PARISH BULLETIN. 4 th Sunday of Easter. Psalm response. The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

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1 PARISH BULLETIN St Kieran Catholic Church in Campbeltown and Islay 22 nd April th Sunday of Easter Psalm response The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Gospel acclamation Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me. Alleluia! Communion Antiphon The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia! St. Kieran s Mon., Tues., Thurs, & Fri. No Mass Wednesday Holy Mass am Saturday NO Vigil Mass 5 th Sunday of Easter Holy Mass am Holy Mass pm Rosary on the Coast (Dunaverty) 3.00 pm Islay (St. Columba s Church, Bridgend) 6 th Sunday of Easter, 6 th May, 4.00 pm Holy Mass, and ACN appeal Pentecost Sunday, 20 th May, 4.00 pm Holy Mass A Parish of the R.C. Diocese of Argyll and the Isles; Charitable Trust, a registered Scottish Charity, SC Parish Priest: Fr. A. Wood, St. Kieran s, Campbeltown; Tel

2 Invest just five minutes a day, and your faith will deepen and grow a day at a time. Monday, Apr 23, 2018 MEMORIAL OF SAINT ADALBERT OF PRAGUE, BISHOP, MARTYR Take a stand Back in the year 983, a young man of 27 named Adalbert was thrust into the role of bishop of Prague at a time of controversy and strife between the newly baptized and those who did not accept Christianity. Adalbert opposed the slave trade and the polygamy common among the people, making him unpopular. After unsuccessfully attempting to protect a woman convicted of adultery from a mob, he responded by excommunicating the murderers. He was forced into exile for standing up for his beliefs, but he created ethical standards that later generations could point to and take as their own. It takes courage sometimes to stick to your beliefs. But you do have role models! TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 11:1-18; John 10:1-10. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Tuesday, Apr 24, 2018 MEMORIAL OF SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, PRIEST, MARTYR Born again to the same job Lawyers are traditionally the butt of jokes for their ability to take any side of an argument. But many put their skills to use in the cause of justice. Saint Fidelis (d. 1622), nicknamed the Poor Man s Lawyer, decided to speak out only for the sake of the gospel. He joined the Capuchins and persuaded many through his preaching, his kindness as a confessor, and his devotion to the sick. Consider how your words and actions today have the power to testify for or against the gospel you believe. TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 11:19-26; John 10: My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. Wednesday, Apr 25, 2018 FEAST OF SAINT MARK, EVANGELIST Worth another read Probably written about 40 years after Christ s Resurrection, the Gospel of Mark is our closest and freshest gospel on the events of Jesus life. Like any great reporter, the evangelist does not insinuate himself into the story, which leaves us uncertain as to who he was. He could be the John Mark who was a cousin of Barnabas and associate of Paul, the Mark who is a later assistant to Peter, or both. One thing we do know is that he heeded Jesus commission to proclaim the Good News to all the world. Generations of believers have heard or read Mark s story. Even if you ve read it a hundred times, Mark s gospel is worth another read.

3 TODAY'S READINGS: 1 Peter 5:5b-14; Mark 16: Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News! Thursday, Apr 26, 2018 EASTER WEEKDAY Wash up for supper In the ancient world, when sandals were common footwear, foot-washing was an act of hospitality offered by a host when guests arrived at a house. Typically guests washed their own feet or a servant washed them, but a host wishing to show great respect for guests might do the washing himself. Jesus sends us a clear signal by washing His disciples feet at the Last Supper. If we are willing to serve others with the same spirit of humility and hospitality, there will be a place at the eternal banquet for us as well. TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 13:13-25; John 13: When Jesus had washed the disciples feet, he said to them: Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master. Friday, Apr 27, 2018 EASTER WEEKDAY Find your own path Modern gurus abound on talk shows and blogs, full of advice about how you should live your life. Some of their suggestions may be helpful; the best ones are borrowed from folk wisdom, good psychology, or even scripture, once or twice removed. Jesus has already issued the invitation to illuminate your path by following his way. Saint Anthony Claret ( ) underscored this invitation with a telling directive: Choose now what you would wish to have chosen at life s end. At every fork in the road, keep this suggestion in mind. TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 13:26-33; John 14:1-6. Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. Saturday, Apr 28, 2018 MEMORIAL OF SAINT PETER CHANEL, PRIEST, MARTYR Let God work in God s ways Saint Peter Chanel was martyred in 1841 at the age of 38 on the island of Futuna in Oceania. He anticipated such an end to his life, hoping that it would bring about the conversion of the island s inhabitants to Christianity. It did. And while some may have initially converted due to fear of reprisal by the French for killing their missionary, this also shows how God works in mysterious ways, ways most of us cannot expect. Peter expected God to work his wonders. How often do you let go and let God take control? Indulge in some great expectations today. TODAY'S READINGS: Acts 13:44-52; John 14:7-14 (284). Whatever you ask in my name, I will do.

