A message from Francis Street Parish: Do not give up on the restrictions no matter how fed up you are. If we give up on these restrictions we will be directly contributing to the deaths of people who do not need to die. Sorry if this is too blunt for you, but COVID 19 is life threateningly dangerous. Be the solution, not the problem!

Recent Sunday Liturgies here

Hold Firm - HSE Video here

Monday 25 May

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him-in other words Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men. He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.

This is the Word of the Lord

Psalm: The Empty Canvas - John Michael Talbot


A reading from the Gospel of John 16:29-33

His disciples said to Jesus ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them: ‘Do you believe at last? Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already – when you will be scattered, each going his own way and leaving me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord


Reflection

This passage from John's Gospel illustrates just how well Jesus knew his own disciples. In spite of the fact that they enthusiastically profess their faith in him, he knows that at the first sign of trouble, they'll be gone like the wind. While he loves them very much he also knows their limitations and knows that he won't be able to depend on them when the hour of difficulty comes. But more importantly, he knows he will not be alone because the Father is with him and in spite of everything that will unfold, he has conquered the world. The 'world' in this context means, everything that is contrary to Love. Everything that is dehumanising and oppressive. Everything that leads to self-centredness where life revolves not around the needs of the community, but the personal desires and wishes of the few. This passage of John's gospel is immensely important for us, because it reassures us that even if those whom we should be able to depend on, fail us, we are not alone. The Father, through Jesus and by the power of the Spirit, is with us. We are never alone. But equally important is the fact the Jesus has conquered the 'world' because there will be times, in spite of our best efforts, when it will seem that what we do makes no impression on the world. That's when we need tom remember that he has conquered the world and that the Love of God is more powerful that any evil we may encounter. This gives us the ability to be hopeful even in the most difficult circumstances and to remain faithful to the Way, the Truth and the Life.


Final Hymn: With You by my Side - David Haas
 

Domestic Violence - Click to start  - www.stillhere.ie