CARDINAL NICHOLS SAYS POPE IS NOT INFALLIBLE

CARDINAL NICHOLS SAYS POPE IS NOT INFALLIBLE

VINCENT NICHOLS

Cardinal Vincent Nichols - the Archbishop of Westminster and the leader of the Roman Catholic denomination in England and Wales has declared that THE POPE IS NOT INFALLIBLE.

Speaking on last Sunday's Channel 4 News (27.4.2104) Cardinal Nichols said that Karol Woytyla aka Pope John Paul 11 HAD MADE MISTAKES.

When I was growing up in the RC denomination it was beaten into me by the "Christian" Brothers and the Nuns that the pope: WAS INFALLIBLE IN MATTERS OF FAITH AND DOCTRINE.

Of course for many years now I have known that this teaching was absolute rubbish.

How could the popes who organised the murderous CRUSADES have been infallible in matters of faith and morals?

How could the popes who organised the tortures of the INQUISITION have been infallible in matters of faith and morals?

How could the licentious BORGIA popes have been infallible in matters of faith and morals?

And how could John Paul 11 and Benedict who presided over the abuse and rape of children by priests have been infallible in matters of faith and morals?

The Roman Catholic Church is really a denomination or even a "cult" and it is run on the lines of a multi national business.

As an oraganisation it has little or nothing to do with God or spirituality - but everything to do with a massive entity that is all about mind control, power, self survival and money and profit.

Last weekend's canonisation will have made The Vatian millions and millions.

And the sad thing is that so many devout Roman Catholics buy into all of this and are like turkeys voting for Christmas.

But it is good to see that one of the cardinals - Vincent Nichols - is undermining one of the organisations key policies - that is - that the organisations leader - the pope - is a "god" incapable of error.

Well done Cardinal Nichols for telling the truth.

+Pat Buckley
29.4.2014

"I WAS NOT IN ROME FOR CANONISATION" - SAYS HOLY SPIRIT

"I WAS NOT IN ROME FOR CANONISATION" - SAYS JOLY SPIRIT

DEAR PAT,

I READ YOUR BLOG YESTERDAY ABOUT THE CANONISATION OF KAROL WOJTALA (JOHN PAUL 11) BEING AN ABOMINATION TO GOD THE FATHER, JESUS THE SAVIOUR AND MYSELF - AND I WAS FORCED TO AGREE WITH YOU.

THE THREE OF US HAD A MEETING MANY MONTHS AGO AND WE DECIDED THAT WE WOULD NOT ATTEND THE CANONISATION - WHICH WAS NOT TRULY A "SPIRITUAL" EVENT - BUT WHICH WAS IN FACT A POLITICAL STUNT BY THE HIERARCHY OF THE ROMAN INSTUTUTION TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY AND GET ITSELF SOME GOOD PUBLICITY FOR A CHANGE.

I CANNOT GO INTO INDIVIDUAL CASES, AS YOU WILL UNDERSTAND, BUT I CAN SAY THAT WHILE JOHN XX111 IS INDEED WITH US IN HEAVEN - KAROL WOJTYLA IS STILL FULFILLING OTHER ACTIVITIES BEFORE WE MAKE A FINAL DECISION ABOUT HIS ETERNAL FUTURE.

AS YOU POINTED OUT VERY CLEARLY YESTERDAY WE IN HEAVEN WERE HORRIFIED BY WOJTYLA'S FRIENDSHIP WITH AND PROTECTION OF MARCIEL MACIEL. 

WE WERE FURTHER HORRIFIED THAT THIS FRIENDSHIP AND PROTECTION WAS GIVEN IN RETURN FOR VASTS AMOUNT OF MONEY GIVEN BY MACIEL.

WE WERE ALSO HORRIFIED BY WOJTYLA'S COVER UP OF THE GROTESQUE CRIMES AGAINST INNOCENT CHILDREN.