4 READINGS FOR the 4 th SUNDAY of EASTER Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12 The salvation of the world is the Crucified One. Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 The stone rejected by the religious is the cornerstone of faith. 1 John 3:1-2 Born as children of the world, we are now God s children. John 10:11-18 The good shepherd protects his sheep, even with his life. The Face of the Risen Lord Every Christian who celebrates the mystery of the resurrection is invited to contemplate the face of the Risen Lord. To contemplate is nothing more than to gaze with the eyes of your heart. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord (John 20:20). Every Christian who celebrates the mystery of the resurrection is invited to contemplate the face of the Risen Lord. To contemplate is nothing more than to gaze with the eyes of your heart (Eph 1:18). When John Paul II encouraged us to bravely enter the new millennium, he professed: Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face (NMI 16). To look to know to contemplate The Risen Lord appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus, so as to make him a servant and witness to what had seen and what was revealed to him: delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:17-18). Learning to look is connected with the ability to look away from evil and sin, to receive the

5 forgiveness of sins and the inheritance of the saints. Righteous Lot suffered because of the compulsion to look on the promiscuous lives of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. He saw and heard as he lived among them, (....) day after day (..) their lawless deeds (2 P 2:8). You have to want to look away to turn toward what is beautiful and true, to look with eyes of your heart, that is to believe. Only faith is able to penetrate to the end the mystery of the face of God. The holy Scriptures give a lot of evidence for experiencing seeing, which in reality is not possible. A person s eyes of the heart see that which is hidden. What is contemplation? The dictionary indicates the Latin origin contemplari to muse on, to reflect, meditate on something. In the Christian practice of prayer the term conjures up the sense of delight in beauty and spiritual ecstasy. The Greek version, theoria, we only come across once in the New Testament. Saint Luke uses it in the description of the scene of Jesus death, referring to the attraction of curiosity of the crowd. The participants of this spectacle (theorian) when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts (Lk 23:48). It was used very often by the fathers of the Church and mystics. For the Christian contemplation means above all following Jesus for we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Contemplation is, therefore, not just for the chosen. Who today asks the Trappist, Fr. Lauf would dare to limit the name of contemplative to the specialist? And he replies himself: in reality there are many more contemplative people outside the monastery then inside it. Each person is called to the joy of a contemplative style of life. it is only needed to abide in silence before God, listen carefully to His Word, celebrate the liturgy for His honour, and adore Him in the beauty of His deeds. Saint John Paul II put testifying to the Gospel first, hence contemplation the face of Christ should draw inspiration from what is said about Him in Holy Scripture. The Bible, therefore, is the first, though not only guide to contemplation.

