Advent – when light makes a difference in the dark

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Each Sunday in Advent, we light a candle on our Advent wreath, flickering and shining their light into our churches and homes. As the evenings grow shorter, we can see the candles clearly. They appear brighter and more distinct to us the darker it becomes, and as nighttime falls, they appear quite brilliant in the inky surroundings, little beacons of light in a sea of darkness. And the light from a single candle can be seen from a great distance in total darkness.

According to scientific study, the human eye could detect the flicker of a candle in total darkness, with a direct line of sight, at 46km away, or 30 miles. It seems an impossible task for a tiny little flame to emit light that can be seen from that distance but it can. And the strange thing is that that little beam of light can be seen further the darker the world around it is. Truly light can cut through darkness, the light only becomes stronger the darker it gets.

In our day to day lives, it is all too easy to become a little down trodden, to become overwhelmed with our own worries and concerns. Yet we are not alone. If a small bulb or a candle can shine far out into the darkness, how much further can the light of Jesus’ love shine? As the mirrors of a lighthouse amplify and direct light into the darkness, so too can we take that light that Jesus brings to us and reflect it in how we live our lives and in how we share our lives with others, in how we treat others. In this season of Advent, we can reflect that light and that love into the darkest corners of our world. Jesus is the bearer of that light, his healing love is there for all, yet it is up to us to open the door and let it shine into our lives, into our world.

Rev Ross Styles

Grief at a time of Advent

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Grief is never easy. But some times of the year it may be amplified. I have friends who recently lost people close to them. It’s hard to see their pain, and yet only by witnessing the pain – ours and someone else’s – will we find healing in it. 

Whether the loss was recent or from the years past, the closer we are to the season of Christmas the more painful some memories become. On the other hand, Advent in its gentleness, like candles lit in the dark nights, can provide a cloak of comfort. Advent is a season of gentle contrasts: darkness in which light comes, longing for hope into which hope is born, desire for peace that comes out a deep anguish and a need for change. It is Christ coming into our humanity, bringing us His light, hope, peace. But this coming comes softly, like the frost on the winter grass. 

If you are in a season of grief and if the pain of memory knocks on your door each morning, know there is nothing wrong with you. It is not only human, but also healthy to allow ourselves to feel all the nuances of emotion we experience. Grief is painful, but only by walking through it will darkness of the night lead us towards the dawn.

Often when we light a candle, its wax drips, like tears. Light a candle, sit next to it, and allow your emotions to surface. Weep if you feel like weeping. Know that God is with you. You are not alone. You are never alone. Let Him cradle you in His love, comfort you, love you. God can hear all your questions. He hears the screams of your pain, and screams of the silence of your heart. You are not alone.

Yet if you are well enough, but you know someone who is in pain: sit with them. Allow them to talk. Don’t be quick to offer answers. Dry their tears. Be there. Show them that God cares by you caring for them. And know that God will sit down with you. He will cradle you both in His gentle presence and lit your inner candles in these dark nights. 

Iva Beranek
Dr. Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for CMH:I

Wellspring, 23rd November, St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus (John 4:13-14)

Our next Wellspring takes place on Saturday, 23rd November 2019, in St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey.
Wellspring, one day retreat, has become a regular space for nourishment where we can come to meet God and explore what is deepest in ourselves. In our busy lives, taking time for inner nourishment is nothing short of a gift.

There will be time to walk outside; to participate in guided reflections; to avail of one-to-one discussion with a spiritual director; or just take time to relax and read.

The facilitators for the day are Dr Iva Beranek and Carol Casey. Suggested donation to CMH:I is €25. Please bring your own sandwich for lunch and we will provide tea and coffee. The retreat starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.00pm.

All are welcome!

Please note that places must be booked in advance (hello@ministryofhealing.ie).

“Thy kingdom come” is a prayer for healing

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Jesus thought us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is heaven”. In this day-and-age when social media is so prevalent in our lives, the news travels quickly from one part of the world to another. And bad news travels even quicker, or at least it seems that way at times. We don’t even have to go as far as listening to the news. It is enough to talk to people we know, or to look into our own lives, to see that we need healing, this world needs healing. In other words, this world is crying out to receive more of God, more of His presence and more of His kingdom here in our midst. We need the prayer that Jesus thought us to become reality, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”.