THE HEAVENLY FATHER, JESUS AND I WERE VERY INVOLVED WITH THE EARLY CHURCH BUT WHEN THEY CAST THEIR LOT IN WITH THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND BECAME A POLITICAL AND EARTHLY ESTABLISHMENT WE DECIDED TO HAVE NOTHING MORE TO DO WITH THEM.

THE "ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH" AS IT IS KNOWN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH US AND IN FACT AS A CORRUPT HUMAN INSTITUTION IT HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH OUR ANCIENT ADVERSARY, SATAN, THAN IT HAS TO DO WITH US.

BY THE WAY LUCIFER DID ATTEND YESTERDAY'S CEREMONY IN ROME AND WAS DRESSED IN A RED CARDINAL'S ROBE. 

WE ARE VERY SAD THAT SO MANY MILLIONS OF GOOD PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HOODWINKED INTO BELIEVING THAT THE ROMAN INSTITUTION IS A TRUE CHURCH.

BUT YOU SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AS WE HAVE A VERY FIRM PLAN IN PLACE FOR THIS ORGANISATION'S FUTURE THAT CAN BE BEST DESCRIBED AS A MASSIVE SEPARATION OF THE DARNEL AND THE WHEAT. 

TODAYS NEWSPAPERS AND MEDIA OUTLETS ARE FULL OF YESTERDAY'S EVENTS. TO THAT WE SIMPLY REPEAT THE WORDS OF JESUS: 

"WOE TO YOU WHEN THE WORLD SPEAKS WELL OF YOU. THIS WAS THE WAY THEIR FATHERS TREATED THE FALSE PROPHETS"

ANYWAY, PAT, THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH YESTERDAY AND FOR PERSEVERING AS A LONE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS.

WITH LOVE,

"SOPHIA"

CANONISATION OF JOHN PAUL 11 - AN ABOMINATION

CANONISATION OF JOHN PAUL 11 - AN ABOMINATION

"SAINT" JP 11 - EMBRACING PAEDOPHINE PRIEST MACIEL

The canonisation of John Paul 11 in Rome today is an abomination and represent a grave insult to God and to all those who have suffered at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.

John Paul 11 is no saint!

Rather he was an autocratic and power hungry dictator who presided over nearly 30 years of vile corruption in The Vatican and in the Roman Catholic Church world wide.

FATHER MACIEL:

He covered up for the vile founder of the right wing LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST religious order - Marciel Maciel.

BLESSING MACIEL

Maciel was a life time morphine and drug addict whoi sexually abused young priests and priesthood students (seminarians) by asking them to sexually relieve him by rubbing his groin.

Furthermore Maciel abused children - including children he fathered - like his son Rual Gonzales.

He stole money from his religious order to fund his drug habit, his abuse and his fathering habits.

BUT HE WAS PROTECTED BY JOHN PAUL 11 AND BY VATICAN CARDINALS.

In return for that protection he gave John Paul 11 millions of dollars for his beloved Poland and bribed Roman cardinals with gifts of large sums of money.

Maciel knew that he had John Paul 11's protection and he used to say:

WELCOMING MACIEL

"WHEN JOHN PAUL 11 DIES I AM GOING TO BE IN TROUBLE".

What saint covers up for a man like that - and gets money for covering up for him?   

CHILD ABUSE:

Not only did John Paul 11 cover up for Maciel - but he also covered up for the thousands of priests in the Roman Church who sexually abused children

He also covered up for the bishops who covered up for those priests.

John Paul said that there were "only" 5,000 abusing priests in the Church. But experts like Father Richard Sipe said that in his vast experience the number was more like 30,000.

What saint covers up child abuse? What saint deliberately ignores the words of Christ who said:

"WOE TO ANYONE WHO HURTS THESE LITTLE ONES. BETTER FOR THAT MAN THAT HE HAVE A STONE TIED AROUND HIS NECK AND BE DROWNED IN THE SEA"

John Paul 11 was more concerned for the so called reputation of his Church than he was for the suffering of little abused children whose whole lives were and are destroyed.

