15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Yr C
Sea Sunday
‘Who is my neighbour?’ this is the key question in today’s Gospel. We hear about the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man who did all he could for his neighbour, a beaten man, lying half dead on the ground. He patched him up and took him to a nearby Inn to be looked after, even paying extra expenses to the inn keeper. Why the extra money, you may ask? Because if the money had ran out, the Inn Keeper was well within his rights, to sell him into slavery to be reimbursed. This man would have ended up in a worst situation, than he was before. The Good Samaritan covered all the bases, to give the beaten man the best chance possible for recovery. The Samaritan was surely a man of mercy and compassion for his neighbour.
Today is Sea Sunday, and we remember all the hard work the Catholic Organisation of Stella Maris do around the world. Chaplains who bear the burden of dealing with the many hardships of our Fishers & Seafarers, who work in very challenging conditions out at Sea, for our benefit, bringing food and goods into the UK.
There are many reports that crew members are getting only a few hours of sleep per night, due to stress and being overworked. This is making their safety vulnerable because they are completely exhausted. Stella Maris, are able to ground ships, allowing the crew to get some much needed rest. They also provide warm dry clothes and phone cards to many who are feeling homesick.
The work of Chaplains in our ports provide support in emergencies, and giving spiritual and emotional support to Seafarers all around the world.
May the Lord provide them with grace and support that they need to carry the ‘yoke’ of their ministries, as they administer to God’s faithful people at sea.
We also remember all our lost souls who have tragically lost their lives at sea. It is getting more and more common now in the news, with small inflatable dinghies crossing from France to England capsizing and sinking. We keep all the faithful departed in our prayers.
On this day, I seem to remember the movie Titanic. The big sea disaster, about a ship that was said to be unsinkable, hitting an iceberg on its way to America. In the movie, you may recall, if you’ve seen it, a group of musicians, who sacrificed their lives to bring peace and harmony during the time of the disaster, by playing hymns and classical music, while the Titanic was sinking.
It sank on the 15th April 1912, and 1,503 souls were lost in the icy waters. Onboard the Titanic was a 42 year old priest called Fr Thomas Byles, and he is known for his heroic actions during the sinking. On this 10th anniversary of his priesthood, he decided to visit his brother in New York, so he bought a 2nd classed tickets for the Titanic.
While onboard he would celebrate Mass for the 2nd and 3rd class passengers, and during his last sermon on the boat, he explained that the prayers and Sacraments of the Church were our spiritual lifeboats, to use when we are in danger from our spiritual shipwrecks of temptation.
According to eyewitnesses, Fr Thomas was out on deck praying his breviary shortly before midnight, when the ship hit the iceberg.
When the captain ordered the launching of the lifeboats, Fr Thomas made his way down to help people navigate the stairwells to the upper deck, but many found themselves trapped behind locked iron gates. Fr Thomas calmly led the third-class passengers to where the lifeboats were located.
He was also offered a place on the Lifeboat, but he refused. When the ship was going down Fr Thomas was with people from all different religions, resighting the rosary together, while Fr Thomas was praying for the repose of their souls, as he administered the Last Rites, giving them general absolution for their sins.
Fr Thomas was an extraordinary man, who gave his life for others, and his actions were praised by Pope Pius X.
So today, may we keep the work of Sea chaplains in our prayers, and the support the Stella Maris Catholic Organisation. May the Lord watch over all the faithful departed who have been lost at Sea and bring them into eternal life. Amen.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 