by Nadia Ramoutar MMM Communications Coordinator 23.12.2023
As the year ends, things can get busy and there can be stress around the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. There is also a sense of rushing to get things done before 2023 snaps shut on us and 2024 arrives with all her shiny expectations.
Caring as much as we do about the state of the World makes focusing on peace all the more important as many of our Christmas cards reflect. Peace seems to have gotten further away from us this year. There are so many pressures on us to do so much to make the world a better place that I read something sweet and simple I wanted to share with you. It is rare that I read something about saving our Earth that makes me smile. I t mostly depresses me and makes me feel impatient that people don’t try as hard as they could.
This suggestion was that we should order an ice cream cone and eat it. This is better than getting a paper waxy cup or worse yet Styrofoam and using a spoon made of plastic or even bamboo. Imagine the simplicity of this suggestion and yet the impact of the choice.
If you got cynical about this suggestion, then you really might need to question your stress level.
Are there other ways we can give the Earth the gift of our human creativity and innovation this Christmas? What does our mother Earth need from us? What gifts can we give to make things better and not worse?
Perhaps our commitment to give our best to the Earth would be enough? A really deep connection to the planet and the small and simple ways we will make changes so that we are more mindful and less wasteful in all ways.
Can we slow down, relax enough to pause and ask, what more can I do? Or what can I do less of to make it a better world?
We know what doesn’t work and the way we are currently living is not sustainable. I am geeky fan of all things cosmic and it’s interesting that the Universe is thriving and growing – but earth, well, not so much.
Of all the things that matter to us, our home planet really does seem to need our gifts. So it needs no shopping to get, no wrapping paper or label. Just us to be creative and to find ways to commit to living simply and sweetly.
Join me in giving our Earth a wonderful Christmas gift – our very best efforts and no more excuses.
Happy Christmas to you and your family.
by Paul Campbell SJ USA 21.12.2023
Lent comes before Easter. Clear and simple. Advent comes before Christmas. Equally clear and simple but, for some reason, it’s a much more complicated part of the liturgical cycle for me. I find it tough to get into the spirit of Advent.
That having been said, apart from singing “O come, O come Emmanuel…” my favorite part of Advent is the seven “O Antiphons.” They are a deeply meaningful and contemplative part of the Advent season. These ancient antiphons, traditionally recited or sung on the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve, hold a profound spiritual significance and offer us a rich source of reflection.
Each of the “O Antiphons” addresses the coming of the Messiah and uses Hebrew Testament prophecies and imagery to symbolize various aspects of Jesus Christ. They serve as a bridge between the Hebrew [Old] and Christian [New] Testaments, reminding us of the continuity of God’s plan throughout history. They evoke a sense of anticipation and longing, inviting us to meditate on the different titles attributed to the coming Savior, such as “O Wisdom,” “O Key of David,” “O Root of Jesse,” and others.
They remind us of the diversity of the Messiah’s roles and how they encompass most aspects of our lives. They encourage us to reflect on the wisdom and knowledge that Jesus brings us, the power and authority he holds, and his ability to heal and restore, among other attributes. These reflections deepen our understanding of Christ’s multifaceted nature and the significance of the incarnation.
The “O Antiphons” also convey a sense of unity and universality. They highlight our longing for the Messiah’s arrival, emphasizing that Jesus came not just for a particular group or time but for all of humanity. The antiphons call us to recognize the hope and promise of redemption that Christ brings to the world.
In our fast-paced lives, taking time to reflect on the “O Antiphons” helps us regain reverence and wonder during Advent. They remind us to slow down, contemplate, and prepare our hearts for the true meaning of Christmas, beyond any materialistic aspects.
As we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ, these antiphons invite us to delve deeper into the profound and enduring significance of Emmanuel. They connect us to the deep roots of our faith and prepare us to celebrate the birth of our Savior with a sense of wonder and reverence.
by one of the founding MMM Sisters Ireland/Nigeria 19.12.2023
Editor’s Note: This is an extract from a larger article, written in Nigeria in 1940.
There was to be no midnight Mass at Anua in 1937. This privilege was reserved for the bush stations. We were a little disappointed at first, but imagine our joy when Fr. McGettrick came to wish us a happy Christmas and announced that he would take us in the lorry to the bush station, some fifteen miles away, where he was saying his midnight Mass.
It was a happy and unique experience to be speeding along a sandy road in a lorry in the middle of the night, somewhere in Africa. There was perfect calm and stillness, befitting the night, and it was only broken now and then by the distant sound of drums and tom-toms as the local people danced in the moonlight. Though we did not have to journey along by foot, as did the Shepherds of the first Christmas night, still we could not help feeling one with them as we too went in search of the Holy Child.