6 The first witnesses could proclaim: We write to you about what was.... heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it (1 John 1:1n). Through the Apostles and inspired authors their vision of faith has reached us, confirmed by specific historical witnesses (Luke 1:1-4). No-one, who does not want to ridicule himself would today seriously question the reliability of the books of the Holy Scriptures. Though many have tried to do so, on going research time after time that The Word of God is better informed than its critics (N. Geisler). Therefore, emerging from the Bible the face of the Nazarene has a solid historical foundation (confirmed by archaeology and Biblical criticism). An extraordinary relic Apart from the Bible, other testimonies have been preserved. Continuing to fascinate researchers are two extraordinary relics of Turin and Manoppello. A comparison of the two images which caused a sensation was performed by Sister Blandina Paschalis Schlömer, vividly described by Paul Badde in his book The Face of God: The Rediscovery of the True Face of Jesus. The German nun fascinated with the call to contemplate the face of the Suffering One and the face of the Risen One performed an experiment which marked the beginning of the rediscovery of the Holy Face. Sister Blandina decided to compare the two ancient shrouds. With German precision she proved that the image of Manoppello corresponded proportionally and in

7 dimension with the portrait imprinted on the Shroud of Turin. With only one variation, that the face of Turin presents the face of the Suffering One, and the face of Manoppello the face of the Risen One. Her method of investigation, Sister called superposition, where the two images where placed one over the other. During the investigation it turned out that the likenesses on two films put together not only exactly covered each other but revealed the mysterious face of the same Person, the true likeness of Jesus (Card. J. Meisner). The actual photograph of The Face of God was published in It is curious that when John Paul II at the beginning of the Jubilee Year published his apostolic letter At the beginning of the new millennium, he called the Church to a contemplation of the face of Christ. His successor Benedict XVI personally went to the sanctuary in Abruzzi, so as to contemplate on his knees the Face of God. There he said these significant words: The Holy Face of Manoppello is certainly the greatest wonder we have, but immediately added, that seeking the Face of Jesus must be the desire of all Christians (1 September 2006). Seeing Mary Mary is the icon and image of the Church, which expects Christ and encounters Him in the living community. It is precisely she who first contemplated the human Face of Jesus (Luke 2:19, 51), and I dare say the divine Face of Christ transformed in the Paschal mystery. The cult of this event is maintained by the Franciscan friars in the Chapel of the Apparition of Jesus to his Mother. It is also commemorated in a contemporary image a brass plate, the work of the artist Martini, on which the Mother gazes on the face of her Risen Son. In the two thousand years after this event the Church experiences it as though it occurred today wrote John Paul II. Just as the Bride of Christ contemplates in His face her treasure and her joy. May we as a community of faith, fortified by this paschal experience, embark on our journey to proclaim Christ to the world: He is the same yesterday and today and for ever (Heb 13:8).

8 Prayers Please pray for all those who are in need or have asked for our prayers: Willy Robertson, Russell Carroll, Robert Boyce, Grace Carlin. Please remember in your prayers, Archie Wilson, Thomas Carlin, Grizel Williams and all whose anniversaries occur at this time. News and Events Tea and coffee in the hall after Sunday Mass. (Tables in the kitchen.) Thanks to work of Tommy and Mark McGrory and Tommy Kennedy for their work on the hall. Fr. Tony is away in April: from (Holiday). There will therefore be no Vigil Mass on Saturday 28 th April, but there will on Saturday 6 th May. Contact in an emergency: Fr. David, Thanks to Fr. Willy Slavin for celebrating Mass for us this weekend, during Fr. Tony s holiday. March Friends of St. Kierans draw: Winner No.17, K. & M. McCoy. Rosary on the Coast is coming: this simultaneous moment of Pilgrimage and Prayer for the re-flourishing of the Faith, for the grace to build a culture of Life and for true Peace to reign in the hearts of all peoples and Nations is being held at Dunaverty at 3pm next Sunday (29 th April). We have much to be thankful for to God, but we also have a duty to pray for the many needs in our islands due to the rejection of God and Christian values in our society. Let us pray together with so many throughout our country this most powerful prayer, since we are asking for the intercession of the Mother of God, that she pray continuously for a revival of faith, respect for life and peace within and outwith our country. There will Mass at 12.30pm, tea in the Argyll at 1.20pm, Rosary at Dunaverty rock/beach at 3.00pm. (Fr. Tony has room for three in his car.) campbeltown@rcdai.org.uk