A Pope's Prayer
O Mary, Help of Christians,
in our need we turn to you with eyes of love,
with empty hands and longing hearts.
We look to you that we may see your Son, our Lord.
We lift our hands that we may have the bread of Life.
We open wide our hearts to receive the Prince of Peace.
Mother of the church,
your sons and daughters thank you for your trusting word
that echoes through the ages,
rising from an empty soul made full of grace,
prepared by God to welcome the Word to the world
that the world itself might be reborn.
In you, the reign of God has dawned,
a reign of grace and peace, love and justice,
born from the depths of the Word made flesh.
The Church throughout the world joins you in praising him
whose mercy is from age to age.
(Pope John Paul II)
Bouquets and Flowers For Every Event...
This information is intended for parents of school-age children and teachers who are imparting Religious Education within a Catholic school environment.
PASTORAL NOTES FOR MAY
The contents of these documents are related to the present day teaching of the Catholic Church in relation to Doctrine, Liturgy and Catholic practices. There are also special sections on Catholic Marriage and arranging a funeral in the Catholic Church.
Dates To Remember
1st May
St. Joseph the Worker
5th May
Alan Shepherd, First US Astronaut in Space, 1961
13th May
Pope John Paul II shot 1981
14th May
St. Matthias, Apostle
15th May
Our Lady of Fatima
21st May
Ascension Thursday
26th May
St. Philip Neri
29th May
Conquest of Mount Everest 1953
31st May
Pentecost Sunday
MARY'S MONTH
With that world of good, Nature's motherhood.
Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her store
Magnify the Lord.
(Gerard Manley Hopkins)
Feeling bewildered?
My God,
I have no idea where I am going:
I do not see the road ahead of me;
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am
following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact
please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that Iam doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from
that desire. And I know that if I do this you will
lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always, though I may
seem to be lost in the shadow of death. I will not
fear, for you are ever with me and you will never
leave me to face my perils alone.
(Thomas Merton)
Ascension (Date Varies)
The Ascension is not about Christ leaving us, but about his going before us. Those who gather to celebrate this feast are far from being orphans abandoned to their own religious devices. The Ascension Day liturgical assembly gathers to celebrate the virtue of hope, conscious that its prayers are to the God whose Son has now passed from our sight, but its songs vibrate with the faith-filled conviction that where Christ has gone it will surely follow.
Something To Think About (For Teachers)
What is a Psalm?
Basically a psalm is a religiouslyric. This means that it can be a prayer, a poem, a song, or even all three. The bible contains 150 psalms of all different types of sentiment, ranging over the whole gamut of human experience from the heights of elation to the depths of despair. They are attributed to King David, not because people believe that he wrote every single one of them, but because he acts as a figurehead expressing Israel's response to God in all the ups and downs of life. Unfortunately, due to the vagaries of history the psalms are numbered differently depending on which version of the bible you are using. Some bibles follow the Hebrew numeration while others follow the Greek or Latin sequence. Generally speaking (for most of the psalms but not all!) the Hebrew is one number in front of the Greek. So, for example, if you are looking for the psalm "The Lord is my shepherd" you will find it either under number 22 or 23. (All references in this leaflet are to the Greek numeration.)
Types of Psalms
Because the psalms were originally written as a response to Israel's religious, political and cultural history, they deal first and foremost with how people react in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. So among the different groups of psalms we find:
Royal psalms (2,18,21,72,110,132,144 etc) were written for enthronements of the kings, prayer before battle in time of war, thanksgiving after victory etc. Christians spiritualised these to take on the meaning of God's kingship and the messiahship of Jesus.
Hymn psalms (8,19,29,33,46,48,65,67,68, etc) usually invite us to praise God, then tell us why we ought to do this before concluding with a blessing or a request.
Thanksgiving psalms (30,32,40,66,124 etc), as their name implies, tell how God has rescued a person or given them a particular gift and then they bless God for the saving action.
Historical psalms (78,105,etc) trace how God has had a hand in the history of the nation and exhort us to remain faithful to our covenant with God.
Confidence psalms (23,27,121 etc) are prayers or songs that inspire us to trust in God, often in the face of adversity.
Lamentation psalms (3,5,13,22,26,44,60,74, etc), either individual or group, ask for God's help in a particular need, explaining why the Lord should act and expressing confidence in God's swift aid.
There are also other mixed categories, including prophetic psalms and wisdom psalms that reflect on various problems and then try to offer a solution.
Useful Web Links
St Joseph the Worker
Philip & James
Our Lady of Fatima
St Bernadine of Sienna
Rita of Cascia
Philip Neri
For More Information Contact : tjc.chambers@gmail.com