A real Bethlehem it was when we reached it. It was a mud chapel with palm mat roof, the outcome of local labour. No pains had been spared in decorating this little home for Our Divine Lord in which bamboo, palm branches, gloriosa and lilies played a part. Here was real poverty, but real devotion too. We would not change places with those in the grandest cathedral in the world that night. The little church was packed to the door and how they sang that night! It may not have been very musical, and you would never have mistaken their “Gloria in Excelsis” for that of the Angelic Choirs, but their hearts and souls were in it. What earnestness appeared on the young neophytes in that dimly lit church as they filed up in hundreds to receive Holy Communion! For many it would have been their first Midnight Mass.
Soon we found ourselves packed into the lorry again and with us were Father and the altar boys, the doctor and his wife, a Mass box, a goat (this being Father’s Christmas present which had been dashed to him by a grateful people together with yams, oranges, etc.) As we left the bush station, we could see the local people going in all directions, wending their way along narrow paths to their homes with hurricane lamp in hand and still singing their Christmas hymns. We too were in the mood for singing, but our Nanny goat interrupted our Adeste Fidelis occasionally with a “Ma-a-a” as the lorry sped along. We picked up another Father with his loads at a bush station on the way, so there was a great medley of people and things to be unloaded when we reached Anua.
by one of the founding MMM Sisters Ireland/Nigeria 17.12.2023
Editor’s Note: This is an extract from a larger article, written in Nigeria in 1940.
It was Christmas Eve 1937 – not in London, but in Nigeria. There were just the two of us. There wasn’t a bit of a Christmas feeling about. It was like a midsummer’s day in Ireland, with no snow, no holly and ivy and little signs of a turkey.
We were very happy however, and too busy to feel lonely. We were knee deep in getting our little Convent in order, having only returned from the Convent of The Holy Child Jesus at Ifuho, 30 miles away, where we had spent our novitiate and where we had made religious profession of vows a few days before. With the happy thoughts of these days fresh in our minds, and with feelings of deepest gratitude to these nuns who had made a home for us, we were now preparing to begin our hospital work – the real work we had come to do.
Our spare boxes, as they were being unpacked, were being turned to every conceivable purpose as our furniture was of a negative quantity, save for a few borrowed chairs and tables from the Mission House. In unpacking a tea chest of some odds and ends I turned out some lovely straw. “What a pity,” I thought. “We could not even have a little crib to remind us of Christmas.” Just then, who walked in but our Novice Mistress on her way to Calabar. She said, “The Holy Child has sent you something.” It was a complete set of figures for our crib.
A corner of what we planned to be our community room, which just contained a bookcase made from boxes, a table and two chairs, was selected for our cave. A manger was made and soon all was complete to a star, and we had our Christmas crib after all.
by Sr Maria Jose, MMM Brazil 15.12.2023
Christmas is a time to celebrate the reunion of families and relatives. There is such joy when some children are close or part of any Christmas celebrations. At home there are very few of them now, children have grown up and some parents don’t want any more children. The environment and the economic situation don’t encourage families to keep enlarging their families in numbers. I have experienced some of these moments of joy being a friend and being able to be closer to children, sharing their innocence and how deeply they trust and relate to one another. We have a lot to learn from the spontaneity and simplicity of children.
This Christmas we are celebrating a new life. A blessed young lady received the grace of conception, and a baby girl was born. The young lady filled with joy called her baby Alice. I imagine that the waiting time was like a dream. Everybody was waiting for Alice to come… and then there she was, the tiny little most welcomed girl to this young family. Her mother was like the family of Nazare. She is studying at the university and living with her uncle closer to her school. When the baby was born, she went to stay with the family of the father of the baby. Eventually she came to stay with her mother for another few days. Now she is back with her uncle where she used to stay. They are all experiencing a deep joy among the family with the presence of the baby girl.
Looking at the unconditional love between the child and the mother, it shows evidence of the deep sense of God’s presence among ourselves. Let us take this time at Christmas to learn from them the essence of life and living well. Happy Christmas and a very blessed New Year for all of us.
by Sr. Martina McGlynn MMM (1929 – 1995) Ireland 13.12.2023
It is an established fact that Christmas time is a busy one for all. The Sisters’ house at Abakaliki, Nigeria, was no exception on December 23rd. All day long the house had been a beehive of activity, with gifts arriving and packages being mailed. Among the gifts received was a hamper containing a real, live, fat, healthy-looking turkey. This God-sent present was confided to the care of the cook, who put it in the hen run for safe keeping. As Sister Bernadette made her way to bed at an advanced hour that night, she silently thanked God that her worries about the main dish for the Christmas feast were over.
