#no pressure towards anybody on here fr

[squidinu]

i was the victim of a hit-and-run this week. no one was hurt, but things have been hectic. my car’s totaled. i’m losing a lot of time

if you enjoy my work and would like help a guy out, consider tossing a coin my way. i’ll be opening commission slots this February. thanks y’all💙

[elicathebunny]

Be yourself.

I see too many kids transform themselves from sweet children who barely did anything wrong in class, to those mean and stuck up ones who constantly disrupt and are rude to teachers. I recognise that some people are just like this, but i’ve literally witnessed first hand people changing completely to get into/join that group. I was also one of those people and I was quickly humbled before things progressed too far 😭.

Here are some lessons I’ve learned from surviving a British public secondary school + other gained knowledge

1) You will find your group of people as long as you keep remaining yourself, these friends will be the friends you can be authentically you around

2) Don’t change yourself to be anything your not, this will not end well and invite company that you don’t even fit into

3) Keep being yourself and you will find like minded people, once you get to yr10 your friend groups will finalise and will most likely be smaller. The less friends you have, the more easier it is to connect and be yourself with

4) Look into possibilities of hobbies and interests to understand yourself better. Join clubs/extracurricular activities (in school or out of school). Research at home things you might possibly be into, learn new things online

5) Who cares if people look at you weirdly? Honestly if your having fun being yourself and people look at you strange for doing so then that is their problem (obviously within reason because sometimes ppl are just weird fr)

6) Care about your future, focus on what you want to achieve in the years to come. Don’t dumb yourself down for anybody, listen to your teachers when they are genuinely just trying to teach, don’t be difficult and stop others in the class from learning just because you don’t want to, don’t skip class (from year 9ish to 10 onwards, those years contain important content for your GCSE’s and missing out on those will impact your grades) don’t be like the kids from my school who celebrate having 1s (a grade one is a ‘U’ or ungraded, you need a 4 to pass)…

7) Have aspirations, don’t just aspire to do the lowest of jobs for simplicity or out of laziness. Strive to work towards your goals, have dreams! Keep motivated to do well, study and always aim high

8) Don’t do what you know you wouldn’t actually do if you didn’t feel pressured or influenced.

9) Don’t change yourself or stress about boys. The wrong ones are a waste of time and extra stress. Don’t force yourself onto anyone and I mean this because there are people who honestly are too obsessed for their own good with men and do not care if they are relationships or not 😭(you can tell I am a witness of this one). Honestly pray for the right one to come to you, no matter how long it takes, I promise one will just slide into your life just like that 😣 (Speaking from experience). Just be normal around them and if they don’t like you for letting out the side you only share when comfortable then they are not the one, trust

10) Find and invest in a unique personal style. This helps define you as a person, knowing what you truly like that isn’t sculpted by social media or heavily influenced by others around you (although it is perfectly fine to like those styles too! You can merge them to make them more you). This does take time though, break out of those aesthetic boxes and just wear whatever you like. Get Pinterest and put everything in a board so it’s easier to look at.

[jeonmagines]

RED HEARTS | 10 | “u right he sexy”

prev | next

jungkook x reader

genere: crack, fluff, angst

summary: you draw hearts on your soulmate’s face everyday just to annoy him.

MY SIDE COMMENTS HAVE PARENTHESES I LIKE TO JUDGE MYSELF WHILE WRITING

“who ya texting?” jungkook asked as he got up to sit REALLY close to you. “oh nobody. just my mom haha” you said as you avoided eye contact. the silence in the bus was LOUD and very awkward but then he takes your hand and plays with it. “what are you doing?” you ask while staring at him like 👁👄👁. your heart was beating rapidly and you felt like the whole bus could hear it. “i like playing with people’s hands. don’t get the wrong idea. i do this to everyone.” you laugh at his response and just let him do whatever he was doing with your hand. on the other side of the bus you noticed jinah glaring at you but as soon as you made eye contact she looked away. “maybe you shouldn’t do that. your girlfriend’s looking.” you say as you move your hand away. “what? jinah? she’s not my girlfriend.” he says, intertwining your hands again.

jeon jungkook STOP PLAYING WITH MY FEELINGS

after two long hours, you finally arrived to the lake. you were growing tired so you ended up sleeping and resting your head against jungkook’s while your hands were still intertwined. (ugh just date already). “y/n, wake up we’re here.” chu says as she taps your should a couple of times. “thank you chu.” she smiles and heads down the bus. “jungkook, wake up we’re here.” you say as you shake his sleeping figure a little bit. “already? ugh but i liked our position.” he said while smirking. “uh. you’re weird. now get up the bus driver is only waiting for us.” you both grab your bags and apologize to the driver for waiting for the two of you to get your shit together.

“y/n, be roomies with me and areum.” jinah says as she interlocks her arm with your. jungkook noticed how uncomfortable you looked and he tried to come near you but jinah quickly pulled you away. when you got to your cabin, you stretched your arm because DAMN that girl’s grip was strong. “so y/n..me, areum, and a couple of the girls in our class are gonna try to have a little fun and look for the ghost at cabin 38. you in?” gGggHost?? 👁👄👁 you slightly tilted your head because who does she think she IS . “ehhh....i uhhhh. not really uh um a fan of ghosts haha.” you say as you scratch the back of your neck. “oh come on! it’ll be fun! plus we’ll be there with you.” she says with a big smile. you agreed because u ain’t no puss 😼 (peer pressure 😢 poor y/n)

“yo kook. we heard the girls are gonna go look for that ghost. you down to scare them?” jackson says as he puts his arm around jungkook’s neck. “it’s 2am i’m TIRED.” he says removing his arm about to get into bed, but jackson yanks his arm. “nOpe you’re not lets go.”

“guys! uh.. where’d you go.” it was all fun and games until you couldn’t find the girls you went with. you should have never let go of areum’s arm. “guys??? where are you?? please...” this is it you thought. this is where it ends ︶👄︶ goodbye everyone. no but fr. your vision was starting to get blurry from the tears threatening to fall from your eyes. “gUys???please i’m...im scared.” you looked around you but everything was dark and all you heard were your shoes stepping on the dead leaves. ( ahaha 😼)

you were about to just run wherever but you ain’t no dumb bitch 😼. you reached for your phone in your pocket and texted jungkook.

being scared was an understatement. at this point you were about to pee yourself, but you heard a voice call your name. “y/n?? where are you?” you recognized the voice and immediately yelled for him. “kook!! i’m here.” he followed the sound of your voice and finally got to you. you were relieved so you hugged him as tight as you possibly could. “thank you.” you said in between your sniffles. you hated that. you hated being alone ESPECIALLY in the dark. “why are you here alone huh?” he says as he looks into your eyes. “because jinah.” you say putting your head against his chest again. “fuck.” he mutters. you finally let go and he takes of his jacket putting it on you. “i already have one on though.” you laugh at his soft action towards you. “no i don’t care. lets go.” he says wrapping his arm around you.

you were nice so when you got to your cabin you didn’t slap jinah since she was sleeping. you decided to wait until she woke up the next day.

