SCRIPTURE
READINGS (A)
1
Samuel 16:1, 6-13 David
is annointed King of Israel
Psalm
23
The Lord is my shepherd, thereis nothing I shall want
Ephesians
5:8-14
You were darkness once, now you are light in the Lord
John
9:1-41 Jesus
gives sight to the man born blind
HOW GOATS CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY
“Laetare!
– Rejoice, be glad, be happy !”
Today
the Church takes off Lenten purple and puts on cheerful
rose. We are near to Easter, to the source of our Christian
happiness and joy.
What
is happiness? The brilliant but perpetually miserable
pianist Oscar Levant once said, “Happiness is not something
we experience; it's something we remember.” And it's true
that trying to answer the question “Am I happy right now?”
is like pulling a plant up by the roots to see if it is
growing. C S Lewis in his autobiography describes youthful
experiences of a mystical joy breaking in from another
world – a world yet to be discovered but somehow familiar
and home-like.
On
the eve of his death, Jesus spoke to his disciples of
joy: “I have told you all this so that my joy may be in
you and your joy may be complete” (Jn 16.11). Present
joy is an eschatological gift; it derives from a victory
yet to come. In the beatitudes, Christ announces a future
happiness which is also present in present woe: “Happy
are you who are hungry now; you shall be filled. Happy
are you who weep now; you shall laugh.” (Lk 6.20). Is
happiness then essentially a future state – something
always to be hoped for? Certainly the only perfect happiness
promised to us must wait until we are in the full presence
of God.
This
is what we mean by “heaven” or the “beatific vision”,
and this cannot come without death. Until then, we can
only “rejoice, be glad and be happy” in the imperfect
accommodations of life.
Sometimes
a little shock therapy may be needed to help us appreciate
our present happiness. Here is a traditional Jewish story.
Mrs Bloom was desperate. She lived with her ten children
and her unemployed husband and his two sisters all in
one room. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, she went
to her rabbi for help. “Rabbi, it's impossible! The noise!
The constant fighting! We're living on top of each other!
What can I do?” “Get some chickens,” the rabbi said. “Chickens?”
“Chickens! Five of them.” She did as she was told and
she came back a week later: “Rabbi, it's worse than ever!
The chickens are all over the room, we can't eat or sleep
- it's impossible! What should I do?” “Get some goats.
“Goats?” “Goats! Two of them!” She did as she was told
and she came back a week later: “Rabbi, I'm not holy enough
for this! The noise! The confusion! The smell! It's a
living nightmare! What should I do?” “Get rid of the chickens.”
“Get rid of the chickens?” “And the goats,” the rabbi
added. She did as she was told and a week later she came
back: “Rabbi! Such a saint you are! Such as wise man!
The peace! The quiet! The space! We never had it so good!”
Fr William
Pearsall SJ
POST
TSUNAMI RELIEF REPORT
JESUITS
- SRI LANKA
21
February 2005
(This
is our most recent report)
Colombo
- Central Coordinating Office
The
following news item was flashed in our last communication
to keep you informed of the contact numbers of the
Central coordinating office, Colombo.
The
office of the coordinator of the Jesuit Tsunami Relief
and Rehabilitation (JTRR) project, Fr. Anton Pieris, is
almost ready.
It will be functioning in a day or two. The postal address
is: 'Nirmala', 31 Clifford Place, Colombo 4, Sri Lanka.
The email address is: jtrr@sltnet.lk . Telephone: (0094)
Oil 2583483. Mobile: (0094) 0776136148. FAX: (0094) Oil
2585260. Drop 0 before 11 and 77 when calling from outside
Sri Lanka. From now on all correspondence, documents,
projects and this bulletin will be handled by the JTRR
Desk.
Thank
you for you cooperation and the concern extended to us
in many ways. Now the relief and Rehabilitation activities
have reached its second phase, i.e. to launch programmes
of providing ways and means to the affected reestablishing
their livelihood thus making them feel that they are back
to normal life. This was an uphill task for the
field workers to get everyone affected to believe that
their hopes are not shattered forever but to
look for the
silver lining of the dark clouds gathered over their lives.
Batticaloa
The two main resorts of the affected were AAanresa
(a place bordering the Batticaloa lagoon where the Jesuits
conducted their Spiritual A Human Development programmes)
and the parish of St. Sebastians. Thirty five families
continue to remain in Manresa. According to the Government
Agent's office alternate arrangements will be made for
them only in a month's time. Fr. Ranjith Abeyasinghe who
is helping Fr. Gabriel at the parish says that the committees
in the parish render a yeoman service in gathering data
and implementing the decisions taken. The project started
in the parish to help people to get going their livelihood
disrupted by Tsunami seems gathering momentum. According
to the data collected the masons will need Rs: 3000/-
to begin their work and similarly the carpenters need
Rs: 10000/-. The fishermen have varied needs such as 18
feet lagoon or sea canoe some fitted with outboard motors
plus nets, small scale fishermen will need throw nets
and lanterns and accordingly funding also may vary from
10,000/- to 400,0007- .
