloodstained linen that covered Padre Pio’s side wound, sent to him from San Giovanni Rotondo by Padre Pio’s personal assistant.

Bert and Clara felt blessed by the visits of Uncle Gerardo to their home. “Why don’t you decide to live here permanently?” Bert asked his uncle on one occasion. “No, I want to die poor, like Saint Francis of Assisi,” he replied. Gerardo moved back to San Giovanni Rotondo and died in 1987 on the auspicious day of October 4. It was the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Nobody who knew Gerardo Miniscalchi was surprised.

Not long after he moved to Massachusetts, Bert received a hand-written letter from Padre Pio. Of the various relics and mementos of Padre Pio that Bert received, this was the most precious of all. Writing was difficult for Padre Pio after he received the stigmata. It was not easy for him to hold a pen and compose a letter with painful and open wounds in his hands that pierced them clear through. Not only was writing difficult, it was also forbidden for much of his priestly ministry, by order of his superiors. Padre Pio’s deep affection for Bert Longo is very evident in the letter that he sent to him on May 4,1953. Padre Pio wrote:

Most dear brother in Jesus Christ,

I am very happy to hear that your health is good and from the depth of my heart I am happy when your Uncle Gerardo tells me the current news about you. With love, I remember you in my prayers to the good Lord so that he can bless and help you with the abundance of his grace. I am sending you my paternal blessing with all good wishes. I advise you to always act in the way of a good Christian. Always remember the good instructions you received from your parents. Stay away from the dangerous company of false friends who break both your mind and your heart. Always obey your loved ones and be sure to see to your studies. These paternal recommendations come from my heart and I desire that they enter your heart. I embrace you and I bless you. - Padre Pio

[tigermike]

Note: This one is long, but this gentleman is one of nmy favorite people to study, and I tell his story a lot because it's one that needs to be told and retold.

- - -

In February of 1865, Gabriel Young fled enslavement in May's Lick, Kentucky, leaving behind his wife, Arminta, and infant son, Charles. Like many former slaves in the area, Gabriel joined the Union Army, enlisting in the 5th Regiment, United States Colored Heavy Artillery, and serving until the unit was demobilized and disbanded in 1866 after the Civil War ended. His military service allowed him to save enough money to purchase some land, and he brought his family north and settled them in the town of Ripley, Ohio.

Gabriel's son, Charles, was a gifted student, and an intensely hard worker. He graduated from high school with honors, excelling in languages and music. After teaching school for two years, Charles applied to the United States Military Academy at West Point, scoring among the highest of all applicants on the entrance exam.

Charles entered West Point as a cadet in 1884 (photo, center), and suffered horrible abuse at the hands of his white classmates, but graduated in 1889 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army.

Charles was assigned first to the all-black U.S. 10th Cavalry and posted to the western frontier, where he was transfered to the 9th Cavalry. In that unit, he met and mentored a young Sergeant-Major named Benjamin O. Davis, who took to heart the wisdom Charles shared with him.

In 1894, Charles was recalled from the frontier and assigned a professorship of military sciences at Wilberforce University in Ohio. Among his students was W.E.B. Du Bois, who admired him greatly, and they became good friends (Charles also was friends with Booker T. Washington, who often butted heads with Du Bois).

His professorship ended in 1898 with the coming of the Spanish-American War, but although Charles was given command of a state regiment, he did not make it overseas before the war ended, at which time he returned to the 9th Cavalry.

In 1903, Charles - now a captain - was assigned as the Superintendent of Sequoia National Park in California, making him the first African-American to hold the position of Superintendent in the history of the U.S. National Park system.

After serving there for a year, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to a team of officers sent to Haiti to serve as a military attaché. He also served in the Philippines and as a military attaché to Liberia before the troubles on the Mexican border brought him back to the United States.

In 1916, with Mexican banditos raiding across the border, sacking American towns, and kidnapping and murdering U.S. citizens, President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John Pershing to cross the border and capture the notorious revolutionary leader, Pancho Villa. The tiny U.S. regular army was bolstered by a massive call-up of state National Guard units (including the first National Guard pilots), and Charles was given command of the 10th U.S. Cavalry with the rank of major (photo, left).

Charles served heroically, personally leading a cavalry charge at the battle of Agua Caliente that smashed Villa's forces and earned him a promotion to lieutenant-colonel and made him a bona fide legend in the U.S. Army at the time.

With the United States entering World War 1 in 1917, white officers in the 10th Cavalry began to fear Charles being promoted to brigadier general and them having to serve under him in battle. President Wilson intervened personally, transferring white officers out from under Charles's command, and making it clear by his actions that no black soldier would wear a general's star and command white troops in combat while he was Commander-in-Chief.

Refusing to send Charles to France, the Army fabricated a medical condition for him (high blood pressure, which Charles in all seriousness told them was due to his intense love for his country), transferred him to the inactive list, and packed him off to Wilberforce University to teach again. However, at the same time, the Army also promoted Charles to the rank of colonel, making him the first black soldier to rise that high in the U.S. Army.

In 1918, to prove his health to the Secretary of War, Charles rode on horseback 500 miles from Ohio to Washington D.C., sleeping outside on porches in towns with no hotels allowing black travelers.

In one town that had a sign displayed prominently warning black people to be gone before sunset, Charles was allowed to stay in a whites-only hotel. That night, a few of the town's white citizens were curious who he was, and approached him. Charles politely introduced himself and told them his story.

When he'd finished, they were so moved that they were outraged at what the Army was doing to him, and pressed him to tell them how they could help his cause. With his characteristic humility, Charles replied to them, "Nothing to help me, but if other Negro soldiers stop here, I wish you'd give them lodging for the night."

Charles completed his journey in 16 days, and appealed to the Secretary of War in person not to be medically retired. While he ended up being reinstated to the active duty list, retaining the rank of colonel, he still was refused a combat assignment and instead was kept in Ohio to train black soldiers due to his "medical condition".

When the First World War ended, Charles was reappointed as the military attaché to Liberia. While serving there, he fell ill, and he died in a hospital in Nigeria in January of 1922.

When his body was returned to the United States the following year, hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered to pay their respects to this remarkable man.

On June 1, 1923, Colonel Charles Young, who fought his way up from a humble birth in a slave cabin to become a brilliant scholar, respected diplomat, patient teacher, tenacious combat leader, and unwavering patriot, was given the rare honor of a burial service held in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.

Although few Americans know the story of Charles Young, his legacy and impact on the U.S. military is absolute:

- in 1940, after six decades on active duty, the young Buffalo Soldier whom Charles had mentored out on the frontier, Benjamin O. Davis, became the first African-American soldier to be awarded the stars of a general officer in the United States Army, stars that belonged rightfully to Charles Young, as well;

- and in 1936, Davis's son, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., became the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point, and the first since Charles Young had done it nearly a half-century before. He would go on to command the incomparable all-black 99th Fighter Squadron during the Second World War, and later would emulate his father, becoming the first African-American general officer in the United States Air Force.

But perhaps the most important part of the legacy of Colonel Charles Young came in 1948, when his unshakable dedication to his duty, to his people, and to his country, descending in a direct line through the lives of the soldiers he personally inspired, culminated in the assignment of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. to help plan the implementation of President Truman's Executive Order # 9981, which finally, irrevocably ended racial segregation in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The faith that drove Gabriel Young out of his shackles and into his country's uniform in 1865 was tested and refined through the service and sacrifice of his son, and through him continues to find new fulfilment in each generation.

~*~

"God rest Colonel Young's sickened soul, but

give our souls no rest if we let the truth

concerning him drop...."

~ W.E.B. Du Bois

[freebestbettingtips]

Bristol City vs Swansea City

New Post has been published on https://bestfreebettingtips.com/bristol-city-vs-swansea-city/

Bristol City vs Swansea City

Artwork by @chapulana

Bristol City’s surge towards the Championship play-offs continued on Saturday with a 2-0 home against Swansea City, the Swans’ first defeat of 2019. In this tactical analysis, we’ll look in detail at both teams’ setups, the key tactical battles and how Bristol City maintained their excellent run of form.

The win for Lee Johnson’s men, their seventh in a row in all competitions, sees them edge into the top six ahead of Derby County on goal difference as former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard’s side dropped points against Preston North End.

Following another eventful deadline for Swansea City to say the least, manager Graham Potter was lacking an attacking outlet and this proved to be their downfall. Leroy Fer’s loan to Aston Villa fell through but he was missing anyway through injury. Jefferson Montero completed a move to West Brom while Dan James’ expected move to Leeds United failed in the final hour. He was left out of the squad having missed training late last week.

