It was a cruel and vicious Roman Emperor Claudius II, as legend has it, who jailed and executed saint and martyr Valentine in 269 AD. Valentine was remembered as a young priest who stood for his belief in Christian marriage and performed secret weddings against the orders of the emperor who wanted many more unmarried men in his army because they were regarded to be better fighters. Valentine died for his convictions like millions of Christians and people of commitment who take a stand against powerful oppressors and sacrifice themselves for justice, truth, freedom and human rights. But perhaps Valentine’s Day is no longer for many a celebration of those mighty moral values and may have long lost its meaning as a day recognizing courageous virtue of those bravely standing for beliefs and principles.
 
Nowadays at its best, Valentine’s is a day of special acknowledgement of true friendship, loyalty and faithfulness between friends and self-sacrificing love between married couples. In its harmless fun and frolics mode, it might have been a day of romantic messages, some serious, others less so. It was hopefully a day for friends, young and old, to celebrate and express their affection, emotional attraction and unselfish love for each other. Probably the supermarkets and famous food stores did well in the provision of “romantic dinners for two”. At its worst, Valentine’s became a day for hedonistic and lustful excess to gratify animal urges and sexual desires. But here too was a definite chance for a good Christian witness by young Catholics that showed that like others one can certainly enjoy sunshine, enjoyment and fun while seeing that Son-Light, salt-flavour and wholesome fun are our way of getting things done. So I hope you had a nice time, spent some money but not too foolishly on those nice symbols of your special love for someone, indeed that you had fun, but didn’t lose sight of things that nourish real love of the kind that loves others as much as one loves oneself.
 
There are modern day “Valentine Heroes” who are true to the highest calling to be faithful to oneself, one’s principles and stand for truth, integrity and honesty.
 
There are always true “Valentine Heroes”, who are an inspiration and role model to those with the courage to choose to live a truly honest life of unshakable values.
 
Look around; maybe they are still to be found among us too. All of us should admire, support and imitate them when we recognise them. They start out as ordinary mortals like us but rise to heroic heights of virtue. They develop a love higher, greater, more pure and unselfish than most of us can imagine. The love these heroes have is not for mere pleasure or self-gratification, but only to give of themselves daily for the welfare of others, for the community, for those who can give no return, no payback. This is the greatest love of all – “to lay down one’s life for a friend”. Now who first said that?
 

Candlemas is a Christian holiday following on from Christmas, though not a public holiday as is the Nativity of The Lord, being celebrated annually on February 2 marking various occasions according to Christian belief, primarily with a focus on Jesus’ early life being known in many eastern churches as the “Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple” or  the “Meeting of the Lord” which remembers the Child Jesus making his first entry into the Temple and also celebrates the Virgin Mary’s purification at the “Feast for the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (mainly in western Catholic churches). Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the Temple in Jerusalem after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. According to The Gospel account of Luke, a Jewish man named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas.

Candlemas occurs at a period between the December solstice and the March equinox, so many people traditionally marked that time of the year as winter’s “halfway point” while waiting for the spring. In our northern hemisphere the seasonal changes in the United Kingdom at Candlemas, according to folklore, see the badger emerging to test the weather. Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells blooming early in the year, even before Candlemas. Some varieties bloom all winter.  Some once believed that these flowers should not be brought into the house prior to Candlemas but in more recent times it has been believed that these flowers purify a home. According to folklore again, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being hope for the world. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”.

Many Christians consider Jesus as the “Light of the World” so it is fitting that by the time you have read this candles will have been blessed on this day and that a candle-lit procession usually precedes the celebration of Holy Mass on that day. In some parts of Europe such as France, it is traditional to eat crepes on Candlemas. Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration – a bit like Christmas pudding sixpences. In Spanish speaking countries Candlemas is also known as Candelaria. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes (Kings’ Cake) on Epiphany on January 6 is obliged to bring food to a gathering held on February 2. Many Orthodox and Catholic Christians celebrate this event by bringing beeswax candles to their local church and having for these candles or others provided at the church blessed to be used in the church or at home. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas Cribs up in the church until Candlemas 