Initially in the garden of Eden, before the Fall, there was no illness, no distress, no anxiety, no discord, and we all long to return to that place in one way or another. It must have been amazing to live in that kind of environment – it sounds like a life where everything is in its right order and there is perfect peace. And yet, that’s not how the story ended.

Now we live in the moment of history between the harmony our ancestors enjoyed in the garden of Eden, and between the promise of heaven, where “He will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will be removed forever (Revelation 21:4).” Each and every one of us needs healing. Healing is not only for those who are terminally ill or who have experienced deep traumas. We have all been scarred with some experience that has affected us, or still affects us, and that needs to be brought to God so that He can put the balm of His love and the balm of His truth over it. Jesus healed when He encountered people, and that is also how His kingdom spread. Every experience of healing here on this earth is an experience of heaven, a touch of God’s presence. It is an experience of God’s kingdom coming to inhabit our reality now in our daily lives.

The key to allowing God’s kingdom to inhabit us more fully is, I believe, in the Gospel where Jesus visits His friends, Martha and Mary. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (Luke 10:39). You can imagine the scene: Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. There is something peaceful about that…the exchange of love is happening. Mary is fed in the presence of Jesus. Then comes Martha, worried, distracted with what needs to be done, and she does not notice this atmosphere of peace and love. Not until Jesus points it out. “Martha, Martha,” He said, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41-42).” 

The difference between Martha and Mary is in the attitude of their heart. In the presence of Jesus, Mary is exposed to the depths of His love. This kind of love-relationship with God cannot be taken away from us, yet it also cannot but spill over into our interactions with each other. Mary’s attitude does not mean she will not do anything, but rather that her doing will have a different flavour. Out of this love-relationship with Jesus we bring God’s kingdom to this earth. Martha, or any one of us when we are worried, disappointed, hurt, in any kind of need, are invited into a similar relationship with Jesus, where we can bring our worries, stresses, discouragements, needs and over time encounter His healing and His peace.

Iva Beranek
Dr. Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for CMH:I

Wellspring

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus (John 4:13-14)

Take some time out for reflection and rest on Saturday 7th September 2019 & come to Wellspring.
Wellspring, our one day retreat, has become a regular space for nourishment where we come to meet God and explore what is going on within us. This is a day where you can engage with God in a very personal way and gather treasures to help you in everyday living.

There will be time to walk outside; to participate in guided reflections; to avail of one-to-one discussion with a spiritual director; or just take time to relax and read.

Our beautiful, prayerful venue, St Patrick’s Church, Dalkey, is not far from Bullock Harbour, which is lovely for a walk.

The facilitators for the day are Dr Iva Beranek and Carol Casey. Suggested donation to CMH:I is €25. Please bring your own sandwich for lunch and we will provide tea and coffee. The retreat starts at 9.30am and finishes at 4.00pm.

All are welcome!

Please note that places must be booked in advance (hello@ministryofhealing.ie).

Annual Thanksgiving Service & Gift Day in Celbridge Parish

We are delighted to invite you to our Annual Thanksgiving Service & Gift Day
in Christ Church, Celbridge on Sunday 23rd June at 3.00pm.

The Rector, Rev Stephen Neill will celebrate and Hilda Plant, a lay hospital chaplain, will preach.
During the service there will be an opportunity for prayer with the laying on of hands and anointing with oil.

Everyone is invited to enjoy some light refreshments after the service.
We hope you will be able to join us and celebrate Christ’s gift of healing with us.

Meath & Kildare Diocesan Healing Service

We would like to invite you to Meath & Kildare Diocesan Healing Service, with Bishop Pat Storey and Dean Paul Bogle, in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trim on Sunday, 9th June 2019 at 6.30pm. Rev Lesley Robinson will preach.

The service is part of ‘Mind Yourself’ project, which invites us to look after our mental health.

During the service there will be opportunity for anointing, as well as to receive prayers for healing, for yourself or on behalf of someone else.

Come and be nurtured in God’s presence. Everyone is welcome!

