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Gospel Passage:                  John 2: 13-25

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found the people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all of this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.

I’d like to start off then with a few comments on the Scripture that we have just heard. This passage comes from the Gospel for next Sunday – the 3^rd Sunday of Lent which is just under half way through Lent and I suppose our gathering today is for reflection, nourishment, even to come away for a little while. I find it interesting that this event of Jesus clearing the Temple of all the different people is to be found in all four of the Gospels – the difference is that in John it is found in the 2^nd chapter whereas  for all the other Evangelists it comes in the final half if not even later: the connection I make with today is that as we have just started our Lenten journey it is good for us to explore what drives us – John obviously sees this event as one of the key points in the journey of Jesus whereas for the other 3 writers they build up towards it.

Another point that I would like to make is how there was the basic right for all the different people in the Gospel – those who were selling cattle, sheep and pigeons and the money changers – all of these were entitled to be there in the courtyard to provide for the sacrifices and to ensure that no other idols (that would have been on the coins) were brought into the Temple. The actions that Jesus did perhaps called each of these people to examine whether they were there for the money or for more noble and spiritual reasons. Liam spoke of how we are transformed and I would say that perhaps as we are transformed we become aware of what it is that is driving us on our journey – we all have roles to carry out – both in the world and in the Church – but these do not have to be separated – so as they come together perhaps as an interface, just as the people in the Gospel interfaced with people coming from the world into the Temple, perhaps the first question I might pose is how does or could Jesus whip up a storm in our daily actions and in how we witness to God’s love – especially when it comes to the Union and of what we do or what we can do for it?

            This brings me onto the topic of zeal – John’s passage is the only one of the four Gospel pieces where zeal is mentioned and I remember googling zeal and it was commented that it was used particularly in religious circles and more so in ancient times that it would be now. The definition of zeal that I found was that it is a fervour for a person, cause or object; an eager desire or endeavour and an enthusiastic diligence – the fact then that this quality is mentioned at the start of John’s Gospel is perhaps to show how it carried Jesus in his journey to the cross and even endure the cross and so we can ask what was it or is it that drives each of us.

It may be helpful to look at other references to zeal in the Bible – as we heard in the passage, the mention of zeal was prompted from another part of scripture and it was from Psalm 69(68) – in this psalm the motive revolves around the struggle of the writer, of how the waters have reached up to his neck but this zeal for God is what spurs on the Psalmist (well this is my reading of it at least). A comment in my Bible noted that it is a reality check that humiliation will or can accompany the graces and the glory that God gives us but it is also for us to keep our pride in check and make sure that we do put our trust in God.

Another aspect of zeal that is found in the Old Testament kind of goes contrary to what I have been saying when it comes to zeal – that perhaps I see zeal as something that comes from within us, which is still true, but also it is something that we are called to wrap ourselves in as in a cloak and this is mentioned in Isaiah (59:17). This led me on to believe that as we look back at what we were zealous for it is something then that we can use again to cover ourselves with in times of trial.

A final and topical reference to zeal is to be found in the Book of Revelations where it says: ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent’ (Rev 3:19) I think this links in nicely with the season of Lent where we are called to repentance and in doing so we can become that bit more zealous. There are of course other mentions of zeal – both directly and indirectly – but I think I’ll stop at this point. Does anyone have any comments or questions?

            We can see many examples of people that show this zeal in their passions of life – I’m sure we could all relate to a particular sportsperson who would be driven to be successful in their respective sport. There are also great politicians like Abraham Lincoln, John Hume or Nelson Mandela who despite the obstacles put in their ways did not stop until their vision was achieved. There are many Saints of course that display Christian zeal such as Mother St Theresa, St Benedict and St Anthony.

For the next part I’d like to bring in our founder, Saint Vincent. Before I even thought of zeal and any reference that there might be in his writings, I initially thought of his mantra: Seek God and you will find him. Seek him in everything and you will find him in everything. Seek him always and you will always find him – I’m not too sure why this came to mind but perhaps it was the three ways that St Vincent framed the seeking – you know seek God, then in everything and then always and it just makes me question my motivations and the energy that it does take to find God – if I’m in that little bit more of a zealous mood its easier but if the mood isn’t quite so zealous then I’m making it harder for myself. For Pallotti then, one of the people for him that is most zealous in carrying out the will of God was Mary. In his writings he wrote that [Mary is] the perfect example of universal zeal and perfect charity. She laboured tirelessly in the works of salvation for the greater glory of God.            (OOCC, I, p. 7)