The teams and setups

After recent success with a 4-3-3 formation, Swansea manager Graham Potter switched back to a 4-2-3-1. He had to bring in the likes of George Byers, Joel Asoro and Luciano Narsingh to his matchday squad following further outgoings on transfer deadline day.

Bristol City adopted a 4-4-1-1 system which dropped back into a solid 4-4-2 block that proved to be difficult for Swansea City to penetrate throughout during the 90 minutes.

  Bristol City did press high in the early part of the game but they soon dropped back into a solid, narrow 4-4-2 defensive shape as shown below.

Bristol City’s narrow 4-4-2 defensive shape as Swansea City build from deep.

One of the Bristol City strikers pushes forward to press Matt Grimes who often dropped deep in between the two centre-backs to start attacking moves from deep. Up against a narrow Bristol City side, Swansea City’s best hopes of getting forward were via the full-backs down the flanks.

Matt Grimes (circled) drops back in between the two centre-backs

It was the same for the home side too. Both needed to switch the play away from congested areas, and Bristol City proved to be the better of the two at doing this. Compared to the visitors, they had more space to attack in wide areas due to their effective switch of play from one side to another.

Swansea City right-back Connor Roberts has to break out of the defensive line to cover the right side

Bristol City switch the play effectively and open up space on the opposite side inside the penalty area

Bristol City switch the play after winning possession in their own half, forcing Swansea to have to chase back

Looking at the above, Bristol City were able to switch play from one side of the pitch to the other, forcing the Swans to quickly track back and providing themselves with open space to attack into.

Again, Connor Roberts breaks out of the defensive line which opens up space through the left half-space. Bristol City switch the play across.

After switching play, Lee Johnson’s side would quickly switch it back across. They were constantly looking to move their opposition from side to side and to open up gaps through the channels.

The above screenshot also shows the need for Swansea to move their right-back Connor Roberts out of the defensive line to track Bristol City’s attacking left-back. This left a huge gap between Roberts and right centre-back Mike van der Hoorn. Fortunately, it didn’t prove to be too much of a worry for Swansea in the first half with no half-space runners.

Swansea also looked to switch the play but they didn’t do as effective a job as their opponents. Not only that, they didn’t look to switch play as frequently as their hosts, often preferring to play much shorter and quicker passes in midfield.

Below, Matt Grimes decides against a long pass over to the far left side where Declan John has space ahead of him, despite having shown an excellent long-pass ability as a deep-lying midfielder. Often in these situations, Grimes would look to play the shorter pass with Celina available in the centre-circle.

Having possession slightly further forward and nearer to the centre circle in his own half, Grimes now decides to release left-back John down the left side. The former Rangers full-back has struggled to earn a regular starting place for Swansea this season. This was his best performance of the season, however, and he was their best outlet during the game.

Bristol City were effective at forcing Swansea down the sides as their narrow defensive shape congested the middle of the pitch. When the ball did go out to the flanks, Swansea often had to go backwards as the hosts blocked the inside channel as shown below.

Bristol City also blocked passing lanes through the middle and into wide options which stressed the need for longer, diagonal passes to release the full-backs.

Bristol City block the passing lanes through the left-hand side, forcing a pass across the defensive line.

Below, Grimes has to aim a long diagonal pass towards the right back as Bristol City block passing lanes to release John. Lee Johnson’s side later realised that the latter was Swansea’s best method of getting balls into the penalty area. After taking the lead early in the second half, they dropped back further, shifting a player out to mark him closely and thus forming a back five.

Bristol City tightly mark the opposition, forcing Matt Grimes to hit a long diagonal pass.

Both sides adopted narrow defensive shapes and they both looked to release their full-backs to get the ball into space in behind.

The only difference between the two setups was Swansea City left Oli McBurnie (out of the picture) further forward as an out-ball option from deep, as shown below as they sit in a 4-4-1-1.

Swansea City’s 4-4-1-1 defensive shape as they leave McBurnie (out of the picture) further forward as an out ball

The first half saw two well-drilled sides cancel each other out. Declan John was Swansea’s best source of getting the ball into good shooting positions inside the box, but the saves made by the home goalkeeper were relatively comfortable ones.

Bristol City should have taken the lead shortly before half-time after a quick counter-attack following a Swansea corner. This got them into a 5v3 situation as Swansea were desperately trying to track back. The final shot on goal came in as they created a one-on-one situation, but it was aimed too directly at the goalkeeper who was able to make the save and keep the game goalless going into the break.

Bristol City gifted the lead

Bristol City were gifted the lead within the first minute of the second half. A poor mistake from Swansea came when they left five players concentrated in a tight area in their own right-hand side of the pitch. They regain possession in this area, but Jay Fulton keeps hold of the ball and is soon dispossessed near the touchline.

Swansea City are congested in a wide right area. Jay Fulton keeps the ball for too long allowing Bristol City to take full advantage down that side.

You can see Bristol City’s number 20 Jamie Paterson available in space if his side can regain possession above. They do, and they release him down the left in plenty of space. He sends in a cross and Andreas Weimann heads it beyond the goalkeeper’s reach and into the bottom left corner of the net.

Potter’s changes as Bristol City sit deep and counter

In an effort to help his team get back into the game, Swansea City boss Graham Potter made a number of tactical and personnel changes. Bristol City, with a 1-0 lead, were happy to sit deeper with a back five and hope to catch Swansea on the counter. This approach worked as despite making changes, the Swans still couldn’t find a way to break through.

McBurnie and Dyer switch positions with Dyer now playing through the middle. A diamond is formed with Grimes deep and Fulton and Byers either side.

Potter’s first change saw Oli McBurnie and Nathan Dyer swapping roles. McBurnie moved out to the right after Dyer had struggled to hold on to possession in that position in the first half. Dyer moved to the middle forming a diamond with Fulton and Byers on each side with Grimes remaining deep.

As you can see below, Bristol City remained compact and narrow, forcing Swansea City down the sides. What’s worth pointing out in the screenshot below is the position of Bristol City striker Famara Diedhiou. He blocks a passing lane to Mike van der Hoorn, who’s usually Swansea’s key man when it comes to vertical passes from the defensive line.

Bristol City also have two players on either side of their narrow shape blocking passes out wide to the full-backs, forcing Grimes to often play short passes across the backline. Far too often there were opportunities where he had the time and space to hit long diagonals but he often chose the shorter option.

Bristol City’s narrow defensive shape. Both Swansea full-backs stay high and wide.

As we mentioned earlier, recognising that left-back Declan John was Swansea’s most effective outlet down the left, Bristol City aimed to pin him back in the second half (below).

Compared to the screenshot before the one above that shows Swansea’s deep build-up play against Bristol City’s narrow defensive setup, the one below shows the home side building from the back.

The main comparison here is how Bristol City are more spaced out across the pitch while Swansea looked to get players involved through the middle. They have four players in a wide left position, giving them a numerical advantage if they choose to hit a long diagonal. With Swansea’s midfielders needing to spread out to track the wide players, there’s more open space.

Swansea’s struggles to penetrate through Bristol City’s deep defensive line continued with very little space between the lines, as shown below. They sit in a 4-3-3 defensive shape here with their left-sided midfielder able to drop back to create a back five when required.

Swansea City were also too slow in possession and in moving the ball to opposite sides of the pitch. This allowed the hosts to quickly get across and close down the gaps through the wide channels.

Bristol City block out passes into Oli McBurnie and Bersant Celina

In an effort to stop Declan John creating opportunities down the left, Bristol City’s wide right midfielder drops back to form a back five

Bristol City almost have a back six here as they outnumber Swansea’s attacking line

Graham Potter later made a change, adding Joel Asoro in the hope that he could cause a threat with his pace. Initially, he directly replaced Nathan Dyer through the middle, before Potter later made another switch, moving McBurnie in the middle alongside substitute striker Courtney Baker-Richardson with Asoro hugging the right touchline.

The former Sunderland forward has been out of the senior team for a number of months now having failed to impress following his £2m move from the League One outfit in the summer and it showed.

Bristol City made it 2-0 with 16 minutes  of normal time remaining, and it was another soft goal to concede from Swansea’s point of view. Following an unconventional long and high clearance from Spurs loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers, Bristol City win possession. They then feed the ball through Swansea’s half and in behind the defensive line for Callum O’Dowda to slot it underneath goalkeeper Erwin Mulder.

The hosts almost made it 3-0 with a similar position but this time the effort on goal was saved (below).

Summary

Bristol City’s march towards the playoffs continues with their seventh consecutive victory in all competitions and another solid defensive display. However, after failing to beat 10-man Birmingham City at home last Tuesday and this 2-0 defeat at Ashton Gate – ending their unbeaten run start to the new year – Swansea’s own playoff hopes still look out of reach.