Discovery Gospel Choir launching ‘Mind Yourself’ project

CMH:I is one of the partners in ‘Mind Yourself’ project, run by Meath & Kildare Diocese,
and we are delighted to invite you to the launch of the project. All are welcome!

Wellspring in Carrigaline, Cork

We are bringing Wellspring, our one day retreat, to Carrigaline parish in Cork.
Wellspring is a day of rest, where we have an opportunity to meet God in a more intimate way, as well as get in touch with what is deepest within us. 

There will be time to participate in guided reflections; to avail of one-to-one discussion with a spiritual director; to walk outside or just take time to relax and read. During the day you will be nurtured in silence, invited to engage with healing prayer, Scripture and mindfulness. 

The facilitators for the day are Dr Iva Beranek and Carol Casey, from the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland.

We invite you to join us on Saturday, 9th March 2019, in Carrigaline, starting at 10am and
finishing at 3.30pm. Lunch is ‘bring & share’, with tea, coffee and biscuits provided.

To book your place, please contact the rector, Rev Elaine Murray at 0872363100.

A tribute to Rev Robert Lawson

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Robert was a friend. I met him first via Facebook, before ever meeting him in person. Later we would meet through the ministry of healing. He had a great online presence, and connected with many people that way. 

Presence and gratitude are two realities that make me think of Robert the most. You could feel he was present to you in a conversation, but he also brought a deep awareness of God’s presence with him. We would meet for coffee, sometimes before the Thursday healing service in Christ Church when he was the celebrant, sometimes in town. A few years ago I was going through a deep healing of a painful memory, and Robert was among those who knew about it. A significant moment on my journey of healing happened and I was grateful to God. I remembered how Jesus said to ten lepers, “Go and show yourself to the priest” (Luke 17:14). In my case, I wanted to share what happened to a priest as a sign of my thanksgiving to God. I was meeting Robert for coffee and decided he was going to be the priest. I also asked him for anointing and he brought the oil with him to a coffee shop. It was easy to be real with Robert because he was real. There was nothing of pretence about him. After a deep conversation in the coffee shop, Robert anointed me, which was a support and a blessing to continue on the journey of healing. And even among coffee-cups, God was present.

In Christ Church Cathedral, during the healing Eucharist, Robert often prayed in thanksgiving about his journey with cancer. Not many of us would know how to give thank for things that are humanly difficult, but Robert had an insight that this journey brought him closer to God, deeper into his true self and closer to others too. Now that Robert is gone to be with the Father in Heaven, I think I will often associate Thursday healing Eucharist with Robert’s prayers of thanksgiving. This is very fitting in that prayerful context as ‘eucharisteo’ in Greek means ‘to give thanks’.

I have to admit, I will miss Robert. Many of us will. If you are reading this and you are not a family member or a close friend, I want to give you a permission to grieve. If tears come, let them. I was thinking of him last week on the bus going home, and I cried. This does not mean we don’t believe that Robert lived for God and has returned to God. It means that his presence here on earth meant a lot to us. Sometimes we acknowledge it by recalling a memory, sometimes with a few tears.

Both Robert and myself were inspired by St John of the Cross and found great comfort in his teaching on the dark night. It is counter-intuitive to think that difficulties in life can bring a deep healing to our soul. And yet, it is the nature of Jesus’ cross and resurrection that God lets Himself be found when we least expect it. Robert lived in such a way that he found God in all of his experiences. At his funeral it was said how he learned to live in the moment. We have so much to learn from Robert. Also at the funeral there was a five minute silence after the Holy communion, which I am sure Robert asked for. It is through silence that we connect with God and allow Him to enter our reality. Robert was teaching us this even in his death.

Thank you for your friendship, Robert. Jesus told us, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms” (John 14:2). I pray Robert enjoys exploring those that are in the fullness of God’s presence in Heaven, and until we meet again may he RIP.

Condolences to his family and friends on behalf of the Church’s Ministry of Healing: Ireland.

(The picture is taken from Robert’s Facebook page as his latest profile picture)

Iva Beranek
Dr. Iva Beranek is the Ministry Facilitator for CMH:I