Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

A day late, but Happy St. Patrick's Day! Or, more literally, Blessing of St Patrick's Day!

Both living in in the US and now in Ireland, I have the impression that us Americans believe that the Irish people don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day as much as Irish Americans, or all Americans (We're all Irish on St. Paddy's Day!), do. And, I don't think that is true. I have had a amazing week embracing my Irish culture and celebrating the life of St. Patrick, and I thought I'd share with you what my celebrations looked like!

1.) Since the new year, I've been taking Irish lessons at the Lecale Gaelic Society in Downpatrick. Last week, instead of our typical "rang na gaelige" we participated in the Society's lá fhéile Pádraig celebration. The hall were all decked out with green and shamrocks, we had traditional stew and wheaten bread...yummy, the more advanced classes took part in a storytelling contest, and then there was singing and traditional music well into the night!

             

2.) Belfast City Council hosted a week-long St. Patrick's Day festival. Lots of Irish music events, Irish films, history lectures, activities for kids, and a parade. On Saturday I participated in a free tin whistle lesson in the City Hall! I had so much fun. I even bought a tin whistle music book on the walk back to my car!

                                  

3.) While killing some time in the Belfast welcome center before my tin whistle class, I discovered that St. Oliver Plunkett, a Catholic Church in West Belfast, was having a bi-lingual mass on St. Patrick's Day! And, so that's how I started my day. I was greeted by blue skies, had a lovely drive up to Belfast, and really enjoyed the Irish-English Mass. My friend Kevin always says that it is through prayers and poetry that the Irish Language is at its bests, and after this Mass I couldn't agree more. Having taken Irish lessons for a few months, I could pick up a few words here and there. There was also a screen that had the people's responses in Irish so people could read along (as if you could just "read along" in Irish if you've never had any lessons!). I really enjoyed how different members of the community read the Prayers of the Faithful (in Irish) and my favorite intentions was: "We pray for all the Irish people, those aboard and those have come to living in our great country." To which we responded: "A Thiarna, bí ceannsa agus éist linn" (Lord, graciously hear us). They also played a song I've never heard before, "Hail Glorious St. Patrick."

4.) Okay, okay. I couldn't help myself! Its not St. Patrick's Day if you don't have a Guinness! Sláinte!


                           

Reflections on our new Pope...based on Facebook

Today is an exciting day for the lives for Catholics. And, over the past month, I've realized just how many dedicated Catholic friends I have. I mean it shouldn't be surprising. I am a Catholic, I went to Catholic schools for almost 20 years, and I work at a Catholic retreat center. But it surprised me nonetheless as I scrolled through my Facebook page, day after day, just how many Catholic posts, comments, articles, and pictures my Facebook friends were posting. To be honest, this evening after the big announcement came, I was caught of guard when anything other then Papal news popped up on my Facebook page! This evening  as I looked through the many Facebook updates, I noticed a few themes that emerged. And, since I have a blog, I thought I would share them with you.

1.) Everyone is happy. Everyone is hopeful. Everyone is sharing in the joy of the moment. I have friends that represent all different points of the theological spectrum. I have very conservative friends,  ultra liberal friends, and those who fit in somewhere between. And, everyone is happy...and more importantly, everyone is hopeful. I find this both unique and reassuring. It is a unique experience, because often times people who are on the extremes of the theological spectrum find it hard to relate to each other and would have very different views of matters of faith and justice. Yet, there was an instance of unity. And, this unity and hope is very reassuring. The overall message I received via Facebook was hope that our new leader, the new vicar of Christ, would make the Church a more vibrant and relevant institution. Now, I am sure there is much disagreement as to what a vibrant and relevant Church looks like...but I'll just leave that debate for later. At the end of the day, strong Catholics, liberal or conservative, desire and pray for a vibrant and relevant Church that can communicate the good new of Jesus Christ. Now, that is an institution that I want to be a part of.

2.) Once the excited of "WE HAVE A POPE!!!!!" sunk in a bit, people began to wonder who is Pope Francis I, aka Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. And, we are instantly drawn to his humanness. As we all Google searched and listened to the Vatican insiders, we began to post the "important" things about our new Pope...the things that we want people to know Pope Francis. I saw no posts about this academic credentials (and they are nothing to put your nose up at!) and for the most part, no one commented on this theological views. The first things that I saw about our new Pope highlighted how human he is. People immediately posted about how, even as a Cardinal, he took public transportation, cooked his own meals and lived in humble accommodation. I even saw this lovely picture of him on a bus. What a witness.

Next, I saw posts about the humanness of his first words as Pope. As one friend quoted him, "‎And now let us begin this journey, the Bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood." We are attracted to a Pope who both prays for us and asks that we pray for him. And, we love him for that. We love that we have a Pope that we can relate too. How may times have I taken people transportation, cook my humble meals, and had to keep the heat at 65 F? And how many times have I asked for prayer? To have a Pope share in these experiences is so humanizing.  We can only hope that our new Pope can continue to relate to his flock and present the Gospel message in a way that reaches people of our time.

3.) People LOVE their Jesuits! Through education, the Society of Jesus has reached out and touched the lives of so many young people...me included! My first reaction was "I <3 Jesuits!" and then I lamented over the fact that I didn't bring my I <3 Jesuit t-shirt to Ireland! (But in all serious, I am totally bummed I cannot go into work tomorrow wearing that t-shirt with pride!) What a testament to the work of the Jesuits. In a world that is becoming increasingly skeptical of institutionalized religion, the Jesuits are reaching out and engaging young people, and forming them into young men and women that are committed to their community, Church, world, God and, of course, their Jesuits!

