Sermon Notes Christ the King

Recently there has been a revival of the notion of Kingship, in film anyway. The third of the Lord of the Rings films was called “The return of the King” the king embodied all the values of chivalry, moral uprightness, fairness, courage and bravery. At a scene near the end the King gets everyone in the kingdom to bow in the presence of Frodo and the other hobbits, who played a significant part in the story. The idea of service and everyone being important is extolled. The king lives for others, Tolkien, who wrote the Lord of the Rings, sees Christ very much in the figure of the King, full of goodness and at the service of his people a king who would do anything for his people even die for them.

Programmes like Merlin today contrasts good kings with bad ones, the good Arthur is to be admired for his wanting to do the right thing. The problem we have with kingship and royalty is we don’t always have great images in our mind to help us. Kings can be tyrants, royalty can be seen as privilege and wealth, position and status, the queen does not put on her own clothes in the morning, we might say they are somewhat indulged and pampered, when people are in the presence of the queen they walk backwards, there is lots of bowing.

Then we celebrate today the feast of Christ the King, Negative images may invade our consciousness, but the clue about what we are celebrating is in the gospel and they are Jesus’ own words, he tells us his kingship is not of this world, phew what a relief!

In fact Jesus’ kingship finds expression in service of others , in sacrifice, in a life lived in compassion and mercy, in the presence of Jesus we can not only feel loved but affirmed and lifted. We are celebrating a king whose throne is on the cross. Whose crown is one of thorns. This tells us all we need to know as we worship Christ our king. Jesus tells us to embrace his values: Values of care for the poor and needy, love of our enemies, forgiveness, compassion for those who share our journey, when we do this things when we try to live his values, we bring about his kingdom.

Prayer to Christ the King

A prayer to Christ the King, that can be prayed all year, but especially on the Solemnity at the end of the Liturgical year. O Jesus Christ, I acknowledge You as universal King. All that has been made, has been created for You. Exercise all your rights over me. I renew my baptismal vows, renouncing Satan, his pomps and his works; and I promise to live as a good Christian. In particular do I pledge myself to labour, to the best of my ability, for the triumph of the rights of God and your Church. Divine Heart of Jesus, to You do I proffer my poor services, labouring that all hearts may acknowledge Your Sacred Kingship, and that thus the reign of Your peace be established throughout the whole universe. Amen.

Prayer Source: My Catholic Faith: A Manual of Religion by Most Rev. Louis Laravoire Morrow, S.T.D., My Mission House, 1965

Short Break

Spent four restful idyllic days by the windy seaside, in the south of the northwest of England this week.

The train glides along, welcome and accommodating

I curl up in the seat, tired but happy in the travelling

Reaching my destination the wind howls its greeting

Stepping out of the station, heading for a restful meeting

The hotel is efficient, expecting and here to help in any way

The room is a delight, huge, all mod cons I will enjoy the stay

Away from the hustle and bustle of a busy parish thriving

Forget the presbytery noise for a while, no phone interrupting

The pier with its own train, stretches out as far as the eye can see

I’ll walk along for a few minutes moving as fast as the wind takes me

I tease, don’t look down now Fr B! He is scared of all things high

If the wind gets any stronger up into the darkening sky we will fly

The sea air is cold, rather bracing but breathing it in helps my living

The whiff of fish n chips accompanies each step taken, tummy rumbling

 Points us towards nostalgic Tea Rooms with waitress in Victorian dress

Dainty sarnies, with a sliver tea pot, cream scones leave B’s lips in a mess!