So for St. Vincent, Mary worked unfailingly for the salvation of God’s people and the glory of God. From the moment Mary accepted her call from God to cooperate in God’s plan of salvation of humankind, she never once looked back. She often did not quite understand God’s plan for her, as many things did not happen as she expected. But having offered herself as the handmaid of the Lord, she was totally ready to accept God’s plan as it unfolded in her personal history. From caring for Jesus as he grew up, accompanying him in his public ministry, to sharing in his sufferings and then when Jesus ascended she was there with the apostles, together for their strengthening by the Spirit of God at Pentecost. In this manner, Mary cooperated with God’s plan for her and helped Jesus in every way so that he could accomplish the salvation of humankind. All these point to her zeal for the apostolate and the mission of universal charity. This means then that for us we too can use Mary as that role model of zeal – I’m not too sure if this links in with the current monthly Union meetings which are devoted to Mary – but hopefully it helps us to understand how zeal and Mary go hand in hand.

            St Vincent also wrote that: ‘When [an apostle] acts with true zeal and fervent love, there is no temptation, no difficulty and no obstacle he cannot overcome.’   (OOCC, II, p. 162) and this is really what we need to keep in mind today and in the days, weeks and years ahead as carry out our mission in the Union. For St. Vincent Pallotti, true zeal and fervent love are two qualities that help an apostle in their apostolic endeavours. The virtue of zeal helps a person to be enthusiastic about their life as an apostle and interested in their apostolic task. A zealous person’s mind is totally focused on God. They accept God as the source of all that they are and all that they have. Hence, their whole life is focused on doing whatever they do to bring the glory of God and happiness to others. A person with true zeal never thinks of themselves but always happily gives themselves to others’ needs. A zealous person is a happy person who is always grateful to God for the many blessings they have received from God. Similarly, the quality of fervent love makes a person dynamic in their apostolate. A person of fervent love is one who has experienced the infinite love of God deep within themselves. He/she knows that they have been the object of God’s love. Having experienced the love of God, they attempt to respond to the God of love totally and fully. Their apostolate becomes a means through which they expresses their love for God. By reaching out to others in loving concern through our apostolate, we return our gratitude to God. According to St. Vincent, when these two qualities of true zeal and fervent love are present in a person, they become very effective in their apostolate. Such a person has built themselves on the rock of God’s love so that nothing can disturb them from being faithful to their apostolate. Neither temptations nor difficulties can become obstacles to the path we have set out for ourselves in God’s name. With true zeal and fervent love we carry on the apostolate despite problems.

            When St Vincent talks about the apostolic life I feel that he is looking at the witness that we give in life to those around us. Henri Nouwen wrote that ‘Jesus shows us the way of being witnesses. He was so full of God’s love, so connected with God’s will, so burning with zeal for God’s Kingdom, that he couldn’t do other than witness. … If we want to be witnesses like Jesus, our only concern should be alive with the love of God as Jesus was.’ (Bread for the Journey, August 10).

Pallotti also linked zeal with his view on what a priest should be and I think we could all relate to this in some level. St Vincent commented that: ‘The priest, who does not possess this zeal [for the mission of Christ] is in great danger of losing his own soul, as well as endangering the souls of others.           (Lett., 1092, p. 236)

            According to St. Vincent Pallotti, a priest must possess true zeal for the mission of Christ and I would go that little bit further to say that in this time that we find ourselves living in, we all need to possess that zeal. Not all of us may be priests but we can be pastors to our parents, our children or our friends and this is where zeal can be important in our lives. For it is the zeal for the kingdom of God that gives dynamism and purposefulness to our life and our activities. Without genuine zeal and enthusiasm, our life becomes static, inactive and purposeless. A static and purposeless life is unproductive. If we are not able to be productive pastorally, then a degree of uselessness, meaninglessness and lethargy can set in. When we find that there is no meaning in his life, we will be in great danger of losing our calling. If this happens, we may never be able to work for the salvation of our neighbour, but this is perhaps why St Vincent sees it as how we can thus endanger the salvation of our neighbour as well as our own. Hence, St. Vincent advised his followers to cultivate a genuine zeal for God and his mission. In his own life, he was a zealous and enthusiastic priest who loved Christ and his mission. He was involved in a number of confraternities and pious associations from his younger years. His zeal for God’s kingdom made him found the Union of Catholic Apostolate for the purpose of reviving faith and re-enkindling charity among Catholics and propagating the same among non-believers. It is this dynamic and zealous spirit for the kingdom of God that St. Vincent wanted to communicate to his followers and he may be communicating this to us today. In doing this we are asking him to make us zealous labourers in the vineyard.