SEXUALITY:

John Paul 11 banned the use of condoms in Africa that would have prevented thousands, if not millions contracting AIDS.

His condom ban was in fact a "genocide" tactic that led to the death and suffering of so many.

He called GAY PEOPLE part of the IDEOLOGY OF EVIL!

What saint would promote, by default, the spread of a killing disease?

What saint would call the millions of gay and lesbian people in the word evil?

POLITICS:

John Paul 11 was up to his neck in world politics and dabbled furiously in Polish politics.

JOHN PAUL 11 AND POLAND

And yet he condemned priest in South America, like ERNESTO CARDENAL, who opposed corrupt regimes and massive injustice. That makes him, in my mind, a monumental hypocrite.

JOHN PAUL 11 REPRIMANDING FATHER ERNESTO CARDENAL

Are saint supposed to be hypocrites?

VATICAN AND VATICAN BANK:

John Paul 11 presided for nearly 30 years over massive financial corruption in the Vatin itself and especially in the Vatican Bank - which is cynically called THE BANK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Does the Holy Spirit inspire money laundering?

Does the Holy Spirit inspire managing the money of The Mafia?

Does the Holy Spirit inspire the flaunting of international financial regulations?

Does a saint spend 30 years presiding over corruption? 

CONCLUSION:

The canonisation of John Paul 11 is an evil and cynical by the corrupt Vatican to say to the world that ALMIGHTY GOD rubber stamps all this abuse and corruption.

It is a political move by the Vatican to counteract the canonsation of John XX111 who is hated by the traditionalists and Catholic righters like LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST and OPUS DEI

It is Pope Francis' sop to the wicked, nazi-like Roman Catholic right.

This political exercise over John Paul 11 is a direct insult to God - and it totally destroys the Roman Church's claim to be acting on God's behalf.

His canonisation is truly a SACRILEDGE of the highest order.

Who will the canonise next - Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Putin? Hannibal Lecter?

GOOD FOR EVER ON THE SCAFFOLD,

EVIL ALWAYS ON THE THRONE;

BUT GOD STANDS WITHIN THE SHADOWS'

KEEPING WATCH UPON HIS OWN

As they say in Belfast - JESUS WEPT!

+Pat Buckley

27.4.201

BISHOP WAMIKA DENIES MELANIE NATHAN'S ALLEGATIONS

BISHOP CHARLES WAMIKA EMAILED ME TO SAY:

Dear Bishop Buckley,

I have just got back from duties of Uganda Martyrs University where I am the Chairman of the Governing Council.

Thank you sending me the note.

This year's Easter Mass found me at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Jinja. At that Mass I was neither the main celebrant nor the preacher.

There is no St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in Jinja Diocese where I was presumed to be.

People should not words into my mouth on so sensitive an issue.

Thanks for alerting me about what is out there which I had not known.

Bishop Wamika

I WROTE BCAK TO BISHOP WAMIKA:

Dear Bishop Wamika,

Thank you for that. Can I say that you have never expressed such views and would condemn those who do?

Bishop Pat

BISHOP WAMIKA REPLIED IMMEDIATELY:

Dear Bishop,

Thank you for your response. You are absolutely right. On occasion I have been telling people there is no one who is ever written off. If they are ever doubted at heaven's gate all they have to do is to look at Jesus and He will surely tell those who were doubting such a one, "Let him enter, I also died for him"! This often to the confusion and rethinking of the supposed good christians!

Thank you once more for alerting me about what is out there. Some time back my Facebook account was hacked into someone soliciting for money saying I was in Ghana! So I have not used ever since!

Bishop Wamika

IN THESE TWO EMAILS BISHOP WAMIKA IS SAYING CLEARLY THAT HE DID NOT SAY THE WORDS QUOTED BY MELANIE NATHAN AND HER SOURCES.