Trincomalee:
According to latest news the construction of houses in
Trincomalee has been undertaken by N6Os and the need will
be fully taken care of. The Zonal group has thought about
their involvement in health-care programme in a different
way. Many competent groups are taking care of it to the
best of their ability and thus preventing diseases that
come in the wake of such disasters as Tsunami. The innovative
planning of the Zone has come up with the idea of helping
the children who need nourishment to be given for an extended
period of time. This health programme will be carried
out in schools in the interior where the support and care
won't reach easily.
Another
venture is to begin a vocational training centre and the
preliminary steps have been taken to repair the old building
partly destroyed by the tidal waves. Once the centre is
up the Zone can render another important service
to the youth of the area.
Galle:
When
talking about &a\\e an important achievement
by the Government is the restoration of the southern Railway
track within 51 days. According to the facts available
when Tsunami hit the southern coast on 26th December 2004,
95 kilometres of the track were fully damaged, another
40 kms slightly damaged and another 7 kilometre stretch
needed restoration. The restoration work was started on
January 3, 2005 and was brought to an
end on February 21, 2005. This was done in quick time
by the local engineers with the local work force and with
less funding than estimated by foreign companies. Hats
off to Sri Lanka Railways! Hope other restoration work
will
follow the inspiration!
The
Galle Zone is busy with allocating scholarships to students
in areas where the student population is badly affected.
The initial steps seem to be proceeding slow but with
a few more field workers it will gain its momentum.
Fr.
Joe Xavier, S.J., the Secretary of JESA (Jesuits in Social
Action) of the South Asian Assistancy is at present
in the Zone sharing his expertise in the field and he
will be an asset to the field workers. The Zone has also
undertaken to provide push-carts to those venders who
lost their equipment in the disaster and similarly getting
the damaged three wheelers repaired. Getting livelihood
of the affected people up again is of vital importance
without which all the attempts towards rehabilitation
will not be effective. Personal concern and interest
shown to them in the attempt to improve their livelihood
restores self worth and confidence. The experience
shows
us that each has to be met as a unique individual and
treated so. This individual attention is difficult
and painful but it is fully human.
Anton
Pieris, S. J. - "Jesuit Tsunami"^jtrr@sltnet.lk>
FARM
STREET CHURCH APPEAL
Our
Tsunami appeal in aid of relief and reconstruction in
devastated areas on the island of Sri Lanka resulted in
donations exceeding£20,000.
To this sum will be added another £4,000
in tax refunds from Gift Aid. Heartfelt thanks are due
to all who contributed to this inspiring Christian response.
This help has been sent to the Jesuits working in Sri
Lanka and we have received a thank you from Fr Chryso
Pieris SJ who is the Socius (Assistant) to the Provincial
Superior. It might be timely also to add that, quite separately
from donations being made through Jesuit organisations,
parishes, schools and other works in the UK , the British
Province of the Society of Jesus has allocated
£250,000 from
its own resources for use in Jesuit-led relief programmes
in the entire region affected by the tsunami. The
parish appeal will continue as long as funds are needed
and we are working in partnership with Jesuit
Missions, the Jesuit
Refugee Service (JRS) and Young
British Jesuit Alumni (YBJA). Donations
are chanelled directly through the Society of Jesus to
the locations in Sri Lanka which we have targeted for
help.Cheques may be made to Farm Street Church and there
are Gift Aid envelopes available. May God continue to
bless our efforts.
HOLY
WEEK
PALM
SUNDAY March
20 th
Usual
Sunday Mass times. Palms will be blessed at all Masses.
10.45am
: Joint Ceremony of
Blessing of Palms in the Mount
Street
Gardens
with members of Grosvenor
Street Chapel (Church of England).
MAUNDY
THURSDAY
March 24 th
There
is only one Mass today. 6pm
: Concelebrated Mass
of the Lord's Supper with Washing of Feet, Stripping of
the Altar, Procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Watching
at the Altar of Repose until midnight
.
Confessions:
12noon-1pm, 5-6pm
GOOD
FRIDAY March
25 th
12noon:
Stations of the Cross
3pm
: Solemn Liturgy of
Good Friday, Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion
6pm
: Meditation on the
Seven Last Words and Veneration of the Relic of the True
Cross
Confessions:
a half hour before and after each of these services
HOLY
SATURDAY
March 26 th
Confessions:
11.30am-12.30pm ,
7pm-8pm
8pm
: Easter Vigil and
Mass
EASTER
SUNDAY March
27 th
Usual
Sunday Mass times
EASTER
MONDAY March
28 th (Bank Holiday)
Masses
7.30am ,
8.30am 11am
, 6pm