Daytime is a joy as we walk with a purpose, the store has 25% savings

In store searching through the racks n shelves, giving in to retail cravings

The wrinklies are in force, at hand to give advice on what to buy or not

As people leave the store with bags full of all the bargains they have got

Exhausted by the walking, it is time for an afternoon kip, to give into a snore

The gentle opportunity of resting makes me fond of sleeping once more

Time flies when you are having fun and all things must come to an end

A restful fun filled few days, ensures a tired soul and spirit is on the mend.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

A Rubbish World

A Rubbish World

What a truly rubbish world we live in today Lord

The elderly are scared, the young people are bored

I stood on a street watching people going by

My heart sank as I watched, I so wanted to cry

People sitting begging with hands outstretched

Some drop coins taken from deep pockets fetched

I only wish I was able to give them some more

Then an old man slips over, falls to the cold hard floor

Loutish yobs start laughing, they kick fixtures high

Their rat like faces sneering, fingers pointing, walking by

The old man is helped up and shakes himself down

No damage done just dented pride leaves him with a frown

As I continue to observe my heart misses a beat

As drugs are exchanged on the corner of the street

The place is so full of aimless frantic shoppers buying,

Spending plastic money on essential items for living  

Some dress in designer gear laden with new goods sold

Others wearing odd worn clothes to keep out the cold

So many people milling around going here and there

I wonder where they come from as I stand and stare

This world is one horrible place so cruel to be the poor

It leaves us all hurting, wishing we could do a little more

One man starves while another, his unwanted food throws away

Not much I can do to change things, it will always be this way

What a rubbish world this really is, Lord, I hope the next is not so

Just give me the nod Lord and from this rubbish world I would go.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Sermon Notes 33rd Sunday

Stephen Fry an actor and Christopher Hitchens a journalist recently debated with a bishop from Nigeria and Ann Widecombe  a Tory MP who converted to the catholic faith. The debate was: Is the Catholic Church a force for good or for bad?

The actor and journalist both atheists aggressively argued that it was a force for bad suppressing people individual freedoms and restricting the right to do whatever you want. They won the debate on the night. It was a hollow victory, because it does not make a difference, just a cosmetic show to reassure doubters.

It shows a number of things how much some people hate the church and pray for its demise and how difficult it is to convince people (who already have their minds made up) about the truths and implications of a faith that shuns selfishness, ambition and advocates service and the sanctity of all life. The church is accused of restricting people’s freedom and hording great wealth while people starve. A quick look at the internet can soon ease the worries about how effective the church is when it comes to supporting the poor and championing life all over the world The truth sets us free rather than enslave us, it is sin that deceives, the truth of faith frees us to love unconditionally.

People use the church as one big concept as a scapegoat to ease their own conscience to justify their own positions. The church is not just this big concept and mass of people it is each of us called to co- operate with the spirit given to us at baptism and deepening that knowledge of God through the sacraments. We, when we live our faith, are part of the church when celebrity atheists attack our church they attack us. How are we to respond to these attacks, well not with sticks and clubs, not with aggression and abuse rather with the words of Christ ringing in our ears for “heaven and earth will pass a way but my words will not” Jesus tells us in the gospel today.

The readings today inject a sense of urgency and are a call to action to Christ’s followers. In the first reading Daniel tells us about those whose names are written in the book of life, and in the gospel Jesus tells us the end will come but we do not know the time when it will happen so in the meantime pray, love put into action your faith as a preparation for heaven and a promise of our names entering the book of life. 

How do we know the church is a force for good, look close to home and ask am I contributing to the church getting a good name? Am I generous and kind and gentle in my dealings with others? Am I influenced by my faith in what I say and do? If we can say a resounding yes then the church is a force for good and will always be so.

Psalm 19

Ps 19:2-3,

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts knowledge.

Wrapped up, walking out to engage the darkening day

Shivering, noticing the carnage, as winter has its say

Windswept people, pushing forward, with lips turned down

In a winters gloom of natures revenge, a season with a frown

The wind bites, to reinforce this earth’s ancient coldness

Trying to shatter our fledgling confidence, stunting our boldness

I laugh as I struggle to stand upright, an invisible force holds me

I marvel at the unseen fingers at work in creation in all I see

The rain seems sharp as it hits my face, despite this I am happy

I know who created the seasons, winters anger can’t shake me,  

As weak and small as I am, I am part of God’s chosen race,

 One day here, the next gone, destined to see God face to face

I am here for a limited number of years to make of life the most

Then spirited away to be taken up in Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Loved and blest, graced and ready to stand, trembling before his sight

