Dear Friends,
As we journey towards Christmas, the days continue to get darker and the darkness of uncertainty and fear seems to be deeper than ever. But we journey towards a promise, the promise of a Light which will come into the world, which the darkness will not overcome, a Light which will lead us out of the land of shadow. Trusting in the promise of this Light, so often symbolised by candles at Christmas, we offer you a poem and some music for reflection.
May your hearts and homes be filled with the Light of God With Us this Christmas. May you and yours be blessed with peace, love and hope.
Dympna
The Candlelight Carol by John Rutter
(Click on the image below)
Martin Byrne, a member of our Advisory Committee, has shared this reflection, reminding us that Christmas is, above all, the story of God with the excluded and the marginalised
May the Mystery of Christmas Continue to Disturb Us into 2022
At Christmas 2019, a Dublin inner-city church was packed with respectfully dressed middle aged and elderly people, along with a sprinkling of excited children. The carols, the crib and the candles gave a warm glow to the cold winter darkness. The people went to receive communion, standing in line in front of the altar, and a woman - bedraggled, smelly, distracted and clearly mentally ill - joined the line. The priest approached, flinched, and then passed her by without a word or gesture. She returned to her place, confused and distressed, dug into her bag, and pulled out a package of stale bread, evidently intended for the Royal Canal ducks struggling with the recent ice. She broke off a piece, ate it, turned to her neighbour and said simply in her soft Dublin accent; "Body of Christ." The neighbour feigned deep prayer, and people nearby avoided eye contact; one told her, rudely to "shhh!" Then after several tries, a young woman with dark Gothic eyes and several face piercings looked her straight in the eye, took the proffered bread with respect and reverence, and said simply, "Amen"
(Story above adapted from Anthony Gittens, "Eucharist Flesh and Spirit", RLR, Nov 2010, pp. 337 – 356)
“Christmas belongs finally and fundamentally to those who are excluded from its celebration.” Aidan Mathews, In the Poorer Quarter, p 218.
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