THE BISHOP IS FURTHER SAYING, FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, THAT ALL PEOPLE, INCLUDING GAY PEOPLE, ARE NEVER WRITTEN OFF BY GOD - EVEN IF "GOOD CHRISTIANS" WRITE THEM OFF.  HE IS SAYING THAT THESE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED INTO HEAVEN BY JESUS CHRIST.

FURTHERMORE HE IS SAYING THAT HIS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED INTO AND THAT HE HAS NOT USED HIS FACEBOOK ACCOUNT SINCE.

THIS TO ME IS A VERY CLEAR AND RESOUNDING REBUTTAL BY BISHOP WAMIKA OF THE ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST HIM.

THIS MEANS THAT MELANIE NATHAN - AND OTHERS - MUST FULLY ACCEPT THE BISHOP'S REBUTTAL AND APOLOGISE TO HIM - OR ELSE PRODUCE UNQUESTIONABLE DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE AND NAMED SOURCES TO CHALLENGE THE BISHOP'S REBUTTAL.

GAY PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN - AND EVERYTHING TO LOSE - FROM MAKING FALSE ACCUSATIONS.

UNTIL I SEE THOSE DOCUMENTS AND SOURCES I MUST SAY THAT I BELIEVE THE BISHOP AND HAVE NO REASON TO DOUBT HIM.

EVERY PERSON IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

+Pat Buckley 

"HOMO" PRIESTS ARE MAJORITY IN BELFAST

A BELFAST PRIEST HAS WRITTEN THE COMMENT BELOW IN ANSWER TO A "LADY" WHO WANTS ALL HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS OUT OF THE PRIESTHOOD.

WHAT IS YOUR VIEW?

ARE THE MAJORITY OF PRIESTS NOW GAY OR HOMOSEXUAL ?








Anonymous23 April 2014 18:03

It is very much time to get these homos out of the Church of Christ. They have destroyed the priesthood and our lovely church. Priesthood is for straight men only.

Mary

ReplyDelete

Replies

1. 
   Anonymous23 April 2014 20:18

   Well Mary, I'm probably your Parish Priest and I'm a "Homo" as are most of my brother priests in Down And Connor. Not all of us are seeking constant sexual encounters, most of us are hard working and faithful to The Lord. I find your choice of words very hurtful... One day on your death bed you might grateful for a homo priest to give you the last rites, that's if your lucky because if you had it your way all the homos will be cast away to God knows where and you be struggling to find a good str8 priest as they'll be few and far between & probably tied up in their own hidden family matters.
   Hard working D&C priest!

VISITORS T0 BLOG 137,462

STILL WAITING FOR BISHOP WAKAMI

STILL WAITING FOR BISHOP WAKAMI

BISHOP CHARLES WAKAMI

My Blog about the alleged comments of Bishop Charles Wakami - Diocese of Jinja, Uganda - lauding life sentences for homosexuals has had the biggest response since I started blogging.

The allegations also accuse Bishop Wakami of calling upon the parents of gay people to hand their children over to the authorities - an action for which they would be rewarded in Heaven.

These allegations were extremely serious and before publication I tried to contact Bishop Wakami for a comment.

However that proved impossible as the three telephone numbers on the Jinja Diocesan website proved to be impossible to reach.

And when I clicked on a link to contact the bishop by email I found myself on a Chinese website ofering hair extensions!

However through the good offices of a cleric friend in Rome I managed to get the bishop's private mobile telephone number and telephoned him. He answered straight away.

I told him about the very serious allegations and expressed the view to him that he must be very woried about being accused. To be honest he did not seem overly worried. 

I asked him for his private email address and told him I would send the allegations to him immediately - and I did so within 3 minutes. Bishop Wamaki promised me that he would send me a written response by email and I promised him that I would publish it on my Blog in full - without any changes whatsoever.

But nothing has happened! I have heard nothing from him!

