WEDNESDAY REFLECTION
Mid-week Reflection
20th January 2021
Today is the 2nd Week of Ordinary time and the memorial of Pope Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian. Fabian was martyred in 250 AD in the persecution of the Emperor Decius and Sebastian in 287 AD during the persecution of Diocletian. When last week’s meditation was written, it would have seemed incredible that this week we would be mourning the loss of two Scottish bishops who died within a day of each other. A priest in the Diocese of Dunkeld talking to me about the deaths of Archbishop Tartaglia and Bishop Logan told me an imaginary tale about the death of Otto Von Hapsburg. The story was that when he died and went to the gates of heaven, St Peter, from within, asked, “Who are you?” Otto answered I am Otto, son of the emperor Charles the First and the last Crown Prince of the Austria-Hungary Empire. St Peter said, “We do not know you.” Otto then said, “I am Archduke Otto of Austria and a Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia. “We do not know you.” Then he said, “I am Otto, a sinner.” Peter opened the doors and said, “Come in, you are righteous and you welcome!” The scribes in the days when Jesus walked upon the earth, considered themselves righteous. But Jesus turns the popular notions of who is righteous and who is a sinner on their heads. Jesus does not shun the company of sinners. Rather, he keeps their company giving them the opportunity to recognise who they truly are and the chance to change their lives. Our lives. Archbishop Tartaglia and Bishop Logan, who had greatness thrust upon them in this life, will go before the throne, not because of the high office they held, but simply because they kept company with Jesus. They were in His presence. They spent time with him in prayer and most especially in their celebrations of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. That is what makes one righteous.
For the the repose of the souls of Archbishop Tartaglia and Bishop Logan:
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, our Redeemer,
you willingly gave yourself up to death so that all people might be saved and pass from death into a new life. Listen to our prayers, look with love on us who mourn and pray for Archbishop Tartaglia and Bishop Logan. Lord Jesus, holy and compassionate, forgive their sins. By dying you opened the gates of life for those who believe in you. Do not let our brothers be parted from you, but by your glorious power give them light, joy and peace in heaven where you live for ever and ever.
Amen.
Monsignor Monaghan
