Parish of Lismore and Ballysaggart news update

The well from which we drink colours our contentment and purpose in life. Pope Benedict XVI was speaking of the crisis of Faith before many of the readers of this paper were born. He could read the signs of the times even then.

As to the reason for the loss of Faith were many, no doubt the experience of the horrors of the Second World War and the many wars that are being fought currently. He did not come up with some magic solution. He was convinced that the loss of faith was real and was leading many to ways of living that were not truly worthy of them.

Without God people neither know which way to go, nor even understand who they are in the face of the enormous problems surrounding the development of people. This leads to great discouragement, but some find solace in the sayings of Jesus Christ who teaches: ’Apart from me you can do nothing’ and t hen encourages us; ‘I am with you always, to the close of the age’. Our Faith sustains us that God is with us as we work together in his name for true social justice.

The generous responses to the parish collections through the year is our shared responsibility in working with God at the parish faith. Part of that shared responsibility is towards those priests who have come to retirement or for other reasons are out of ministry number twenty. We are taxed for over two thousand levy to meet our responsibility. That is just one of the many levies we have to carry.

We celebrate Ascension Day on Sunday. It is also World Communications Day. You might like to look up Pope Francis’ Message for Communications day. His theme is ‘ speaking with the heart.

‘The Truth in love’ Eph 4.15. We know longer can be sure if it’s not a machine that we are talking to as we try to communicate with many businesses today. I wonder is it widespread that when we call these complicated lines that the speaker refuse to give their full name even though they demand it of us on the line. It is the only effective means of communication when we are given the full name, otherwise it may well be a machine.

We know the power of the right word spoken can do so much good while the wrong word can be the cause of family split, even of war. When Pope Francis invites us to speak from the heart he is naming what ought to be common. I like to tell children that we speak with our eyes and the one who speaks to us is insincere if they keep looking away from us as the speak with us.

With the Ascension we come to speak of the Lord’s presence with us in Sacrament. We keep the Incarnation not as a past event but as something ongoing.