PRAYING IN SEASON

Aftermath of Pilot pause for prayer

FLYING LESSONS

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‘ So heavenly minded as to be of no earthly use’ is an indictment often directed at Christians who seem more caught up with the ‘pieties’ of their Faith rather than the practical outworking of it. This phrase popped into my head as I read of the court hearing in Italy under this dramatic headline-PILOT WHO PAUSED TO PRAY…GETS 10 YEARS. According to this report a Tunisian pilot , back in 2005 paused to pray instead of implementing the emergency procedures before crash-landing his plane, killing 16 people. Investigators identified a malfunctioning fuel-gauge as the primary cause of the crash but also found that the pilot panicked and prayed aloud instead of operating emergency measures which could have landed the aircraft at a nearby airport.
Spurgeon the eminent 19 th. Century preacher once said… “ Far be it from me ever to say a word in disparagement of the holy, happy, heavenly exercise of prayer. But, beloved, there are times when prayer is not enough-when prayer itself is out of season.”
I think Chesley Sullenberger the pilot who incredibly landed his stricken plane in the Hudson river without loss of life had the right perspective. When asked by a reporter had he at any point prayed, he replied, “ I would imagine somebody in the back was taking care of that for me while I was flying the plane.”

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Gerard O'Shea

FRIENDSHIP

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FORGIVING...REMEMBERING

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When we hurt each other

we should write it down in sand,

so the winds of forgiveness

can make it go away for good.
When we help each other

we should chisel it in stone,

so that

we may never forget

the love of a friend.

Christian H. Godefray

SPRING AT BARRINGTON'S PIER

Trumpeting yellow at Barringtons Pier

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THE DAFFODILS

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

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Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

JOSEF FRITZYL - ONE OF US ?

Josef Fritzyl - the face of evil ?

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A LIFE SENTENCE

The conviction in Austria today of Josef Fritzyl for locking his daughter in a cellar over 22 years, fathering seven children with her, and causing the death of an infant son, raises some questions about the nature of and our attitude to evil in our world.
The tabloid frenzy in this case dubbed Fritzyl a ‘monster, and words like ‘depraved’, ‘sadistic’, and ‘horrific’ were used to hammer home the point that he was not like one of us. We are comforted by this distancing of his truly awful acts from the decent ordinary lives that the rest of us supposedly lead! But the only hitch in this scenario is that Josef Fritzyl is 'one of us', just as Hitler and Stalin and a whole gallery of ‘monsters’ down through the ages were also 'one of us'.
Fritzyl’s lawyer really threw a spanner into the simplistic black and white, good and evil world of the tabloid press when he said that, “Fritzyl has a heart and a mind which drive him and needs which destroy him. But he wants to change, there’s good in him.” And this is the rub, is someone who does wicked things all bad or can there be something good in him ? And conversely is somebody who appears right and wholesome ,hiding a darker and more sinister nature ? Strangely many so called ‘good living’ people would be outraged at either suggestion while the Bible, the book that purports to speak for God actually says time and time again that both scenarios are true. Yes, though evil and disobedient (to Gods Law) we still have the capacity to become children of God ! And no, even though we may appear wholly upright and true, there is a nature within that leads us to wrongdoing and wickedness.

Detail from Michelangelo's Last Judgement

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The Bible pulls no punches when it describes the human heart as being ‘deceitfully wicked’, and neither does it shy away from our true potential when it promises a new heart and a new start for everyone born of God’s Spirit. Our original Divine blueprint was for perfect goodness but through disobedience that plan was scuppered and we stepped out of our fellowship with the Father. Since that ‘Fall’ we are wired towards evil and only through Redemption can we be restored to Grace and friendship with our Creator.
Even Fritzyl with his litany of heinous deeds, can through Gods Grace become redeemed and renewed. If we deny him that possibility we deny it for ourselves. The Bible is explicitly clear, declaring, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (1) , and equally emphatic when it extends to all Gods own invitation : “ Come let us reason together and though you sins are red as scarlet I will make them white as snow” (2)
At the end of the day Josef Fritzyl stood before a judge and jury and to everyone’s astonishment admitted his guilt and expressed his sorrow for what he had done. We might be sceptical about his sincerity, but the more pressing issue for each one of us is that we are not deluded ourselves, into overlooking the depraved and sinister intent that can underpin even our most ostensibly noble actions.
For Fritzyl the sentence has been passed and he will spend the remainder of his days on this earth deprived of his liberty and like you and I , he will soon face the Divine Arbiter who will pronounce an eternal sentence. Like the thief crucified beside Jesus we can turn towards the Saviour, acknowledge our wrongdoings and ask Him to remember us. How sweet then to hear those words, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise” (3)

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Gerard O'Shea

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(1)...Jeremiah 17:9 (2)...Isaiah 1:18 (3)...Luke 23:43

PATRICK'S PRAYER

This carving of Patrick adorns a

church entrance at Maynooth

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PRAYER FOR PROTECTION

This is taken from a Prayer called 'The Lorca' attributed to Patrick

the original evangelizer of Ireland. Whoever actually

first made it, this is a powerful prayer for protection,

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to secure me:against snares of devils,

against temptations of vices,

against inclinations of nature,

against everyone who shall wish me ill,

afar and near, alone and in a crowd.

