Churches of the Day

Tuesday of Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1

A weakness of faith gives rise to fear. Jesus calls his disciples to greater faith

Memorial of St Oliver Plunkett,  priest, bishop of Armagh,
arrested, tried, 'convicted' of  of high treason 'for promoting the Catholic Faith'.
He was  hanged, drawn and quartered on July 1st 1681, an Irish martyr. Canonised by St Pope Paul VI in 1975.
C/f A short life of this saint can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING          

A reading from the Book of  Genesis      19:15-29
The Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. 

The angels urged Lot, 'Come, take your wife and these two daughters of yours, or you will be overwhelmed in the punishment of the town'. And as he hesitated, the men took him by the hand, and his wife and his two daughters, because of the pity the Lord felt for him. They led him out and left him outside the town. As they were leading him out he said,
'Run for your life. Neither look behind you nor stop anywhere on the plain. Make for the hills if you would not be overwhelmed.'
'No, I beg you, my Lord,' Lot said to them 'your servant has won your favour and you have shown great kindness to me in saving my life. But I could not reach the hills before this calamity overtook me, and death with it. The town over there is near enough to flee to, and is a little one. Let me make for that-is it not little?-and my life will be saved.'
He answered,
'I grant you this favour too, and will not destroy the town you speak of. Hurry, escape to it, for I can do nothing until you reach it.' That is why the town is named Zoar.

As the sun rose over the land and Lot entered Zoar, the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord. He overthrew these towns and the whole plain, with all the inhabitants of the towns, and everything that grew there.  But the wife of Lot looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Rising early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood  before the Lord, and looking towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and across all the plain, he saw the smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. Thus it was that when God destroyed the towns of the plain, he kept Abraham in mind and rescued Lot out of disaster when he overwhelmed the towns where Lot lived.

The Word of the Lord.        Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm      Ps 25: 2-3, 9-12, R/v 3 Mt 8:23-27
Response                            Your love, O Lord, is before my eyes.

1. Examine me, Lord, and try me; O test my heart and my mind,
for your love is before my eyes and I walk according to your truth.         Response

2. Do not sweep me away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men
in whose hands are evil plots, whose right hands are filled with gold.    Response

3. As for me, I walk the path of perfection. Redeem me and show me your mercy.
My foot stands on level ground: I will bless the Lord in the assembly.   Response

Gospel  Acclamation          Jn 8: 12
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord, anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!

Or                                             Ps 94: 8
Alleluia, alleluia!
Harden not your hearts today but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you                        And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew    8:23-27        Glory to you, O Lord
He stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again.

Jesus got into the boat followed by his disciples. Without warning a storm broke over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep.
So they went to him and woke him saying, 'Save us, Lord, we are going down!'
And he said to them, 'Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith?'
And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again.
The men were astounded and said,
'Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.'

The Gospel of the Lord.            Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.



Gospel Reflection     Tuesday,      Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time      Matthew 8:23-27

From the earliest days of the community of faith, the boat has been a symbol of the church. It is a dynamic symbol. The boat is in motion, going towards an eternal shore. The journey can be unpredictable with many a storm on the way. The hearers and readers of Matthew’s gospel would have recognized themselves, the community of faith, in the disciples in the boat. Whereas the disciples were physically wide awake, terrified by the storm, Jesus was asleep. We can find ourselves wondering if the Lord has gone to sleep on us, especially when we find ourselves struggling, as individuals or as a community, with our faith being severely put to the test. Yet, the Lord, while asleep, was not indifferent to the plight of his disciples. He may have been physically asleep, but he was spiritually awake, alert to their cry for help. We are reminded of the lovely Psalm 121, ‘He who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep’.

The Lord kept his disciples safe when they cried out to him, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down’. This is a prayer out of the depths, which we can all make our own. It is a prayer the ever awake Lord will always hear and respond to. Whereas the Lord neither slumbers nor sleeps, we can be asleep to the Lord, failing to recognize his caring presence to us in the storm. This was the rebuke of Jesus to his disciples, ‘Why are you so frightened, you men of little faith’. We are people of faith but we can become people of little faith when our faith is put to the test. Yet, the Lord responds to the cry of our little faith. On another occasion he spoke of the significance of faith the size of a mustard seed. When we seek the Lord in times of great distress, even out of our little faith, the Lord will be present to us in all his reassuring calm. Encountering the Lord at the height of the storm can lead to a deepening of our little faith, as it did for the disciples, ‘Whatever kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him’.                                                                                                                      _________________________________

The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings  Your word is a lamp for my feet and light for my path by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saints of the Day: July 1, St Oliver Plunkett

Oliver Plunkett (1629-81) born in Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co Meath, Ireland, related to several aristocratic families. The first Irish martyr to be formally canonised- the last Catholic to be martyred  for the faith at Tyburn in England. The year was  1681 AD.

Patrick Duffy traces his life and his journey to martyrdom.

Oliver Plunkett was born into an aristocratic Norman family at Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co Meath in 1629. The first great formative influence on him was his uncle Patrick, a Cistercian monk, who was Abbot of St Mary's in Dublin and then became bishop of Ardagh and later still of Meath. Oliver was sent to his uncle for his education and he always spoke of him with great respect and affection.

