Sunday 7th September 2008

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

PRIESTS OF THE PARISH
Rev John Doherty PP Tel: 028 7188 2274
Rev Paul Farren Tel: 028 7188 3247

Reflection

‘O that today you would listen to his voice. Harden not your hearts!’

From a spiritual point of view, hardness of heart is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone. To adopt a hardhearted attitude is to maim oneself. A hard heart can’t feel, can’t respond, can’t love. A hard heart can’t experience joy. A hard heart is a closed heart. A soft heart, on the other hand, is a blessing. A soft heart can receive and can respond. It can be saddened but it can also be deliriously happy. Softened by the rain of God’s grace, and warmed by the sun of his love, the human heart can be turned from a desert into a garden.

Mending Fences

Many shift into denial when problems occur, ignoring the dashboard warning light, avoiding the issue. We even treat relational breakdown like a car. Tempted to leave it if the repair is too difficult, time-consuming or costly.

For some, relationships are a source of constant unrelenting pain:

- a treasured friendship lost or scarred.
- a marriage where you have wounded one another and every conversation has an undertone of anger, defensiveness, and hurt.
- a brother, sister, mother, father, son or daughter with whom you are no longer speaking.

Where there was once laughter and joy there is now only tension, anger or silence.

Is there anything we can and SHOULD do about it?

The Bible gives us some practical ground rules:

1. Go to them in private
2. Go ready to listen before speaking
3. Go ready to speak the truth in love
4. Go with a reconciling spirit.

Reconciliation is often possible … but we need to take the first step!

So: Who did you think of when reading today’s Gospel? Mend a fence, don’t keep sitting on it.

Last week’s Collection was £1,584.00. Many thanks.

Pilgrimage to Knock

A Pilgrimage to Knock will take place on Saturday 13th September 2008 in honour of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. A bus will leave Abercorn Square at 8.00am sharp! Fare £12/€15. Please bring a packed lunch. If interested contact Mary Hegarty, 15 Patrick Street. Telephone [028] 71882886.

Padre Pio Weekend to Knock
20th – 21st September 2008. For further information please contact Sean Mulrine, Derry, Telephone [028] 71265926.

Youth Trip to Croagh Patrick
The hike will take place on Saturday
13th September for young adults aged 16yrs-35yrs old. For details and full itinerary telephone [028] 71264087 or
e-mail: ddcc@derrydiocese.org. Places are limited so please book early.

Desperately Seeking Forgiveness

The nurse doing her final rounds found the patient in Room 712 stable, his pulse strong, with little indication of his heart attack this morning. He looked up with tear-filled eyes; ‘Nurse, would you phone my daughter? Tell her I’ve had a slight heart attack. I live alone and she is the only family I have.’

She adjusted his nasal oxygen; ‘Of course, I’ll call her.’ He insisted: ‘As soon as you can – please.’ He was breathing too fast.

She phoned the daughter – Jane, from the next-of-kin list. The answering voice screamed: ‘No! He’s not dying is he?’ The nurse’s talk of ‘stable condition didn’t convince even herself.

Father and daughter had a year-old row over her boyfriend. Her departing words to her father were ‘I hate you.’ She wanted to come for forgiveness for so long. All she needed was 30 minutes to get to the hospital.

Just then the alerts sounded for Room 712. Another cardiac arrest which sent the emergency team scrambling to attempt resuscitation and then … We’ll never know what happened. Did she make it?

More importantly, you know who you need to reconcile with. Life is as fragile as a snowflake. But delicate as life is, relationships can be mended. There is not a moment to spare. Do it now, do it as in the Gospel – privately and in a spirit of love.

Thornhill College

Interested in developing your faith a little more? There are a number of courses starting soon including, Prayer in daily life, Saint Paul, Liturgy, Theology/Spirituality. Telephone 71351233.

Now that the new school year has begun, we invite children, preferably from P5 or P6 classes, to be part of our altar server ministry in the parish. Altar Servers must have the permission of their parents before they can be involved in this service.

Those who are interested should give their names to their teachers or they should contact the Parish Office during the coming week. We invite them to submit their names, date of birth, address, telephone number, and the particular Mass in which they would like to be involved.

Masses in this parish are as follows:

Sacred Heart Church:
Saturday Vigil at 7.00pm
Sunday at 11.30am

St. Mary’s Church, Cloughcor:
Sunday at 9.15am

St. Joseph’s Church, Glenmornan:
Sunday at 10.15am

Many thanks for your co-operation.