If I was Bishop Wakami I would be very worried about these accusations - especially since they had gone viral on the Internet. I told Bishop Wakami that the accusations had gone viral. 

The accusations originated with Melanie Nathan - a South African attorney (now living in the USA) and a long time campaigner on human rights issues. 

Melanie Nathan

Yesterday I asked Melanie Nathan for clarification as to how she had come across the accusations. She told me that she had 3 separate sources in Uganda for the allegations but that she could not publish their names as these people would be arrested, tortured and imprisoned by the Ugandan authorities. But she is standing by the allegations.

I fully understand that she must protect her vulnerable sources in Uganda. 

But now we are left with a probelm.

If these allegations are untrue why does Bishop Wakami not issue an immediate rebuttal of them and publish in full the text of the alleged offending sermon?

If Bishop Wakami sent me a copy of that sermon I would publish it in full on this Blog - without even censoring a comma or a full stop.

If I were him I would want to set the record straight without any hesitation. What human being - especially if he is a Christian and a priest - would want his name associated with such horrible allegations?

I am worried. Why is the bishop silent? Perhaps he is afraid for his own safety? 

But this issue is far too serious to be left hanging in mid air. 

+Pat Buckley

23.4.2014

SEEKING RESPONSE FROM BISHOP WAKIMA - UGANDA -

SEEKING RESPONSE FROM BISHOP WAKIMA

Bishop Charles Wakima

Yesterday on this Blog I wrote about the accusation from Melanie Nathan that Bishop Charles Wakima of the Diocese of Jinja in Uganda had called for a genocide of gays in Uganda during his Easter message.

Melanie Nathan

Many correspondents to this Blog have quite rightly suggested that the bishop's alleged comments needed to be checked and clarified.

As a result I have today - after great difficulty - finally made personal contact with Bishop Wakima and told him of the accusations against him and where they have come from.

The bishop has given me his email address and I have sent him a full copy of the allegations and have asked for his response and have assured him that his response would be published FULLY and in an UNCENSORED way on this Blog.

The bishop has promised me that he will do this and I await his reply and views.  

I have further let Melanie Nathan know that the bishop completely denies her assertions.

I have asked Melanie Nathan to clarify.

The most important thing is that we all know the TRUTH about this.

The story has gone viral with more than 4,500+ hits on Facebook

+Pat Buckley
22.4.2014

UGANDAN CATHOLIC BISHOP PREACHES GENOCIDE

"Bishop" Charles Wamika

UGANDAN CATHOLIC BISHOP SUPPORTS GAY GENOCIDE!!!

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF JINJA, CHARLES WAMIKA, UGANDA, USED HIS "EASTER" MESSAGE THIS YEAR TO SUPPORT THE TORTURE AND IMPRISONMENT OF GAY PEOPLE IN UGANDA ACCORDING TO SOUTH AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY / ACTIVIST MELANIE NATHAN (http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2014/04/20/ugandan-catholic-easter-message-calls-for-genocide-of-gays/

Melanie Nathan

The extreme and un-Christian homophobia of Wamika is truly shocking and he should be immediately sacked as a bishop by Pope Francis who recently said that he himself does not feel in a position to condemne gay people.

Wamika in his so called Easter Message praised the Ugandan Parliament for imprisoning gay people and told the "savage" politicians that God would shower them with a blessing for their actions. 

The crazy Wamika also called upon the parents of gay children in Uganda to hand their children over to the authorities and told them that for doing this they would be rewarded in Heaven!!!

The quote below comes from a young gay man who is in hiding in Uganda:

“The Bishop of Jinja Diocese – Bishop Rt. Rev.Charles Wamika, in today’s Easter Message  delivered at St. Chalres Lwanga Catholic Church, praised the Members of Parliament for taking a stand to see to it that the Anti-homosexuality bill passed into law, he went ahead and called on the faithful to vote for President Museveni in 2016 general elections for signing the bill into law.