“jinah.” you walk up behind her as she’s fixing her hair. “yes y/n.” she says with a smirk. “why did you leave me last night? i trusted you! i could’ve gotten hurt! i thought we were cool.” she rolls her eyes and slams her brush down on the counter. “we were never cool y/n. jungkook liked me! but then you came along and ruined what we had!” she yelled at your face but you moved back. weren’t you the one who was supposed to be mad??? (oh have the turns have tabled 😡)

“what are you talking about? jungkook said he felt nothing towards you?” you were confused because jungkook made it pretty clear that he wasn’t interested in anybody else. (unless he was 😳) “ask him yourself.” she scoffs before pushing by you.

you were canoeing with jungkook who you DIDNT want to be partners with since he was probably just playing with your feelings. “y/n why aren’t you talking to me?” you continue paddling, ignoring him and not making eye contact. “jungkook, row the right way!” you yell because he was cLEARLY doing this to get your attention. “jungkook!” yOU YELP as you both fall into the water. “uGh iCANT SWIM.” you grabbed onto the canoe but your hands just kept slipping. the other students watched and tried to help you but y’all were just....struggling struggling. “uGh JUNGKOOK!! what’s wRONG WITH YOU!!!” you grab onto his back and he swims to your teacher’s canoe. he lifts you up and then himself. “i hate you so much.” you say as u roll ur eyes at him.

“y/n! please just talk to me!” you speed walk towards your cabin, footsteps squeaking every time you took a step. “what?!” you say finally turning around. “what did i do?” he was actually really confused he thought you liked him. “stop playing with my feelings! if you like jinah then go be with her! you make it seem as if you like me back but you just... UGH.” you glare at him and turn back around to get dried up in your cabin.

today you were FINALLY going home. you placed your bags under the bus and quickly got inside so that you got the window seat. you sat down and jungkook sat right next to you. “move.” you say looking out the window. “no. not until you forgive me. i’m sorry okay? i never meant to upset you. what i did was really shitty. you deserve so much better. i don’t care if you don’t want anything to do with me but i just want you to know that i...i like you.” he confessed. your eyes widen and you turn towards him. “i like you too jungkook...but we shouldn’t rush. i’m not sure what i want yet.” he nods and scoots over closer to you.

TAGS: @taeissoadorable @c-cr @littlewolfieposts @aestheticsluut @complicatedjules @ayasanuwu @lil-bai-of-sunshine @my-suga-kookies @rockerchic93 @t-toodumbtocare @withlovestudyblr @seabasschino @dru-shadow @letmebeyour-sun @ladyartemesia @squidyelmosquidbutt @supersoldierfreak @anna-in-purple @bangtansleftnut @jungshookmeup @mangoisawesome @ayoo-bangtan @cypheruby @yuusilverscar @spookidema @depressed-dude20 @fandomstogetherweunite @brattykpoc @tallsunflower @nochujjk97 @m0chilattae @nctssidehoe @bringitseijoh @richkookie @gaburen @saroonga @llovekoya @ladybeautiful18 @writersparaphrenalia @xxxanimangxxx @rjsmochii @just-call-me-trash-can @mystic-jungkook @competativekook @tae165 @rosita7703 @gyubots @xxxanimangxxx @na-na-nakita @doilooklikeinoe

[bndz]

(normani kordei, twenty-two, cisfemale, she/her) * hey, i’m looking for the office of adrianna king. they’re the intern who’s known around the office as the airhead, if that helps? not to be a gossip, but i’ve heard that they’re humorous but talkative, is that true? i also heard that they’re the one who brought her pet fish to work. anyways, here’s the coffee they ordered.

&  i’m  back  at  it  again  with  another  character  !  it  me  ,  tay  !  i  have  another  child  &  her  name  is  adri  .  she’s  my  bubbly  little  baby  &  i  love  her  chatty  ass  down  !  i  have  some  points  about  her  below  &  i  am  so  excited  that  i  got  to  bring  her  here  .  tw  :  religion  ,  homophobia  ,  toxic  parents  &  mentions  of  physical  violence  .

𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔  !

NAME   :    adrianna  king  . NICKNAMES  :  adri  . GENDER   :   cisfemale  . PRONOUNS   :   she  /  her  /  hers  . AGE   :   twenty-two  (  22  ) BIRTHDAY   :   23  september  . ZODIAC   :   libra  . HOMETOWN  :  miami  ,  florida  . CURRENT  RESIDENCE  : new york city  , new york  . ETHNICITY   :   african-american  . SEXUAL ORIENTATION   :   bisexual  . OCCUPATION  :   intern  .  (  the  art  department  ,  but  more  so  visual  art  )

𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅  !

FAMILY   :  born  &  raised  in  the  city  of  miami  ,  adri  grew  up  in  a  household  that  was  highly  religious  .  her  family  was  heavily  involved  in  the  church  with  her  mother  also  being  a  pastor  herself  .  because  of  this  ,  her  parents  were  very  strict  &  super  controlling  .  they  monitored  almost  everything  surrounding  adri  since  she  was  their  only  child  ,  trying  to  prevent  anything  they  deemed  negative  &  wrong  to  consume  their  daughter  .  

this  caused  for  adri  to  at  first  obey  them  because  she  was  a  child  ,  but  as  she  reached  her  teenage  years  she  saw  how  toxic  her  parents  could  actually  be  .  they  were  the  definition  of  religious  hover  parents  &  it  was  slowly  starting  to  cause  adri  to  resent  them  .  they  would  spend  hours  lecturing  her  if  she  wore  something  they  thought  was  inappropriate  .  they  would  call  her  names  &  say  she  was  being  fast  for  her  age  .  they  would  tell  her  she  was�� going  to  go  to  hell  if  she  didn’t  listen  to  the  word  of  god  .  

it  all  came  to  blows  when  adri  was  figuring  out  her  sexuality  .  all  her  life  she  was  told  that  liking  the  same  sex  was  wrong  ,  but  she  was  having  feelings  for  the  same  sex  .  at  first  she  felt  internalized  homophobia  ,  but  as  she  started  to  grow  into  her  own  person  &  renounce  the  teachings  that  were  drilling  into  her  head  ,  she  started  to  accept  herself  .  she  knew  that  her  parents  were  going  to  condemn  her  ,  so  she  didn’t  ever  plan  on  coming  out  until  she  moved  out  .  sadly  ,  her  father  did  a  random  check  of  her  phone  &  found  texts  that  she  didn’t  delete  to  a  girl  she  was  dating  at  the  time  .  it  was  literally  a  shit  show  in  the  king  household  .  slaps  &  many  sessions  of  trying  to  pray  the  gay  away  later  ,  adri  had  to  pretend  as  though  she  was  not  bisexual  .  she  had  to  break  up  with  her  girlfriend  &  was  removed  from  public  school  to  be  home  schooled  at  sixteen  .   to  say  she  hated  her  parents  was  an  understatement  .  

as  the  years  went  on  ,  adrianna  was  counting  down  the  days  until  she  could  be  off  to  college  .  during  her  senior  year  she  applied  to  the  furthest  schools  from  miami  .  she  had  to  beg  her  parents  to  let  her  attend  an  out  of  state  college  ,  but  because  her  act  at  home  was  convincing  ,  they  allowed  her  to  stay  with  her  aunt  in  new  york  to  attend  college  .  they  were  still  going  to  be  as  controlling  as  ever  ,  but  it  was  a  step  closer  towards  freedom  .

SCHOOL   :  adrianna  attended  hofstra  university  &  majored  in  art  .  while  she  was  in  grade  school  ,  adrianna  gravitated  towards  painting  because  it  was  the  best  way  for  her  to  get  what  she  was  feeling  out  .  attending  college  was  the  best  thing  for  her  .  although  her  aunt  was  as  strict  &  religious  as  her  parents  ,  she  used  college  as  a  way  to  wild  out  .  she  was  sneaking  out  easier  because  her  aunt  worked  overnight  shifts  as  an  rn  .  she  was  enjoying  the  ounce  of  freedom  that  she  had  even  if  her  family  was  on  her  neck  24  /  7  .  she  had  a  lot  of  pressure  to  graduate  &  get  a  job  ,  so  that  she  could  live  on  her  own  &  she  knew  that  the  arts  wasn’t  the  best  major  to  find  a  joke  as  quickly  as  she  wanted  .  but  graduation  came  quick  &  adri  was  literally  scrambling  .

