Although so many of the events described in the Gospels took place in Jerusalem, when you go there it is not always so easy to “picture” them. The city has changed so much. Some sites require a great leap of the imagination. Even the Mount of Olives, obviously still there and mostly not built on, is covered with a cemetery and various churches.
So it is particularly moving that excavations on the south side of the Temple Mount have exposed the steps that people climbed up to the great Temple. For this would have been the route, the actual steps that Mary and Joseph took in order to present their baby in the Temple and be purified. Here, amid the crowds of pilgrims and worshippers, one little family slowly made their way up, unnoticed by anyone. …Until, that is, they reached the great courtyards at the top, within the Temple precincts. Here a wise and holy old man caught sight of them and made his way across. He – and the whole of the people of the Old Testament – had been waiting for exactly this moment, for the Messiah to enter his Father’s House. How Simeon’s warm and venerable heart soared as he caught sight of the little bundle in Mary’s arms. How did he know which baby was the One? Some whispering of the Spirit, some quiet idea that grasped his wise inner being. There he is – He has arrived, He is here!
With a great sigh, the sigh of the ages, the sigh of the human race that calls out for our Father, Simeon is ready to fall back into the arms of that Father, for now he can go home. His Father can let him depart in peace, for his eyes have seen the unseeable, the incarnation of eternal love.
And soon Anna comes too. A prophetess, a seer, and of good age also, her heart joins Simeon’s in soaring with a joy that she has never known before. All is complete, all is just beginning. The Old gives way to the New. The Temple now leaves its stones behind, and takes shape in the warmth and intimacy of each human heart.
Today, the steps still rise up to the Temple. But the one presented is now the one who presents. At the end of our journey, we are the one carried in his arms, carried up into our Father’s House. But first, we have to follow his steps… through the Holy Land of our lives.
Fr Matthew
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A Bishop in Baghdad
This month we heard the news that Father Saad Sirop, the brother of Mrs Aida Aris and Mrs Maysoon Aziz, both from our 3 Churches, has been elected a Bishop. At 41 he is the fifth youngest Catholic Bishop in the world. Father Saad has visited us several times over the years, and some of us have watched his journey “from afar”. He has now been named Auxiliary Bishop to the Patriarch of Babylon in the Chaldean Church. This is one of the Eastern Rites of the Church, historically linked to the Syro-Malabar Rite, to which many of our Keralite members belong, including Fr Tomy, and Frs James and Modest before him. It has about 20 bishops, mainly across Iraq and neighbouring Syria, Iran and Lebanon, but also a few in countries where there are large numbers such as the USA.
The Patriarchate is based at Baghdad, where Fr Saad was born 6 September 1972. After studying at university he entered the Chaldean Patriarchal Seminary. He finished his theological studies at Rome at the Pontifical Urbanian University, and on 13 October 2001 he was ordained priest.
After ordination he gained a Licence in Philosophy at the Gregorian University in Rome. From 2005 to 2006 he was Parish Priest of St James in Baghdad, Director of Studies at Babel College, and Vice-Rector at the faculty of Philosophy and Theology. His work was cut short when he and colleagues were kidnapped, a tragedy which made the headlines. Transferred to Rome, in 2008 he gained his doctorate in Philosophy, but in 2008 he was back in Baghdad. He became Parish Priest of the Chaldean Cathedral of St Joseph, and Professor of Philosophy at Babel College. He was Dean of the Chaldean priests in Baghdad, and Secretary of the Commission for Christian Youth there. He speaks Arabic, Italian, and English, and is familiar with German and Aramaic.
We cannot imagine the conditions for Christians in Iraq. Fanatics often identify them with the West, but the Chaldean Catholics have in fact been there since the very beginnings of Christianity. In an interview in 2010 Fr Saad said “I was kidnapped on 15th August 2006. I was the first priest in Baghdad who was abducted. For 28 days I was in the hands of a fanatical Muslim group. In that time I learned a lot about myself and about the relationship between the religions. In 2008 I came back to Baghdad, because I love Baghdad, I love Iraq and I love my people, so I wanted to continue working here as a priest. I also have a lot of Muslim friends here.” Bishop Saad, we celebrate your dedication to priesthood, your appointment as bishop, and we pray for you and your people.
Fr Matthew
3 churches newsletter, 26 January 2014
Download the 3 churches newsletter for Sunday 26 January 2014.
