Category: Uncategorized

Epiphany 2021

         Today, in our cities, it’s hard to see the stars at night because of all the light pollution, but out here in the countryside, the moon and the stars are still visible on a clear night and appear in all their glory. In almost every culture, the appearance of a star is a good omen, a symbol of something beautiful and positive. Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem summoned by a new star. The Magi were experts in ancient lore, scholars of the wisdom traditions in which the human race sought for the unknown Creator and Ruler of all things. These Magi found their way to Jerusalem, not by following the Jewish scriptures, at least not to begin with, but by following a star, a cosmic indication that something of cosmic significance was taking place. 

Their non-Jewish wisdom figured out a lot. “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Even so, for the final phase of their journey, the Magi needed the scriptures to arrive at the precise end of all their searching. They needed the prophet’s identification of Bethlehem as the place of the Messiah’s birth. With the Magi the entire human race’s longing for God arrived in Bethlehem, the City of David. This account is full of mystery and symbolism and connects the mystery of the Nativity with the Mystery of the Resurrection. The star of Bethlehem will eventually become the rising sun on Easter morn; for the sun too is a star. 

         The Epiphany star rises in the east because the “east” refers to “other peoples”, known and unknown and there are an awful lot of us, are there not? It refers to everyone. The sun rises in the east. Even our English word, Easter, comes from an old German word, eostarum, meaning dawn. The new star in our gospel rises in the east, because the east is the place of rising and resurrection. 

         God chose the light of a star to announce the birth of the Saviour. The light of the star is a gentle light, which shines over everyone and not the spotlight of fame, which we so often crave. God’s light does not shine on those who shine with their own light. God ‘proposes’ himself; he does not ‘impose’ himself. He illumines; he does not blind. The Epiphany star reminds us that we are not the sun of humanity. We are the moon that, despite its shadows, reflects the true light of the world, Christ the Lord.  

         Even the moon can shine brightly in its reflected light and we too need to learn how to shine, to be clothed in God who is light, but first we must put aside our pretentious old robes. Otherwise, we will remain like Herod, who preferred the earthly lights of success and power to the more subtle divine light of the star. The Magi were willing to try on these new clothes and fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah. They arise and shine, and are clothed in light. They alone saw the star in the heavens: not the scribes, not Herod, not any of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

         The Magi stand before the Lord on our behalf this day and together with them, we worship. Today the Lord is revealed to us and we have come full circle. From manger, through the cross, to the empty tomb. So, pencil in the date of Easter you people from the east and follow the morning star that never sets, from this feast of Epiphany to the empty tomb on Easter morning. May Christ, that morning star, shed his peaceful light on our troubled world as we follow him on that journey of salvation. 

The Second Sunday after Christmas 2021

What we have just heard as the Gospel passage for this morning, as well as being Sacred Scripture, is one of the great masterpieces of world literature.  It is proof, if proof be needed, of  co-authorship with the Holy Spirit. You only have to compare it with surviving contemporary documents, or with the work of early Christian writers, to experience its paramountcy. The Talmud of the Jews, Islam’s Quran, the  Buddhist Sutras, the Hindu Vedas, all claim outside inspiration, but nothing compares with the prologue to the Gospel of John. 

Scholars tell us that it must have been written between the years 90 and 110 of the Christian Era. It is unlikely, they say, that John the apostle, son of Zededee, brother of James, was the author, even though tradition has named the gospel for him.

         All we know is that these words were written by a follower of Jesus known as ‘the beloved disciple.’  The conclusion to the Gospel reads:  ‘This disciple is the one who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his testimony is true.’ But who he is remains a mystery. Many have been put forward as possibilities. Nathanael, Thomas, Lazarus. Of these, to my mind,  Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, is the most intriguing. The gospel says explicitly that Jesus loved him [John 11:37]; he would then have taken Mary, the mother of Jesus, back to his home at Bethany where he lived with his sisters Mary and Martha. It would make sense of  ‘the rumour that  went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die’ [as recorded in John 21: verse 23]. Lazarus had already been raised from the dead. 