I summon today all these powers between me (and these evils):

against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and my soul,

against incantations of false prophets,

against black laws of heathenry,

against false laws of heretics,

against craft of idolatry,

against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

against every knowledge that endangers man's body and soul.

Christ to protect me today against poison,

against burning, against drowning,against wounding,

so that there may come abundance of reward.

FACING THE STORMS

Jesus calms the storm

As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

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JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL

Jesus, lover of my soul,

let me to thy bosom fly,

while the nearer waters roll,

while the tempest still is high.

Hide me, O my Savior, hide,

till the storm of life is past;

safe into the haven guide;

O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,

hangs my helpless soul on thee;

leave, ah! leave me not alone,

still support and comfort me.

All my trust on thee is stayed,

all my help from thee I bring;

cover my defenseless head

with the shadow of thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call?

Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?

Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—

Lo! on Thee I cast my care:

Reach me out Thy gracious hand!

While I of Thy strength receive,

Hoping against hope I stand,

Dying, and, behold, I live!

Charles Wesley

The circumstance of the writing of this hymn is interesting. The story goes that Charles Wesley was roused from his sleep one night by a terrible storm. Being unable to rest he got up, put on his dressing-gown, and, opening his casement window stood looking out upon the stormy scene. Suddenly a bird, exhausted by the wind, and hotly pursued by a hawk, flew through the open window right into Charles Wesley's breast for protection. Having saved the bird and placed it in security, he turned to his desk and wrote this immortal hymn, so realistic and descriptive of the fear and intense longing of the anxious soul to find safety and rest.

BLACK CHURCH IN IRELAND

Hope for Ireland

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THE AFRICAN APOSTLES

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A welcome side-effect of the recent increase in immigration to this country has been the upsurge of black Pentecostal Churches which have sprung up over the last ten years. Many Irish towns and cities now have groups of mostly African people gathering together for fellowship and worship. The Irish Times magazine today ran a feature on this new phenomena visiting The Jesus Centre in Dublin, headquarters of the Redeemed Church of God, the largest of the African-led Pentecostal churches. The Redeemed church has 72 branches in 25 countries, while in Ireland there are an estimated 360 migrant-led churches spread throughout the country. Other denominational groups include Mountain Fire and Miracle Ministries and the Celestial Church of Christ, both part of a worldwide Pentecostal revival. The Times reporter observes ‘ Ireland is on the coat-tails of a global trend here. From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the streets of Guatemala City, Pentecostalism has been growing quicker than anyone can keep count; many think it may be the world’s fastest-growing religious movement.’ And this is all taking place in an Ireland where traditional church attendance has been in steady decline, Roman Catholic attendance dropped from a staggering figure of 87% in 1961 to below 50% in 2006.

Vibrant soulful worship

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Some of the excesses of Pentecostal practise such as their emphasis on healing and the ‘prosperity gospel’ may not sit easily with the religious sensibilities of conservative Catholics, but their vibrant song-led worship and emphasis on a personal relationship with the Creator may be just the refreshing antidote to a traditional church often weighed down with moribund religious practise. It would not be the first time that ‘the foreigner’ has been used by God to shake this nation from its spiritual slumber. In a few days the national saint, Patrick will be commemorated, the slave-boy who returned to this island with the Good News of the Gospel. It’s a matter of opinion as to how rich Patrick’s legacy is to this day, as the pure and simple message preached by him seems to hark back to the early Christian witness rather than to the present mission of the traditional churches. Patrick’s message has been carried here by the Catholic church and the minority Protestant groups, however many would feel that these institutions have lost their way and became too entrenched in the political landscape to be of much ‘gospel’ use.

Our national Apostle

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In the 1970’s there was a brief revival of New Testament Christianity as people from various backrounds ( this writer included) came under the sound of the Gospel and experienced the life-changing power of the New Birth as explained by Jesus in John’s gospel, chapter 3.Several new independent churches evolved at that time, as well as the Charismatic Movement which had a profound effect on many Catholics bringing them back to Christ and a fresh appreciation of the Bible. Also the ranks of older Protestant churches swelled as new Christians sought out places to fellowship and learn more of the Scriptures. Some Anglican churches , and Baptist and Brethren groups who embraced what God was doing at that time were revitalised by the influx of these newly converted believers. Perhaps today in these secularised times where people are faced with the uncertainty of the future and the supports of a more favourable economic era are unravelling, the Gospel may find a fresh and relevant expression through the witness of these new Black churches. The challenge for the new groups is to reach out to the indigenous Irish and share the Message beyond the confines of their own members. If they can do this we may well at a future time have occasion to celebrate their arrival among us with the same fervour as we pay to Patrick on the 17 th of March ! Certainly we need another Apostolic visitation to show us the way back to the True Path, where our worth is not determined by the Dow Jones or the latest Interest rate, but in the truth of our eternal destiny , created in the image of a Holy God. Our African brothers and sisters may yet bring more to this island than their skills and labour. As they live the lives purposed for them by the Lord, their witness can be a light in a dark place to which seeking hearts will be drawn.

Gerard O'Shea