Mass of Anointing Fire Catholic Ministries Retreat
St. Flannan’s College, Ennis
Tuesday 18th of February 2025
It’s a great delight to join you this evening in St. Flannan’s College to celebrate Mass for the Anointing Fire Catholic Ministries Retreat. It’s always a great annual event of prayer, devotion, sharing, fellowship, the company of each other in building up the body of Christ.
It’s a time for renewing and strengthening faith and hope and expressing our love for God through sustained times of prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, Reconciliation, Anointing, Rosary, Liturgical Music and various devotional practices.
The scriptures today on this Tuesday of the 6th week of ordinary time offer us much to edify our souls and confirm us in our faith and love of the Lord.
Antiphon
The antiphon at Mass proclaimed assures us that the Lord is there for us without fail.
For you are my rock, my stronghold!
Genesis
The story of the floods in Genesis, a most remarkable and dramatic story speak loudly to us in these post Eloywnn days after the hurricane as we continue to clean up job around the country. The story of the flood and the covenant of the rainbow, the great symbol of God’s abiding mercy remind us that despite our waywardness we will not be abandoned by the Lord and will be saved.
Psalm
The blessings of peace are offered to us in the response to the psalm:
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Gospel
The Gospel today from St. Mark also is a text brim full of hope. The disciples felt that they were going to be hungry due to lack of supplies on the boat trip. However the Lord assured them through reminding them of the miracles of the loaves and the fish that he will supply from the abundance of his generosity and store. They will not go hungry. Trust, hope and do not fear!
Jubilee of Hope
This year we celebrate the Jubilee year of Hope that is 2025 and many of the themes of the jubilee tie in with the scriptures of the day.
Jubilee Logo
The Logo of the jubilee year speaks strongly to that hope. The people in the boat of life are going through some turbulent waters, but the person at the front is clasping strongly to the Cross at the front. That Cross is anchored in faith and the realisation that Jesus saves that he can and will calm the waters. All of this because Hope does not disappoint as St. Paul reminds us.
Trilogy of Faith, Hope and Love
We pray during this jubilee year of Hope and during this retreat for strengthening of that great virtue and that it would be coupled with faith and completing the trilogy realise concrete action to real and genuine acts of love and care for each other and all we meet.