Without Dan James or Jefferson Montero as starters or as options from the bench, Swansea were desperately limited for an attacking outlet. They have relied heavily on pace and trickery in wide positions, using James’ pace to chase balls in behind. On Tuesday night they had Montero’s trickery to create two goals to rescue a point against Birmingham City. Without those elements, they had to rely on more intricate passing through the middle, but this only created half chances, most of which came from long range.

If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the January issue for just ₤4.99 here, or even better sign up for a ₤50 annual membership (12 monthly issues plus the annual review) right here.

[erickmalpicaflores]

Erik Malpica Flores Erik Malpica Flores recommends: What is Coming to Netflix in November 2018 |

Chris Pine stars as Robert the Bruce in the orignial Netflix film OUTLAW KING, which is coming to the streaming service in November 2018. Fans of HOUSE OF CARDS will also get to stream the sixth and final season of the show.

Related: What is coming to Netflix Canada in November 2018?

November 1

Angela’s Christmas – Netflix Original: A trip to church with her family on Christmas Eve gives young Angela an extraordinary idea. A heartwarming tale based on a story by Frank McCourt.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bring It On: In It to Win It

Cape Fear

Children of Men

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Cloverfield

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

Doctor Strange

Fair Game – Director’s Cut

Follow This: Part 3 – Netflix Original: BuzzFeed reporters research sexbots, superbug snipers and more in the third installment of this documentary series.

From Dusk Till Dawn

Good Will Hunting

Jet Li’s Fearless

Julie & Julia

Katt Williams: The Pimp Chronicles: Pt. 1

National Lampoon’s Animal House

Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow

Planet Hulk

Scary Movie 2

Scary Movie 3

Sex and the City: The Movie

Sixteen Candles

Stink!

The English Patient

The Judgement – Netflix Original: After a traumatic incident at a party makes her a target of gossip and derision, a young college student tries to change her school’s toxic culture.

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Transcendence

Vaya

November 2

Brainchild – Netflix Original: From germs and emotions to social media and more, it’s the science of your world explained in a way that’s refreshingly relatable.

House of Cards: Season 6 – Netflix Original: With Frank out of the picture, Claire Underwood steps fully into her own as the first woman president, but faces formidable threats to her legacy.

ReMastered: Tricky Dick & The Man in Black – Netflix Original: This documentary chronicles Johnny Cash’s 1970 visit to the White House, where Cash’s shifting ideals clashed with Richard Nixon’s policies.

The Holiday Calendar – Netflix Film: A talented photographer stuck in a dead-end job inherits an antique Advent calendar that may be predicting the future — and pointing her toward love.

The Other Side of the Wind – Netflix Film: A completion and restoration of Orson Welles’s unfinished film, this satire follows the final days of a legendary director striving for a comeback.

They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead – Netflix Original: This engaging documentary explores Orson Welles’s unfinished film, “The Other Side of the Wind,” which he worked on for a decade before his death.

Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 4 – Netflix Original: With her sunny attitude, Poppy leads her friends in rescuing Mr. Dinkles, supporting Guy Diamond’s new invention and teaching Smidge to be helpful.

November 3

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

November 4

Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Streaming Every Sunday, begins October 28) – Netflix Original: In this weekly show, Hasan Minhaj brings his unique comedic voice and storytelling skill to explore the larger trends shaping our fragmented world.

November 5

Homecoming: Season 1

John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons – Netflix Original: With a rapid-fire lesson in overlooked Latin history, Colombian-American actor John Leguizamo comes to Netflix with his one-man Broadway show John Leguizamo: Latin History For Morons. Examining 3,000 years of Latino history, Leguizamo charts everything from a satirical recap of Aztec and Incan history to stories of Latin patriots in the American Civil War, revealing how whitewashed history truly is. Latin History For Morons earned a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Play on Broadway.

November 7

November 8

November 9

Beat Bugs: Season 3 – Netflix Original: Music keeps the Beat Bugs going and points the way to problem-solving solutions in another season of fun and adventure.

La Reina del Flow – Netflix Original: Seventeen years after being wrongly imprisoned, a talented songwriter seeks justice against the men who caused her downfall and killed her family.

Medal of Honor – Netflix Original: This emotional docudrama tells the stories of Medal of Honor recipients from U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and more.

Outlaw King – Netflix Film: This period drama follows Robert the Bruce’s battle to regain control after being made an outlaw by the King of England for taking the Scottish Crown.

Spirit Riding Free: Season 7 – Netflix Original: Seasons change, and so do Lucky’s adventures, whether she’s racing through the snow, outsmarting villains or soaring high in the sky!

Super Drags – Netflix Original: Three gay friends, working by day at a department store, lead double lives as crime-fighting superhero drag queens.

The Great British Baking Show: Collection 6 – Netflix Original: The mouth-watering contest returns to the big white tent with 12 new bakers and another season bursting with delicious surprises.

Treehouse Detectives: Season 2 – Netflix Original: Brother-and-sister detectives Toby and Teri are back on the case, helping others, being brave — and asking big questions about the world around them.

Westside – Netflix Original: Westside offers an unscripted and deeply personal glimpse into the journeys of nine young L.A.-based musicians as they follow their dreams. Each episode sheds light on their creative processes and personal struggles, interspersing cinema verité-style documentary footage with beautifully produced music videos featuring original songs.

November 12

November 13

Loudon Wainwright III: Surviving Twin – Netflix Original: Grammy-winning singer Loudon Wainwright III reflects on the close but complicated relationships between fathers and sons in this intimate evening of music and storytelling, from executive producer Judd Apatow, director Christopher Guest and produced by Funny Or Die.

Oh My Ghost – Netflix Original: When a skilled but timid chef is possessed by a sassy spirit, her newfound confidence catches the eye of her longtime crush, a culinary hotshot.

Warrior – Netflix Original: A war veteran plagued by guilt over his final mission teams up with his best friend’s widow to infiltrate a dangerous Copenhagen biker gang.

November 15

May The Devil Take You – Netflix Film: When her estranged father falls into a mysterious coma, a young woman seeks answers at his old villa, where she and her stepsister uncover dark truths.

The Crew – Netflix Film: Work-life balance breaks down for Paris’s most gifted armed robbers when a grave mistake forces them to work for a crime boss in a high-stakes heist.

November 16

Cam – Netflix Film: Her online life’s been stolen. Her real life’s unraveling. There’s only one way out: beat the impersonator at her own game.

Narcos: Mexico – Netflix Original: See the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in Mexico.

Ponysitters Club: Season 2 – Netflix Original: Skye and the Rescue Ranch gang return for another round of action-packed adventure, incredible friendship and adorable animals.

Prince of Peoria – Netflix Original: When an easygoing 13-year-old prince goes incognito as a U.S. exchange student, he strikes up an unlikely friendship with a fastidious overachiever.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power – Netflix Original: In this reboot of the ’80s series, a magic sword transforms an orphan girl into warrior She-Ra, who unites a rebellion to fight against evil.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Netflix Film: Saddle up for six tales about the American frontier from the unique minds of Joel and Ethan Coen, who wrote and directed this anthology.

The Break-Up

The Kominsky Method – Netflix Original: Michael Douglas stars as a briefly successful actor turned revered Hollywood acting coach. A Chuck Lorre comedy series also featuring Alan Arkin.

The Princess Switch – Netflix Film: When a down-to-earth Chicago baker and a soon-to-be princess discover they look like twins, they hatch a Christmastime plan to trade places.

November 18

November 19

The Last Kingdom: Season 3 – Netflix Original: As Alfred’s health weakens — and with it his dream of a united England — Uhtred must take command and confront a new threat, Danish warlord Sigrid.

November 20

Kulipari: Dream Walker – Netflix Original: Now the Blue Sky King, Darel must lead a rescue mission to save a Dream Walker — leaving the village under the protection of the Kulipari youth.

Motown Magic – Netflix Original: Imaginative boy Ben transforms his city by bringing colorful street art to life, armed with a magic paintbrush — and the classic sounds of Motown.

Sabrina – Netflix Film: A toymaker and his wife are terrorized by a demonized doll after their adopted child tries to summon her late mother’s spirit using a spooky ritual.

The Final Table – Netflix Original: The Final Table is a global culinary competition show featuring the world’s most talented chefs fighting for a spot at the elite, Final Table made up of the greatest chefs from around the globe. The series features 12 teams of two chefs from around the world cooking the national dishes of Mexico, Spain, England, Brazil, France, Japan, the U.S., India and Italy. Each episode focuses on a different country and its cuisine, with celebrity ambassadors, food critics and the country’s greatest chef eliminating teams until the finale. In that last episode, only one of our competing chefs will win a place at the Final Table, joining the nine legendary culinary icons — Enrique Olvera (Mexico), Andoni Aduriz (Spain), Clare Smyth (UK), Helena Rizzo (Brazil), Vineet Bhatia (India), Grant Achatz (US), Carlo Cracco (Italy), Yoshihiro Narisawa (Japan) and Anne-Sophie Pic (France). The series will be presented by Andrew Knowlton, James Beard Award-winning Writer and Editor at Large, Bon Appétit. Created and exec produced by Robin Ashbrook & Yasmin Shackleton. The production company is theoldschool.

Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia – Netflix Original: Trevor Noah gets out from behind the “Daily Show” desk and takes the stage for a stand-up special that touches on racism, immigration, camping and more.

November 21

The Tribe – Netflix Film: An executive-turned-viral sensation loses his reputation and his memory, but finds a new life with his biological mother and her empowered dance group.

November 22

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Gauntlet – Netflix Original: This season, Kinga subjects Jonah and the bots to a devious new experiment: a back-to-back marathon of six hilariously cheesy — and riffworthy — films.

The Christmas Chronicles – Netflix Film: Two siblings team up with Santa Claus for a high-flying holiday adventure. A new Christmas classic from the makers of “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone.

November 23

Frontier: Season 3 – Netflix Original: While Harp pursues Lord Benton to rescue Grace, Michael takes command of the Black Wolf Company and Sokanon embarks on a righteous crusade.

Fugitiva – Netflix Original: A woman organizes a escape plan camouflaged as a kidnapping to protect her children from her husband’s enemies.

Sick Note – Netflix Original: This black comedy series follows a slacker misdiagnosed with cancer whose lies lead him into an absurd web of secrets, blackmail and suspicion.

Sick Note: Season 2 – Netflix Original: Rupert Grint, Nick Frost and Lindsay Lohan star in the second dose of the brilliantly dark comedy. And the lies just keep on coming…

To Build or Not to Build: Season 2

November 25

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Best Gift Ever

November 27

Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attel – Netflix Original: Veteran comedians Jeff Ross and Dave Attell roast each other, the audience and special guests.

November 29

November 30

1983 – Netflix Original: In a totalitarian Poland, law student Kajetan Skowron and detective Anatol Janów unravel a terrible conspiracy stretching to the country’s foundations.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding – Netflix Film: A year after helping Richard secure the crown, Amber’s getting ready to walk down the aisle with him. But she’s not so sure she’s cut out to be queen.

Baby – Netflix Original: By day, Chiara is a promising student at one of Rome’s most elite private high schools. But by night, she leads a scandalous secret life.

Death by Magic – Netflix Original: British magician Drummond Money-Coutts, or DMC for short, is on a mission to uncover the stories of magicians who died performing the most dangerous stunts ever attempted. He travels the world to track down where the fatal performances took place and to work out exactly what went wrong, sharing his magic with the people he meets along the way. It’s a journey that spans four continents and eight cities around the world. His aim is to pay homage to the craft by creating his own updated versions of the stunts that cost these magicians their lives, from being buried alive under tons of wet concrete, to playing a game of Russian roulette, to escaping from a collision with a speeding steam train. The series will follow DMC as he recreates the stunts where others have failed, in the most extreme magic show ever attempted. To succeed he must avoid the fate that met those who came before him and paid the ultimate price: Death by Magic.

F is for Family: Season 3 – Netflix Original: When Frank befriends a handsome young fighter pilot — voiced by Vince Vaughn — the family embarks on a whole new set of adventures.

Happy as Lazzaro – Netflix Film: Ordinary teen Lazzaro is content with life as a sharecropper in rural Italy, but a visit from the aristocrat landowner’s son changes everything.

Rajma Chawal – Netflix Film: An internet-rookie father attempts to use social media to enhance his faltering relationship with his millennial son.

Spy Kids: Mission Critical: Season 2 – Netflix Original: Finally feeling like a real team, the Mission Critical kids face their toughest test as they set out to destroy Golden Brain’s lair once and for all.

The World Is Yours – Netflix Film: To escape his life of crime, a small-time mobster in Paris accepts one last job involving Spain, drugs, the Illuminati and his overbearing mother.

Tiempo compartido – Netflix Film: Two men join forces to rescue their families from a tropical paradise, convinced a U.S. timeshare conglomerate has a sinister plan to take them away.

Last Call – Titles Rotating Off the Service in November 2018

November 1

Amelie

Crossfire

Cruel Intentions

Cruel Intentions 2

Cruel Intentions 3

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park III

Oculus

Phenomenon

Run to me

Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball

Steel Magnolias

The Invasion

The Land Before Time

The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure

The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving

The Lazarus Effect

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The Reader

Up in the Air

November 12

November 16

November 17

Undercover Boss: Seasons 1-5

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[romancatholicreflections]

17th March >> Fr. Martin’s Reflection on Today’s Gospel Reading (Matthew 13:24-32 & Luke 5:1-11) for the Solemnity of Saint Patrick (Ireland, Australia, England, Scotland & New Zealand): ‘Let them both grow till the harvest’ or (Matthew 21:33-43,45-46) for Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time (USA, Malta, Wales, Canada & South Africa)

