Dear Editor, I am responding to Mr Duffin’s letter from the August 14 edition, where he made the suggestion that perhaps the readings at Mass were too long, confusing and quite incomprehensible, and that shorter readings would be better for the lessening attention span of Mass goers. I think this thought is exactly one of the reasons why the Church is in the state it is in currently: people are far too passive in their faith.
The majority of people have been led to believe that attendance at Mass on Sunday is the fullness and completion of their obligations as a Catholic, and do not take initiative in forming themselves. We expect to just show up and receive. Even the most gifted priest will not be able to explain the context, nuance and meaning of complicated Old Testament readings in a short homily each Sunday.
We as Catholics have no excuse to be uneducated in Scripture, we are simply spoilt for resources should we seek them. Start by purchasing a commentary on the Gospels. Listen to podcasts. I think one of the reasons why Fr Mike’s ‘Bible in a Year’ podcast was so popular is because it’s addressing the problem which this gentleman expressed about the readings we hear at Mass each Sunday: we simply do not understand them.
I think instead of simplifying the readings, which will do even more harm, we have to study and understand for ourselves. Jesus himself says in Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”. Scripture is as applicable to our lives today as it was to the early Church and throughout history.
Yours etc,
Alanna Keenan
Cork City, Co. Cork
What does the GREAT Trust really stand for?
Dear Editor, Not long ago, Donald Trump claimed that the biggest things missing from America were religion and Christianity. He encouraged listeners to bring Christian prayer back into everyday life and reminded us all that ultimately we answer to God in Heaven.
I wonder what Jesus would say, however, about the latest US plan to save Gaza and solve the age-old Palestine problem, appropriately called the GREAT Trust? It’s easy to work out what it stands for: The Gaza Resettlement, Extermination and Annexation Trick.
Yours etc,
Sinéad Boland
Co. Wicklow
Prayer: ‘a powerful weapon’ at our disposal
Dear Editor, I was reared in a beautiful country – Christian, peaceful and safe. God was respected. He was the focus. How different it is now!
My needs are paramount, I take what I want, with force if necessary. It is no longer safe to walk the street and people are afraid in their homes, secured with alarms, etc. There is more material wealth but less happiness. More noise but less peace. People are stressed and there is more sickness.
This new culture is promoted by government and media. Our little unborn are being deprived of their right to life. There were 10,852 abortions in Ireland in 2024. Our little children in primary and secondary schools are having their little minds polluted by an evil agenda.
There is no need to despair. We have God on our side, he tells us “I have carved you on the palm of my hand.” He has promised to be with us until the end of time. We have a powerful weapon at our disposal, i.e. prayer. In our parish church, we have adoration a day every week, and this started over 30 years ago. Our three churches in the parish, strengthened by adoration, are packed at the weekends and quite full each day. The Eucharist is powerful and Mass, communion, adoration are the answer.
I would ask people to ask for adoration in their parishes if it is not there. I know from experience it is power, and I also know it is the nearest place to ‘Heaven on Earth’ on this planet.
Yours etc,
Nuala Doran
Raheen, Co. Limerick
A note on Order of Christian funerals
Dear Editor, I refer to a piece in ‘Notes in haste’ in your September 4 publication. I sympathise with my brother priest in his conundrum regarding the funeral with ashes present. This is a phenomenon that is becoming more familiar to pastors. My colleague notes that the ‘go to’ guide for priests, the “Order of Christian funerals” does not give any directives for dealing with such cases and that it may be in need of updating. The US edition however states the following in section 413–418 (Rite of Committal after cremation):
“The Church allows cremation, but the preference is clearly for the body to be present at the funeral rites.
OCF 413: The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites.
OCF 414: The presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites.
OCF 418: Funeral rites may be celebrated in the presence of cremated remains, but the preference remains for the body.”
Our theology is that the body, which was a temple of the Holy Spirit, will rise again and should therefore be present to express the Paschal mystery. Updating the OCF may indeed be necessary but it may also give the wrong impression that this important fact is no longer the case. Perhaps sometimes saying nothing says everything!
Yours etc,
Fr Mark Quinn
Tuam, Co. Galway
The hare’s cry for help
Dear Editor, “Each outcry of the hunted hare/A fiber from the brain doth tear.” So wrote William Blake, a renowned poet and visionary of the Early Romantic era.
He wasn’t the only poet to be inspired by the plight of the gentle hare, an animal that has survived for eons of time by evasion and speed. It’s featured in Celtic song and folklore, and Shakespeare gives it a mention in his epic poem, Venus and Adonis.
Unfortunately, poetic and literary extolling of the hare hasn’t deterred humans from inflicting immense pain and stress on this resilient mammal. The Irish hare gets the worst deal of all.
Though outlawed in Northern Ireland, coursing continues down here. Every September, we allow people to scour the countryside in search of hares for coursing. Men set off into districts known to contain even a few hares and place nets at specially selected locations.
Sadly, our politicians don’t seem as bothered by the hare’s cry for help as many conservationists and animal protection campaigners have been. They turn a deaf ear to the hare’s plight, and to calls for its protection.
The cry that tore a fibre from Blake’s sensitive brain doesn’t seem to bother vote-conscious TDs. They put electoral advantage before the safeguarding of our wildlife heritage.
A future government may take the Irish hare off the list of mammals that can be netted, coursed, hunted or shot. But I suspect that this will only happen if 1) its very survival as a species is threatened, or 2) we get a new crop of politicians who put wildlife protection before political self-interest.
For now, the hare is stuck with its life of evasion, outrunning the wind as in Shakespeare’s day. And betrayed by politicians, who also survive by evasion.
Yours etc,
John Fitzgerald
Callan, Co. Kilkenny
The conservative Catholic years: gone but should not be forgotten
Dear Editor, Regarding the proposed candidature of Maria Steen in the presidential election, I note Nigel McCollum’s comment that “the conservative Catholic years of the past are riddled with wickedness and trauma” and Thomas O’Mahony’s statement that “her election would be a step back into another time.” It would seem that Mr McCollum and Mr O’Mahony consider our present status as a vast improvement over past years.
While the past was far from perfect and each generation has its flaws and failings, I cannot understand how they can overlook the deterioration in respect for life now present in Ireland. Over 50,000 abortions have taken place here since it was legalised, all paid for by the tax payer, while we are not even replacing our population. There is no support for families who are actually penalised through our tax system. Our elderly are now facing the introduction of assisted suicide, while our suicide rate continues to escalate year by year.
The housing situation is in crisis with prices sky rocketing and our health service, despite the billions spent on it, is in crisis. Having spent some time recently in hospital, where I received excellent treatment, I was one of the lucky ones while so many are on long waiting lists and encounter severe overcrowding at A&Es. Why has everyone been admitted to hospital in this way? That applies to every big hospital here and has resulted in great suffering for many people.
So I certainly do not agree with Mr McCollum and Mr O’Mahony that overcoming the above problems and reinstating respect for all life would in any way be detrimental to the overall good of our people. The conservative Catholic years of the past contributed hugely to the education and health of previous generations. Eaten bread is soon forgotten.
Yours etc,
Mary Stewart
Ardeskin, Co. Donegal