Renouncing  his own self, he wasn’t afraid to involve himself in the messiness of human living to bring Peace, understanding and love in order to follow Christ radically and to become the "mirror of Christ", a vivid reflection of Jesus Christ. There are many people who claim to be Christians but not many are willing to live according to Christ's teachings. As G K Chesterton who wrote a super book on St Francis  put it: Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried. St Francis proved it could be tried and lived. We sometimes cop out by saying saints are to be admired but not emulated! But surely imitating another person whom you admire or treat as a role model is the fastest way to learn anything? Isn’t that how as babies we learned about the world and how to speak, walk, and interact with others? If one treats imitation of admirable people as a learning technique throughout our life, one will benefit a great deal from other people's experiences and knowledge. St Francis discovered that to be true about Jesus Christ. As a young man he imitated the members of the “in-crowd”, wanted to dress like them, behave as they did and follow the values of the go-along generation squandering his youth away in having excessive fun. In his youth, Francis had money in abundance and he flaunted his wealth. He was not interested in his father’s business which had provided that wealth or in his studies; he was only interested in having fun with vain things which are commonly called “enjoying life,” though he was not in the habit of licentiousness and he was very generous out of love for God with the poor who asked him for help.   Caught up in civil discord and war as a young man it landed him up in a prison for a year and, when he was freed, he fell gravely ill.  This illness tested his patience and strengthened and matured his spirit leading  to the experience of hearing the invitation “Francis, repair my Church which, as you can see, is falling into ruins.” The story is a great one and worth knowing because like Francis we may be called to do something like that too. Saint Francis of Assisi captured the imagination of his contemporaries by presenting to them poverty, chastity, and obedience with purity and strength of a radical testimony.  Any chance of us doing something the same? After, Francis converted, he renounced his inheritance, and he offered himself totally to God. He embraced poverty, and lived an evangelical life, preaching to everyone about the love of God. He became known as the Poor one of Assisi by his marriage with poverty, his love for the birds and all of nature. All of this reflects a soul in which God meant everything to him, a soul that was nourished by the truths of the faith and who had offered himself entirely, not only to Christ, but also to Christ Crucified.
 
Perhaps as one of the best known saints of the world, his example is very much as a man of action. He gave away all his worldly possessions and lived a life of radical penance, manifesting itself in a deep spirit of poverty, simplicity and humility. His life of penance was evangelical in its fervour and purpose, namely, to lead people to God in Christ. For Francis, a life of penance was a way of life, involving a radical self-emptying and self-surrender; open to constant change under the daily guidance of the Divine. It was also a life of service to the poor, the disabled, and the marginalized in society. Francis believed that deeds expressed our Faith more than creeds. He said, "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." He exhorted his brothers: "Preach the Gospel at all times and use words when necessary." Dare we look around and see where we should be walking so that it becomes our preaching of this same Good News using words only when necessary but showing acts of love constantly?
 
Now, for the first time, we have a Pope who has chosen the name 'Francis' and he seems to have caught the message of his namesake in following Christ. Let’s pray for the Pope and the Church which once again is “falling into ruins” and for which the Pope must care and in that task we must share.

St Francis, pray for us!

Well after the earthquake that that interview struck, and the delight both the secular media and the regular talking heads had in commenting on the Pope's interview to the Jesuit Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ, Pope Francis has said some other things that haven't been featured so prominently in the world press.
 
Pope Francis met with the members of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and Catholic gynaecologists, and spoke of the current paradoxical situation of the medical profession.
 
Listen to the some of the words of the address.
 
"Each one of us is invited to recognize in the fragile human being the face of the Lord, who, in his human flesh, experienced the indifference and loneliness to which we often condemn the poorest, either in the developing nations, or in the developed societies. Each child who is unborn, but is unjustly condemned to be aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ, bears the face of the Lord, who, even before he was born, and then as soon as he was born, experienced the rejection of the world. And also each old person and - I spoke of the child, let us also speak of the elderly, another point! And each old person, even if infirm or at the end of his days, bears the face of Christ. They cannot be discarded, as the "culture of waste" proposes! They cannot be discarded!"
 