         But all of this is speculation. What is not speculation, and what remains the miracle for us, is the text we possess and the one we have just heard read: ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.’  Someone, somewhere,  nineteen hundred or so years ago, took out a pen and wrote down these words. Those who have ever written themselves will know that beginning is the crucial thing. A good beginning, and you’re on your way. But you have to start with a big bang. ‘In the beginning was the word . . .’ is taken directly from the beginning of the Book  of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible, where God is described as creating the whole universe. Here God begins to recreate everything in God’s own image.

         The story of Jesus in this Gospel never mentions his birth, does away with the crib, ignores the place, the time and  the circumstances of his arrival. No shepherds, no angels, no Christmas Crib. ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’  The incarnation here is a cosmic event, going back to the dawn of creation. Jesus is ‘the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world’ as the Book of Revelation, also written by the beloved disciple, puts it. [Agnus qui occisus est ab origine mundi’ [Rev. 13:8]

         If you have come to the Christmas crib this year, looking for a child in swaddling clothes lying in a manger surrounded by sheep, donkeys, oxen and shepherds, forget it: the prologue to this Gospel tells you that the word was made flesh, and that you are the child you have been looking for.

The essential message of this Gospel, and the kernel of this extraordinary  piece of creative writing, is that fullness from Him is something which we have, each and every one of us; it is that grace upon grace, the power to become children of God. You are the incarnation this Christmas, you are the word made flesh, you are the holy one of God. You’ve got to believe it, and to act accordingly, otherwise the mystery of  Christmas cannot be carried through to this improbable new year we have just entered.

 ‘No one has ever seen God.  It is up to you, who are nearest to the Father’s heart, to make God known . . .   [John, 1:18] . . .   in 2021. 

MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

Glenstal, Friday, 01 January, 2021. Num 6:22-27; Gal 4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21

WE sing of a maiden that is matchless. 

King of all kings for her son she chose.

Mother and maiden there was never ever one but she; 

Well may such a lady God’s mother be.

Listening to today’s readings on the principal feast of Our Lady we may be a little puzzled by the clear focus of these readings on Jesus her Son, on the angels and the shepherds and not on Mary herself. In fact, in the gospel reading from St Luke, she is mentioned by name only twice: once as being with Joseph and the infant Jesus in the stable and again – and perhaps more importantly – she is mentioned as treasuring in her heart all the things that had happened and pondering them – or, perhaps a better translation would be that she ‘ kept with concern all these events ,interpreting them in her heart.’ So, on Mary’s major feast one might have expected a more prominent mention. She does indeed feature more prominently in the chants and prayers of the Mass, but, as in all Eucharistic liturgy, the primary focus of the scriptural readings is on the person of her Son, on the unfolding and reality of the mystery which he is and which he offers and opens to us. 

In the Orthodox Churches – and to a lesser extent in the iconography of the Western Church – Mary is frequently shown pointing towards her Son. She is the one who is showing, smoothing, knowing, the way to that Son. Having restored this feast on 1^st January some years before, Pope Paul VI said in 1974 about Mary, ‘…she is held up as an example to the faithful for the way in which in her own particular life she fully and responsibly accepted the will of God, because she heard the word of God and acted on it, and because charity and the spirit of service were the driving force of her actions. She is worthy of imitation because she was the first and most perfect of Christ’s disciples.’

Aware of the greatness conceded to her by God, Mary recognizes her littleness before him. She is not, however, humiliated by the greatness of God, but recognizes Him as the almighty One, merciful to all. The merciful goodness he has shown to her is a favour to us all.

Jesus says ‘Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful’. We are called to become aware of the great things that the grace of Christ does to and in us. We are called to cry out, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, for he has seen our lowliness and has placed us in service of the Kingdom.’ Because of Mary we are made able to transform the suffering of a people by crossing from an individualistic, privatized religion to faith capable of transforming the structures of a world perverted by evil.

It was this same evil that corrupted Eve in the Garden of paradise, this same evil that was destroyed to its very core by the woman Mary who never tasted the fruit of sin but allowed to grow within her the fruit of the tree of life, Jesus himself. In glory, Mary continues to be the handmaid of the Lord, helper of all the people of God. She is constantly, as at Cana, repeating, ‘They have no more wine!’ She continues to be attentive to the afflictions of, the persecutions suffered by a suffering humanity, which are, in fact afflictions and persecutions aimed at her Son. She is persecuted by the Dragon, and thus becomes the symbol of the Church persecuted in the world by so many dragons. But, clinging as we do to the cliffs of the heart we believe and hope against hope that these will come to an end and evil will finally be overcome.