MASTER’S  :  after  college  ,  adri  was  literally  running  all  over  nyc  trying  to  look  for  a  job  .  it  took  her  months  to  finally  land  a  job  interview  at  master’s  &  she  honestly  thought  she  flopped  .  when  she  got  the  position  as  an  intern  she  was  literally  over  the  moon  .  she  absolutely  loves  working  at  master’s  &  she’s  hoping  she  can  move  up  the  ranks  .  being  that  she’s  new  at  the  position  ,  she’s  trying  her  best  to  fit  in  &  get  things  done  in  a  timely  manner  .  she  does  struggle  a  bit  because  it’s  her  first  big  girl  job  ,  but  she’s  working  on  it  day  by  day  .

𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚  !

BUBBLY   :  you  could  easily  describe  her  as  someone  that  lights  up  the  room  with  her  smile  alone  .  adrianna  is  super  cheerful  &  very  positive  majority  of  the  time  .  she  has  a  hint  of  pep  in  her  voice  that  almost  sounds  like  she  talks  with  a  smile  &  she  usually  does  .  she  just  loves  to  talk  &  interact  with  others  .

FLIRTATIOUS  :  due  to  her  personality  ,  adrianna  is  naturally  friendly  &  flirtatious  .  she  will  flirt  with  ya  boo  &  it  won’t  even  be  intentional.  that’s  just  who  she  is  .  some  may  call  her  a  thottie  because  she  does  live  her  best  hot  girl  life  ,  but  she  truly  does  not  care  .  she  does  what  she  wants  because  she’s  poppin’  !  (  see connections  for  some  mess  surrounding  this  trait  )

TALKATIVE   :  honestly  ,  she  will  never  shut  up.  she  talks  very  fast  &  says  a  lot  &  it  can  also  be  alot  .  she  just  loves  to  talk  y’all  .  she  will  talk  anybody’s  ear  off  who  will  listen  .  she  can’t  help  it  .

DITZY   :   def’  has  her  moments  where  she’s  super  lost  .  it  takes  her  a  few  seconds  to  understand  jokes  sometimes  &  can  def’  lose  her  train  of  thought  as  well  .  she  can  be  a  little  dumb  ,  but  she’s  just  all  over  the  place  .  somebody  help  her  ,  please  ! 

in  general  she’s  like  a  bimbo  ,  but  not  to  the  worst  degree  .  she’s  v  aware  &  just  has  her  moments  .  she  doesn’t  like  when  people  try  to  be  condescending  towards  her  because  of  her  personality  ,  so  she  can  get  a  little  defensive  &  snappy  when  pushed  to  that  degree  .  it  takes  her  a  lot  to  snap  ,  so  i  doubt  she  will  be  popping  off  unless  she  is  truly  offended  .  she’s  also  not  that  confrontational  ,  but  if  she  has  to  defend  herself  ,  she  will  .  (  she  lowkey  can  get  creative  tbh  )  she’s  just  here  to  befriend  people  ,  okay  !

𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔  !

001  .  enemies  .  i  feel  like  because  she’s  genuinely  nice  it  would  have  to  be  a  huge  reason  for  her  to  dislike  someone  .  so  ,  pick  your  poison  . 002  .  friends  with  benefits  .  we  always  love  these  ,  don’t  we  ?  she’s  with  all  the  shits  ,  okay  .  head  hot  girl  at  your  service  ! 003  .  exes  .  not  to  be  that  garbage  bag  ,  but  i’m  pretty  positive  adrianna  probably  cheated  on  all  of  her  exes  due  to  boredom  .  she  is  someone  that  needs  change  in  her  life  bc  of  how  she  was  treated  at  home  .  if  she  feels  stagnant  ,  she  will  just  pull  some  bs  like  cheating  &  move  on  to  the  next  .  truly  her  biggest  flaw  &  someone  gotta  smite  her  ass  for  this  fr  ! 004  .  besties  .  someone  give  her  a  baddie  bff  pls  ! 005  .  a  work  boo  .  v  self  explanatory  . 006  .  a  muse  .  since  adri  likes  to  paint  ,  this  could  be  someone  that inspires  her  artwork  or  even  let’s  her  paint  them  on  occasion  . again  ,  i  am  terrible  at  thinking  of  connections  ,  so  i’m  down  for  all  the  plots  !

𝒇𝒖𝒏  𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔  !

001  .  she  is  type  one  diabetic  . 002  .  is  a  huge  bad  bunny  stan  . 003  .  a  bratz  doll  collector  . 004  .  is  into  art  &  loves  to  paint  . 005  .  her  guilty  pleasure  is  watching  bad  girls  club  . 

[annedechateaubrouc]

Our Lady of Fatima: Apparitions

“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge, and the way that will lead you to God.”

-Our Lady of Fatima, June 13th 1917

Previous post ➽   The Angel of Portugal’s apparitions

The Apparitions of Our Lady

I. The first apparition

II. Saint Anthony’s feast day

III. The vision of hell

IV. The prison

V. The cure and the sacrifices

VI. The miracle of the sun 

VII. Collection of pictures

I. May 13th 1917, the first apparition

 Lucia Dos Santos and her two cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, took their sheeps to graze outside of Fatima, Cova da Iria. As they were playing together, a flash lighted up the sky. They gathered their sheeps quickly, thinking a storm was brewing in the distance. A second flash them to jump, then, a beautiful young woman appeared a few meters away from them, on a holm oak. She was dressed in white, more brilliant than the sun. Her face, indescribably beautiful, and was neither sad nor happy, but serious with an air of mild reproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were praying, were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand.

Our Lady: Do not be afraid; I will not harm you.

Lucia: Where is Your Grace from?

Our Lady: I am from heaven

Lucia: And what does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession on the thirteenth day of each month at this same hour. Later I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterward, I will return here a seventh time.

Lucia: And will I go to heaven, too?

Our Lady: Yes, you will.

Lucia: And Jacinta?

Our Lady: Also.

Lucia: And Francisco?

Our Lady: Also, but he must say many rosaries.

Lucia: Is Maria das Neves already in heaven?

Our Lady: Yes, she is.

Lucia: And Amélia?

Our Lady: She will be in purgatory until the end of the world. Do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may be pleased to send you, as both an act of reparation for the sins with which He is offended and an act of supplication for the conversion of sinners?

Lucia: Yes, we do.

Our Lady: Well then, you will have much to suffer. But the grace of God will be your comfort

Then, She disappeared.

Lucia told her two cousins to not tell anyone about the apparition. Maybe due to Jacinta’s  young age, she revealed the secret to her mother, who thought her daughter was imagining stories. After a while, her father, Ti Marto, came to believe her story.

Meanwhile in Lucia’s home, she was suffering greatly. Her mother, Maria Rosa, was extremely angered by her daughter. She believed that the young Lucia was blasphemous and that she had sinned gravely. She was mocked by her family and her friends. When Jacinta was informed, she felt terrible. She asked her cousin for forgiveness, Lucia immediatly forgave her.

The three children talked amongst themselves about the apparition and reflected deeply on Her message. Francisco came up with the idea of giving their lunches to their sheeps, as a sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. They also deprived themselves of water, during long hot summer days.

Maria Rosa felt embarrassed by her daughter, she was scared that the story would spread in the village. So she asked her Parish Priest, Fr. Manuel, to pressure Lucia to recant it.

The Priest listened carefully and questioned her a lot, which caused Lucia to start doubting what she had seen. Which was one of the worst ordeals she had to deal with.