Solemnity of Saint Patrick Gospel (Ireland & Australia) Matthew 13:24-32 Let them both grow till the harvest Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’ He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’ Feast of Saint Patrick Gospel (England, Scotland & New Zealand)) Luke 5:1-11 They left everything and followed him Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him. Reflections (4) (i) Solemnity of Saint Patrick Today we celebrate the feast of the missionary who was the first to preach the gospel in large parts of this Island. Two of his writings have survived. It is nothing short of a miracle that these two texts have come down to us through the turmoil of history. They allow us to hear in our own time the voice of Patrick. We must be grateful to Patrick for sharing something of his story with us and to the scribes who made copies of the texts down through the centuries. There is great humility in these two texts. Patrick recognizes his imperfections. He says in his confession, ‘I am imperfect in many ways’. Looking back on his youth he writes that ‘We had turned away from God and had not kept the commandments’. He goes on to declare, ‘I did not believe in the living God… I remained in death and unbelief’. It was the experience of captivity that opened him up to God. He says that in the land of his captivity, he was ‘seized by an awareness of God’s presence’. Patrick seems to have come from a very privileged background. When all that was taken from him, he became sensitive to God’s presence. He expresses this religious awakening in a very striking image, ‘Before my humiliation, I was like a stone lying deep in mire; and the Mighty One came and in his mercy… raised me up and placed me on top of a wall’. Having been living in a kind of spiritual death, he was now raised to a new life in God. His spiritual awakening was an experience of God as Love. He writes in his Confessions that ‘the love of God surrounded me more and more and my faith and reverence towards God was strengthened and my spirit was moved so much that in a single day I would pray as many as a hundred times’. He was so deeply touched by God’s love for him that he had a deep desire to communicate with God in prayer. Yet it is clear from his writings that this period of rejoicing in God’s love did not stay with him every day ever after. He is very open about the times when his faith was put to the test. Sometime after he escaped from captivity and before he arrived at his home, he endured a great assault on his relationship with God. He speaks of this experience in very vivid imagery, ‘While I was sleeping, Satan assailed me violently, which I will remember as long as I am in this body. He came down upon me like a huge rock, so that none of my limbs could move’. He goes on to say that when he saw the sun rise he cried out with all his strength and he declares, ‘the splendour of the sun fell upon me suddenly and immediately freed me from all the weight of oppression. I believe that I had been helped by Christ my Lord’. Elsewhere he writes, ‘there is a strong force which strives every day to subvert me from the faith’. He knew the darker side of faith and, also, the presence of Christ as light in the midst of the darkness. Sometime after returning home from captivity, Patrick heard the voice of the Irish calling to him to leave his home once more and return among them as a free man, as a messenger of the Lord. ‘We beg you, O Holy youth, to come and walk once more among us’. His subsequent mission among the Irish bore great fruit. Yet, it is evident from his writings that he suffered a great deal in the exercise of that mission. One of the most painful experiences was when some senior members of the church tried to undermine his ministry when some sin of his youth was brought to their attention. He writes that ‘on that day I was hit so hard I could have fallen here and forever’. Yet, he managed to keep going because, as he writes, ‘the Lord… boldly came to my assistance in this trampling, as a result of which I did not fall apart badly even though shame and blame fell upon me’ His accusers were made aware of some weed from his past, in the language of the gospel reading, and, on that basis they were prepared to undermine all the good he was doing. Patrick was very aware that he was a mixture of wheat and darnel and, yet, he also knew that the Lord loved him and was working powerfully through him, flawed though he was. One of the messages Jesus is giving us in that parable is that the attempt to root out evil may destroy the good as well. There is a mixture of good and evil, of virtue and sin, in each one of us and in the church as a whole. Patrick’s story teaches us that the existence of evil is not a cause for disillusionment. If we acknowledge it and open ourselves to the Lord’s love in our weakness, he can strengthen what is good in us and empower us to be his messengers in the world. And/Or (ii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Wales, and his own Confessions. In these invaluable documents, Patrick describes himself as a Briton of the Roman nobility who was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was about sixteen. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture at the age of sixteen, he had lost his childhood faith and had become an unbeliever. He writes, ‘I was only a young man, almost a speechless boy, when I was captured, before I knew what I ought to seek out or avoid’. Nevertheless, several years of brutal slavery in Ireland turned him into a fervent believer. During that traumatic period of exile and slavery he had a spiritual awakening. His time of exile was a spiritual watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before this conversion moment, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is interesting that Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that it was the Lord rather he himself who brought out this change in him. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. He found in himself a great need to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’. This spiritual awakening had enormous consequences not just for Patrick but for so many others in the land of his captivity. After several years of brutal slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to Britain. Against all the odds, he managed to escape to Britain and eventually made his way back to his family. However, after some time he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity to proclaim the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him. He did not set out on this mission immediately but trained for the priesthood, possibly in Auxerre in Gaul. He was quickly appointed bishop and sent on his mission to Ireland. The sense we get from his writings is that he gave himself wholeheartedly to sharing the gift of faith he had rediscovered with those who had never heard of Christ. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all… I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’. I always try to reread the two writings of Patrick that have come down to us as we approach his feast day. Every year something new in them strikes. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this particular year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular of Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Simon Peter seems to have had a realistic sense of his own past and present failings. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus with the sentence, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very ignorant man’. He begins his Confessions in a similar way, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very unsophisticated man. I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in his Confessions he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. S little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the pure chastity that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord. But the hostile flesh always drags me toward death, to those enticing, forbidden desires’. He is very honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. There is a great realism about his writing. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his confessions with the acknowledgement that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’. Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work. He can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit and a recognition of our dependence on the Lord for everything. And/Or (iii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick In recent days I have been reading again the Confessions of Saint Patrick, one of two written works that have come down from him. They are very far removed from us in time, Patrick having written them towards the end of his mission in Ireland sometime in the mid to late fifth century. Yet, it is a very personal document, a personal statement of faith, and, it can continue to speak to us today, almost one thousand six hundred years later. He speaks in that document of his two periods of time in Ireland, the first during which he was a slave of a slave owner, and the second when he was a slave of the Lord, faithfully doing the Lord’s work as a bishop. Patrick’s father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather was a pries; they were reasonably well off. He said in his Confessions that at the time of his captivity by pirates at the age of sixteen he was ‘ignorant of the true God’’ and had abandoned God’s commandments. It was while he was in captivity in Ireland, in an alien land, that the Lord touched his heart. As a result, he came to see his time in captivity as a blessing. He uses a striking image to express his spiritual awakening during his time of exile, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire; and, then, he who is mighty came and, in his mercy, raised me up’. He spells out in some detail how this spiritual awakening transformed him, ‘I prayed frequently each day, and more and more the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased and my spirit enlivened… come rain, hail or snow, I was up before dawn to pray… I now understand this: at that time the Spirit was fervent in me’. In his Confessions he is giving thanks to God for this reawakening of faith that occurred in him. He declares, ‘I must not hide that gift of God which he gave me bountifully in the land of my captivity, for it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. The God to whom Patrick had been so indifferent in the comfort of his own home, he became passionate about when he was torn away from all he knew and loved. Perhaps this experience of Patrick might resonate with us. It can be the darker experiences of life that open us up to the Lord more fully. When what we treasure is taken from us we can become more sensitive to the Lord’s presence in our lives. After six years in captivity he ran away from his master and after a journey of two hundred miles he boarded a ship which sailed to Gaul. He finally made his way back to his family in Britain. He writes that his parents ‘welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, nor ever leave them again’. Patrick must have presumed that he was home among his own for good. Yet, he then had this powerful spiritual experience which sent him back to the very people who had taken him captive. He had a vision in which a man called Victorinus came to him with innumerable letters and as he read one Patrick said that he thought the heard the voice of those who live around the wood of Foclut which is close to the Western Sea shouting with one voice, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. He was ordained priest and then appointed bishop and travelled back to Ireland to begin his mission. Looking back over his mission towards the end of his life, he was very aware that his second coming to Ireland was no more his own decision that his first coming. He says at the end of his Confessions, ‘It is not I but Christ the Lord who has ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. He had a very successful mission in Ireland but, clearly, it cost him a great deal. He writes that ‘not a day passes but I expect to be killed or waylaid or taken into slavery or assaulted in some other way’. Patrick’s sense of being called to this work, even though he knew in advance it would cost him so much, is very striking. He encourages us all to be open to the Lord’s call in our own lives. ‘What is the Lord asking of me?’ is a question worth pondering. Sometimes, as in the case of Patrick, he may be asking us to do something that, from a merely human point of view, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To become aware of what the Lord may be asking of us, we need to give ourselves time and space so as to listen to him. And/Or (iv) Solemnity of St. Patrick About four years ago I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time in the company of my sister and brother-in-law. They both live in Southern California. Patrick, who is from the United States, was determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He was recovering from cancer at the time, and, in spite of a very bad back, he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through his surgery and treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about. The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our time. We venerate Patrick today because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says in his Confessions, ‘I am very much in debt to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’ On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. His first journey to Ireland was not of his own choosing. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. He says in his confessions: ‘I was taken captive… before I knew what to seek or what to avoid’. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. In the land of his exile he had a religious awakening. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for him came to me. My faith increased… As I now realize, the spirit was burning within me’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive. The Lord somehow got through to Patrick during the rigours of captivity in a way he had not got through to Patrick during his reasonably privileged upbringing at home. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. Patrick’s own story brings home to us that the Lord can work powerfully in dark and troubling times. In the course of our lives we can be brought places that we would rather not go. We might be separated from someone or some place that has been very significant for us. We find ourselves isolated and adrift, in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord does not abandon us. Rather when we seem to be losing so much, he can grace us all the more. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we remain open to the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will also grace many others through us. Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence even in difficult times. Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord continues to work powerfully in what appears to be unpromising situations. In this morning’s gospel reading the prospects for a great catch of fish seemed very slim to Peter and his companions. After all, they had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. Yet, Jesus saw great prospects where Peter and the others saw little of promise. When Peter and the others set out in response to the word of Jesus they saw for themselves what Jesus could see all along. The Lord is always creatively at work even in the most unpromising of situations. However, if his work is to bear fruit, he needs us to set out in faith and hope in response to his word, as Patrick did when he left his home for a second time to come to the island of his former captivity. We pray this morning for something of Patrick’s courageous and expectant faith. ——————————————————————————————— Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time Gospel (Malta, Wales, Canada & South Africa) Matthew 21:33-43,45-46 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see? ‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’ When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet. Gospel (USA) Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 This is the heir; let us kill him. Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: ”The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? “Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. Reflections (8) (i) Friday, Second week of Lent In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus quotes from the psalm, ‘it was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone’. Jesus, of course, is speaking about himself. He was rejected by the religious and political leaders but he went on to become the keystone, the foundation of the church. Jesus’ experience of rejection did not have the last word. God worked powerfully in and through that experience of rejection and brought great good of it, not only for Jesus but for all who believe in him. There may be times in our lives when we feel a little bit like the rejected stone. We reach out to someone and they spurn us or do not respond to us. We can feel hurt and upset, annoyed with ourselves for leaving ourselves so vulnerable. Yet, those painful experiences in life can contain the seeds of new life. The Lord can work powerfully through them for our ultimate good. The experience that we might have considered at the time as totally negative turns out to bear rich fruit in our lives. We learn something from it; we grow through it. What seemed like an experience of death becomes a moment of new life. The Lord can always transform the rejected stone into the keystone. What he did for his Son he can do for us all. And/Or (ii) Friday,Second Week of Lent There are a group of parishioners who meet every second Thursday evening to study and reflect on the Catechism. One of the gospel texts we were looking at last night, by coincidence, is this morning’s gospel reading. It is clearly a very appropriate reading for today’s feast, ‘The Chair of St Peter’. This is an ancient feast that has been kept at Rome since the fourth century; it celebrates the role of the Bishop of Rome as a symbol of unity for all Christians. In the gospel reading, Jesus identifies Simon as the Rock on which Jesus’ church will be built; as such, he is to be the focal point of unity within the church. Peter went on to become a leader of the church of Rome, and was martyred there during Nero’s persecution of the church. Successive Bishops of Rome, or Popes, continue that important role that Jesus entrusted to Peter of being the focal point of unity among disciples. The Bishops of Rome hold the church together, in communion with the other bishops, by interpreting the message and life of Jesus for us today. The Roman Catholic church is very large and is spread throughout the world, and yet it manages to hold together. In many respects that is down to the role of the Bishop of Rome or the Pope. This morning we give thanks for this great gift to the church, and we pray for the present Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict, that he may be strengthened for his important work of watching over the church and keeping it united in faith and love. And/Or (iii) Friday, Second Week of Lent In the gospel reading Jesus quotes the text from the prophet Isaiah, ‘the stone rejected by the builders became the keystone’. He was the stone rejected who went on to became the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The one through whom God was saying ‘yes’ to us all, was the one to whom many people said ‘no’ in very emphatic terms. The one who proclaimed God’s acceptance of us was himself rejected. The story of Jesus alerts us to the very real possibility of our rejecting the messenger God sends us. Sometimes what we are prone to rejecting, whether in ourselves or in others, can turn out to be the means through which God is speaking to us. The experiences that we react against, that we say ‘no’ to, may be the very experiences that can reveal God most powerfully to us. What we see initially as a threat of some sort can turn out to be a blessing. This morning we ask God to keep us open to all of the ways he chooses to come to us and speak with us. And/Or (iv) Friday, Second Week of Lent In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable in which the son of a vineyard owner is killed by the tenants. In this way Jesus points ahead to his own rejection and death. Having spoken the parable, Jesus quotes from one of the psalms, ‘It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone’. Here Jesus points ahead to his resurrection. Although he was rejected by the religious and political leaders of the day, Jesus rose from the dead and in so doing became the keystone of a new temple, the temple of the church, the community of those who believed in him. The experience of Jesus teaches us that what is rejected can often turn out to be of crucial importance. What we might be initially inclined to reject can be the means through which God may want to speak to us. Those aspects of our own lives that we may be prone to reject and slow to accept may be the very channels through which the Lord can work most powerfully in our lives and, through us, in the lives of others. The experience of Jesus also suggests that God always has a purpose for what is rejected. God is not in the business of rejecting. Although we can reject God, God never rejects us. And/Or (v) Friday, Second Week of Lent The parable that Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading is largely a story of rejection. The owner of the vineyard sends two lots of servants to collect the produce of the vineyard, but they are rejected, and some of them are killed. They he sent his son in the full expectation that the tenants would respect him, but he too is killed. Jesus was really referring there to his own experience of rejection by many of his contemporaries, a rejection that would eventually end with his crucifixion. He is the stone rejected by the builders that Jesus mentions in the gospel reading. Yet, rejection does not have the last word. As Jesus says, quoting one of the psalms, the stone rejected by the builders became the keystone. God raised his rejected Son from the dead and made him the foundation or the keystone of the church. Any little experience of rejection can leave us deflated; we can be tempted to give up. The parable suggests that God is not like that. In the face of rejection, God just keeps working away; he takes the experience of rejection, the rejected stone, and builds something new upon it. We are being reminded that God is always at work, even in the most unpromising of situations. The God of Jesus Christ is the God of life who works in a life-giving way even in situations of death. Our refusal to receive the Lord’s coming, the Lord’s presence, does not in any way diminish his energy to work among us for the coming of God’s kingdom. And/Or (vi) Friday, Second Week of Lent We have had some nice spring weather recently. People have been out doing some gardening. Various plants are being put in the ground; the good gardeners will look after them, making sure they are fed and watered, in the expectation that they will flower or bear fruit in the Summer. In the parable Jesus tells in this morning’s gospel reading, a farmer planted a vineyard and did everything necessary to ensure that he would be able to get grapes from the vineyard at harvest time. This did not happen however. The tenants responsible for ensuring that the farmer got the harvest that was his right turned against him in a violent way. The farmer did not give up. He leased the vineyard to other tenants in the hope that they would deliver the produce that his investment deserved. The parable suggests that God invests greatly in all of us and he looks to us to bear fruit that is worthy of his investment. When it is not forthcoming, God keeps working to bring that good fruit about. We cannot doubt God’s investment in us or his perseverance with us. It is our response that is in question. However, his repeated initiatives in our regard keep us hopeful. We may fail God. God does not fail us but keeps investing in us and gives us every opportunity to bear the good fruit he desires. Every day we have an opportunity to respond to the Lord’s investment in us. And/Or (vii) Friday, Second Week of Lent In the parable Jesus speaks in this morning’s gospel reading, the killing of the vineyard owner’s son was Jesus’ way of indicating his own forthcoming rejection and death. Using a different image, Jesus declares that he was to become the stone rejected by the builders. Yet, quoting one of the psalms, Jesus goes on to say that this rejected stone would become the keystone, the most important stone in any building. In this way Jesus was looking beyond his rejection and death to his resurrection when he would become the keystone of a spiritual building, the church. It is often the way that the rejection stone can turn out to have a crucial role to play at some future time. We can often reject something initially and over time come to see that what we rejected is actually something very important. We say ‘no’ to something, some situation, or to someone, and then realize that what we are saying ‘no’ to is, in reality, God’s gift to us and God’s purpose for our lives. Our first reaction is not always the best one. We often need time to recognize the good in what we had dismissed as of no value. And/Or (viii) Friday, Second Week of Lent As Jesus approaches the hour of his passion and death, he tells a parable about a vineyard owner’s son who is killed by the tenants to whom the vineyard was entrusted. Jesus must have seen in this story something of his own story that was unfolding, in particular, his death that was fast approaching. In his comment on the parable Jesus quotes a passage of Scripture which contained an image about a stone, a kind of a mini parable. The stone that was rejected by the builders as worthless went on to become the most important stone, the keystone, of a building. Again, Jesus would have recognized himself in the stone that was rejected by the builders, just as he recognized himself in the son of the vineyard owner who was killed. However, there is also a suggestion of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead in the image of the rejected stone that became a keystone. Jesus would be rejected in the most violent way imaginable. Yet, God raised him from the dead, thereby establishing him as the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The image of the rejected stone becoming a keystone is a powerful image of how God can work powerfully in situations of weakness, to use the language of Paul. For Paul, God worked powerfully through the death of Jesus on behalf of all humanity. God can turn our own rejected stones into keystones. God can work powerfully through those experiences in our lives which we reject as useless, worthless, of no value. Paul discovered that what he called his ‘thorn in the flesh’, which he wanted to be rid of and had rejected as totally negative, was actually creating a space for God to work powerfully in and through him. As Paul declares in his letter to the Romans, ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’. Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoinus via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

