Weekly Bulletin 10th May 2020

Sunday 10^th May 2020        

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Today is the Fifth Sunday of Easter: In the Gospel reading at Mass today Jesus tells us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me” (John 14:1). We have heard this Gospel often at Requiem Masses. We are so conscious that so many have died because of the coronavirus. So many are grieving the loss of their loved ones who were buried without the comfort and consolation of friends gathered around them to support them in their time of grief. It is hard to take to heart Jesus’s words of trust when we are in the midst of this loss of normalcy. Many in this “lockdown” situation are anxious. Our minds are going to the future and imagining the worst. Worry is like a rocking chair it gives you something to do but it does not get you anywhere. The present is bad enough without anticipating further problems. When the shadow of Jesus cross falls across our lives in the form of failure, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, unemployment, loneliness, sickness, depression, the loss of a loved one, when we are deaf to everything but the shriek of our own pain, when the world around us suddenly seems hostile, a menacing place- at those times we may cry out in anguish. “How could a loving God permit this to happen?”  At such moments the seeds of distrust are sown. It requires heroic courage to trust in the love of God no matter what happens to us

Put yourself in the same situation as the disciples after the death of their beloved Master and Lord. Their world had ended. Jesus spoke his words to them, that we read in today’s Gospel at the Last Supper – He calls them to trust in God when they are facing the powers of darkness. Death is an outrage, it is nasty and brutish. However as Christians we believe that Jesus who in today’s Gospel called himself “The Way, the Truth and the Life” is the captain of our salvation. On the Cross Jesus gathered death in his arms and destroyed it forever. He is risen from the grave; and in his resurrection we see that, though we live in a vale of tears and agony here and now, where death seems to hold all the trump cards, there is a day most certainly coming when we know that we too, and all the loved ones who have gone before us in Christ, will rise to be with Christ. because of Christ, – death will not hold us either. We stand and say it Sunday after Sunday in the prayer of the Creed “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We take heart from the message of Pope Francis this Easter 2020 

“Easter offers humanity a different ‘contagion,’ a message transmitted from heart to heart – for every human heart awaits this Good News. It is the contagion of hope it’s not a “magic formula” that makes humanity’s problems disappear. The resurrection of Christ … is the victory of love over the root of evil, a victory that does not ‘by-pass’ suffering and death, but passes through them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good. This is the unique hallmark of the power of God”.

I believe we will get through these difficult times – our forefathers and foremothers, the saints of old – have lived through more difficult circumstances than the present time. They suffered from famine, awful discrimination and even persecution. Our trust in the good God is acquired gradually and most often through a series of crisis and trials.  The times we live in are unprecedented – yet we take heart from the words of St. Augustine who said  “If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.”  May our trust and love for God and one another make these times blessed and fruitful for all of us.

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We do miss seeing you all gathering for Eucharist here at the Graan Sunday after Sunday. You and your loved one are remembered in our prayers everyday. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you also for your donations many of them passed on anonymously.  On this Wednesday we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. On May 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared at the Fatima Portugal while three children were tending the sheep.  She appeared primarily on the thirteenth of the month from May until October 1917 – six visits in all. Her message is a simple one – it is always a call to conversion. May we take time during these days of confinement to reflect and deepen our commitment to Christ, the Way the Truth and the Life – and may we be converted from mistrust in God to trust in the good Lord who disappoints all our fears and fulfils our hopes. Fr. Charles

Standing Order Form Link attached HERE. Please note if you complete a form please return it to your own bank. 

The Church here at The Graan will remain open from 9.30am – 4pm each day for private prayer.  The shop & Monastery will remain closed until further notice. You can ring the monastery from 10am – 2pm each day. or email us at thegraan@btconnect.com if you have any enquiries or if you need cards sent out in the post we will gladly do so.

Guild Mass Cards: We have Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Birthday, Special Occasion, Exam Mass Bouquets which cost £2 / €2.50 each. 

The Anniversary Masses for Saturday Vigil & Sunday will be celebrated privately by the priests here.