St
Mary’s Church Bocan
22nd
July 2007—No 32
16th
Sunday in Ordinary Time.
Responsorial
Psalm
The just will live in the presence
of the Lord
Drinking Time - Liam McGowan
Two black heifers
and a red
Standing on the river bed,
Filling up their belly tanks,
Water swilling ‘round their
flanks.
In the stirred-up
river mud
Elvers wriggle, flat-fish scud;
Where the torrent’s slow and
deep
Sea-bound smolt lie half asleep.
Buzzing flies
bite bovine flesh,
Twitching tails make rainbow splash,
One black sucks a tadpole in,
Sniffs and snorts create a din.
Now the farmer’s
voice is heard
Above the cymbal-tinkling ford,
‘Bramble, Bluebell, Buttercup;
Hi, come out, come cow—up!
In answer to the
urging call
They leave for shelter’d byre
stall,
Oaten mash and hay-strewn bed,
Two black heifers and a red.
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Wise
Words
We may be excused for not always
being bright, but we are not
excused for not always being
gracious, yielding and considerate.
St Francis
De Sales
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Today’s
Readings
1st
Sarah is rewarded for her hospitality.
What she is promised seems impossible;
2nd Paul speaks
of the mystery of Christ, our ‘hope
of glory’.;
Gospel Jesus is
welcomed at the home of Martha and
Mary.
Money
Matters:
Weekly Offering €1,625
Development Collection, €1,030.
Thank you for your generosity.
Today’s
Psalm
Abraham, Martha and Mary opened
their doors to the divine presence.
The accompanying psalm belonged to
pilgrims ascending the hill before
entering the temple. They ask, Lord,
who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
Then follows a challenging examination
of conscience.
How can one walk
without fault? For starters, we must
act with justice and do no wrong to
another. Then our speech must be truthful
and our tongues never sullied by slander
or slurs about our neighbour. We should
avoid godless company and situations
or reading likely to harm our faith:
while honouring the good influence
of those who fear the Lord. We should
have the integrity to keep our pledges
and our promises in marriage or religious
commitment. Don’t cash in on
another’s misfortune or accept
bribes which prejudice the rights
of others.
Mother Teresa was
inspired by five words of Jesus: you
did it to me. Every day of life we
are opening or closing our doors on
the presence of the Lord in how we
behave. The response to the psalm
repeats the key message: The just
will live in the presence of the Lord.
Fr Silvester O’Flynn
OFMCap
Serenity
House
Certificate in Preparatory
Studies will be commencing
in Serenity House in September. Applications
must be returned as soon as possible.
For details contact Serenity House
on 9382945 or email serenityhouse@eircom.net
Arts &
Craft Exhibition in Serenity
House on Sunday, 5th and Monday, 6th
August from 12 pm – 5 pm. Admission
is free. Why not come along and see
what you also could achieve under
the tuition of expert tutors.
Preached Day Retreat
[open to everyone],
Saturday, 28th July at Ards Friary
Commences 10 am:
Finishes 4pm; Cost is €30 [lunch
included]; Overnight accommodation
on Friday night with evening meal
and Retreat €53. Contact Ards
Friary on 9138909 or email info@ardsfriary.com
This Retreat focuses on the place
of Our Lady in the Scriptures and
the life of the Church. It also draws
upon the spirituality of St Louis
de Montfort’s “True Devotion
to Mary.” This was the spirituality
that guided Pope John Paul II. It
goes “to Jesus through Mary.”
The Right
Attitude
It’s strange, but people who
tell you that ‘who you are’
is ore important than ‘what
you do’ – are usually
themselves great achievers. Achieving
indeed, or getting things done seems
to be the focus in the early part
of life. In later years we consider
what was done and how. During the
second half of life, success loses
its importance. Being fulfilled is
more important than being successful
in later years. The reason for all
this is that of you need something
external like success and acclaim
to feel good about yourself –
it becomes ultimately a prison.
So, what one thing do you need in
life? After all, that was exactly
what Jesus told Martha one thing is
needed’. So, name it in your
life. Are your need really wants?
Is that one thing ‘living in
the presence of the Lord’ [Psalm]?
Most of us know what we need to do,
but lack ‘will’ or ‘won’t’
power. We make bad choices, or let
them be made for us and the Lord gets
short shrift. We feel bad about it,
make occasional stirrings to do better
but it’s a case of the same
repeat offender syndrome.
It can often be among those who do
‘the work of the Lord’
that there can be a seething resentment
that they are underpaid [if at all],
over-worked and unappreciated. What
gets lost in all this is our attitude.
The ‘why’ and ‘who’
of what we are at. Who is it for?
After all as Martha learned, God is
as much interested in attitude as
service.
Tom Cox
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