17th March >> Fr. Martin's Reflection on Today's Gospel Reading (Matthew 13:24-32 & Luke 5:1-11) for the Solemnity of Saint Patrick (Ireland, Australia, England, Scotland & New Zealand): ‘Let them both grow till the harvest’ or (Matthew 21:33-43,45-46) for Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time (USA, Malta, Wales, Canada & South Africa)

Solemnity of Saint Patrick

Gospel (Ireland & Australia)

Matthew 13:24-32

Let them both grow till the harvest

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

   He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

Feast of Saint Patrick

Gospel (England, Scotland & New Zealand))

Luke 5:1-11

They left everything and followed him

Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

   When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

   When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

Reflections (4)

(i) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

Today we celebrate the feast of the missionary who was the first to preach the gospel in large parts of this Island. Two of his writings have survived. It is nothing short of a miracle that these two texts have come down to us through the turmoil of history. They allow us to hear in our own time the voice of Patrick. We must be grateful to Patrick for sharing something of his story with us and to the scribes who made copies of the texts down through the centuries.

There is great humility in these two texts. Patrick recognizes his imperfections. He says in his confession, ‘I am imperfect in many ways’. Looking back on his youth he writes that ‘We had turned away from God and had not kept the commandments’. He goes on to declare, ‘I did not believe in the living God… I remained in death and unbelief’. It was the experience of captivity that opened him up to God. He says that in the land of his captivity, he was ‘seized by an awareness of God’s presence’. Patrick seems to have come from a very privileged background. When all that was taken from him, he became sensitive to God’s presence. He expresses this religious awakening in a very striking image, ‘Before my humiliation, I was like a stone lying deep in mire; and the Mighty One came and in his mercy… raised me up and placed me on top of a wall’. Having been living in a kind of spiritual death, he was now raised to a new life in God. His spiritual awakening was an experience of God as Love. He writes in his Confessions that ‘the love of God surrounded me more and more and my faith and reverence towards God was strengthened and my spirit was moved so much that in a single day I would pray as many as a hundred times’. He was so deeply touched by God’s love for him that he had a deep desire to communicate with God in prayer.