II. June 13th 1917, St Anthony of Padua’s feast day

During the afternoon, even though there were festivities going on in the village, the three children headed off to the Cova. There, they found a small crowd waiting for them. They decided to pray the Rosary with the people who were present. After doing so, the lightening flashed and the Lady appeared on the holm oak, like in May. Lucia spoke to her:

Lucia: Tell me, what does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. And after each one of the mysteries, my children, I want you to pray in this way: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins , save us from the fire of hell. Take all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. I want you to learn to read and write, and later I will tell you what else I want of you.

(Lucia asks for the cure of a sick person)

Our Lady: If he is converted, he will be cured during the year.

Lucia: Will you take us to heaven?

Our Lady: Yes, I shall take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart. 

Lucia: Must I remain in the world alone?

Our Lady: Not alone, my child, and you must not be sad. I will be with you always, and my Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.

Lucia later wrote: As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands and for the second time, she communicated to us the rays of that immense light. We saw ourselves in this light, as it were, immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in that part of the light which rose towards Heaven, and I in that which was poured out on the earth.In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart encircled by thorns which pierced it..We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.You know now, Your Excellency, what we referred to when we said that Our Lady had revealed a secret to us in June. At the time, Our Lady did not tell us to keep it a secret, but we felt moved to do so by God.

The small crowd, although they had not perceived our Lady herself, had seen a few things such as the lightening, a certain dimming of the sun or a little grey cloud that came and went. They believed and truly converted.

This second apparition alarmed even more the children’s families, especially their mothers. The two women understood that the rumors of the apparition were expanding through Fatima, and maybe even outside of it. Plus, the Parish Priest started to believe that it was truly real, but maybe of demonic origins.

III. July 13th1917, the vision of hell

As they arrived to the Cova, the three children saw a large number of people praying the Rosary. Soon enough, there was flash of lightening and the Lady appeared above the holm oak. Mr. Marto, who was there too, noticed a small greyish cloud hovered the tree and that a breeze started to blow:

Lucia: what does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only she can help you. 

Lucia: I would like to ask you to tell us who you are, and to work a miracle so that everybody will believe that you are appearing to us. 

Our Lady: Continue to come here every month; in October, I will tell you who I am and what I want and I will perform a miracle for all to see and believe. Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: “O Jesus, it is for the love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

I. The vision of hell

Lucia later wrote:

As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands once more, as she had done during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (It must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me.) The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellant likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.”

II. The chastisement

Our Lady: You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign given to you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.

III. Russia’s errors and needed conversion

Our Lady: To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved. Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tell him. When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most in need.”

Lucia: Is there anything Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: No, I do not want anything more of you today.

IV. August 13th-19th 1917, the prison

On August 13th, the three children were unable to come to the Cova da Iria to meet our Lady. They had been kidnapped by the mayor of a neighbouring village who wanted to know the secret of the third apparition. He imprisoned them and threatened to plunge them in boiling oil. But they held fast.

Our Lady certainly appeared at the Cova, but didn’t find the three children. People explained that they saw a cloud hover the holm oak for a few minutes.

After they were released from prison, on August 19th, Lucia was with Francisco and another cousin at Valinhos. Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the temperature started to cool down suddenly. Lucia sensed that something was going to happen, she sent someone to get Jacinta, who arrived on time when our Lady appeared:

Lucia: What does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the thirteenth day of each month and to continue praying the Rosary every day. On the last month, I will perform a miracle for all to believe. (She started to look sad) If they had not taken you to Ourém, the miracle would have been even greater.

Lucia: What does Your Grace want done with the money that people leave at Cova da Iria?

Our Lady: Have two portable stands made. You and Jacinta with two other girls dressed in white carry one of them, and let Francisco with three other boys carry the second one. The portable stands are for the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The money that is left over should be contributed to the chapel they shall build.

Lucia: I would like to ask you for the healing of some sick persons.

Our Lady: Yes, I will cure some during the year. (She looked very sad) Pray, pray a lot, and offer up sacrifices for sinners; many souls go to hell because there is no one to offer up sacrifices and pray for them.

V. September 13th 1917, the cure and sacrifices

The three children left their home to go to the Cova. As they arrived, they saw an enormous crowd of people, about 20.000, waiting for them. Some climbed up trees to see the three seers making their way to the Cova with difficulty. Others reached to them, falling on their knees, and begged them to place their petitions before our Lady. A few people, who were far from the children, shouted from the distance:

“For the love of God, ask Our Lady to cure my son who is a cripple!”

“And cure mine who is blind!”

“Cure mine who is deaf!”

“Ask her to bring back my husband! And my son who has gone to war!”

And many other petitions.

Lucia later wrote: I give thanks to God, offering Him the faith of our good Portuguese people, and I think: “If these people so humbled themselves before three poor children, just because they were mercifully granted the grace to speak to the Mother of God, what would they not do if they saw Our Lord Himself in person before them?” Well, none of this was called for here! It was a distraction of my pen, leading me away where I did not mean to go.

Once they arrived at the Cova da Iria, near the holm oak, they prayed the Rosary with the crowd. The same phenomenons from the previous apparitions happened before the eyes of the thousands of people: the air suddenly cooled, the sun dimmed to the point where the stars could be seen, and a rain resembled iridescent petals or snowflakes that disappeared before touching the ground.

Then, with the usual flash of light, our Lady appeared on the holm oak.

Our Lady: Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Carmel, Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the daytime.

Lucia: I was told to ask you many things, the cure of some sick people, of a deaf-mute…

Our Lady: Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe.

She began to rise and disappeared.

VI. October 13th 1917, the miracle of the sun

Rain fell profusely that day. The three children and Lucia’s mother, who came because she was uncertain of what would actually happen, decided to leave early, knowing that there were going to be many people at the Cova da Iria and nearby places. And they were right. An enormous crowd, 70.000 people, was outside, some kneeling in the muddy ground.

Once they arrived in front of the holm oak, Lucia asked to everyone to close their umbrellas and to pray the Rosary. As they did, a light flashed and our Lady appeared:

Lucia: What does Your Grace wish of me?

Our Lady: I wish to tell you that I want a chapel built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes.

Lucia: I have many things to ask you: if you would cure some sick persons, and if you would convert some sinners...

Our Lady: Some yes, but not others, they must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins.

Then, she started to look sad and added:

Our Lady:  Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended.

Then opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself.

Lucia: Look at the sun!

Three scenes followed, Jacinta and Francesco could only see the first one.

The first:

It was the Holy Family, Saint Joseph and Our Lady (who appeared as Our Lady of The Rosary) were dressed in white but the Child Jesus was dressed in light red.  Christ and St. Joseph blessed the crowd by making the sign of the Cross three times.

The second:

It was Our Lord and Our Lady of Sorrows on their way to the Calvery. They were both overwhelmed with sorrow and sadness. Christ blessed the crowd again.

The third:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, appeared holding gloriously holding the Child Jesus near Her Heart.

While Lucia was seeing the visions, the crowd observed odd phenomenons. The grey clouds parted, making the rain stop. They watched the sun, which looked like a silver disk, spin rapidly as it “danced” around the sky. Then it stopped momentarily, only to begin spinning vertiginously again. Its rim became scarlet; whirling, it scattered red flames across the sky.Their light was reflected on the ground, on the trees, on the bushes, and on the faces and clothing of the people, which took on brilliant hues and changing colors.After performing this bizarre pattern three times, the globe of fire seemed to tremble, shake, and then plunge in a zigzag toward the terrified crowd.All this lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the sun zigzagged back to its original place and once again became still and brilliant, shining with its normal brightness. The cycle of the apparitions had ended.

VII. Collection of pictures:

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

17th May >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on John 14:15-21 for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A: ‘I will not leave you orphans’.

