St. Matthew’s Church Ballyfermot

PARISH NEWSLETTER 29 Oct (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

PLEASE TAKE THIS HOME WITH YOU TO SPREAD THE WORD

TRIDUUM OF PRAYER In Honour of

Our Lady of Fatima

St. Matthew’s 6/7/8 December 2017

Feast of All Saints: November 1 Holiday of Obligation

Feast of All Souls: November 2 Visit the Church:

Pray for Our Beloved Dead. COLLECTION FOR

BILL O’SHAUGHNESSY As you are aware, Bill, who spent almost a year with us, a very beneficial and happy time for him and for us, will be ordained as a priest by the Archbishop, Diarmuid Martin, on November 14, Feast of St. Lawrence O’ Toole. This day will be a day of great joy for Bill, his family, the diocese and in a very particular way all of us here in St. Matthew's. We are delighted that Bill will be here to celebrate 12 o clock Mass in St. Matthew's on Sunday 19th November. It is hoped to make a presentation to Bill that day. With this in mind there will be a collection taken up at all the Masses on the previous weekend, November 11/12.

BOOK OF THE WEEK Where to from here?

The Christian Vision of Life after Death Brian Grogan SJ

By a Jesuit priest and accomplished writer this is a gem of a book. Brian Grogan writes in an engaging manner about Heaven, hell, purgatory and all that awaits us after death. You can trust this book. It is grounded in Sacred Scripture and the Teaching of the Church. A comforting book for the time of year.

WEEKLY COLLECTIONS 15/10

First Collection €1025 Share Collection €710 Family Offering €940

Mass Intentions 6.30 Saturday 28 Oct John Dunne, Thomas Dowling, Dowling Family 12.00 Sunday 29 Oct Nancy, Thomas, Tommy Last, Jenny McAuliffe, Elizabeth, Maurice Ahearne, Tommy Ryan, Ann Whelan Vigil of All Saints 6.30 Tuesday 24 Oct Paul, Hugh Harris Maureen Mooney, Raymond McGowan Feast of All Saints 10.30 Gary Conway 12.00 Lil, Paddy, Christy Nugent

PARISH SHOP Cards, Calendars, Candles

and much more available at the shop in the Parish Centre

Mass Times Weekdays:

Saturday: Vigil Mass 6.30 Monday Sunday: 9.00, 9.45 (Convent) 10.00 Prayer Service 10.30,12.00 Masses Vigil Mass for All Saints Thur, Fri 10.00 Tuesday: 6.30

Feast of All Saints Wednesday: 10.30, 12.00

Eucharistic Adoration Mon 10.30 – 4.00 Wed 10.30 – 9.00 Fri 10.30 – 9.00

Divine Mercy Meeting Wed Evening @ 8.00 in the Prayer Room

St. Vincent DePaul Monthly Church Gate

Collection This Sunday after all the

Masses

CCONCERT 24th NOVEMBER with special guests Stephanie Butler, The Flukey Ukes,

Ballyfermot Folk Group, Choir St. Louise’s College

Boys St. Lorcan’s Palmerstown In aid of St. Matthew’s Church

The Matt Talbot Community Trust Ballyfermot Star, Rialta Nua

For details see notice boards or Phone Ken: 086 236 5288

Gospel Readings for the Week Ahead Mon 30/10 LK. 13: 10 – 17 All the people were overjoyed at all the wonders he worked Tue 31/10 Lk 13: 18 – 21 ‘What is the kingdom of God like?’ Wed 1/11 Matt. 5: 1 – 12 FEAST OF ALL SAINTS Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. Thu 2/11 Matt 11: 25 – 30 FEAST OF ALL SOULS ‘Come to me, all you who labour…’ Fri 3/11 Luke 14: 1 – 6 ST. MALACHY, BISHOP And to this they could find no answer. Sat 4/11 Lk. 14: 1, 7 – 11 And they watched him closely.

Recent Funerals Edward Deasy

May He Rest in Peace

SPECIAL MASS FOR OUR BELOVED DEAD

THURSDAY 9TH NOVEMBER

AT 7.30 PM

FAITH MOMENT

The primary effect of the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit’s gift of peace and strength to deal with the difficulties

Family Offering Envelopes The Family Offering envelopes will be available in the Parish Centre from Monday to Friday 9.30 to 1.30. New numbers have been assigned to each household so it is important to collect your envelope in person. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Thank you for supporting this collection, a very important contribution to the financial upkeep of the parish.