Christ the King bidding prayers, 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Prayer of the faithful
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A (26 January 2014)
The Celebrant will introduce and also conclude the prayer. The reader should pause for several moments between the intercession and its response. Leave about 20 seconds for quiet prayer. There is no response after this – move straight to the Hail Mary.
CELEBRANT: Gracious God, we come to you with our petitions, confident in your love and trusting that you are always ready to hear us when we call to you.
READER: The response is: Hear our prayer.
READER: Let us pray for the whole church, particularly our new cardinals, as well as all our clergy. We ask you to hold them in your hands and sustain them in all that they do.…….. (PAUSE)……….. In your mercy Lord..…. Hear our prayer.
READER: We pray that those in power will have the strength to bring about the changes necessary to achieve peace in the world and also pray for help for all those who are experiencing persecution because of their faith or who are suffering from the effects of conflict..…..(PAUSE)….In your mercy Lord…..Hear our prayer
READER: We ask you to bless and refresh our parish family. Increase our faith and trust in You and help us to follow Your will in our hearts as we go about our daily lives.………………. (PAUSE)…… In your mercy Lord..…. Hear our prayer.
READER: We pray for Terry O’Neill whose funeral takes place next Wednesday and for all those who are suffering bereavement, illness, loneliness, discourage-ment or any other adversity at this time, may they receive comfort and peace ………….…………….. (PAUSE)…..In your mercy Lord…..Hear our prayer.
READER: Let us pause for a few moments and open our hearts to our Father in Heaven ……. (Longer PAUSE)
READER: Let us now join with Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we say ….
Hail Mary, full of grace, etc.
After a short pause the Celebrant will conclude the prayer.
CELEBRANT: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for all the joys and blessings you bestow upon us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
Pray for peace
The theme that Pope Francis has chosen for World Peace Day 2014 is: “Living as one family is the foundation and pathway to peace.” Here is the prayer that Pax Christi recommends for daily use…
Thank you loving God
For the gift of life
For this wonderful world which we all share
For the joy of love and friendship
For the challenge of helping to build your kingdom.
Strengthen
My determination to work for a world of peace and justice
My conviction that, whatever our nationality or race,
we are all global citizens, one in Christ
My courage to challenge the
powerful with the values of the Gospel
My commitment to find nonviolent ways of resolving conflict
– personal, local, national and international
My efforts to forgive injuries and to love those I find it hard to love.
Teach me
To share the gifts you have given me
To speak out for the victims of injustice who have no voice
To reject the violence which runs through much of our world today.
Holy Spirit of God
Renew my hope for a world free from the cruelty and evil of war so that we may all come to share
in God’s peace and justice. Amen
Christ the King bidding prayers, 2nd Sunday of Ordinary time
Priest – On this Peace Sunday we heard the prophet Isaiah proclaim God’s promise: “I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” Let us pray that the light of Christ will shine into those many places of darkness in the world
Reader – The response to our prayers is – Christ be our light
For the peoples of those parts of the world where there is conflict between peoples of different faiths that turmoil may be resolved and that the Christians of those regions may give witness to the Gospel and encourage all to live in harmony. We pray to the Lord………..pause
For reconciliation where there is conflict; for peace where there is fighting particularly in the Middle East and Africa; and that Jerusalem may be truly a City of Peace for all nations. We pray to the Lord…………pause
For all those who take risks for peace and justice; we ask God’s blessing today especially on the work of the international Catholic Peace Movement, Pax Christi. We pray to the Lord…………pause
As we begin the week of prayer for Christian Unity, we commend to our Heavenly Father the work of all those seeking to strengthen all that unites the various Christian denominations. We pray to the Lord…………pause
For those children who today commence their First Communion programme that they may grow in faith and love for Our Lord. We pray to the Lord………..pause
For the 3 Churches meeting following the Archbishop’s call for evangilisation that it may bear much fruit. We pray to the Lord……….pause
We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have died, remembering particularly Kate Haines whose funeral is this Monday – 20th – and Terry O’Neill whose funeral will take place later this month. Eternal rest give unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them
For all those who are ill, infirm or disabled, that they may be aware of God’s healing comfort and experience compassionate care. We pray to the Lord…………pause
In a few moments of quiet we bring our own needs to the Lord……longer pause
We now ask Our Blessed Lady, Mother of the Church and Queen of Peace to recommend our petitions to her Beloved Son as we say… Hail Mary
Priest – Father as the Spirit descended like a dove on Jesus, your Son at his baptism, grant that the same Dove of peace may bring healing to our world. We make all our prayers through Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord……….Amen