Prayed for and redeemed, take a deep breath, feel a moment of fright

Then forgiven, baggage left behind, I will feel God’s loving embrace

In thanksgiving, though unworthy, I will hold a gaze lovingly toward his face

As I wait for that day to arrive I admire the skill of God the divine artist

Heralding each new season, the beauty of God’s work, I simply can’t resist.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Wound of Love

Wound of Love

Each First Friday I pray, pierce my heart with a true wound of love

In a novena full of trust, crying for help, from the Lord God above

Never consciously aware that these prayed words will ever come true

These humble words become a reason O God, to pin my hopes on you

Be careful what you pray for, on your knees in heart felt prayer

In the stillness and the silence you realise God is always there

Listening to your cries, aware of your needs, mysteriously working

To engage your heart, that seat of all emotions, a wound in the making

Death makes an entrance, a loved one dies, wounded I can only trust

The pain of loss felt, the anguish of grief, the numb void of human dust

I prayed to know this wound of love with all its raw emotion and pain

I did not welcome the full meaning these words bring, yet there is a gain

For strangely it allows my mind to awaken, I’m never again quite the same

Wounded by the loss, comforted in God’s abiding presence, I call on his name

This wounded love opens my eyes to see, allows me to touch a divine spark

A sudden truth fills the empty space the pain has made, love makes its mark

A truth dawns that death is not the end, in sacrifice a victory has been won

Indebted to the wound of love, shown by the obedient death of God’s son

It pierces every place, this true wound of love, each time a reminder to me

Though blinded at first by grief filled tears, wounded love helps me a truth to see

Without feeling the pain a wound of love makes,  I can not in trusted faith leap

My fickle, fragile nature, my jumble of emotions I ask my Lord for me to keep.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Come Emmanuel

O Come Emmanuel and free your people from this tyranny

We who are held captive by sin, who walk this earth in slavery

Gripped by the glamour and deceit of self deceiving needs

A people drunk on greed, hung over pride, their own ego feeds

O Come and rescue us from our own capacity to be destructive

Remind us of the values of respect for others, a life of service

May we rejoice as we await your coming, rather than cower in fear

We are not to prowl in darkness, but to invite your presence near

Let your people rejoice in the radiant light the knowledge of you brings

As advent approaches, O Come Emmanuel, your church in praise sings

We in this coming season remind ourselves that you are coming again

May our living reflect our waiting, an expectant longing to see you then.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Pet Dislikes

Pet Dislikes.

I find some people so hard to like, it is true

The self absorbed, self important, chosen few

It is all about them you know, the me myself and I

I smile weakly but from their sight I so want to fly

Favoured, pampered pets whose opinions are always right
who cling to self obsession, who hug themselves at night
Whose opinion I do not seek, when I meet them I want to cry
Those who swoon in self praise, inflate their ego ever so high

Dear Lord forgive me for my sin and my lack of Christian charity

In your kindness and compassion from their company preserve me!

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Wisdom

Wis 2:23–3:9

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Every Mass is Special

Every Mass is special!

(Many times I read or hear people say that was a special Mass. Isn’t every Mass so? Forget cosmetics for a while and concentrate on the Consecration.At every Mass we are to be in awe at the change of bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus. A special Mass? Every Mass is special)

Every time I bow my head and I step on to the sanctuary

A prayer of consecration to intone, I stand in Calvary

No one Mass is more special, uplifting or has more worth

Each one lifts the veil that separates heaven from earth

Stepping into the Masters shoes for a brief moment in time

Makes present our very God before our eyes, more than a sign

Much more, as each consecration is equal in emotion or meaning

How can the one sacrifice of Christ, be one day a great feeling

And another day mundane, a motion to go through, a duty

Each consecration reveals the face of God, in everlasting beauty.