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

John 14:15-21

I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever,

that Spirit of truth

whom the world can never receive

since it neither sees nor knows him;

but you know him,

because he is with you, he is in you.

I will not leave you orphans;

I will come back to you.

In a short time the world will no longer see me;

but you will see me,

because I live and you will live.

On that day you will understand that I am in my Father

and you in me and I in you.

Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them

will be one who loves me;

and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

Gospel (USA)

John 14:15–21

I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate.

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Reflections (2)

(i) Sixth Sunday of Easter

There is a story told of a primary school teacher who wanted to get her pupils to memorize the Apostles Creed line by line. She explained that it was written in Rome in the second century and how it has twelve main statements corresponding to the twelve apostles after which it is named. Twelve children were picked to represent each of the apostles and each one had a part of the creed to say. Her intention was that these twelve would repeat their piece each day at the beginning of class. One day it seemed to be going along fine. ‘He ascended into heaven’, one pupil said. ‘And is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty’, said another. ‘From there he will come to judge the living and the dead’, another continued. The next line is ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’, but there was complete silence. The teacher looked up and a little girl said, ‘Oh, Eric is the one who believes in the Holy Spirit, and he’s sick today’.

We are only two weeks away from the feast of Pentecost, the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first disciples, and the Sunday readings are beginning to mention the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has often been referred to as the forgotten person of the Blessed Trinity. A well-known Christian writer, an Archbishop, recalls a time when he was discussing Christianity with a learned Japanese writer. The writer told the Archbishop, ‘I think I understand about the Father and the Son, but I can never understand the significance of the honourable bird’. Perhaps he is not alone in that regard even among Christians. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as an Advocate or a Paraclete. The term that is used for the Holy Spirit there was originally a legal term. It refers to someone who is called upon to stand alongside those who find themselves in court on some charge. The Paraclete or advocate was the person who defended them against the charge, who helped and supported them when under pressure. More generally, the term ‘Paraclete’ can refer to a helper, mediator, or intercessor, one who appeals on another’s behalf, a comforter. In the gospel reading Jesus is speaking in the setting of the last supper. He is about to leave his disciples and return to his Father, but as he does so, he promises his disciples, and all of us, that he won’t be abandoning them. He will come back to them through the Paraclete or Advocate. He will be present with them through the Holy Spirit, helping them, supporting them, defending them, especially when they find themselves put to the test because of their faith. When he says that he will send them ‘another Advocate’ or Paraclete, he is implying that up until now he has been their Advocate. He has been their friend, supporting them, defending them against their critics. Now he will be sending them another Advocate, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is saying that he will continue to befriend them through the Holy Spirit, especially when they need support in living out their faith in him. What the Lord says to his disciples in the gospel reading he says to us all. They represent us all.

He declares that in and through the Holy Spirit he remains present to all his disciples in the time after his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit enables Jesus to be present, not just to a group of disciples at a particular time and place, but to disciples of every generation, in every place, to all of us today. The Lord promises to be our Advocate through the Holy Spirit, to stand by us and strengthen us, especially when we find that our faith is being put to the test. We need the Paraclete, the Advocate, today, just as much as those first disciples did. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the courage to witness to our faith in Jesus simply but firmly. It is the Holy Spirit who, in the words of today’s second reading, encourages us to ‘give the reason for the hope that you all have… with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience’.

No matter how bad our own personal situation is, we can be confident that the Lord is not abandoning us. His love for us endures; it is as tenacious as the love of a parent for his or her child. That is why Jesus uses that expression in the gospel reading, ‘I will not leave you orphans’. He reveals and makes present the love of a motherly God who never forgets her children and the love of a fatherly God who protects most vulnerable. Jesus has kept his promise to come back to us through the Holy Spirit who would be with us, and, even, within us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Lord’s faithful love. According to the gospel reading, what the Lord asks of us in response to this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit is that we love him by keeping his commandments, especially his one, new, commandment, to love one another as he has loved us. This is the way of life towards which the Holy Spirit we have given impels us. We thank God for all the ways that people are loving one another as the Lord has loved us in these difficult times.

And/Or

(ii) Sixth Sunday of Easter

 We know from our own experience that we can be closed to some proposal at one moment in our lives and then open to that same proposal at another, later, moment. We can find ourselves saying ‘no’ to something, and then, later on, saying ‘yes’. Our initial reaction to some proposal that comes our way is not always our final reaction. We often need time to come around to accepting what we were initially inclined to reject. Such a change of mind and heart over time is not necessarily a sign of weakness or of inconsistency on our part. Rather, it often indicates a readiness to reconsider, to look again, a willingness to acknowledge that there is more here than I first realized. Most of us admire people who are able to say that they have had another think about something, and in the light of that are now ready to accept what they had dismissed.

 According to St. Luke in his gospel, when Jesus first attempted to preach the gospel to the people of Samaria, they rejected him and his message, because they realized that he was a Jew whose face was set towards Jerusalem. The same Luke tells us in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s second volume, that when Philip went to a Samaritan town and preached the gospel, the Samaritans welcomed the message of Philip with great joy. Although they had rejected Jesus, they now received his messenger. What Jesus was unable to do in the course of his earthly ministry, the risen Lord accomplished through the ministry of Philip, a Greek speaking Jewish Christian. The Samaritans’ initial response to the preaching of the gospel was not to be their final response.

 The Lord did not take the Samaritans’ initial response as final. He continued to offer the gospel to those who had initially refused it, and in time, they received it. The story of Jesus’ relationship with the Samaritans reminds us that the Lord remains faithful to us, even when we are less than responsive to him. The season of Easter celebrates this faithfulness of the Lord. When the risen Lord appeared to his disciples who had abandoned and denied him, he said to them ‘Peace be with you’. The Lord was giving them an opportunity to make a different response to him to the one they had made during the darkness of his passion. The Responsorial Psalm declares, ‘Blessed be God who did not withhold his love from me’. The risen Jesus reveals a God who does not withhold his love even from those who have rejected him in the past. Easter celebrates the good news that the Lord’s faithfulness is stronger than our faithlessness.

 That is why Easter makes us a hopeful people. We are hopeful because we know that, as St.  Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans, ‘nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ - not even our own tendency to say ‘no’ to the Lord. St. Peter in the second reading calls on believers to always have ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have’. The hope that we have does not come from anything in ourselves; it is rooted in the Lord’s faithfulness to us. We are hopeful because we know that the Lord will never turn away from us; we are hopeful because we know that his ‘yes’ is always stronger than our ‘no’. Peter tells us in that reading that Christ died for us to lead us to God. We are confident that the Lord will stop at nothing to lead us to God, and that is why we are hopeful.

 In the gospel reading Jesus assures us that if we do respond to his initiative towards us, if we strive to love him in response to his love for us, then we will experience the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. ‘If you love me’, he says, ‘I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever’. When the Samaritans finally made their response to the preaching of the gospel, they experienced the coming of the Spirit into their lives. Their response to the Lord met with an even greater response to them from the Lord. The Lord gives generously to all who open their hearts to him. If we turn to the Lord and seek him, he will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We often associate the giving of the Spirit with the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These are indeed special moments when we are given the Spirit, but the gift of the Spirit is not limited to these moments. The Lord gives us this gift whenever, like the Samaritans, we respond to the Lord’s initiative towards us.

 We are only two weeks away from the Feast of Pentecost. In preparation for this great feast, we might commit ourselves to praying each day that simple but powerful prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful’. In today’s gospel reading, the Spirit is spoken of as the Spirit of Truth. A little later in John’s gospel, Jesus says that ‘when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth’. The Lord gives the Spirit to those who love him as a guide. We are only too well aware of our need of guidance, especially when it comes to taking the right path, the path the Lord wants us to take, the one that leads towards him who is the Truth. The Spirit will help us to discern where that path lies and will also give us the courage to take that path. That is why we need to pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit’.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or  revmartinhogan@gmail.com

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie  Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[romancatholicreflections]

21st May >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflection for Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A (John 14:15–21): ‘ I will not leave you orphans ‘.

Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & Southern Africa) John 14:15-21 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever, that Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you. In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will understand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and show myself to him.’ Gospel (USA) John 14:15–21 I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate. Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows him. But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Reflections (3) (i) Sixth Sunday of Easter There is a story told of a primary school teacher who wanted to get her pupils to memorize the Apostles Creed line by line, the shorter of the two creeds. She explained that it was written in Rome in the second century and how it has twelve main statements corresponding to the twelve apostles after which it is named. Twelve children were picked to represent each of the apostles and each one had a part of the creed to say. Her intention was that these twelve would repeat their piece each day at the beginning of class. One day it seemed to be going along fine. ‘He ascended into heaven’, one boy said. ‘And is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty’, said another. ‘From there he will come to judge the living and the dead’, another continued. Then there was complete silence. The teacher looked up and a little girl said, ‘Oh, Eric is the one who believes in the Holy Spirit, and he’s sick today’. The teacher may have been tempted to ask at that point, ‘Hands up all the others who believe in the Holy Spirit’. The statement in the Apostles Creed about the Holy Spirit is very brief, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit’, and that’s it! We are only two weeks away from the feast of Pentecost, the feast of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first disciples, and the Sunday readings have begun to mention the Holy Spirit more frequently. The Holy Spirit has often been referred to as the forgotten person of the Blessed Trinity. Archbishop Anthony Bloom, a well-know writer of the Russian Orthodox Church, recalls a time when he was discussing Christianity with a learned Japanese writer. The writer told the Archbishop, ‘I think I understand about the Father and the Son, but I can never understand the significance of the honourable bird’. Perhaps he is not alone in that regard even among Christians. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as an Advocate or, in some versions, a Paraclete. The term that is used for the Holy Spirit there was originally a legal term. It refers to someone who is called upon to stand alongside a person who is in court on some charge. The paraclete or advocate was the person who defended them against the charge, who helped and supported them in a pressurized situation. In the gospel reading Jesus is speaking in the setting of the last supper. He is about to leave his disciples and return to his Father, but as he does so, he promises his disciples, and all of us, that he won’t be abandoning them. He won’t leave them like orphans, as he says. He will come back to them through the Paraclete or Advocate. He will be present to them through the Holy Spirit, helping them, supporting them, defending them, especially when they find themselves put on trial by the world of unbelief. When he says that he will send them ‘another Advocate’, he is implying that up until now he has been their Advocate. He has been their friend, supporting them, defending them against their critics. Now he will be sending them another Advocate, the Holy Spirit. He will continue to befriend them through the Holy Spirit, especially when they encounter the world’s hostility because of their proclamation of the gospel. Jesus is explaining the significance of the honourable bird! He declares that in and through the Holy Spirit he remains present to his disciples after his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit enables Jesus to be present, not just to a group of disciples at a particular time and place, but to disciples of every generation, in every place. The Lord promises to be our Advocate through the Holy Spirit, to stand by us and strengthen us, especially when we find ourselves on trial, in the dock, before a hostile world. Many believers, and many Catholics, feel themselves in the dock today more than ever. It seems at times as if the assault on the church is relentless. We can be tempted to keep our head down and become invisible. We need the Paraclete, the Advocate, today more than ever. It is the Holy Spirit who keeps us hopeful in the midst of all the negativity. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the courage to witness simply but firmly to our faith. It is the Holy Spirit who, in the words of today’s second reading, encourages us to ‘give the reason for the hope that you all have… with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience’. No matter how bad our own personal situation is, or the situation of the church as a whole, the Lord never abandons us. His love for us endures; it is as tenacious as the love of a parent for his or her child. That is why Jesus uses that expression in the gospel reading, ‘I will not leave you orphans’. The Lord has come back to us through the Holy Spirit who is with us, who is within us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of his faithful love. According to the gospel reading, what the Lord asks of us in return is that we love him by keeping his commandments, especially his one, new, commandment, to love one another as he has loved us. And/Or (ii) Sixth Sunday of Easter We know from our own experience that we can be closed to some proposal at one moment in our lives and then open to that same proposal at another, later, moment. We can find ourselves saying ‘no’ to something, and then, later on, saying ‘yes’. We often need time to come around to accepting what we were initially inclined to reject. Such a change of mind and heart over time is not necessarily a sign of weakness or of inconsistency on our part. Rather, it often indicates a readiness to reconsider, to look again, a willingness to acknowledge that there is more here than I first realized. Most of us admire people who are able to say that they have had another think about something, and in the light of that are now ready to accept what they had dismissed. According to St. Luke in his gospel, when Jesus first attempted to preach the gospel to the people of Samaria, they rejected him and his message, because they realized that he was a Jew whose face was set towards Jerusalem. In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke tells us that when Philip went to a Samaritan town and preached the gospel, the Samaritans welcomed the message of Philip with great joy. Although they had rejected Jesus, they now received his messenger. What Jesus was unable to do in the course of his earthly ministry, the risen Lord accomplished through Philip. The Samaritans’ initial response to the gospel was not to be their final response. The Lord did not take the Samaritans’ initial response as final. He continued to offer the gospel to those who had initially refused it, and in time, they received it. The story of Jesus’ relationship with the Samaritans reminds us that the Lord remains faithful to us, even when we are not very responsive to him. The season of Easter celebrates this faithfulness of the Lord. When the risen Lord appeared to his disciples who had abandoned and denied him, he said to them ‘Peace be with you’. The Lord was giving them an opportunity to make a different response to him to the one they had made during the darkness of his passion. The Responsorial Psalm declares, ‘Blessed be God who did not withhold his love from me’. The risen Jesus reveals a God who does not withhold his love even from those who rejected him. Easter celebrates the good news that the Lord’s faithfulness is stronger than our faithlessness. That is why Easter makes us a hopeful people. We are hopeful because we know that, as St. Paulputs it in his letter to the Romans, ‘nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ - not even our own tendency to say ‘no’ to the Lord. St. Peter in the second reading calls on believers to always have ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have’. The hope that we have does not come from anything in ourselves; it is rooted in the Lord’s faithfulness to us. We are hopeful because we know that the Lord will never turn away from us; we are hopeful because we know that his ‘yes’ is always stronger than our ‘no’. Peter tells us in that reading that Christ died for us to lead us to God. We are confident that the Lord will stop at nothing to lead us to God, and that is why we are hopeful. In the gospel reading Jesus assures us that if we do respond to his initiative towards us, if we strive to love him in response to his love for us, then we will experience the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. ‘If you love me’, he says, ‘I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever’. When the Samaritans finally made their response to the preaching of the gospel, they experienced the coming of the Spirit into their lives. Their response to the Lord met with an even greater response to them from the Lord. The Lord gives generously to all who open their hearts to him. If we turn to the Lord and seek him, he will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We often associate the giving of the Spirit with the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These are indeed special moments when we are given the Spirit, but the gift of the Spirit is not limited to these moments. The Lord gives us this gift whenever, like the Samaritans, we respond to the Lord’s initiative towards us. We are only two weeks away from the Feast of Pentecost. In preparation for this great feast, we might commit ourselves to praying each day that simple but powerful prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful’. In today’s gospel reading, the Spirit is spoken of as the Spirit of Truth. A little later in John’s gospel, Jesus says that ‘when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth’. The Lord gives the Spirit to those who love him as a guide. We are only too well aware of our need of guidance, especially when it comes to taking the right path, the path the Lord wants us to take, the one that leads towards him who is the Truth. And/Or (iii) Sixth Sunday of Easter We know from our own experience that we can be closed to some proposal at one moment in our lives and then open to that same proposal at another, later, moment. We can find ourselves saying ‘no’ to something, and then, later on, saying ‘yes’. Our initial reaction to some proposal that comes our way is not always our final reaction. We often need time to come around to accepting what we were initially inclined to reject. Such a change of mind and heart over time is not necessarily a sign of weakness or of inconsistency on our part. Rather, it often indicates a readiness to reconsider, to look again, a willingness to acknowledge that there is more here than I first realized. Most of us admire people who are able to say that they have had another think about something, and in the light of that are now ready to accept what they had dismissed. According to St. Luke in his gospel, when Jesus first attempted to preach the gospel to the people of Samaria, they rejected him and his message, because they realized that he was a Jew whose face was set towards Jerusalem. The same Luke tells us in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Luke’s second volume, that when Philip went to a Samaritan town and preached the gospel, the Samaritans welcomed the message of Philip with great joy. Although they had rejected Jesus, they now received his messenger. What Jesus was unable to do in the course of his earthly ministry, the risen Lord accomplished through the ministry of Philip, a Greek speaking Jewish Christian. The Samaritans’ initial response to the preaching of the gospel was not to be their final response. The Lord did not take the Samaritans’ initial response as final. He continued to offer the gospel to those who had initially refused it, and in time, they received it. The story of Jesus’ relationship with the Samaritans reminds us that the Lord remains faithful to us, even when we are less than responsive to him. The season of Easter celebrates this faithfulness of the Lord. When the risen Lord appeared to his disciples who had abandoned and denied him, he said to them ‘Peace be with you’. The Lord was giving them an opportunity to make a different response to him to the one they had made during the darkness of his passion. The Responsorial Psalm declares, ‘Blessed be God who did not withhold his love from me’. The risen Jesus reveals a God who does not withhold his love even from those who have rejected him in the past. Easter celebrates the good news that the Lord’s faithfulness is stronger than our faithlessness. That is why Easter makes us a hopeful people. We are hopeful because we know that, as St. Paulputs it in his letter to the Romans, ‘nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ - not even our own tendency to say ‘no’ to the Lord. St. Peter in the second reading calls on believers to always have ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have’. The hope that we have does not come from anything in ourselves; it is rooted in the Lord’s faithfulness to us. We are hopeful because we know that the Lord will never turn away from us; we are hopeful because we know that his ‘yes’ is always stronger than our ‘no’. Peter tells us in that reading that Christ died for us to lead us to God. We are confident that the Lord will stop at nothing to lead us to God, and that is why we are hopeful. In the gospel reading Jesus assures us that if we do respond to his initiative towards us, if we strive to love him in response to his love for us, then we will experience the coming of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. ‘If you love me’, he says, ‘I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever’. When the Samaritans finally made their response to the preaching of the gospel, they experienced the coming of the Spirit into their lives. Their response to the Lord met with an even greater response to them from the Lord. The Lord gives generously to all who open their hearts to him. If we turn to the Lord and seek him, he will give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We often associate the giving of the Spirit with the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These are indeed special moments when we are given the Spirit, but the gift of the Spirit is not limited to these moments. The Lord gives us this gift whenever, like the Samaritans, we respond to the Lord’s initiative towards us. We are only two weeks away from the Feast of Pentecost. In preparation for this great feast, we might commit ourselves to praying each day that simple but powerful prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful’. In today’s gospel reading, the Spirit is spoken of as the Spirit of Truth. A little later in John’s gospel, Jesus says that ‘when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth’. The Lord gives the Spirit to those who love him as a guide. We are only too well aware of our need of guidance, especially when it comes to taking the right path, the path the Lord wants us to take, the one that leads towards him who is the Truth. The Spirit will help us to discern where that path lies and will also give us the courage to take that path. That is why we need to pray, ‘Come Holy Spirit’. Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoinus via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