Well do you think the media is going to comment upon him saying this after he supposedly said,
 
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods".
 
No, because it won't make any by-lines!  How about  asking a few people, who were very outspoken in the initial reaction to the Pope’s interview with Fr Antonio Spadaro SJ of Civilta Cattolica, who networked it to Jesuit newspapers, causing a lot of distress, if they would care to comment upon these other words of the Holy Father above. 
 
Abortion indeed does not have to be mentioned all the time, but when there is the opportunity, one sees no lessening of the Catholic position from the Pope, as we were told by a number of wise pro-abortion people in response to the interview reportage.
 
Let’s not depend on the dinosaur media, (and the experts) to give you information about the affairs of the Catholic Church, and what the Pope says.  There are far better resources such as the Holy See and  Zenit that can help you to have all the facts at your disposal.  
 
As the Australian Cardinal Pell said the other day, 'The apparent love affair between the mass media and Pope Francis, cannot last!'  

As Mother Teresa used to say in the face of opposition and criticism – 
“Do it anyway!”

'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'  Luke 11: 1-13







Holman Hunt's famous painting  shows Christ standing at a door holding a lantern but if you look at the door you will see there is no handle on the outside. 

When Christ knocks He needs us to open the door to allow Him to come in. Sometimes we are not ready for Him. We delay and rush about saying well I'll just do this and that, or perhaps I won't even open the door at all. That's the moment when its worth pondering this passage of  Scripture. Jesus is telling us that we, when we ask Him for anything ,will answer. 

The readings at daily Mass now are taken from Tobit, who it seems that even for all of his many good deeds, has to endure endless trials. 

'I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life in the paths of truth and righteousness. I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria. I was reminded of the oracle pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:

“All your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation.” And I wept.'

Why do bad things happen to good people? We don't have a simple answer to
that, but what we do know is this confidence that God will bring us through whatever troubles we face - not always taking them away but giving us the Grace and strength to carry whatever troubles come to us. That's a very important part of our Faith, to learn how to trust. 

In the month of June we think often of the Sacred Heart and the lovely prayer - "O Sacred Heart of Jesus I place all my trust in you." 
 Easily said, but not always easily done....

Gospel Mark 9:38-40 
John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.’

Interestingly this Gospel reading links with with two events this week -  

The first link is the Feast day of St Bernadine of Siena, a Franciscan priest, assigned to go to towns and cities to preach. In the 1400's, bad habits were rife. "How can I save these people by myself?" Bernardine asked the Lord in prayer. "With what weapons can I fight the devil?" And God answered, "My Holy Name will be enough for you." So Bernardine spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He used this Name a great many times in every sermon. He asked people to print Jesus' Name over the gates of their cities, over their doorways-everywhere. Through devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and devotion to the Blessed Mother, Bernardine brought thousands of people from all over Italy back to the Church. It is through his devotion that many Catholics were taught to bow the head at the name of Jesus - a practice that has sadly almost been forgotten.

The second link is the unlikely extensive press coverage of Pope Francis on a walk-about on the Feast of Pentecost where it appears that he performs an exorcism on a man in a wheelchair, presumably invoking the Holy name of Jesus as he blesses the man. From the video footage, the words and actions of the Holy Father have a powerful and astonishing effect on the man.

In our lives when we know someone's name we instantly feel closer to them, and whenever we think of that person, we remember their name and we visualize their image. Equally, when we think of Jesus, we remember His name and we visualize the image of God in Jesus  and so we become closer to Him. 

Perhaps the practice of bowing our heads at the name of Jesus will re-emerge as we think of the strength and closeness to Our Lord given to the Apostles and to St Bernadine when they remembered the Holy Name of Jesus.

Tongues of fire or peaceful dove? What is Pentecost all about? It is the great Feast of Pentecost this Sunday. After 9 days of preparing just like the Apostles in their original 'Novena', our 12 young apostles who were confirmed by the Holy Spirit, when Bishop Declan came to be with us to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, hope to be alive with Faith. We pray with them and for them so that together we may have courage in the Year of Faith to see what we can do.