Dear Editor, The loss of four good people with the crash of the Rescue 116 helicopter off the Mayo coast last week was a tragedy, and yet it was one which revealed a side of Christianity and of God that we often overlook – that of compassion.
I know of no person who, upon hearing the news, was not stricken with sadness. The fact that most of us did not, personally, know the crew of the helicopter was of no consequence; we all felt the pain of unexpected loss.
Compassion is unique to human life on Earth. It is much more than “the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering”, as dictionaries define it. It is one of God’s greatest gifts, perhaps secondary only to life itself.
And it is when confronted by the reality that compassion is the only immediate response to an incident as shocking as the loss of Rescue 116 and its crew that we can call on yet another of God’s gifts – prayer.
I have noticed that the theme of prayer has featured recently with the columnists of your newspaper’s ‘Notebook’ section, and I have heard so many people – proclaimed religious and those who shy away from the title – saying that they would keep the crew and their families “in their prayers”. In times of deep distress, prayer is an open channel to the presence of the God and the heart of Christ himself.
Sometimes, it’s all we have and it’s something to be grateful for.
Your etc.,
Deirdre Murray,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath.
A rule of thumb for selecting sacred music for Mass
Dear Editor, I too play the church organ and often have difficulties too with the music and accompanying lyrics which are chosen by family and friends for weddings and funerals (Letters 16/03/2017).
That said, some time back I asked a priest as to his approach particularly in the case of funerals. His answer was that if the song gave solace to the relatives and if it helped them to bear the grief, then that was fine with him.
I have always found that difficult but remind myself that in the creed we praise God as the maker of invisible things and those must include music and what it brings to the listener.
My rule of thumb therefore is that the Mass begins and ends when the celebrant says so, while the processional and recessional music is a matter for the participants. It does not always work.
However, I will always recall one exception. This was the occasion of the funeral of a four-year old boy whose habit it was to sing a non-religious song as he went to bed. His teenage cousin sang it at Communion.
Your etc.,
Gerald Murphy,
Dublin 16.
Clarity needed on priestly celibacy
Dear Editor, I’m confused at Pope Francis willing to consider the possibility of married men of proven faith becoming Catholic priests carrying out duties in isolated areas, however he will not advocate removing celibacy vows. Are these men married or widowed? I’m confused as to what this means.
If married how could they remain celibate? They would not be living their vows and would this not be wrong? Or have these men one foot in the grave and have no interest in sex?
The Catholic Church is very hung up on sex. The only major sins in Ireland for years was sex outside of marriage and not attending Mass on Sundays. They were mortalers.
Why do priests have to be celibate? Surely a loving marriage would help him perform his priestly duties even better. The non-Catholic clergy with a wife do tremendous work.
I can understand many priests will have more time to do priestly works if single, however a married priest would have a wife to assist him in his duties as the non-Catholic clergy do.
Where did this celibacy rule come from? Is it because we have no record of Jesus being married? Is it because Mary, Mother of God was a Virgin? Does being celibate make you nearer to God? It’s all as clear as mud to me.
Yours etc.,
Terry Healy,
Kill,
Co. Kildare.
Irish Catholics need to show courage of fellow Christians
Dear Editor, I wish to add my voice to those who advocate non-payment of the TV license as a response to the insulting behaviour of RTÉ to Catholics (Letters 09/03/2017). There is now no other option available to us. It is pointless complaining directly to RTÉ as this has no effect, and the Broadcasting Authority is a joke as they have failed time and time again to change ingrained attitudes in RTÉ.
This behaviour continues because Irish Catholics allow it to happen. There is a deep reluctance to stand up and defend the Faith.
It’s almost as though Irish Catholics think that being a Catholic is the same as being a wimp. As I write this our fellow believers in places such as Iraq and Syria are paying for their faith with their lives and in some cases being literally crucified as Jesus was. What a contrast, what faith, what courage, what love. If only we could take a leaf out of their book the Irish Church would be transformed.
Yours etc,
Gerard Rooney,
Ballymacoda, Co. Cork
Shamrock symbolises our Christian heritage
Dear Editor, When An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny presented President Trump with the traditional bowl of shamrocks on St Patrick’s Day, did he explain the significance of the shamrock?
Did he say that the shamrock is the emblem of our national airline or explain that the shamrock represents for Irish people, the Blessed Trinity? This second explanation may cause him some embarrassment? When asked by Gay Byrne on the Meaning of Life in June 2012 if he believed in a personal God, his response was: “I believe that there is a force for good out there.” Gay did not follow up with the question “do you believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?” as he did with other persons in this series. This omission leads us to believe that An Taoiseach’s Christianity is in question.
Yours etc.,
Herbert F. Eyre,
North Strand, Dublin 3.
Inappropriate language around Tuam home
Dear Editor, By referring to the Tuam burial site as a “chamber of horrors”, the Taoiseach has rushed to judgement.
It is highly likely that:
1. Each child interred there died of natural causes,
2. Each was given a name and baptised or prayed over and
3. The bodily integrity of each infant was respected.
As we have seen in the United States, the term ‘chamber of horrors’ is more appropriate to the abortion industry where these three conditions do not apply.
Yours etc.,
Eamon Fitzpatrick,
Strandhill Road,
Sligo.
Medjugorje deserves more than bishop’s criticism
Dear Editor, I note that the Bishop of Moster is once again criticising Medugorje. Some interesting facts regarding the bishop are that he has never interviewed any of the visionaries and secondly, he has been asked on several occasions not to issue statements on this place of pilgrimage but continues to do so.
As far as I know it is the first time that an apparition has been taken out of the hands of the local bishop, which, in this case, has led to a number of commissions investigating the site. However, none but the bishop have actually condemned it. A real phenomenon here is how a man who has been prayed for so much – in every Mass said in Medjugorje – never ceases criticising it. Surely such constant prayer from a place defined as holy from all the prayer emanating from it, deserves more than criticism?
Yours etc.,
Mary Stewart,
Ardeskin, Donegal Town.