3rd November >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Luke 19:1-10 for the Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C: ‘Today salvation has come to this house’.

Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Luke 19:1-10

Salvation comes to the house of Zacchaeus

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

Gospel (USA)

Luke 19:1–10

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Reflections (3)

(i) Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can probably all think of certain initiatives we took in the past that turned out to be very significant both for ourselves and for others. There is a sense in which it is true to say that we can make things happen. There are initiatives that only I can take and if I do not take them, something worthwhile that would come from such initiatives will simply not happen. This holds true in all areas of our lives, including our relationship with the Lord. There are initiatives we can take to deepen that relationship and to live our baptism more fully. There are other initiatives we can take that would weaken that relationship. Every so often in life opportunities come our way to grow in our relationship with the Lord and if we take the initiative to seize those opportunities we will be the better for it.

The figure of Zacchaeus in today’s gospel reading is an example of someone who took the initiative to seize such an opportunity when it came his way. Here was a person whose public profile was very negative. Because of his occupation as a tax collector, people identified him as a ‘sinner’. As someone in the pay of the Roman occupying forces, he was presumed to be a cheat who had acquired his wealth by exploiting his own people. As a ‘sinner’ it was believed that he did not have any relationship with God. Yet, in labelling him a ‘sinner’, people had gravely underestimated him. Yes, he was far from perfect, but there was within him what St. Paul calls in today’s second reading, ‘desires for goodness’. He was not content with the person he was. There was a kind of a restlessness in him, a longing for something more.

This restlessness led him to take an initiative when an opportunity arose. He had heard about Jesus’ reputation as a man of God, and when Jesus was passing through Jericho, Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him. That action of running and climbing expressed his strong desire to grow towards goodness, to deepen his relationship with God. Zacchaeus’ initiative placed him within eye contact of Jesus. In response to Zacchaeus’ initiative, Jesus took an initiative of his own, calling Zacchaeus by name and declaring to him, ‘I must stay at your house, today’. Jesus related to him, not as a sinner to be avoided, but as someone who had desires for goodness. Jesus engaged with his deepest desire, rather than with his public reputation. He went on to publicly declare that Zacchaeus was more than a sinner; he was a son of Abraham. He may have been considered a lost cause by most people, but the Lord saw that his heart was pointing in the right direction.

The view that most people had of Zacchaeus did not do him justice, whereas Jesus’ vision of him was much more generous and truer to the reality of his life. The Lord’s vision of us is always more generous than the view that we tend to have of ourselves or, indeed, the view others might have of us at times. The first reading today puts it well: ‘You, Lord, love all that exists; you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence’. The Lord recognizes the desires for goodness that are deeply embedded in us, and he responds to them whenever we give expression to them. Whatever initiative we might take in keeping with those desires will be matched by an even greater initiative from the Lord towards us. He alone can satisfy our desires for goodness, and if we are faithful to those desires, he will not fail us. If Zacchaeus had taken the perception that other people had of him at face value, he would never have climbed that tree. Zacchaeus teaches us to be true to what is best within us, even though it may not be obvious at times to ourselves or to others.

Our being true to our desires for goodness can sometimes lead us to do something a little bit unconventional. Climbing a tree would have been considered very unconventional for a man of the professional stature of Zacchaeus. He literally went out on a limb. There are times when we too might need to go out on a limb if we are to meet the Lord fully. In the culture in which we live, taking initiatives to deepen our relationship with the Lord can be regarded as somewhat odd. There can be all kinds of subtle pressures on us to hold back and to conform to what is considered acceptable. The Lord, however, went out on a limb for us; he laid down his life on a cross to draw us to himself. Sometimes, he asks us to go out on a limb for him, to take that extra step in keeping with our desires for goodness. Whenever we do so we discover that the Lord has already taken a much bigger step towards us, because he remains the Son of Man who came to seek out and to save the lost.