As time goes on, people will become more critical of our new Pope. Some people will become more excited about him and other will become less excited. We will scrutinize his writings and official statements, and we will pass judgments on the man. But, I will always remember those first few hours when there was true unity and hope within the Church, when we celebrated the humanness of this holy man, and when we (or at least those of us who attended Jesuit schools!) expressed our love and appreciated for the Society of Jesus. I, like so many of my Facebook friends, am hopeful. I am hopeful that under the leadership of Pope Francis, the Catholic Church will be a relevant source of good that champions human rights and fosters spiritual growth. And so, Your Eminence Pope Francis, I pledge my prayers to you and I know that you will pray for me.

International Women's Day: Part 1

Recently, Kate and I have decided that we wanted to start offering monthly ecumenical prayer services that call attention to and pray for particular social justice issues. In February  in honor of LGBT awareness month, Kate organized a "We are Dignified" prayer service that celebrated the dignity of all people, with a particular emphasis on the LGBT community. And then, on the eve of International Women's Day, I planned a prayer service that recognized and celebrated the voices of women around the world. We used a beautiful litany honoring women poets from around the world, prayers, scripture readings, and intentions that celebrate women, and I gave a guided meditation. If you have a few minutes, prayerful read through my meditation and watch the inspiring video "One Woman" written for UN Women.

"As we prepare for our meditation, find a comfortable position. You may, put your feet flat on the floor and place your hands gently on your lap, or you may find a position that is comfortable for you. When you are ready, close your eyes, and take a deep breath in…and then exhale.

Take a moment to reconnect with your body... As you do, take some time to reconnect with all the women in your life. …

Think about all the women in your life…your mother, your sister, a friend, a teacher, a co-worker...

Think about the women who may have made just a short appearance in your life… think about the women who have touched your heart time and time again…

As all of these amazing women flood your mind and heart, focus on just one. Who is she?  What does she look like? How has she touched your heart? What are the good moments you have shared? What are the difficult storms you have weathered? What have you learned from her?

As you sit with her, remembering, cherishing, and celebrating the time you spent together, thank her. Thank her for the goodness she brings into the world. Thank her for the impact she has made in your life and in the lives of others. Thank her for her unique and inspiring story. And lastly, thank her for being a woman, who reflects the image of God.

Now, take a moment and say good-bye. As you say good-bye, remember every women has a story that deserves to be remembered, cherished and celebrated. Remember that every woman has touched the life of someone, just like the woman you have been remembering has touched your life.

When you are ready, gentle open your eyes and join me in watching this short video that celebrates women from around the world…"

Lenten Blog... aka I'm in the Huffington Post!!!

One of Tobar Mhuire's Lenten offerings is a weekly blog. Every Wednesday one of the fabulous Tobar Mhuire team reflects on the Sunday Psalm. It's a great way to give people continued spiritual nourishment from the comfort of their own home, and it's been a good way for us to increase the traffic to our website! Then, my very clever co-worker, Kate, discovered that the Huffington Post is running a Lenten blog special too! They are reblogging posts from all different blogs...and a number of ours have been chosen!!! Including mine! I was so excited when I found out...I mean, how cool is that, being featured on the Huffington Post! So, click here to read my blog on Psalm 51, or just keep reading!

Psalm 51 

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is blameless in thy judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desires truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 12 Restore to me the joy of salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee. 14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance. 17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will no despise.

“Just say it already!” I do not know how many times I have heard that phrase being used. But, I do remember one instance when I yelled it…to myself. I was living in Boston at the time and the stress of an important paper for my graduate degree was looming over me. I remember running into my housemate before one of my classes and I ended up saying something really insensitive. It was not until my walk home a few hours later that I realized how hurtful I had been. When I unlocked the door, I knew my housemate was in her room and I knew I had to apologize. As I made my way down the corridor I thought of every excuse and rationalization for my words, but only an apology would do. I was in the wrong and I knew it. As I stood outside her door, I finally heard this voice in my head yelling, “Just say it already!” And with a deep breath, I did. 

Why did I apologize? Because I was in the wrong and I wanted to restore my relationship with my housemate. The only way to restore that relationship was to take ownership of my words, apologizes to her, and hope that she would forgive me and would want to continue on our path of friendship.   

Why was it so hard for me to apologize? There was no question about who was in the right and who was in the wrong. I learned that one of the most difficult things to do is look someone in the eyes and admit that I was wrong, to admit that I made a mistake, to admit I have sinned. But, this is the message we receive from Psalm 51. Instead of trying to sweep his mistakes under the rug, we see David lamenting, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me,” and begging, “Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God.” This shows us how important it is to take ownership of our wrongdoing. 

While the psalm teaches us the importance to taking ownership of our wrongdoing, it does not make it easy. Before David mustered up the courage to make his proclamation to God, there probably was a little voice in his head yelling, “Just say it already!” No matter how hard it maybe, in both our human relationships and in our relationship with God, there will be times when we need to apologize for our words and actions. Until we accept the fact that we have sinned and apologize, we cannot hope to repair the damaged relationship.

The beauty of this psalm and the beauty of our relationship with God is that the story doesn’t end with us and our sin. That’s only the beginning! The Christian faith is not centered on mistakes and sins, but on forgiveness and new relationships. We see David speaking with confidence that God would restore to him the joy of salvation and that God would not despise a broken and contrite heart. It is with the same confidence that we should approach God. If we apologize with sincerity and strive to live a better life, we too will not be despised.

So, as we remember our sins and our shortcomings, let this Ash Wednesday be an opportunity for growth rather than guilt. Give us the courage this Lenten season to begin repairing the broken relationships in our lives. And, lastly, pray that our individual apologies and the collective apology of the Church will become a catalyst for a new and deeper relationship with God and others.