A Novena For Ireland

Could I please ask you to pray for Ireland in these coming weeks? 

As many of you know on the 22nd May the Irish will vote on the issue of same sex marriage, making it equal in every respect to true marriage including placing an obligation on the State and government to protect gay marriage. The consequences of a yes vote on this will be enormous and will effect freedom of religion and freedom of speech, it may also result in the liquidation of Catholic marriage agencies and even our schools - the government has already said that our schools will be forced to defile their Catholic ethos to present same sex marriage as being equal to true marriage. It may be no exaggeration to say that the amendment to the Constitution, if passed, may well be used by some within Irish society to try and instigate a new Penal era here. 

I am asking you to please join us in a novena of prayer from feast of Our Lady of Fatima, the 13th May, to the eve of polling day, the 21st May.  The novena is addressed to the Holy Family, here is the link to the novena prayer in my pages section of the blog, but I will include the prayer at the end of this post.

Could I ask you to offer the Novena prayer each day, perhaps even a number a times each day if possible?

Could I ask you, if at all possible to offer a day's fasting during the novena - for prayer and fasting are needed?

Could I ask priests willing to join in the novena to offer a Mass for the intention of the novena?

Could I ask you to spread news of this novena far and wide, all around the world? There is no copyright on the prayer and you can print it off, have it printed on cards, published on websites, blogs etc, copied and promoted just as long as it is used to bring more and more people to offer the novena for Ireland.

Of course we must also include the movement in the US and other countries in our prayers. Let us support each other in this task.

Thank you for your prayer, support and help. Please spread the word far and wide.

Novena to the Holy Family

For the cause of marriage and the family

Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Holy Family of Nazareth,
we bless and venerate you.

We commend to your care and protection
the cause of marriage and family life.
May the peace which reigned in your home
take possession of all hearts and abide in all families.

Confirm all men and women in the truth
so we may recognise what is good and right
and reject all that hinders life
and the true flourishing of humanity.

Guide the hearts of all citizens
that we may witness to the truth
in forming the laws governing our society.
Bless those who work for the protection
of marriage, family and life.

O Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Holy Family of Nazareth,
We entrust our hearts and our lives to you.

Amen

"Trust Us..."

Worrying developments here in Ireland.  As the Presidential election is capturing most of our attention, voters in Ireland will also vote on two referendums which seek to give parliament/government more control over the Judiciary.  One seeks the citizens' permission to reduce judges' pay - thereby undermining the mechanism within the Constitution preventing a sitting government from holding the judiciary to ransom. 

The second referendum wants to give the parliament more powers to hold enquiries into matters of "public concern".  The politicians will decide what is of public concern, they will appoint an investigator with almost "super powers" to seize materials, the politicians will judge the case, and the politicians themselves will oversee whether or not they are working within the parameters of the new legislation.  Consoling, isn't it?

Well, today eight former Attorneys General have come out against these referendums describing them as going too far and seriously weakens the rights of citizens.  The minister in charge of the referendums has dismissed the criticisms calling them "nonsense" and then engaged in an "ad hominum" attack on the individual former Attorneys General.   That in itself reveals a great deal. 

The main arguments the government is making in support of the changes are, first, they will reduce the cost of lengthy enquiries and tribunals; they will be able to get offenders who have so far escaped justice, ie bankers; the legislation will not be abused.  So they are asking us to trust them - they will not misuse the powers that have been given them. 

The Irish Constitution, while not perfect, is a finely balanced document written in the 1930's as tyranny and fascism was growing in Europe.  Hitler has siezed power in Germany and was on his way to creating an empire.   Communism was controlling every aspect of people's lives in Russia, and there were many other threats to democracy.  Eamon de Valera who wrote the Constitution did not want the same to happen in Ireland, and so he divided power, and ensured that the judiciary could not be controlled by the government.  This was a wise move on his part, and it is for this reason our Constitution is much admired among democrats - indeed India adopted our Consttitution, with some minor changes, as their own following independence.  

What these two referendums are doing is diluting those safeguards which prevent anyone from taking total control of the Republic.  Of course politicians tend not to like such finely balanced safeguards and I believe that even de Valera would later find the restrictions he had put into the Constitution troublesome.  

I think we Irish need to think very carefully about how we vote on this one.  While times are financially hard, we must be careful not to sign away our freedom in order to save money - see what happened Esau when he was hungry - he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup.   According to the polls it seems these referendums will be passed - is it possible that this generation will take the soup and with the stroke of pen wipe away the liberty our fathers and mothers fought hard to win for us? 

PS:  Lest anyone accuse me, a priest, of interferring in State matters, I draw their attention to the present criticisms of the Catholic Church which, it is said, remained silent in Germany as the Nazis diluted the rights of its citizens and the Jews.  Should this be one of the first steps towards a tyranny in Ireland, well then let history record that some in the Church were not silent when human rights were being threatened.