Pope Francis: I would now like to bring in some points that Pope Francis makes in Evangelii Gaudium. There are six references to zeal in his book with another one that is a reference to a document from the time of Pope John Paul II and one from a document of Pope John XXIII, although I will only comment on a few of them. The first few deal with how we are called to preserve our zeal by saying no to selfishness, spiritual sloth (where we may get lazy or sluggish spiritually) and being too pessimistic or by having the funeral face. Pope Francis also calls us to identify properly with the Church and the proclamation of the Gospel in our lives so that we can be in a society of fraternity and justice – so that the message is accepted with courage and zeal. Finally he appeals to us to remember the zeal that the early members of the Church showed and how we are now called to replicate that and this indeed is done by having that personal encounter with Jesus and bringing this personal event into our community and that I feel is what we must do in our lives and in the Union.

            I found the following Proverb: Zeal is fit only for the wise but is found mostly in fools. I’m not saying that if we are wise that we do not have any zeal or if we do have zeal that we are fools but if we do possess zeal we may know that we could be fools and if we are, then as St Paul says: Let us be fools for Christ!!

Nestor Moron in the Antarctic: Nestor is part-time chaplain to the Argentine Air Force VII Brigade in Moreno.  Members of the Brigade went on a spell of duty in the Antarctic in December and Nestor was asked to accompany them, because of his parish commitments in Areco he could not go then but agreed to travel in January. The trip was postponed twice because of adverse weather conditions, but finally on January 20 he travelled with a contingent to the Air Base in Rio Gallegos, however once again the weather was not favourable and they spent two days there awaiting a ‘window’ in the weather. Nestor celebrated St. Vincent Pallotti’s feast day with the group in Rio Gallegos and at 3.30 on January 23 they were informed that they had 20 minutes to get ready for their flight to the base in the Antarctic.

The flight was a further 4 and a half hours and Nestor writes “the plane began its descent and we saw appear a mountain surrounded by eternal ice and the islands of floating ice as previously only seen in books. On leaving the plane and walking on the Antarctic I felt like the astronauts who walked on the moon, the Pallottine community had arrived on the white continent.”

Nestor quickly set to work hearing confessions and that evening celebrated Mass and he blessed and enthroned a picture of St. Vincent Pallotti in the chapel of the Air Base. The rhythm of the following days was to hear confessions and celebrate daily Mass, visit other bases nearby and talk with the personal who spend from 12 to 14 months at the base and with others who rotate every three months. He was able to practice his English with scientists from the Czech Republic and Poland, and Portuguese with those from Brazil and proudly raised the Irish flag and that of the Community of Clonmacnoise, San Antonio de Areco. Those who are stationed at the Base number from 180 to 250, depending on the time of year and the visits from the priest chaplains are much appreciated. Those working there shared with Nestor their tasks in measuring the effects of global warming, in weather mapping and palaeontology studies.

There is an old saying that “you know when you are going to the Antarctic but you never know when you will leave it.” Nestor spent a week there and experienced temperatures which ranged from 12 centigrade below 0 to 40 degrees below. Nestor remarked that the beauty of creation and the profound silence there made him aware of the presence of God and of the hunger for God of those stationed there, every Sunday a Minister of the Eucharist leads a celebration of the Word and distributes Communion between visits from a priest chaplain. Before a group ventures out on a mission they always visit the little chapel because each mission involves risk.  Congratulations to Nestor on this milestone in our history—confirmation of “join the Pallottines and see the world”!

(From The Provincial Newsletter by Fr. Derry Murphy SAC)

what does the Year of Consecrated Life mean to me?   

To me the words of Saint John Paul II underline the real value of consecrating one’s life to God. Instituting the World Day of Consecrated life, in 1997, he stated that consecrated life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ, is a gift of God the Father to his church – a reminder to us of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord – that, as did Jesus through the action of Mary, so consecrated persons give their lives to God as their greatest gift. 