So from the quietest Mass said in the most humble surrounding

To the loudest praises, in the cathedral churches full to bursting

The one, sacrifice takes place and salvation is offered to the soul

Each Mass invites us to prayer so as to make heaven our final goal.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Memory

Memory

Memory is an invader of peace, it looks back, re-engages

my emotions, locked inside a mind that in turmoil rages

Awakens the once forever moment, now left dormant

of time gone by, not to be repeated, of being an infant

Where blissful, I delighted in understanding less,

immune to memories loss and a futures mess

But Infancy is long since passed, events have flown by,

Memories invite me to wonder, to bow my head, to sigh

Time moves on, it stops for no one, my memory recreates

all past joys, loves, yet grudges are kept strong, my petty hates

A person once loved who since dying, grows in remembering

all faults overlooked, fondness invents a halo in the making

As years hurtle by at such a speed, creating new memories still

of people I once knew, laughing carefree faces, my life did fill

I did not imagine a time when I would look back in fondness   

toasting a lost friend, no longer here, talking about his kindness

Memories are fragile dreams of an age disappeared and gone

not forgotten, they remind me that I am not the only one

My memory brings people forward their smile lights up my room

Flooding my mind with words they said, dispels any gathering gloom

I laugh as I recall a story once told in time, now in ghostly re-telling

Words once shared with others are whispered in silent remembering

Memory deepens the pool of mourning for friendships parted

Physical contact is no more savoured in the dearest departed

Memories scream insistently that in my very heart I miss you still

They compensate my mourning with a tender thought, my loss to fill.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Sermon Notes 32nd Sunday

The widow putting in all she had to the treasury is a simple story yet one that holds a profound  insight into our vocations.

I am often aware that when this gospel passage is read in church I am wearing long robes and take the front seats! So I reflect upon this reading often. I have often re-read this passage from the gospel, it is a favourite because it sums up what my ambition in life should be. The widow gave all she had; in this year for priests I would put her picture on the prayer cards as we pray for vocations to the priesthood, her example can easily be overlooked. Her story is told immediately after the parable of the scribes who love to have their good deeds known by everyone who milk the praise of people and revel in reputation. Jesus contrasts the Scribe and widow and demonstrates a profound truth.

As a seminarian the thrill of getting ordained was hard to describe, it was an exciting prospect and indeed the day was quite special. The reality was that it was the end of one journey but the beginning of another. There was a feeling after six years study that now I have made it, here I am! My turn to shine to make a difference! But after trial and error the dawning realisation hits that the priesthood finds it worth not in my fantastic personality and gifted intellectual mind, my dashing good looks! (If only these were true!) but in dieing to self, in sacrificing my own wants and needs. Quite a painful process to go through! The rewards of the priesthood come in imitation of the poor widow of the gospel today, in a knowledge that I am putting in all I have.

Being a priest is a privilege and an honour but it also brings responsibilities and expectations. As I reflect upon the priesthood having been ordained in 1992 I feel the happiest and most content when I understand the concept of pouring away all my ambition and what I want, in service of God’s people. Only when I give of myself without ambition, in humility am I fulfilling my vocation. The story of the widow’s mite is an inspiration, a reminder to me not to get too full of my own importance, to remember only in service will I be happy not in fulfilling my own ego, my own wants, my own agenda.  Pouring away ambition, giving all I am this is the essence of vocation, true for a priest and for each person who embraces the name of Christ.

We can choose which of the models from the gospel we will try to imitate: the Scribe with his inflated opinion about himself or the poor widow who gives to the Lord, all that she has, as simple and poor that offering may be.

November

November

Windswept month, fashioned to announce an ending to the year

Whose darkening nights cast sinister shadows, bringing a sense of fear

Winters’s favourite time when floors are covered in gifts from the trees

That float downwards, fresh fallen, spent life-force of brown spotted leafs

A carpet covers the earth with a wet slime, trodden underfoot to slush

Aided by torrents of rain, these vanquished leaves turn quickly to mush

The trees stripped bare of hugging lush green, stand skeletal with eyes sunk

No shelter from angry gales blowing across their exposed branch and trunk

Rain falls from endless grey skies, with raging hopeless tears, making no sound

A swirling wind is disturbed by banging, flashing missiles shot from the ground

A smoky mist descends upon buildings that in the fading light appear dankly grey

Reflecting the mournful character of the souls in waiting on each November day

Shivering with cold, each poor soul shuffles along, battling against the weather

Dreaming of sunnier times this awful month brings us close to the end tether

As each day passes the foreboding gets worse, but we hope it will come to an end

Alas no quick release from drudgery in December a deeper darkness will descend

But do not give in too quick to the sadness on offer or an emotion of despairing

Spring is around the corner, for a patient soul, it is not so long in the waiting.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Romans 14:11