And/Or

(ii) Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

 A few Sundays ago the children who will make their first Confession and first Holy Communion later on in the school year were enrolled as candidates for those Sacraments at the family Mass. There are a number of special Sunday Masses for those children throughout the year. A group of parents of first communion children plan those Masses and make sure that all those children are involved at as many of those special Masses as possible. The basic gospel text that teachers use in preparing children for their first confession is the parable of the lost sheep. It highlights Jesus as someone who seeks us out when we turn away from him and find ourselves lost in various ways. In my earlier years as a priest the basic text that teachers used in preparing children for their first confession was this morning’s gospel reading, the story of Zacchaeus.

 The Zacchaeus story has a lot in common with the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd who searches for the lost sheep is an image of Jesus who seeks out the lost. The shepherd seeks for the lost sheep and Jesus seeks out the lost Zacchaeus. Yet, the differences between the two passages are also obvious. The sheep in the parable takes no initiative; he simply waits until the shepherd finds him. The sheep is a rather passive figure. The same could certainly not be said of Zacchaeus. He doesn’t wait to be found; he goes looking for Jesus. He is portrayed in the story as a very single minded seeker. He had a number of obstacles to overcome in his efforts to make contact with Jesus. He was small of stature and the crowd came between him and Jesus. As a chief tax collector in the pay of the Romans he would have been an outsider to the crowd and they would not have been well-disposed to helping him in his search. It was presumed that tax collectors like Zacchaeus were collecting more than they were entitled to and pocketing the excess for themselves. Yet, this man was a determined seeker; he overcame the obstacles by climbing a sycamore tree to see Jesus. This would have been considered an undignified thing to do for a person of his status and position and left him open to ridicule. He literally went out on limb to see Jesus.

 Zacchaeus is a much more interesting character than the sheep in the parable. He finds himself in a job which has brought him a lot of wealth, but he is clearly not satisfied. He is unsettled; he is looking for something more, something deeper. His restlessness draws him to the person of Jesus. In this morning’s second reading, Saint Paul prays that God, by his power, would fulfil the desires for goodness of the members of the church in Thessalonica. I like that phrase, ‘desires for goodness’. We all have such desires, the desire for what Paul calls in one of his other letters ‘whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable’. These desires are deep in our hearts and they will surface in us every so often if we allow them to. Underlying all such desires is the desire for God, the source of all that is good, and the desire for Jesus who is God in human form, the human expression of all that is good. It is above all in being true to these desires that we meet the Lord and the Lord meets us. When Zacchaeus went seeking Jesus in response to those deep desires, he discovered that the Lord was seeking him. Having climbed the tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus, Jesus stopped under the three and called Zacchaeus by name, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, I must stay at your house today’. Jesus met Zacchaeus in the place of his seeking and opened up a way forward within the circumstances of Zacchaeus’ life. The risen Lord continues to meet all of us in the place of our seeking. That is why a little earlier in Luke’s gospel Jesus had said, ‘seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’.

 A few verses prior to this story of Zacchaeus, Jesus had said, ‘truly, I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it’. Zacchaeus had retained that child-like ability to keep seeking the truth. He knew he had not arrived. It is this attitude which will set us on the path towards the kingdom of God. Jesus responded to Zacchaeus’ seeking by showing him friendship, sharing table with him, affirming his dignity before the murmuring crowd. In seeking the Lord we too will open ourselves to the Lord’s friendship, we too will experience his call to enter into communion with him. The way the Lord related to Zacchaeus in friendship reminds us also of the power of Christian friendship to be an instrument of the Lord’s grace to others. In befriending others in the non-judgemental way the Lord befriends us we make present to them the Lord’s grace and favour.  

And/Or

(iii) Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Last Sunday the children who will make their first Holy Communion in May were enrolled as candidates for this Sacrament at the family Mass. Before the children make their first Holy Communion, they will make their first Confession. The gospel text that teachers have been using in preparing children for their first confession is the parable of the lost sheep. It highlights Jesus as someone who seeks out the lost; he goes looking for us when we turn away from him and find ourselves lost in various ways. In my earlier years as a priest the basic text that teachers used in preparing children for their first confession was this morning’s gospel reading, the story of Zacchaeus.

 The Zacchaeus story has a lot in common with the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd who searches for the lost sheep is an image of Jesus who seeks out the lost. The shepherd seeks for the lost sheep and Jesus seeks out the lost Zacchaeus. Yet, the differences between the two passages are also obvious. The sheep in the parable takes no initiative; he simply waits until the shepherd finds him. The sheep is a rather passive figure. The same could certainly not be said of Zacchaeus. He doesn’t wait to be found; he goes looking for Jesus. He is portrayed in the story as a very single minded seeker. He really had to make an effort to see Jesus. Because he was a small man, the crowd blocked his view of Jesus. As a chief tax collector in the pay of the Romans, the crowd would have had a very negative opinion of him and would not have helped him to see Jesus. Yet, this man was a determined seeker; he overcame the obstacle of the crowd by climbing a sycamore tree to see Jesus. It was a rather undignified thing to do for a person of his position and it left him open to even more ridicule. He literally went out on limb to see Jesus.

 Zacchaeus is a much more interesting character than the sheep in the parable. He finds himself in a job which has brought him a lot of wealth, but he is clearly not satisfied. He is looking for something more, something deeper. His restlessness draws him to the person of Jesus. In this morning’s second reading, Saint Paul prays that God, by his power, ‘would fulfil all your desires for goodness’. I like that phrase, ‘desires for goodness’. We all have such desires, the desire for what Paul calls in one of his other letters ‘whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable’. These desires are deep in our hearts and they will surface in us every so often if we allow them to. Underlying all those desires for what is good, for goodness, is the desire for God, the source of all that is good, and the desire for Jesus who is God with us, and who gives expression to all that is good. If we seek to be true to those desires for goodness that lie deep within us, we will be led to the Lord who alone can fully satisfy those desires.

 When Zacchaeus went seeking Jesus in response to those deep desires within himself, he discovered that the Lord was already seeking him. All Zacchaeus wanted to do was to see Jesus, which is why he climbed the tree. Jesus, however, wanted to meet Zacchaeus, which is why he stopped under the Zacchaeus’ tree, called out to Zacchaeus by name and invited himself to Zacchaeus’ home, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, I must stay at your house today’. The story of Zacchaeus encourages us to keep seeking the Lord, in spite of the obstacles that will be put in our way. It also reminds us that the Lord is always seeking us. Indeed, he seeks us even when we are not seeking him because, as he declares in today’s gospel reading, ‘the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost’, and we are all lost to some degree.

 Zacchaeus was far from perfect. He confessed to Jesus that he had cheated people; he had probably taken more tax from them than he was entitled to. Yet, the Lord sought him out. He sat at the table of this sinner, even though it scandalized the people of Jericho. The Lord’s sharing the table of Zacchaeus freed him to repent, to change for the better. His presence to and respect for Zacchaeus triggered his conversion. In the atmosphere of acceptance that Jesus created, Zacchaeus was enabled to set out on a new and better path. The Lord always meets us where we are. His loving presence to us empowers us to change for the better. As today’s first reading declares, the Lord overlooks our sins, so that we can repent. Zacchaeus experienced the transforming power of God’s love through Jesus. That same experience is open to each one of us. Zacchaeus had that one essential quality that opened him up to this experience of the Lord’s love. It is a quality we all need. Like Zacchaeus, we are to keep seeking the Lord with all our heart, regardless of the obstacles we may have to overcome.  

      Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or  revmartinhogan@gmail.com

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie  Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

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