About midnight I was suddenly awakened by the shot of a gun, followed by two more in rapid succession. I roused myself up and tried to decide whether it was better to await developments or to investigate the matter. The decision was made for me when next I heard a hurried pair of feet approaching from behind the house. Then followed a loud thundering knock at the back door. In an instant I was up, dressed, and out on the veranda in time to join Sister Doctor who had also decided to investigate the noise.
Looking down over the balcony we could see the figure of Michael, our night watch, wildly gesticulating and saying “a thief man, I done shot him. He dey for bush.” There was no time to lose, so hurriedly we descended the stairs and out into the night, following Michael’s footsteps to find the wounded thief man. I, silently vowing vengeance on Michael’s stupidity for bringing trouble on our head; doctor absorbed in the thoughts as to the most efficient emergency measures to be taken in the case of gun shot wounds, while Michael chanted continuously “I done shot him.” What puzzled me was that he appeared quite happy about it. Suddenly Michael sprang forward and stooping down cried, “He dey here.”
We rushed to the spot t0 find, not a wounded thief, but a very frightened and bewildered turkey sitting in the long grass. This was surely an anti-climax. We opened our mouths to enquire “where is the thief?” when slowly the answer dawned on us. We exploded with laughter at our own stupidity. What had happened was this. A thief had entered the hen run, seized the turkey and was making off with it when Michael happened to turn the corner during his night round. He spied the thief and taking his gun, shot it off into the air to frighten the man. The shots had the desired effect. The thief dropped his precious burden in the grass and took to his heels towards the bush. Michael was so pleased with his achievement he had to get the Sisters out of bed to rejoice with him.
While we appreciated his qualities of ‘night watchmanship’ we gently hinted in future that it would be preferable to keep his victories to himself until morning.
First published by MMM in 1965
by Mary Bradley AMMM England 11.12.2023
Editor’s Note: Mary Bradley, an Associate member of MMM, edits an online Justice and Peace Newsletter from her home parish in England. Her Christmas reflections are so uplifting, it is a joy to share them with a wider audience this Christmas season.
CHRISTMAS STAMPS: Again this year our UK Christmas stamps are depicting the true meaning of Christmas. The second-class stamp says “O hear Angel voices” with an image of an elegant angel, with a yellow halo and rainbow wings, hovering above the darkness in the star-studded night. The overseas £2.20 stamp is more colourful with the three kings following the ”star of wisdom, star of night”.
CHILDEN AND CAROLS: This morning I wandered into our church for a short time of prayer and had a surprise. About 50 children were there from our parish school, rehearsing for our carol service in December. They were all ages, lively and exuberant. Among them were children with disability and special educational needs. The performance was amazing, the children sang with such enthusiasm, and it was a very special moment for me to see them all happy and with such caring teachers. At the end of their performance, they formed a ‘walking bus,’ each child with their bright yellow visibility jackets. As they sang of “Peace on earth”, this was a moment of hope for the future and for our young people and for us to preserve planet Earth for their future.
A MOTHER’S LOVE: I had the experience this week of spending an hour in a hospital outpatient clinic waiting area. There were only a handful of us there, including a young mother with her little daughter of about four years old. The little girl was in a large pram and unable to stand, use her hands normally or communicate by normal speech. But there was such love and joy visible between mother and child as they played together and as she gurgled, laughed, and expressed herself in her own way. I thought of Jesus and his mother Mary and what a prophetic witness to love and joy that mother and her child are to us in the frenetic haste and bustle of our world today.
by Toni Pyke Ireland 09.12.2023
Justice, Peace and Ecology Coordinator
Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland AMRI
During the weeks of Advent and Christmas Day, AMRI along with the MMMs, will reflect on the reality of the lives of the women and girls around the world at risk of, or living with, obstetric fistula. Advent is an opportune moment to contemplate the experience of motherhood, as Mary awaits the birth of her child, Jesus. Similarly, to the women across the world who live with obstetric fistula, Mary was also a young mother living in poverty and who did not have access to appropriate ante-natal care or medical intervention. The birth of her baby was a gift of life to humanity, so that we can all be free.
This Advent, we invite you to consider mothers around the world and to pray for the safe delivery of their child, especially those women who are at risk of obstetric fistula. That every woman, everywhere can experience a safe pregnancy and delivery. Safe motherhood is about human dignity and is a human right.
“…We sold our livestock to raise money for treatment in five hospitals, but I was not healed…I stopped attending Church, due to the foul smell and walking difficulties. We stopped sharing a bed and my husband started going outside the marriage because of the foul smell. I also sold my 3 hectares of land for treatment and I closed my fruit business and started tilling other people’s farms for my family.
One day, a Catholic sister informed me about Jamaa hospital, where I could be treated for free. I fundraised for the fare and travelled to the hospital and was treated for free. I got cured and went home.