Whatever Mary was and is flows solely from the merits of Christ. It was in view of these merits that she was conceived without sin. It is impossible to separate any of Mary’s roles and realities from the Resurrection. Mary’s life, her death, her Assumption, are grace-filled confirmations of the certainty that Christ has conquered death not only for Himself, but for everyone. Christ’s Resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection.

Mary’s true greatness is to be found in her faith, which caused her to ‘conceive first of all in her heart, before ever in her womb…’ ‘Blessed is she who believed…’ Indeed, when she accepted the message given her by the angel she accepted as well all the consequences it implied. St Ambrose tells us: ‘…You too, who have heard and have believed, are blessed. Every soul who has believed both conceives and generates the Word of God and recognizes his works. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one of you to exult in God. According to the flesh one woman is the mother of Christ, but according to faith, Christ is the fruit of all men. Every soul, indeed, receives the Word of God…The soul who has been able to reach this state magnifies the Lord, as Mary’s soul magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her saviour.

But, Mary, alone of our race, has arrived at that final state of glory for which we are still yearning and striving, she alone can sing as one who has experienced the fullness of the reality:

Finish then Thy new creation.

Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see Thy great salvation,

Perfectly restored in Thee;

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heaven we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before Thee,

Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Dear Friend, 

Very few of us will ever forget the year that has just passed. The year 2020 has left its mark on our lives in so many ways and it is hard to believe that we are facing into the coming year in a level five lockdown. How many of us would have thought last spring that we would still be in this situation at the start of 2021? With the arrival of the vaccine, however, there is hope on the horizon and the coming year is not shaping up to be a simple repeat of the year just past. 

As we end a very difficult twelve months and look forward in hope to the New Year, I want to send you the grateful thanks and prayers of the monastic community for your support over this difficult period. So many of you have been in touch with us to say how much you appreciate participating in our liturgical celebrations via the webcam; the podcasts; online retreats and YouTube videos of the brethren. We in the community greatly appreciate your continued encouragement and support. 

I wish all of you and your loved ones every blessing for 2021 and I invite you to join with me in remembering the vulnerable among us, especially those who are ill or in hospital. We ask God, who is good, to be close to all who are in need at this time. We remember too all those who have gone to their eternal reward in this past year and those they have left behind. Finally, with gratitude and hope we offer our thanks to all those who are working to combat this virus and keep us safe. With a sense of joy we look forward to this coming year, our hearts filled with hope and trust. 

With every blessing for a peaceful and safe New Year,

Brendan Coffey OSB

Abbot of Glenstal Abbey

(B) The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 

Glenstal, 27.12.2020, 10:00 a.m.

Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3 Hebrews 18:11-12, 17-19 Luke 2:22-40

We are told in the Letter to the Hebrews that by faith Abraham and Sarah were given innumerable descendants (cf. Heb 11:11-12), and that equally by faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up his only son Isaac (cf. Heb 11:17). Isaac is to be understood as prefiguring Jesus Christ, and therefore the sacred author goes on to say that, figuratively speaking, Abraham received back his beloved son alive as someone whom God had raised from the dead (cf. Heb 11:19).

This story of the sacrifice of Isaac, narrated in chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis, is also the backdrop to the gospel we have just heard. St Luke tells us: “When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (Lk 2:22). In this passage the key word is “to present”, a translation of the Greek verb paristánai, which also means “to offer”. So in the Temple at Jerusalem Mary and Joseph offered their son as a sacrifice to God with no less faith than their ancestor Abraham had shown when he bound up his only son Isaac to be immolated as a sacrificial lamb. The latter, however, was simply a foreshadowing of the former, for the offering up of Jesus in the Temple was a true cultic act, which anticipated the laying down of his life upon the cross for the salvation of the world. 

And this finds confirmation in the prophetic words uttered by Simeon: Now, Lord, you are letting your servant go in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples; a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32). Here Jesus is clearly identified with the mysterious figure of the Suffering Servant whom the Prophet Isaiah calls a light to the nations (Is 42:6; 49:6). Indeed the child that Simeon took into his arms and blessed was the one chosen from all eternity to bring God’s light to the whole world. But in order to fulfil his universal mission and see an offspring, the Servant had to give his life as a sin offering (cf. Is 53:10) – as the prophet Isaiah also points out – and so it was through the cross of his Son Jesus Christ that God fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations (Gen 17:4).