If you are not a contributor perhaps you would like to commit to taking a box and giving a small amount each week.

PARISH SHOP Cards, Calendars, Candles

and much more available at the shop in the Parish Centre

Don’t forghet to visit our website www.stmatthewsballyfermot.com

And our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/st.matthews.ballyfermot/

Parish Centre or Sacristy: Phone: 626 56 95 Monday to Friday 10.00am to 1.00pm

St. Vincent De Paul Monthly church gate

collection will take place this weekend

after all the Masses

BUT WILL WE REALLY MEET AGAIN? ‘ We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when but I know

We’ll meet again some sunny day..! ’ As I am sure you know Vera Lynn turned one hundred years old this year. She was known as

the forces sweetheart and had a number of hit songs including The White Cliffs of Dover. Those of us who tend to have an allergy to all things British may have to suspend our emotion at much of what she represents. That said the reality is that through her song and music she provided hope and comfort to hundreds of thousands of women and men who were injured or imprisoned in a far off land. She is perhaps best known for the song quoted above, We’ll meet again. The sentiment of the song which as one can only imagine undoubtedly brought much comfort during the war to those at home and abroad raises a very big, though certainly not a new question. This question raises its head around this time every year for me. Winter is coming in and once again in shops and restaurants there's a few witches, lanterns, ghouls and scary false faces appearing. For me the last days of October and the first few days of November bring my thoughts around to those who have gone before me. I am speaking of those who have died. The Dead. Our Beloved Dead. I refuse to speak of those who have passed. We pass exams. We pass wind. We pass people in the street. We pass time. To describe a person who has died, has having passed, for me is part of this mad crazy world of political correctness gone completely mad. There was a time in Ireland when we did death very well. We waked. We wailed. We walked through the pain of loss, talked, cried and laughed. We remember. We honour. We still do but there are other things creeping in which seek to anaesthetise us from the mess and pain of death. The word ‘passed’ can be part of that. It is much more healthy to quietly and gently look at the reality of death in the eye and when we do this in the company of Jesus we won’t need any anaesthetic!

Let me put the question in all its starkness. When we think of those who were significant to us, those who have loved us and those whom we have loved, all of these who have died, and here's the question: will we really meet them again? I am deliberately parking the wider blockbusters, is there a Heaven? Is there a hell? Who goes where? Today I want to concentrate on the question of whether we will meet our loved ones again, and obviously by implication I am asking what will that meeting be like? So let's just pause for a moment and make this question a bit more concrete: who are we talking about? Bring their face into focus and gently whisper their name. For me it's Bridie and Joe, my parents. What about people outside family? For me the Old Canon who lived at home in our parish when I was a little boy and who lived his Priesthood in an inspirational way. What about more famous people, a figure from history. For me when I get into heaven, now I realise that sounds very presumptuous, but I believe because of the beautiful mercy of the Father I will, albeit after a stint in purgatory, get there, so when I get into heaven I am going to seek out Katharine Hepburn and definitely Thomas Merton. That is the most Oscar decorated actress and the most famous monk in the world.

Recently a lady told me that sometimes she looks forward to meeting her sister in Heaven and then other times she is not so sure because whilst they loved each other very much at times they clashed badly. This reminded me of another conversation with a gentleman who wondered about his wife's dementia and what role that would play in their meeting up again in Heaven. In a sense then we now have two questions, will we really meet again and what will that meeting be like? The first is in a strange way easier to answer. Jesus is very clear about the Kingdom of Heaven. It breaks through here in this world when you and I live the gospel, but it also awaits us. Thy kingdom come. Clear when we reach heaven we are changed. We will become like him. Hints of the change that will happen are in the transfiguration and the resurrection stories. It is Jesus, they recognise him, yet he is different. It is interesting to note his comment to Mary Magdalene, Noli me tangere, ‘ do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father!’ The change is in process but not yet completed. So we will meet again but it will be different. No sickness, no suffering no pain and of course the great difference, we will not be bound up by sin so the meeting will take place in the new freedom that will come from being in God.

J MC DONALD. 22. 10. 17

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