Career in Rome
In 1646, along with John Brennan from Kilkenny (a life-long friend and later archbishop of Cashel), Oliver accompanied Father Peter Scarampi - who had been sent by the Pope as an envoy to the Confederation of Kilkenny - on his journey back to Rome. Due to delays and robbery, this proved a difficult journey that took almost a year. When he eventually arrived in Rome Oliver grew to love the city. By the time he was ordained priest in 1654, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland was well under way. As it was difficult for him to return home, he requested and was granted permission to remain in Rome. He became professor of theology at Propaganda Fide College (1657) and was also the agent representing the Irish bishops in Rome.



When in 1669 he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, his uncle Patrick Plunkett was the only active Catholic bishop remaining in Ireland.

Strenuous Pastoral Efforts
Oliver's return was difficult. The people had faith, but lacked instruction and organisation. The priests of Armagh diocese resented the imposition on them of an "outsider" from Meath. In the absence of bishops, the priests had lost their discipline, and there were rivalries among religious and between them and the secular clergy. There were divisions among Catholics - between native Irish and Anglo-Irish. And his flamboyant and touchy colleague archbishop of Dublin, Peter Talbot, contested Oliver’s precedence and the primacy of the see of Armagh over Dublin. In the first three years Oliver worked diligently to restore discipline. He established a school staffed by Jesuits in Drogheda for the education of young men and clergy. He pleaded for places in Rome for others, and travelled widely - often in disguise - confirming and instructing the people and promoting peace.

Choice to Stay with his Flock
But in 1673 the revelation that the Duke of York, the King's brother and heir to the throne, had been a Catholic for years caused a storm in the English parliament and forced the tightening of the penal laws against Catholics both in England and Ireland. This led to the closing down of the school at Drogheda. By law Oliver should have registered with the authorities and waited for a ship to deport him, but he took a decision not to desert his flock and went into hiding. He weathered this crisis and continued his pastoral work as best he could, continually keeping in touch with Rome through letters to the Internuncio in Brussels.

So-called “Popish Plot”
But in England in 1678 an ex-Jesuit student Titus Oates fabricated his infamous "plot". According to this there was an arrangement that the King (Charles II) was to be murdered and his Catholic brother James put on the throne; in Ireland a Catholic army supported by the Pope and France was alleged to be ready to rise in rebellion. Oliver again had to go into hiding. In December 1679 he was arrested and imprisoned in Dublin Castle - in the next cell to Archbishop Peter Talbot of Dublin who had also been implicated in the plot. Talbot was quite ill and distressed and Plunkett forced his way in to him to console him and give him absolution before he died.

Gradual Realisation
Only gradually did Oliver realise that he was being framed as the prime mover of a supposed Irish branch of the Popish plot and charged falsely with conspiring with foreign kingdoms to import troops through Irish ports. Brought to Dundalk for trial, the prosecution witnesses failed to attend: no jury in Ireland could have convicted him on such trumped-up charges. He was then taken to London for trial, but was not allowed time to bring his own witnesses and documents. Here, with four renegade priests testifying against him, he was convicted.

His Last Week
In the process of facing these false allegations and then death by being hanged, drawn and quartered, Oliver prayed and fasted. His servant and friend James McKenna and a fellow prisoner Fr Maurus Corker were the companions of his last days and he celebrated the Eucharist daily for the last week of his life. When his final moments came, he was calm and at peace.

A Man at Peace
In his speech from the gallows at Tyburn, England, he detailed the charges brought against him and declared himself innocent of them all. He forgave those who brought him from Ireland to London for trial, his judges who did not allow him time to bring his records and witnesses from Ireland, and all who concurred directly and indirectly in taking away his life. Finally, he asked forgiveness of all whom he ever offended. He was the last person to be martyred for the Catholic faith in England in 1681. His letters, written from his prison cell show a man at peace with God and himself, proud yet humble, strong yet gentle. His body is enshrined in Downside Abbey in Somerset while his head and other relics are on display at St Peter's Church, Drogheda, Co, Louth, Ireland.

Beatification and Canonisation
Oliver Plunkett was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975 by Pope St Paul VI, - the first new canonised Irish saint for almost almost seven hundred years.

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Memorable Quote for Today

Love is never defeated, And I could add, the history of Ireland proves it!

~ Pope John Paul II ~

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The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We are all called to be peacemakers.

FIRST READING   

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah         66:10-14
Towards her I send flowing peace, like a river.

Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her!

That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts.

For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river,
and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.

At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.

At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like the grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

The Word of the Lord           Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm        Ps 65
Response                             Cry out with joy to God all the earth.

1. Cry out with joy to God all the earth, O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise. Say to God: 'How tremendous your deeds!        Response

2. 'Before you all the earth shall bow; shall sing to you, sing to your name!'
Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men.                 Response

3. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might.                                     Response

4. Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul.
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer nor withhold his love from me.  Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Galatians          6:14-18
The marks on my body are those of the Lord Jesus.

The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God.

I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.

The Word of the Lord                Thanks be to God.

Gospel  Acclamation               Jn 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!

Or                                                  Col 3:15. 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL      

The Lord be with you.                          And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 10:1-12. 17-20        Glory to you, O Lord
Your peace will go and rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs,
to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them,
'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.

Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.
Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.

Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you". But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, .
"We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you.
Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near."

I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.

The seventy-two came back rejoicing.
'Lord,' they said 'even the devils submit to us when we use your name.'
He said to them,
'I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you.
Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.'

The Gospel of the Lord            Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.    

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.