But at this point we might us just take a step back and ask ourselves whether Mary and Joseph were fully aware that their Son was entering the Temple in Jerusalem as the Lord’s Messiah (Lk 2:26) to be greeted by Simeon and Ana as representatives of the faithful Israel. St Luke says that the child’s mother and father were amazed at what was being said about him (Lk 2:33). It is therefore unlikely that as events unfolded they were able to grasp the full significance of all that was being accomplished and foretold concerning the Child Jesus. Be that as it may, however, there is at least one sure fact that transpires from the gospel narrative: both Mary and Joseph were themselves faithful members of the people of God, intent on bringing up their Son according to the Law of Moses, and by their faith and their fidelity to the will of God, as expressed in the Law and the Prophets, they enabled Jesus to fulfil his mission as the Lord’s Messiah. Isn’t this mystery a perfect expression of what a Christian family is called to be? Indeed the true vocation of this community within the Church that we call a family is essentially to listen to the word of God and faithfully act upon it, so that the light of Christ may enlighten the minds and hearts of all, and the Lord’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (cf. Is 49:6).

In this final episode from Series 2 of the Mindful Monk, Father Simon talks about beginning anew every day:

Christmas Midnight Mass 2020

         Never before at midnight on Christmas Eve has our church been this empty, but at least we still have the Christmas crib, or do we? One media outlet carried this tongue-in-cheek announcement regarding the 2020 COVID crib: A maximum of four shepherds, all under seventy, wearing masks and observing social distancing. Joseph, Mary and the baby can remain together, as they are a family unit. The arrival of the Magi is delayed to observe quarantine regulations and facilitate a COVID test and they can’t meet Herod on the way to Bethlehem this year as he is self-isolating. No hovering angels because of the aerosol effect produced by their flapping wings, and all other non-essential crib participants should join via the webcam! One exception is allowed – Pontius Pilate can make a special appearance as he is a fully qualified instructor in the correct procedure for hand washing! 

COVID restrictions are of course necessary this year and they are even a sign of our mutual love and care. They are the responsible thing to do. There was no pandemic in Greccio, the place where St Francis inspired the first Christmas Crib in 1223; however, Naples is the place where the Christmas Crib became an art form. A Neapolitan master nativity maker is a true artist and the Via San Gregorio Armeno in the heart of Naples is the street where Naples’ master nativity makers ply their trade. While a Neapolitan Crib can be great fun for children, it is also a profound reflection on the Nativity and on the gospel. 

The Neapolitan Nativity is not set in a stable as one might expect, but in the ruins of a pagan Roman temple, symbolising the birth of Christianity from the ruins of the ancient religions. It also reminds us of how God entered a ruined world to bring us hope and to reveal his love. 

The apparition of the angels to the astonished shepherds, is the second scene. The mystery has to be proclaimed and this task falls to us as we leave here this night. 

Finally, we come to the tavern scene. Here the characters are in a merry mood, hardly noticing the momentous event, taking place down the street. They represent the hostility of the innkeepers of Bethlehem who failed to give shelter to Mary and Joseph. They represent the indifference within us to this Divine intervention. 

         However, the most interesting feature is that this Neapolitan nativity scene is not set in distant Bethlehem, but in Naples. Christ is born in Naples and the figures are all Neapolitans. Neither is the Nativity an event of the past, it is of the present. You will find mingling among the crowds of shepherds, Magi, angels, innkeepers, and others some Neapolitan tradesmen; you might see Pope Francis, Joe Biden, Cristiano Ronaldo, or even Queen Elizabeth strolling down the street. The Nativity is real, it is happening now and it is happening to me. Not forgotten in the Neapolitan crib are the beggars and the homeless, who know only the wealth of the heart. They too have every right to be present on this holy night. Christ is born in Bethlehem, in Greccio, in Naples, in Murroe and in wherever it is you are this night covid or no covid. At Greccio in 1223, there were no statues; the nativity scene was enacted and experienced by all who were present, because we are all part of this great mystery. As St Ambrose asked so long ago, “where is Christ born, in the most profound sense, if not in your heart and your soul?” 