The foundation of this life is thus grounded in the life of Jesus. Through living our profession of the evangelical counsels the character of Jesus – the chaste, poor and obedient one – is made constantly visible and realized in the midst of the world. Eyes of faith are always geared towards the mystery of the kingdom. As a Pallottine, this mystery is witnessed every time our consecration is realized. 

St Vincent Pallotti added three additional promises to the three evangelical counsels, as stated in our Law: 

“By our consecration we give ourselves entirely to God, and we resolve to follow Jesus…So we promise to the Society: consecrated celibacy, poverty, obedience, perseverance, the sharing of resources and a spirit of service.” 

This profession commitment is our response to God’s invitation to live for him in the service of the world, and to realize the mystery of God in a fraternal community. We follow the example of Mary who offered the greatest gift to God, meaning Jesus who sacrificed Himself for our redemption and salvation. I am convinced that, to put this mystery into practise, one has to allow oneself to be cultivated inwardly by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus came amongst us as the apostle of the eternal Father, His Spirit must become our drive too. 

“If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life…through his Spirit that dwells in you.” [Rom. 8:11] 

God’s Spirit is the core value of our consecration. Pallotti tells us: “If we are to imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ, it is very necessary that we possess His Spirit. Accordingly all our thoughts and feelings must be like those of Jesus Christ, so that we can…imitate him in our actions”. We are invited to give God’s Spirit a place in our hearts. It is indeed this Spirit who awakens and moulds our desire to respond fully to our vocation. In every age the Spirit of God enables men and women to realize the fullness of God. As Jeremiah put it: “You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced” [Jer. 20:7]. 

So the word of God is our guidance in this vocation. We ought to have a complete dedication characterized by a boundless love to serve all. Saint John Paul II’s words again: 

“The first missionary duty of consecrated persons is to themselves, and they fulfil it by opening their hearts to the promptings of the Spirit of Christ. Their witness helps the whole Church…to serve God freely, through Christ’s grace which is communicated to believers.” 

As consecrated persons, we are called to continually deepen our response to God, so that we become true signs of Christ in the world. Like the apostles, who left everything to gain life in Christ, we are encouraged to follow the steps of our Founder and to put all our trust in Christ. Through the gift of our charism, spirituality and apostolic life we must make visible the mission of the Church. We are challenged to continue reviving faith in our secularized world as consecrated persons. 

This year marks the 18^th year of celebration of the original ‘Day of Consecrated Life’, and now coincides with the theme proclaimed by Pope Francis, for a ‘Year of the Consecrated Life’. 

Let us use this precious moment to dedicate all consecrated people into the loving care of our mother Mary for her intercession. 

Dedan Munyinyi sac [IR] – Nairobi – KENYA

27.01.15

dedan.kingori@gmail.com

Awaking what is dormant…giving sound to the silence

I’m thinking about the arrival of Jesus, the new arrival for this time in my life, for all our time and I wonder in what space will he choose to be born again. There are the usual suspects – my sin, the areas of my life where I’m not in control, my vulnerability.

But then I remember an add on tv. A man is walking along the corridor of his company building when he hears an old phone ringing. The sound comes from behind a door of ‘The Complaints Department’. The man enters the room which is covered in dust and cobwebs; he answers the phone, listens to the voice on the other end of the line and replies something like, “sorry, you’ve got the wrong number!”

The product they are advertising has not had a complaint in years and there is no complaint now, so the man emerges from the room satisfied and he closes the door on the gathered dust within.

I’d like to be able to stand before God with no complaint made against me and, at Christmas, I’m hoping that Jesus will come and make his home within at least one of the areas where there is some complaint and need for improvement. But I suspect now that God has a different idea.

In the place where there is no complaint there is also no life, no engagement. It is in decay, dying, dead. The birth of Jesus is about life and engagement in places where decay is at work.

Yesterday I celebrated Mass with a group of special needs adults and their families at the St. John of God Centre, Ravenswell in Bray. I’m not used to a setting like this but decide at the outset that I would “be myself” as much as possible and go with the flow.

Most of the residents are not able to speak in the conventional way. Some make no sound at all and some make a lot of noise, different people would let out a spontaneous roar from time to time. I had no idea if I was communicating or not but I said what I had to say and had to shout a lot of the time to be heard.