Yet it is clear from his writings that this period of rejoicing in God’s love did not stay with him every day ever after. He is very open about the times when his faith was put to the test. Sometime after he escaped from captivity and before he arrived at his home, he endured a great assault on his relationship with God. He speaks of this experience in very vivid imagery, ‘While I was sleeping, Satan assailed me violently, which I will remember as long as I am in this body. He came down upon me like a huge rock, so that none of my limbs could move’. He goes on to say that when he saw the sun rise he cried out with all his strength and he declares, ‘the splendour of the sun fell upon me suddenly and immediately freed me from all the weight of oppression. I believe that I had been helped by Christ my Lord’. Elsewhere he writes, ‘there is a strong force which strives every day to subvert me from the faith’. He knew the darker side of faith and, also, the presence of Christ as light in the midst of the darkness.

Sometime after returning home from captivity, Patrick heard the voice of the Irish calling to him to leave his home once more and return among them as a free man, as a messenger of the Lord. ‘We beg you, O Holy youth, to come and walk once more among us’. His subsequent mission among the Irish bore great fruit. Yet, it is evident from his writings that he suffered a great deal in the exercise of that mission. One of the most painful experiences was when some senior members of the church tried to undermine his ministry when some sin of his youth was brought to their attention. He writes that ‘on that day I was hit so hard I could have fallen here and forever’. Yet, he managed to keep going because, as he writes, ‘the Lord… boldly came to my assistance in this trampling, as a result of which I did not fall apart badly even though shame and blame fell upon me’

His accusers were made aware of some weed from his past, in the language of the gospel reading, and, on that basis they were prepared to undermine all the good he was doing. Patrick was very aware that he was a mixture of wheat and darnel and, yet, he also knew that the Lord loved him and was working powerfully through him, flawed though he was. One of the messages Jesus is giving us in that parable is that the attempt to root out evil may destroy the good as well. There is a mixture of good and evil, of virtue and sin, in each one of us and in the church as a whole. Patrick’s story teaches us that the existence of evil is not a cause for disillusionment. If we acknowledge it and open ourselves to the Lord’s love in our weakness, he can strengthen what is good in us and empower us to be his messengers in the world.

And/Or

(ii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Wales, and his own Confessions. In these invaluable documents, Patrick describes himself as a Briton of the Roman nobility who was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was about sixteen. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture at the age of sixteen, he had lost his childhood faith and had become an unbeliever. He writes, ‘I was only a young man, almost a speechless boy, when I was captured, before I knew what I ought to seek out or avoid’.

Nevertheless, several years of brutal slavery in Ireland turned him into a fervent believer. During that traumatic period of exile and slavery he had a spiritual awakening. His time of exile was a spiritual watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before this conversion moment, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is interesting that Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that it was the Lord rather he himself who brought out this change in him. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. He found in himself a great need to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’.

This spiritual awakening had enormous consequences not just for Patrick but for so many others in the land of his captivity. After several years of brutal slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to Britain. Against all the odds, he managed to escape to Britain and eventually made his way back to his family. However, after some time he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity to proclaim the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him. He did not set out on this mission immediately but trained for the priesthood, possibly in Auxerre in Gaul. He was quickly appointed bishop and sent on his mission to Ireland. The sense we get from his writings is that he gave himself wholeheartedly to sharing the gift of faith he had rediscovered with those who had never heard of Christ. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all… I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’.

I always try to reread the two writings of Patrick that have come down to us as we approach his feast day. Every year something new in them strikes. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this particular year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular of Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Simon Peter seems to have had a realistic sense of his own past and present failings. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus with the sentence, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very ignorant man’. He begins his Confessions in a similar way, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very unsophisticated man. I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in his Confessions he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. S little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the pure chastity that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord. But the hostile flesh always drags me toward death, to those enticing, forbidden desires’. He is very honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. There is a great realism about his writing. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his confessions with the acknowledgement that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’. Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work. He can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit and a recognition of our dependence on the Lord for everything.

And/Or

(iii) Solemnity of Saint Patrick

In recent days I have been reading again the Confessions of Saint Patrick, one of two written works that have come down from him. They are very far removed from us in time, Patrick having written them towards the end of his mission in Ireland sometime in the mid to late fifth century. Yet, it is a very personal document, a personal statement of faith, and, it can continue to speak to us today, almost one thousand six hundred years later. He speaks in that document of his two periods of time in Ireland, the first during which he was a slave of a slave owner, and the second when he was a slave of the Lord, faithfully doing the Lord’s work as a bishop. Patrick’s father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather was a pries; they were reasonably well off. He said in his Confessions that at the time of his captivity by pirates at the age of sixteen he was ‘ignorant of the true God’’ and had abandoned God’s commandments. It was while he was in captivity in Ireland, in an alien land, that the Lord touched his heart. As a result, he came to see his time in captivity as a blessing. He uses a striking image to express his spiritual awakening during his time of exile, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire; and, then, he who is mighty came and, in his mercy, raised me up’. He spells out in some detail how this spiritual awakening transformed him, ‘I prayed frequently each day, and more and more the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased and my spirit enlivened… come rain, hail or snow, I was up before dawn to pray… I now understand this: at that time the Spirit was fervent in me’. In his Confessions he is giving thanks to God for this reawakening of faith that occurred in him. He declares, ‘I must not hide that gift of God which he gave me bountifully in the land of my captivity, for it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. The God to whom Patrick had been so indifferent in the comfort of his own home, he became passionate about when he was torn away from all he knew and loved. Perhaps this experience of Patrick might resonate with us. It can be the darker experiences of life that open us up to the Lord more fully. When what we treasure is taken from us we can become more sensitive to the Lord’s presence in our lives. After six years in captivity he ran away from his master and after a journey of two hundred miles he boarded a ship which sailed to Gaul. He finally made his way back to his family in Britain. He writes that his parents ‘welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, nor ever leave them again’. Patrick must have presumed that he was home among his own for good. Yet, he then had this powerful spiritual experience which sent him back to the very people who had taken him captive. He had a vision in which a man called Victorinus came to him with innumerable letters and as he read one Patrick said that he thought the heard the voice of those who live around the wood of Foclut which is close to the Western Sea shouting with one voice, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. He was ordained priest and then appointed bishop and travelled back to Ireland to begin his mission. Looking back over his mission towards the end of his life, he was very aware that his second coming to Ireland was no more his own decision that his first coming. He says at the end of his Confessions, ‘It is not I but Christ the Lord who has ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. He had a very successful mission in Ireland but, clearly, it cost him a great deal. He writes that ‘not a day passes but I expect to be killed or waylaid or taken into slavery or assaulted in some other way’. Patrick’s sense of being called to this work, even though he knew in advance it would cost him so much, is very striking. He encourages us all to be open to the Lord’s call in our own lives. ‘What is the Lord asking of me?’ is a question worth pondering. Sometimes, as in the case of Patrick, he may be asking us to do something that, from a merely human point of view, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To become aware of what the Lord may be asking of us, we need to give ourselves time and space so as to listen to him.

And/Or

(iv) Solemnity of St. Patrick

About four years ago I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time in the company of my sister and brother-in-law. They both live in Southern California. Patrick, who is from the United States, was determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He was recovering from cancer at the time, and, in spite of a very bad back, he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through his surgery and treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about.

The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our time. We venerate Patrick today because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says in his Confessions, ‘I am very much in debt to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’

On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. His first journey to Ireland was not of his own choosing. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. He says in his confessions: ‘I was taken captive… before I knew what to seek or what to avoid’. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. In the land of his exile he had a religious awakening. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for him came to me. My faith increased… As I now realize, the spirit was burning within me’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive.

The Lord somehow got through to Patrick during the rigours of captivity in a way he had not got through to Patrick during his reasonably privileged upbringing at home. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’.

Patrick’s own story brings home to us that the Lord can work powerfully in dark and troubling times. In the course of our lives we can be brought places that we would rather not go. We might be separated from someone or some place that has been very significant for us. We find ourselves isolated and adrift, in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord does not abandon us. Rather when we seem to be losing so much, he can grace us all the more. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we remain open to the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will also grace many others through us.

Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence even in difficult times. Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord continues to work powerfully in what appears to be unpromising situations. In this morning’s gospel reading the prospects for a great catch of fish seemed very slim to Peter and his companions. After all, they had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. Yet, Jesus saw great prospects where Peter and the others saw little of promise. When Peter and the others set out in response to the word of Jesus they saw for themselves what Jesus could see all along. The Lord is always creatively at work even in the most unpromising of situations. However, if his work is to bear fruit, he needs us to set out in faith and hope in response to his word, as Patrick did when he left his home for a second time to come to the island of his former captivity. We pray this morning for something of Patrick’s courageous and expectant faith.