Romans 14:11

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

When we live our lives, we are to live for the Lord alone

So when we die, he can bring us to our heavenly home

But I frustrate God’s design when I turn away, do my own things

My selfishness, my ego, thwarts all that my loving God brings

I know better than my creator who fashioned me from nothing

Until brought to my senses, I shelter again under his protective wing

So that when I come before the Lord God Almighty, I will bend my knee

Find ways to reverence his abiding presence in all who are around me

His love surrounds me, keeps me, holds me, guides me, in so many ways

His gentle touch allows me to see how his loving mercy fills all my days

I will have no excuses when at the end of my final journey on this earth

I am called to humbly stand before the judge, give an account from my birth

To tell how I searched to find ways to praise my God with my acts and word

 In each grace filled moment how I tried to allow the praise of God to be heard.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Symptoms of Mass Goers

Symptoms of Mass goers

Begrudgingly: Affects those who find they are reluctant to come, they resent having to attend, can be found in teenagers, but not exclusively. Symptoms include stroppy-ness, sour disposition, and general grumpiness. No known cure but patience helps and of course prayer.

Duty-itus: Affects those who feel they should come but don’t put their heart and soul into it. Fit in with the crowd. Symptoms include timidity, sheepish behaviour and a general uncertainty. Again no known cure, try prayer and scripture reading and a dose of priority shifting.

Bored: Affects a large percentage of the Mass going population. Stemming from a lack of interest and involvement causing an under appreciation of the meaning and significance of what the Mass is all about. Affects can include sleepiness, sluggish response to matters of faith and a general apathy. Cure can be sought in enthusiasm and researching the catechism and following church teaching.

Thanksgiving: Affects those who delight in attending Mass each week and some cases daily. Symptoms include a care and concern for moral values, a healthy interest in gospel values and a life lived in accordance with church teaching. A rare commodity, but one to be encouraged and applauded. Perhaps an antidote to the other negative symptoms above!

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

What If?

What If?

What if Christ had not sacrificed his life dying on the cross?

Would it make a difference, would people give a toss?

What if Jesus never said love your enemies pray for those who hurt you?

Would it change the way we behave towards those annoying few?

What if Christ had not been born at all and God had turned his back?

Would it mean our lives were empty, broken, how much we would lack?

What if Jesus did not overturn the tables in the temple in a rage?

Would we be passive in our acceptance of life, keep our values in a cage?

What if Christ had not risen from the dead as he promised through his Word?

Would there be a point to this life, would we care if our voice was heard?

What if Jesus had not sat down and taught his friends how to live?

Would we have learned to cherish life, turn from selfishness so as to give?

What if Christ is not King of our hearts and Lord of our life?

Would we have grace in abundance or would we be up to our necks in strife?

What if is no excuse to give, for what if Jesus Christ did indeed come to earth?

Would you take inspiration for your living and in him find your value and worth?

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Eternal Soul

‘No eye has seen nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived

what God had prepared for those who love him’ in this life (1 Cor 2:9)

Why does God care for a little person like me?