He reminded the Christians that, it has been a law and he sent blessings to all Christians who have been working so hard to make Jinja a land free of gay persons. He said throughout human history the catholic church has fought evil and blood has been shed, he called on all the Christians to do whatever they can in their own means to clean this city.

I am surprised that a well educated bishop, well traveled and studied in different western countries uses his position to justify killing. He asked parents with gay suspected children to handle them over to authorities and their reward is in heaven. This is too much hatred.    I wonder if we will hear from the Pope on this. If not, I lose all hope.”

For a number of years now so called "Evangelical" Christians have been urging the Ugandan government to introduce this anti gay bill. The bill is called the Anti Homosexuality Act (2014)

When it was being prepared it was called: "KILL THE GAYS BILL"

The bill was proposed by the Ugandan Evangelical Christian politician David Bahati who also happens to be the Chief Scout of Uganda!!! God help the Ugandan scout movement.

The former Uk footballer player - now turned Evangelical Christian - Paul Shinners - has also been to Uganda to support the anti gay bill

Paul Shinners

In January 2011 the Ugandan Gay Rights campaigner David Kato was bludgeoned to death

OPPOSITION TO UGANDAN BILL:

The opposition to the Ugandan anti gay bill has been led by Amnesty International.

In 2009 the then British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, himself from a Scottish Christian background, protested against the Bill.

Gordon Brown

In 2011 the UK International Development Minister protested and warmed Uganda that the UK would consider withdrawing its aid.

Andrew Mitchell MP

In 2009 the European Parliament threatened to withdraw aid.

In 2009 the Swedish government threatened to withdraw its £ 31 million foreign aid.

AND WHAT ABOUT THE CHURCHES?

The Anglican Church in Canada condemned Uganda.

The Archbishop of Cantebury, Rowan Wlliams condemned the bill

Rowan Williams

In fairness the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, Cyprian Lwanga, said that the Bill was at odds with Christian values.

Archbishop Lwanga

AND WHAT ABOUT OUR BELOVED VATICAN?

Pope Benedict received the Ugandan ambassador with honours and thanked him for the freedom that Catholics have in Ugansa !!!!!!!!!

And so far Pope francis has said NOTHING; NOTHING; NOTHING.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

1. Uganda should be totally isolated in the political and diplomatic world.

2. All foreigh aid to Uganda should be withdrawn.

3. People like Bahati and Wamika should be put on trial for encouraging genocide.

4. Paul Shinners whould be arrested in the UK for incitement to hatred.

5. THE VATICAN should excommunicate Charles Wamika and if necessary put the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda under an interdict. It abortion in Canon Law is a sin punishible by automatic excommunication what kind of sin is genocide and the encouragement of genocide.

UGANDA SHOULD BE MADE A WORLD PARIAH.

BELOW - PLEASE WATCH TRIBUTE SONG TO MARTYR DAVID KATO

A VERY NICE LISTEN FOR EASTER SUNDAY

A VERY NICE LISTEN FOR EASTER SUNDAY

SERMON FOR EASTER - ENDS AND BEGINNINGS

HOMILY FOR EASTER 2014

Bishop Pat Buckley

THEME:     OLD ENDINGS – NEW BEGINNINGS

For many years in the early part of my life I suffered from severe panic attacks. Those of you who have ever suffered a panic attack will know how terrible the experience is. An irrational fear completely overwhelms your whole being – body and mind. Your heart races. You sweat profusely. You lose control over your thoughts and rationality and you want to run – but there is no place to run. As the French writer and tortured spiritual soul – Simone Weil described it, you feel like a butterfly pinned alive into a collector’s album.

I came to a point in my life where I could tolerate my panic attacks any longer and decided to do something about them – other than take Valium as prescribed.

I went on a 2 week course with Dr Frank Lake – the English psychiatrist and pioneer of the Primal Therapy school of thought.