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Friday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Malta, Wales, Canada & South Africa)

Matthew 21:33-43,45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them. “They will respect my son” he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him when the season arrives.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

It was the stone rejected by the builders

that became the keystone.

This was the Lord’s doing

and it is wonderful to see?

‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’

   When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

This is the heir; let us kill him.

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:

”The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone;

   by the Lord has this been done,

and it is wonderful in our eyes?

“Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Reflections (8)

(i) Friday, Second week of Lent

In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus quotes from the psalm, ‘it was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone’. Jesus, of course, is speaking about himself. He was rejected by the religious and political leaders but he went on to become the keystone, the foundation of the church. Jesus’ experience of rejection did not have the last word. God worked powerfully in and through that experience of rejection and brought great good of it, not only for Jesus but for all who believe in him. There may be times in our lives when we feel a little bit like the rejected stone. We reach out to someone and they spurn us or do not respond to us. We can feel hurt and upset, annoyed with ourselves for leaving ourselves so vulnerable. Yet, those painful experiences in life can contain the seeds of new life. The Lord can work powerfully through them for our ultimate good. The experience that we might have considered at the time as totally negative turns out to bear rich fruit in our lives. We learn something from it; we grow through it. What seemed like an experience of death becomes a moment of new life. The Lord can always transform the rejected stone into the keystone. What he did for his Son he can do for us all.

And/Or

(ii) Friday,Second Week of Lent

There are a group of parishioners who meet every second Thursday evening to study and reflect on the Catechism. One of the gospel texts we were looking at last night, by coincidence, is this morning’s gospel reading. It is clearly a very appropriate reading for today’s feast, ‘The Chair of St Peter’. This is an ancient feast that has been kept at Rome since the fourth century; it celebrates the role of the Bishop of Rome as a symbol of unity for all Christians. In the gospel reading, Jesus identifies Simon as the Rock on which Jesus’ church will be built; as such, he is to be the focal point of unity within the church. Peter went on to become a leader of the church of Rome, and was martyred there during Nero’s persecution of the church. Successive Bishops of Rome, or Popes, continue that important role that Jesus entrusted to Peter of being the focal point of unity among disciples. The Bishops of Rome hold the church together, in communion with the other bishops, by interpreting the message and life of Jesus for us today. The Roman Catholic church is very large and is spread throughout the world, and yet it manages to hold together. In many respects that is down to the role of the Bishop of Rome or the Pope. This morning we give thanks for this great gift to the church, and we pray for the present Bishop of Rome, Pope Benedict, that he may be strengthened for his important work of watching over the church and keeping it united in faith and love.

And/Or

(iii) Friday, Second Week of Lent

In the gospel reading Jesus quotes the text from the prophet Isaiah, ‘the stone rejected by the builders became the keystone’. He was the stone rejected who went on to became the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The one through whom God was saying ‘yes’ to us all, was the one to whom many people said ‘no’ in very emphatic terms. The one who proclaimed God’s acceptance of us was himself rejected. The story of Jesus alerts us to the very real possibility of our rejecting the messenger God sends us. Sometimes what we are prone to rejecting, whether in ourselves or in others, can turn out to be the means through which God is speaking to us. The experiences that we react against, that we say ‘no’ to, may be the very experiences that can reveal God most powerfully to us. What we see initially as a threat of some sort can turn out to be a blessing. This morning we ask God to keep us open to all of the ways he chooses to come to us and speak with us.

And/Or

(iv) Friday, Second Week of Lent

In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable in which the son of a vineyard owner is killed by the tenants. In this way Jesus points ahead to his own rejection and death. Having spoken the parable, Jesus quotes from one of the psalms, ‘It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone’. Here Jesus points ahead to his resurrection. Although he was rejected by the religious and political leaders of the day, Jesus rose from the dead and in so doing became the keystone of a new temple, the temple of the church, the community of those who believed in him. The experience of Jesus teaches us that what is rejected can often turn out to be of crucial importance. What we might be initially inclined to reject can be the means through which God may want to speak to us. Those aspects of our own lives that we may be prone to reject and slow to accept may be the very channels through which the Lord can work most powerfully in our lives and, through us, in the lives of others. The experience of Jesus also suggests that God always has a purpose for what is rejected. God is not in the business of rejecting. Although we can reject God, God never rejects us.

And/Or

(v) Friday, Second Week of Lent

The parable that Jesus speaks in today’s gospel reading is largely a story of rejection. The owner of the vineyard sends two lots of servants to collect the produce of the vineyard, but they are rejected, and some of them are killed. They he sent his son in the full expectation that the tenants would respect him, but he too is killed. Jesus was really referring there to his own experience of rejection by many of his contemporaries, a rejection that would eventually end with his crucifixion. He is the stone rejected by the builders that Jesus mentions in the gospel reading. Yet, rejection does not have the last word. As Jesus says, quoting one of the psalms, the stone rejected by the builders became the keystone. God raised his rejected Son from the dead and made him the foundation or the keystone of the church. Any little experience of rejection can leave us deflated; we can be tempted to give up. The parable suggests that God is not like that. In the face of rejection, God just keeps working away; he takes the experience of rejection, the rejected stone, and builds something new upon it. We are being reminded that God is always at work, even in the most unpromising of situations. The God of Jesus Christ is the God of life who works in a life-giving way even in situations of death. Our refusal to receive the Lord’s coming, the Lord’s presence, does not in any way diminish his energy to work among us for the coming of God’s kingdom.

And/Or

(vi) Friday, Second Week of Lent

We have had some nice spring weather recently. People have been out doing some gardening. Various plants are being put in the ground; the good gardeners will look after them, making sure they are fed and watered, in the expectation that they will flower or bear fruit in the Summer. In the parable Jesus tells in this morning’s gospel reading, a farmer planted a vineyard and did everything necessary to ensure that he would be able to get grapes from the vineyard at harvest time. This did not happen however. The tenants responsible for ensuring that the farmer got the harvest that was his right turned against him in a violent way. The farmer did not give up. He leased the vineyard to other tenants in the hope that they would deliver the produce that his investment deserved. The parable suggests that God invests greatly in all of us and he looks to us to bear fruit that is worthy of his investment. When it is not forthcoming, God keeps working to bring that good fruit about. We cannot doubt God’s investment in us or his perseverance with us. It is our response that is in question. However, his repeated initiatives in our regard keep us hopeful. We may fail God. God does not fail us but keeps investing in us and gives us every opportunity to bear the good fruit he desires. Every day we have an opportunity to respond to the Lord’s investment in us.

And/Or

(vii) Friday, Second Week of Lent

In the parable Jesus speaks in this morning’s gospel reading, the killing of the vineyard owner’s son was Jesus’ way of indicating his own forthcoming rejection and death. Using a different image, Jesus declares that he was to become the stone rejected by the builders. Yet, quoting one of the psalms, Jesus goes on to say that this rejected stone would become the keystone, the most important stone in any building. In this way Jesus was looking beyond his rejection and death to his resurrection when he would become the keystone of a spiritual building, the church. It is often the way that the rejection stone can turn out to have a crucial role to play at some future time. We can often reject something initially and over time come to see that what we rejected is actually something very important. We say ‘no’ to something, some situation, or to someone, and then realize that what we are saying ‘no’ to is, in reality, God’s gift to us and God’s purpose for our lives. Our first reaction is not always the best one. We often need time to recognize the good in what we had dismissed as of no value.

And/Or

(viii) Friday, Second Week of Lent

As Jesus approaches the hour of his passion and death, he tells a parable about a vineyard owner’s son who is killed by the tenants to whom the vineyard was entrusted. Jesus must have seen in this story something of his own story that was unfolding, in particular, his death that was fast approaching. In his comment on the parable Jesus quotes a passage of Scripture which contained an image about a stone, a kind of a mini parable. The stone that was rejected by the builders as worthless went on to become the most important stone, the keystone, of a building. Again, Jesus would have recognized himself in the stone that was rejected by the builders, just as he recognized himself in the son of the vineyard owner who was killed. However, there is also a suggestion of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead in the image of the rejected stone that became a keystone. Jesus would be rejected in the most violent way imaginable. Yet, God raised him from the dead, thereby establishing him as the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The image of the rejected stone becoming a keystone is a powerful image of how God can work powerfully in situations of weakness, to use the language of Paul. For Paul, God worked powerfully through the death of Jesus on behalf of all humanity. God can turn our own rejected stones into keystones. God can work powerfully through those experiences in our lives which we reject as useless, worthless, of no value. Paul discovered that what he called his ‘thorn in the flesh’, which he wanted to be rid of and had rejected as totally negative, was actually creating a space for God to work powerfully in and through him. As Paul declares in his letter to the Romans, ‘all things work together for good for those who love God’.

Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62,  Ireland.

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