JUST A THOUGHT FROM JOHN GLYNN TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 22nd August 2010 Recently I paid my first visit to Lisieux in Normandy, to the shrine of St Therese. The huge basilica on top of a hill seems out of keeping with the “Little Flower” and her teaching on humility. Once inside, however, her heroic life unfolds through a series of side chapels dedicated to the different stages of her story; a bite-sized quotation from her autobiography illustrates each one. Her greatness lay in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. She spent nine years as a Carmelite nun before a long slow death from TB at the age of twenty-four. In the words of today’s reading from Hebrews, suffering was part of her training, and how well she teaches us through it. Hers is no saccharine spirituality but the devastating openness of a child; try as you might, you cannot avoid the directness of her innocence matured by trial. “Try your best to enter by the narrow door,” are the words of Jesus in response to the enquirer in today’s gospel. These words of Jesus sound restrictive. Doesn’t God want everyone to enter the kingdom? Why not a wide open way without the barrier of a door? Another gospel image comes to mind: the gate of the sheepfold (John 10). Sheep were protected from the ravages of wolves by the sheepfold, which had one narrow entrance through which one sheep could pass at a time. And the gate was the shepherd himself who lay in the gap at night to guard his flock; then “one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out” (John 10:3). One by one we enter the kingdom. We enter by the narrow door of the cross, the “little way” of St Therese of Lisieux. May we have the courage and humility to take that path. God bless you and yours. John   THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 15th August 2010 Where is your life leading? Are you looking forward in hope or fearful of the future? Do you see death as the extinction of your life or the fulfilment of it? Do you even want to think about it? Today’s feast sheds some light on a shadowy place and lifts the veil of mystery over our ultimate destination. Mary’s entry into glory is not simply one individual’s homecoming to God but a firm promise that all human beings are fully realised in our heavenly homeland. Indeed, that is what heaven is: the fulfilment of our human potential in the One whose image and likeness we bear. The paradox is that death is simultaneously the loss of life and the fullness of life. Mary’s surrender of herself to God from the moment she made her fiat to her last breath models our own faith journey, surrendering ourselves into God’s hands by seeking to do his will, and finding our true selves in doing so. The more we enter into God, the more complete and integrated we become. This flies in the face of the contemporary desire for self-centredness and pleasure and power which is the opposite of love. Mary’s Magnificat describes the result of living this amazing love. Human values are turned upside-down; God looks on us in our nothingness, and we are not ashamed or embarrassed at our weakness; it only makes us marvel at God’s greatness in loving us just as we are. And it is that love which makes us realise, as Mary did, the true worth of our human nature. Mary, teach the joy of following your Son by allowing each moment of our lives to be open to his grace. Then we too will experience the homecoming of a fulfilled life in the eternal company of heaven. God bless you and yours. John   SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 25th July 2010 Why is prayer often hard work? Surely you would think that if God loves us so much God would be falling over him/herself to hear and answer us. Yet often the heartfelt pleas we make in the most desperate of situations seem to fall on deaf ears. As a result too many of us give up on prayer and our faith withers from lack of exercise. How many atheists are really disappointed believers? The first reading today about Abraham persuading God to be merciful presents prayer as manipulation of the divinity, like Jesus’ parable of the importunate widow (Luke 18:1-8). Prayer then is an attempt to change God’s mind, to get God on our side. No wonder it’s hard work - little puny me against the Creator of the universe! Not a chance! Ruth Burrows in her book The Essence of Prayer alerts us to the truth that prayer is ninety-nine percent what God does and one percent us. To pray is to put on the mind of Christ, to get under his skin as it were, and to see things from a divine perspective. The nearest thing to manipulative prayer in the life of Jesus was his prayer in Gethsemane: “Father, if possible take this suffering away from me.” Jesus acknowledges the intolerable pain of his anguish and begs to be rid of it. He’s not a masochist. But he goes on to say: “But not my will, but yours.” Father, you know what you’re doing when I don’t, and I trust you. Are we prepared to surrender our will into God’s hands? Do we trust God enough? St Therese of Lisieux wrote: “God always gives me what I want – or rather, God makes me want what he’s going to give me.” Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer we are not advancing our kingdom, but his. Surrender is not giving up but giving in to God. And our wills do not give in without a fight – our ego is the last bastion against the incursions of Love. God bless you and yours. John SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 18th July 2010 What would you do if twenty strangers turned up on your doorstep unannounced? Would you invite them in and entertain them to dinner or (politely or otherwise) suggest they try elsewhere? In the Middle East, Africa and many other parts of the world, a tradition going back thousands of years obliges the first option. I was one of twenty travellers through the Sinai desert in 1998 who “dropped in” on Sheikh Barakat and his family without warning, and he shared with us what food and drink he had, even though it meant he had nothing for himself. Hospitality is sacred. The three men who turned up at Abraham and Sarah’s tent at midday had Abraham’s full attention; he abandoned everything he was doing and gave them of his best. Early Christians were reminded of this tradition; St Paul said “you should make hospitality your special care” (Romans 12:13) while Hebrews 13:2 says: “and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it”. By contrast, when Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary, he is no stranger but a regular visitor, an honoured guest. But unlike Abraham Martha does not give her guest total attention; she is too busy with her own agenda. Her sister Mary, however, gives the Lord her eyes and her ears. Ignoring Martha’s pleas for help, she knows exactly where she should be. And Jesus takes her part. Like Martha, so much distracts me. Around me the phone rings incessantly, emails need answering, arrangements need making. Inside me I worry about priorities, try to juggle appointments, wonder about the future. But when I sit before the Lord in prayer and give him my eyes, my ears, my heart and my mind, I begin to glimpse the one thing necessary; instead of berating myself and tying myself in knots, I find peace and a clearer perspective by gently focussing on the presence of Jesus. Offer him the hospitality of your heart. Don’t send him off because you’re busy. God bless you and yours. John   FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 11th July 2010 Last week I went to Wintershall near Guildford in Surrey to see the annual outdoor production of the “Life of Christ”. Since 2000 Peter Hutley has been inspired to use his extensive estate in a fold of the North Downs as the setting for a dramatic re-telling of the gospel story from the Annunciation to the Resurrection. From 10am to 4pm the costume drama carries the audience along in such a way that very quickly you realise you are not a spectator but a participant – like the liturgy. For example, Act Two concluded with the Feeding of the Five Thousand. “Where can we find bread to feed these people?” challenges Jesus. And suddenly we (the audience of about a thousand people) are being asked if we have any food to spare.... and it’s just before the lunch break. There’s enough for everyone, of course, with lots left over. Today’s parable of the Good Samaritan is a lesson in being non-judgemental. To the question “who is my neighbour?” we cannot exclude anyone. Hence Jesus can say “love your enemies” because they too are neighbours. Who isn’t? The parable highlights our need for compassion towards others. Our neighbour is particularly our concern when he/she is in need. Cultivating an attitude of awareness is crucial to noticing the need. But more is wanted; the priest and Levite noticed the mugged victim but passed by. It was the Samaritan who did the loving thing. Need without deed is empty indeed. Watching scenes from the Life of Christ or reading his sublime teaching is only fruitful if I endeavour to respond in action. I can write about love and compassion for you to read, but unless I am living a loving life I am a clashing cymbal. God bless you and yours. John   FOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 4th July 2010 Lord, you sent out your disciples in pairs to prepare the ground for the seed of your word. You didn’t go with them; you gave them instructions about what to do, then left them to it. What trust you showed in them! If it was me, I think I would have been terrified to face that task without your presence. And yet you didn’t expect us to do it alone, any more than your Father didn’t leave you on your own. You sent us with a companion, “in pairs”, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. It means we have support, to check with each other that we’re on the right road, that we’re on the same mission; and we can challenge each other if we are tempted to disobey your instructions or compromise your gospel, and comfort one another in times of darkness or uncertainty. Lord, we do not imagine we can convert the world to your gospel in five minutes; nor do we despair of the enormous task you have entrusted to us. In our world today, there is simultaneously a strong current of self-seeking ambition, violence, cynicism and despair, often expressed as rejection of you; but also a deep hunger, a craving for meaning and purpose beyond ourselves, a spiritual transcendence which, far from escaping from life, stretches the horizons of our human hope to its fulfilment. How do we service that hunger, Lord? How do we speak to our time in a way that is relevant and attractive? If I am not fired with the way you relate to me in prayer, in word, in sacrament, in loving others and in receiving their love, then I will never learn the language of evangelisation. God bless you and yours. John   THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 27th June 2010 Every now and then I find there’s a word or phrase in the gospels that stands out afresh, that makes me sit up and take notice. It’s not that I’ve never seen it before; it’s just that, at this moment, I am open to understand it anew, or that God is giving me a nudge in a certain direction. At the beginning of today’s gospel, Jesus “resolutely” takes the road to Jerusalem where he will