During the 2 week course we went on a journey into our Inner Space – our subconscious mind. Mankind has begun to explore and even conquer Outer Space but most men and women never explore their own Inner Space – which in many ways is as vast as the Universe and Outer Space. And during my journey into my own Inner Space I found the origins and cause of my panic attacks.

I revisited my birth experience and I discovered that I did not want to be born – and as my mother’s body quite naturally went into birth mode to expel me from her womb I had my first – my primal panic attack. All my later panic attacks were just the replay of my first panic attack.

When it comes to the birth of a human baby all our thoughts are – understandably - on the joy of the new birth. If we think of birth pains we think of the mother’s birth pains.

But we never think of how the baby might feel. The baby has been warm, safe and secure in the mother’s womb – receiving all its oxygen and nourishment from the mother’s blood. Then suddenly – within the womb – there is an earthquake. The baby’s world starts to shake uncontrollably and it begins to be expelled – violently – from the only world it knows. The baby does not know it’s about to be “born”. The baby thinks and senses that its world is coming to an end. As far as the baby is concerned it is about to be annihilated. And the baby panics almost like the lamb waiting in a line in the abbatoir about to be slaughtered.

It is no coincidence that the first thing a baby does after it draws its first breath is to cry. No new born baby bursts out laughing or offers the mid wife a HIGH FIVE J

But of course looking back our birth was a great joy and the beginning of all our life’s adventure.

The phenomenon of birth is a parable for all of life and the lesson is that ALL NEW BEGINNINGS are preceded by OLD ENDINGS.

We see this in the great Christian Feast of Easter we are celebrating this weekend. Jesus’ Glorious Resurrection was preceded by his death – His ignominious ending. There would have been no Resurrection without the Crucifixion. What is the old catch cry: “NO CROSS -----NO CROWN”.

As Christians – and indeed as human beings – we must embrace this great “Fact of Life”.

We must come to understand and own the fact that all going forward means taking leave of the place we have been.

In order to move to life’s great “Hellos” we must embrace life’s “Goodbyes”.

The foetus must depart for the baby to come to be.

The baby must depart for the child to arrive.

The child must go for the youth to come forward.

The youth must wane in order for the adult to evolve.

The bachelor / spinster must depart for the husband and wife to arrive.

The virgin must give way to the parent.

The apprentice leaves to make way for the master.

The novice evaporates into the sage.

In nature the Sun dies for the Moon to rise.

We should never fall into the trap of thinking that the Resurrection is confined to one day of the year – Easter Sunday.

Every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every year the resurrection is taking place in every atom in each of us and in the Universe.

So we Chistians do not need to be afraid of CHANGE or PROGRESS, or MOVEMENT. All change and progress and movement is the Resurrection of Jesus percolating through our lives and all of existence.

The great writer C S Lewis said:

“IT MAY BE HARD FOR AN EGG TO TURN INTO A BIRD

IT WOULD BE HARDER STILL FOR IT TO LEARN TO FLY WHILE REMAINING AN EGG.

WE ARE LIKE EGGS AT PRESENT.

YOU CANNOT GO ON INDEFINITELY BEING JUST AN ORDINARY DECENT EGG.

YOU MUST HATCH – OR GO BAD”

We hatch in God's Hand

On the Feast of the Resurrection let us put our faith in Jesus and let us allow God – our Mother Hen – to help us to hatch – so that we can learn to fly and to eventually become BIRDS OF PARADISE.

SHEEP AND LAMBS

ALL in the April morning,
April airs were abroad;
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road.
The sheep with their little lambs
Pass'd me by on the road;
All in an April evening
I thought on the Lamb of God.
The lambs were weary, and crying
With a weak human cry;
I thought on the Lamb of God
Going meekly to die.
Up in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy pastures are sweet:
Rest for the little bodies,
Rest for the little feet.
Rest for the Lamb of God
Up on the hill-top green;
Only a cross of shame
Two stark crosses between.
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.