Joy, the chaplain had prepared a lovely liturgy in which various members of the community placed a figure in the crib and a member of their family would read a prayer. As Louise placed a shepherd in the crib she was pure delighted that the red of his cloak matched the red of her jumper. She said it with signs and with a smile that had been previously absent on her anxious face.

When it was complete I suggested we sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. A bit cheesy maybe but it connected, so we sang it again. Everyone connects with happy birthday. And at the end of Mass we sang ‘Silent Night’ everyone joining in with whatever sound God gave them to sing with. I don’t think anything else I do over Christmas will compare with this.

After Mass I went down to Eugene, a man I anointed a couple of months ago because he was dying and here he is, revived, his beautiful blue eyes smiling. He has been silent for a long time but his sister sitting beside him said he was very animated and excited by the Mass. She hadn’t seen him so animated for a long time. He was one of the ones who let out a roar from time to time. And I understood the connection that had taken place. It was pure joy! And to think our society is moving in the direction of saying that most of the people at that Mass should not have been born.

There was part of Eugene that had gone silent, something that lay dormant within him. Yesterday at Mass God came and awakened that which was dormant and gave a sound to the silence within him. There is part of me that lays dormant, a fear and a love choked within me. This is perhaps my special need.

It reminds me to allow God himself to choose what part of my life He will enter and touch this Christmas or at any other time. Like King David, the most noble part of me  wants to provide Him with the most appropriate dwelling place but God insists that He will make the choice and, like Mary I will now let Him do just that.

My prayer for the remainder is simply, “Come Lord Jesus, let it be done to me according to your Word!”

Eamonn Monson sac http://emonson.blogspot.ie/

My Vocation Story

“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveller.”

On a cold day, in February 1993, as I prepared for my mock Junior Certificate, I first encountered the words of Robert Frost, words which have remained with me, and words which I have returned to on many occasion as I have forged my way through life. That very day, back in February 1993, I first really contemplated where my life may bring me, and which road I would take on the path of life, would it be married life or priesthood. Would I be a engineer or a priest, where would God lead me in life, and am I willing to put my trust in God to lead me.

            The day arose to fill in my CAO form for college, and nowhere was ‘priesthood’ an option, and I was too afraid to ask anyone, so I decided to go to college and study engineering. Although I succeeded in my engineering, I was never fulfilled, satisfied, or happy, leading me to return to Robert Frost’s words and once again contemplate on my vocation in life. It was then I first applied to religious life, a young lad of 20. For three years I struggled with my studies, and was of the view, “if God wanted me to do this it shouldn’t be so hard.” I still remember the day I knew I was in the wrong place, I was lonely and alone in a seminary, in a class of over twenty lads, and over one hundred and seventy lads studying for Diocesan Priesthood. Feeling so alone, opened my eyes, God truly wants all people to be happy, and fulfilled so I decided to leave and travelled the main road of society. I got a great job in an engineering company, and for almost ten years was extremely successful, succeeding in purchasing a house, new car and enjoying the pleasures and pain of life.

            A life changing event happened in 2008, I travelled to Australia to the World Youth Day, where once again my faith was reinvigorated; and it was there I decided, during my time in prayer that God was still calling me to priesthood, the only decision was where? A return to Diocesan Priesthood or Community/Religious life? Throughout that year I discerned and prayed for guidance, for which road should I travel? In my discernment I prayed the words of Mary, the Mother of God, “Be it done unto me according to your word,” as I prayed these world I realised the necessity to truly listen to God, listen with my mind and heart and then the need to surrender my will to God, similar to Jesus as he lay on the cross, “Not my will, but your will be done.”

            While attending a Youth 2000 event, I meet with the vocations director of the Pallottines, and he invited me to a weekend retreat in Thurles, where I could learn more about the Pallottines, St. Vincent Pallotti the founder of the Society and about myself and where God was guiding me in my life. During that weekend I felt welcomed and at home, and knew God was calling me to ‘give, offer and surrender my whole life to God.’ On August 11^th 2009, while in Medjugorje on my annual retreat I received a phone call from the Provincial of the Pallottines, congratulating me that my application to become a member of the Society of Apostolic life, in order to study for the priesthood had been accepted. Three years late I took my first promises to the Society, ‘to give, offer and surrender my whole life to God’, and this I do each day by trusting in God, surrendering to his will, and by believing in God, that he is guiding and directing me each day, so that I will receive that strength and courage to follow the road less travelled by, and always say, “not my will, but your will be done O Lord.”