I have no special right to exist, no priority for me to be

Ever since God formed me in my mothers womb

I knew I was to be his child on earth and beyond the tomb

As I live my life each day wondering with path to take

I know if I listen to God’s grace the right one I will make

As I live, I feel that a mysterious tension exists between

What the eye can see and what remains for now unseen

On the one hand I want definite proof before I commit

But truth is revealed in prayer, as in church before him I sit

A conflict is going on in my mind especially when I feel weak

It concerns the reason why I am here, the answers I seek

About the already and the not yet, the known and the unknown

In the depths of God’s created soul, his eternal seeds are sown

This present life will always wrestle with what is still to come

An ongoing battle for truth if you like, one very important to be won

A debate rages within the conscious mind, a battle is fought

To bring to life’s surface the implications of what faith has taught

Peace comes when I accept I am not in control of my destiny

Hope is a getting ready for spending a life with God in eternity

Armed with hope, peace and truth the conflict is resolved for ever

I am to trust in the goodness of God who will abandon me never

So I prepare for a new life to come while making the most of now

Giving my heart and mind to God for he will show me how

When this life passes away, as surely it will one day do

I leave behind an external skin for a new life to renew

A strange calmness permeates the loving soul of a created being

Who gives thanks to God for the wonder of his eternal seeing.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

A rather good dream.

A Rather Good Dream

Woke up early this morning, a wee bit tired, yawning

Big splashes on the window, tell me it is still raining

I am hopeful, grateful for a new day and all that it will bring

Hidden in dry places, still sleeping, the birds refuse to sing

My mind is still snoring, not fully awake as I brush and clean

Recalling a place I spent last night in a rather good dream

Birds sang in the lush green of trees, the sun brightly shone

Good morning, how are you? Then people nod and walk on

In a waking world that type of greeting is long since gone

In the waking world you are taught to look after number one

Not so in my dream as people took time to care, to smile

People with different faces stood around, chatting for a while

No money was used in my dream place, just take what you need

Share what you have, an antidote to hatred, selfishness and greed.

The dream was quickly fading as I contemplated the day ahead

For I will go about my business as usual of getting my daily bread

I will spend this day paying the bills that pop onto the mat by the door

Queuing up at supermarket checkouts to pay for my food once more

Driving in the rain cursing at those who drive in such a hurried way

Listening to the radio as self righteous people must have their say

When I get a moment of peace I think does it have to be this way?

I long to return to my dream last night, where harmony had its day

My dream alas will remain just that for now, one day it will be real

I was dreaming of heaven, I hope to get there, at least thats the deal

Faith is a longing for heaven, a promise of an end to a sorry way of living

Heaven is a place where our taking is replaced by a generosity of giving.

Patrick Brennan 2009 ©

Sermon Notes: All Saints

I remember visiting the seminary in Scotland one year to play football against them. Part of the visit involved a trip to Celtic park to watch Celtic play. It was an incredible experience, the fans inside the stadium were passionate about their team. It was breath-taking to be a part of it, all these people supporting the same team, gathered together it kind of inspired you to want the team to win. Many sporting events have an atmosphere that involves passionate people. Fans are called the 12^th man in football and fans can be thanked for their support and for helping inspire a win

In some sense, the communion of saints, that amorphous, unnamed cloud of sanctity which we commemorate today can be likened to a crowd of fans. These truly committed men and women of all ages who have gone before us, have left us with a great inheritance and yet, they have not abandoned us. They are rooting us on, interceding for us, encouraging us in one way or another to put all our money on the same horse they backed, to sacrifice everything for the same goal they were willing to give their lives for, not a particular sport or hero, but Jesus Christ, son of God, son of Mary. We call to mind Jesus’ promise to be present when two or more are gathered in his name. Jesus is present in the communion of saints, the dynamic force which unites each to one another through their love of him. The communion of saints is present to us, encouraging us to do as they did: take Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel seriously. They saw in the Beatitudes a way of being, a way of life, and they decided to join others in following Jesus’ way of life.

As a community we demonstrate faith inspired by the intercession of those who have gone before us and been passionate about Christ. I think there is one ingredient that can sometimes be missing from lukewarm faith and that ingredient is a passion for the faith. We can be naturally passionate for football teams, for celebrities, for singers, for stamp collecting, for other people yet we hesitate to be passionate for our faith.

May we be inspired by the saints to follow faith more passionately as we celebrate this wonderful feast in their honour.