I live in a grass thatched house, because I could no longer afford a better house…I used to wear pampers, but turned into using old washable rags that were used by our grandmothers. I got well, but now I am suffering as I used to milk my cows and goats. My husband regrets marrying me and complains he has been made poor by my obstetric fistula condition… Obstetric fistula cripples women because one can bath more than 3 times a day and use lubricants but is still not hygienically clean. The urine is ever leaking, leaving a foul smell in the house…
…I urge the county governments to include women with fistula in free maternity delivery. We urge counties to construct roads, health facilities and to train and provide medics with expertise on fistula and treatment at all hospitals. I can tell all women that obstetric fistula is treatable, and one can get back to her normal duties.”
These are the spoken words of Anna John from Kitui County in Kenya who experienced an obstetric fistula in 2007. With support from the Good Shepherd Sisters in Kenya, Anna was able to access the necessary surgery to repair her fistula. She recorded her story to share in a webinar entitled: Obstetric Fistula – A Human Rights Perspective hosted by the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland (AMRI) on 17 November 2021. The focus of the webinar was to explore and reflect on the human rights realities of women and girls who are impacted by obstetric fistula.
What is obstetric fistula?
Obstetric fistula or vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) occurs after a prolonged or obstructed labour that results in an abnormal opening between a woman’s birth canal and her urinary tract and/or rectum. The physical injury results in one or both urinal and faecal incontinence and other medical complications such as infection.
In countries with high quality and affordable health-care systems, obstetric fistula has virtually been eradicated. Yet, in countries with limited or poor healthcare facilities, some 500 000+ women and girls currently live with obstetric fistula, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. And there are an estimated 50 000-100 000 new cases annually, although the WHO reports that these statistics are difficult to estimate accurately “due to the lack of commitment in addressing and resolving this problem”.
Obstetric fistula through obstructed labour is directly linked to one of the major causes of maternal mortality. Many women who develop fistula(e) deliver stillborn babies in the process and some can become infertile. In countries where motherhood is key to a woman’s social relevance in her community, this is devastating.
By Sr. Siobhan O’Keefe SHJM Ireland 07.12.2023
Mary listened deeply to the Word of God.
Responded in whole hearted love to the call of God, nurtured the Lamb whom she bore and carried to birth,
cared for with human hands,
listened with human ears
and the inner ear of her heart.
Ever fruitful in fidelity She invokes the Holy Spirit on all humanity, inviting each one into union with her beloved child,
The One eternal Son of God.
Mary attended to the needs of the poor,
where she was led by the inner voice of love.
Today she asks us to do the same
in all times and in all places
knowing that we will meet his divine face in
the most broken of our world.
Wrapped in her mantle, we adore He who is the all
Wisdom
Redeeming
Divine Son of God.
by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer. MMM USA 05.12.2023
This Christmas as a medical student in Rosemount was going to be very special. Sister Aideen O’Sullivan, who was studying physiotherapy in UCD at the time, was testing our voices to see how best we could be suitable for the different singing parts of a Christmas Triptych of harmonious songs, readings, and solo portrayals of Gospel scenes.
This was a welcome respite from the long hours of study, attending clinical reviews of patients in the hospital and sometimes assisting the Professor of Surgery, Patty Fitzgerald, with various surgical operations. Our medical classes continued in the afternoons in Earlsfort Terrace. We continued riding our bicycles there every day except if the weather was so inclement that we took the bus. Soon we would be getting our Christmas-New Year’s break.
The practices took place in the large parlour where there was a large fireplace burning coal to keep us warm. Sr. Maureen Mc Dermott was chosen to be the Blessed Mother and she looked beautiful with her long black hair under a long veil. She had a beautiful voice and looked the part very much. I can still hear her sing, “Behold, BEHOLD the handmaid of the Lord.”
The shepherds sang all three verses of Silent Night. I had never heard of descant voices before, but these came in at times higher than the soprano’s voice and sometimes gave a discordant note which gave a beautiful trill to what was being portrayed. I was given an Alto part and tried my best to keep the note and not wonder off to the soprano part.
With many repeated practices, Holy Innocents Day finally came, and Mother Mary visited us with all the American Sisters who were in Drogheda at the time. We always enjoyed having Mother Mary with us. She loved hearing this Triptych so much that Mother invited Sister Aideen to go to Drogheda and train the Sisters there to do the same production. Sr. Catherine Anne Dougherty was the Blessed Mother and did a very good job of singing her part. Sister Constancia Faul did not know she could sing so well until she tried and opened her mouth to produce a very sweet-sounding melody. She was perfect for her part. Mother Mary enjoyed the replay of this marvelous Christmas Triptych in Drogheda. Mother Mary always had her eyes and ears open to beauty and she wanted to share this joy with all the Sisters in Drogheda.