MY SERMON FOR HOLY THURSDAY

JESUS THE ADDICTED GIVER

There is a TV programme at the moment that is exploring the various addictions that people have.

We are all aware of the common addictions – alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, chocolate etc.

But of course there are all kinds of addictions and some addictions are surprising and exotic.

Hoarding things can be a big addiction. I remember hearing a few years ago of a parish priest in Northern Ireland who had a very unusual and exotic addiction. He was addicted to and a hoarder of milk bottles. He never threw away a milk bottle. When he had finished the milk he washed the bottle and stacked it away in his house. When the poor man died – at a great age – those cleaning out the presbytery had an awful job getting rid of the thousands and thousands of milk bottles – perfectly cleaned and stacked neatly in rows.

Many of us remember the humble milk bottle before the days of the throw away cardboard or plastic cartons. At night we used to put our washed milk bottles out on the porch step for the milk man who came along at 4 or 5 in the morning and left us the new milk for that day. As a child I loved milk bottles and played with them. We had nice milk bottles in Dublin. They were fat and squat and they had a lovely verse on the side which read:

Your milk comes in a bottle;

We can’t bring round the cow;

So please rinse and return them;

As most of you do now.

You are now all asking: “What’s wrong with poor Pat tonight that’s he’s talking about addictions and milk bottles? Has he finally lost the plot? Should we send for the men in the white coats”?

No! No need for that yet. This is Holy Thursday. This is the beginning of the Easter Three Days (Triduum) when we Christians meet to celebrate the life giving death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Holy Thursday we celebrate the memory of THE LAST SUPPER when Jesus met with his disciples to break Bread, share the Cup, wash the feet and then go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, sweat blood and be arrested.

Today I want to talk of the addiction that Jesus had. Jesus was  addicted to GIVING.

At The Last Supper He gave us the priceless gift of His Body and Blood to be our spiritual food on life’s pilgrimage from our cradle to our grave and to celebrate the Memory of Him.

At The Last Supper He gave his disciples the Gift of Love and Service by washing their feet.  

And after the Last Supper He went into the lonely night garden to give Himself over to the Father – to give Himself over to His captors to give Himself over to His Crucifixion for our salvation.

Don’t forget that Jesus GAVE HIMSELF over to death. No one forced Him. In the Scriptures He says: “Just as I have laid down my life – so will I take it up again”.

On Holy Thursday we honour JESUS THE ETERNAL GIVER.

What implications has that for us His followers?

The implication is crystal clear. We too are called to be GIVERS. We too are called to the “mad” addiction of GIVING. The true Christian is primarily a GIVER and not a taker.

In school when they tried to teach us singing they got us to sing: DO – RAY – ME.

And instinctively as children and later as adults we are tempted to be TAKERS – to put ourselves at the centre and sing that childish, instinctive verse – ME - ME – ME.

But the Grace of God in our lives should transform us into GIVERS – HELPLESS GIVERS – ADDICTED GIVERS.

Today we ask ourselves the question: Do I have the same addiction as My Lord. Am I a giver?

When we open our eyes after our death we will be looking into the eyes of Jesus and His eyes will be questioning eyes – asking:

Did you GIVE to the hungry?

Did you GIVE to the thirsty?

Did you GIVE to the naked?

Did you GIVE to the sick?

Did you GIVE to the prisoner?

Did you GIVE your home over to the stranger?

I we can answer “YES” we will be the fortunate ones.

If we answer “NO” what will be our destiny?

Not all nice verses are carved on the sides of milk bottles. Here is one that should be carved into our hearts:

I SOUGHT MY GOD AND MY GOD I COULD NOT SEE.

I SOUGHT MY SOUL AND MY SOUL ELUDED ME.

I SOUGHT MY BROTHER – AND I FOUND ALL THREE.

The places at your table are empty. GO OUT AND FILL THOSE PLACES

+Pat Buckley

Holy Thursday

17th April 2014