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  Fr Patrick Clarke 22 March 1931 - 26 April 2022 Remember in your prayers the soul of Columban Fr Patrick 'Paddy' Clarke who died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday 26 April. Father Paddy worked for thirty years in Japan and when he came back to Ireland spent eleven years in St Jude's Parish, Templeogue, Dublin, not far from where he grew up. He was much loved there  for his gentleness and kindness and many of the parishioners attended his funeral here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, this morning. A unique experience for me at Father Paddy's funeral Mass was that he had written the homily himself, based on  Deuteronomy 6:4-7 , the First Reading, and  Mark 12:28-34 , the Gospel, both of which he had chosen for his funeral Mass.  Y ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandmen...

The Holy Night (The Nativity) , Carlo Maratti  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Today, New Year's Day 2019, is the darkest day in the history of the independent Ireland (the Republic of Ireland) that came into being in 1922.  Starting today , it is now legal in Ireland to kill an unborn baby for any reason whatever up to 12 weeks. After that the unborn child may be killed for specific reasons related to the health of the mother or to the perceived chances of a baby being born dead or not likely to live more than 28 days after birth. It will still be a serious crime to take the life of a child after 12 weeks except within the circumstances where the law allows abortion, though not in the case of a woman ending her own pregnancy. Early abortions will be carried out mainly by General Practitioners (GPs) who are willing to do them. Doctors and other medical personnel may refuse to carry out abortions but, as far as I know, doctors will be expected to refer the mother to ...

The Calling of St Matthew (detail), Caravaggio [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings  (NAB: USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible) Gospel Matthew 10:37-42 ( NR SV, Catholic Ed ) Jesus said to his Apostles: ‘Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ Post-World War II Japan [ Source ] Whoever loves fa...

The Adoration of the Magi ,  Velázquez  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings for the Solemnity of the Epiphany Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  The readings above are used both at the Vigil Mass and at the Mass during the Day. Each Mass has its own set of prayers and antiphons. Correction In countries where the Epiphany is observed as a Holyday of Obligation on 6 January, eg, Ireland, the  Baptism of the Lord is celebrated , not the Mass of the  Second Sunday after the Nativity  as I had posted earlier. Here is the link to the readings for Year A.  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible) Alleluia and Gospel for the Epiphany Alleluia, alleluia! Vidimus stellam eius in Oriente, We have seen his star in the East, et venimus cum muneribus adorare...

Master of the Hours of Maréchal de Boucicaut Book of Hours of Maréchal de Boucicaut, 1405-08. Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris Gospel Luke 1:39-45 ( NRV – Catholic Ed ., Can.) In those days, Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” The Visitation , El Greco, 1610-13 Dumbarton Oaks, Washington DC About eight years ago I celebrated Mass on the Feast of the Visitation in a home for girls where most come f...

Adoration of the Magi , Murillo, 1655-60 [ Web Gallery of Art ] THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD In countries where this is a holyday of obligation, eg, Ireland, the solemnity is celebrated on the traditional date, 6 January. Where it is not a holyday of obligation, eg, the Philippines, it is observed on this Sunday. The Epiphany has two different Mass formularies,  At the Vigil Mass , celebrated on Saturday evening, and  At the Mass during the Day . While the prayers and chants are different, the same readings are used at both Masses. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE ...

Open Air Rock Cross also called Nasrani Sthambams in front of the 2nd Century built Marth Mariam Catholic Church at Kuravilangadu, Kerala, India. This church belongs to the  Syro-Malabar Catholic Church , in full communion with Rome. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 13:22-30  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) Jesus went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. And some one said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and ...

Irish bishops finding their voice again, in defence of life The Visitation , El Greco, painted 1610-13 The bishops of Ireland have found their voice again, in defence of the life of the unborn child. The scandals of the abuse of children by priests and religious and the way bishops and superiors are perceived to have dealt with the situation, had all but crippled the ability of the Church in Ireland to proclaim the Gospel. The above video carries an interview on national radio with Bishop Leo O'Reilly of Kilmore. The night before some bishops had taken part in a peaceful pro-life rally outside Leinster House, Dublin, where the  Dáil and Seanad (parliament and senate) meet. Yesterday the bishops, who have been holding their winter meeting this week, issued a statement yesterday:  Initial response by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference to the  Report of the Expert Group on the Judgement in A,B and C v Ireland . [The Report is here .] ...