         What we have in the Christmas story is a terrible desire on God’s part to be with us. Jesus is Love incarnate. He is not simply another philosopher or guru; he is not just another holy man with another set of teachings. He is the meaning of life and history who has pitched his tent in our midst and his flesh is the hinge of salvation. The Christmas crib sets before us the great mystery we call life. In the words of Pope Francis, “In a world which all too often is merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin, we are called to cultivate a strong sense of justice. In a world of indifference which not infrequently turns cruel, we are called instead to be people filled with empathy, compassion and mercy.” Come let us adore him.

If there is any word to take away from today’s readings, it is ‘Rejoice!’. The word ‘Greetings!’, which we heard at the start of today’s gospel, is one translation of the original Greek ‘kiare’. Another translation is  ‘Hail!’, and we use that when we recite today’s gospel as a prayer, the ‘Hail Mary’. But ‘Rejoice’ is the full sense of ‘kiare’ and expresses best of all the angel’s greeting. ‘Rejoice!’ To exult. It is the only possible response to a recognition of the momentous event which is happening: Christ coming into the world, God finally fulfilling his promises, throwing in his lots with what are now his fellow human beings. It is for Mary to rejoice! It is what the shepherds in the fields will do when the angels ‘bring news of great joy, kiare; the Saviour has been born, Christ the Lord’. It is what the apostles did, we are told, after the resurrection: ‘they rejoiced to see the Lord’. We too are invited to rejoice at what is in effect the beginning of the New Testament, God’s new covenant with all humanity. ‘ 

And the angel continues: ‘Full of grace!, or, truer to the original, as we heard, ‘favoured one’. It is not that Mary is filled with anything; she is favoured by God’s magnanimity! Grace has often been represented as a divine fluid or power but, rather, it is the unmerited favour of a sovereign ruler who needs to justify his choices to no one. And what is that favour? ‘The Lord is with you.’ That is the gift: He is with her; he is in our midst. This is the marvel of the incarnation, of Christmas.

And it seems, for some at least, that he has been a long time coming and that it is also a long time before his ‘Second coming’ and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God! The psalmist evokes our long wait’ very well. He writes: 

“Lord, my God, I call for help by day; I cry at night before you. 
My soul is on the brink of the grave. I am reckoned as one in the tomb; 
like the slain lying in their graves; like those you remember no more.
                           My one companion is darkness.’

That is where we would be without the Saviour. How many of us have experienced this! and even are experiencing it! The meaning of Christmas is that we are not alone in such a dark place, without the knowledge or love of God. And for some that darkness means very great hardships, today for instance, in many parts of the world. 

To know that one is not alone, that God is with one, Emmanuel, makes all the difference. It will not resolve our problems but it can change the way we approach them and their hold over us; it changes the way we respond to them. It is like the child, or a person at any stage of life, who, knowing he / she is loved,  can therefore remain calm in adversity, has the courage and ability to endure, and can even perhaps go to the point of death in the sure hope of the resurrection. 

Faith like this, in God’s trustworthiness, in his presence, is what made Mary’s faith exemplary; she had no end of perplexity and reversals in her life! St  Paul too, in today’s reading to the Roman, praises God for, as he says, giving his readers ‘the strength to live according to the Good News that he preaches’.   

One thousand years before the coming of Christ, King David had vowed to build the temple of which the foundations still lie in modern Jerusalem. Dare we say that he never understood the kind of temple it was to prefigure, the real temple, the people in which he takes up his residence, us, Emmanuel. And Mary, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, would only gradually come to such an understanding. 

We too are called to live with an heroic faith in God’s continued presence in our world and let it stand the test of time. Christians today, are called on to rejoice in it, to make it visible and to allow raise the morale of all and let it guide decision-making in these troubled time – by acts of love which go beyond a more or less selfish purpose. The need for this is great today. We need only look around us. And if practical help is not possible for us to give let us at least pray that the hope our God gives may reach those most in need of it.

In this episode of the Mindful Monk, Father Simon talks with Nóirín Ní Riain about prayer and Psalm 121:

Our series on the Icons of Glenstal Abbey comes to a close but will remain as a playlist on our YouTube channel for personal and communal prayer. May all viewers echo in prayer the words of Peter at the Transfiguration: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” (Mt 17:4)