suffer and die on a cross. The word reveals something of Jesus’ inner conviction. It implies Jesus has come to a decision after considering the challenges of the road ahead, fully aware of the cost. Now he goes forward with purpose and courage, which does not rule out fear and trepidation – he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t blanch at the horror of its outcome. In the major decision I have taken which has radically altered the direction of my life, I too know I must go forward resolutely. It is not a fatalistic journey, as if I have no say in the matter; nor is it undertaken blindly or selfishly. It is confidence born of faith which sustains me, the presence of Someone who loves and cherishes me, who has been this way before, and invites my loving trust in his abiding companionship. Without that relationship I can go nowhere, just as Jesus was sustained by his Father’s abiding presence. And just as Jesus on the road to Jerusalem encouraged others to join him but challenged those who only wanted to do so on their own terms, so I have to continue to look to him for strength and continue to discern each stage of the journey. As St Augustine said, sing up and keep on walking! John   ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF LUKE 13th June 2010 When Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for a meal, one wonders what was in his mind. Normal Jewish hospitality would include a greeting on arrival with a kiss of peace, the host (or his servant) washing the guest’s feet, and honouring his presence by anointing him with perfumed oil (on the head, the feet, or both). None of these courtesies was shown to Jesus; he simply walks in from the street and takes his place at table – one suspects the lowest place. Was Simon trying to embarrass Jesus, or because of Jesus’ reputation as a prophet and healer simply showing him off to his friends? Whatever the reasons, it gets worse. A prostitute wanders in from the street and starts paying attention to Jesus in a most unseemly way in front of Simon and his guests. Now who’s embarrassed? Simon? Jesus? The other guests? The only one not embarrassed seems to be the woman who is so intent on her loving service of Jesus that she is oblivious of everything else. One is reminded of Mary busy listening to Jesus while her sister Martha tries to grab her attention. To be so absorbed with Jesus without saying a word, except through touch, is characteristic of deep loving intimacy. Mystics and contemplatives understand this. Jesus looks at the woman’s love, not her reputation. And that is true of us sinners too. If we allow Jesus to look deeper into us than our shame, embarrassment, lack of self-esteem, and tendency to judge others, we find all those things melt away in his loving gaze. And when to our wonder and delight we find his love in our hearts, we want nothing more than to share it – no matter what others think. Forgiveness is freedom. God bless you and yours. John TRINITY SUNDAY 30th May 2010 The little girl was busily drawing a picture during the art class. When the teacher came round to look she asked her what she was doing. “I’m drawing God,” she said confidently. “But no-one knows what God looks like,” replied the teacher. Without lifting her head from the desk, the girl said: “They will when I’ve finished.” We smile at that story because we know that any picture of God is totally inadequate. Yet our curiosity will not be satisfied. What is God like? The Bible describes many ways in which God interacts with humankind, each encounter adding more questions than answers. Yet a picture of sorts emerges. First, right at the start we are told that we are made in God’s image and likeness. So a clue to God’s identity lies in our own human nature. The danger here is that we then jump to the conclusion that God is made in our image, not the other way round. Secondly the very fact that God interacts with us at all would indicate that God is about relationship, not isolation. Indeed the shortest definition the Bible gives us of God is from St John: “God is love”. The Trinity (literally “Three in Unity”) is the name the early fathers of the Church came up with to describe the mystery of God. It’s a sort of working definition that tries to respect that there is only one God but a God who lives in relationship. Today’s first reading is a delightful picture of a God who loves creating and enjoys our company. Could that be the picture our little girl was busily drawing? May the Lord bless you. Fr John   FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 2nd May 2010 “Just as I have loved you,” says Jesus, “you also must love one another.” How does Jesus love us? By identifying so closely with our human life that there is no aspect of our frail and varied human existence that is foreign to him. From the moment of his conception in the womb of his blessed Mother to his last breath on the cross, every second of his life revealed the love of God in flesh and blood like ours. While the gospels record some of the events, teaching and miracles of Jesus, they are merely the tip of the iceberg. The details of most of his thirty-odd years are hidden and unrecorded by history; but every breath he breathed was offered to the Father in love and service to the world. Within the limited lifespan of Jesus of Nazareth, at a particular time and place two thousand years ago, there are restrictions on the effectiveness of his mission of love. But Jesus is more than human. By his resurrection he is now available to all times and places. How does he do this? By choosing us to be part of his Body, the Church. Wherever we are, Christ is. And as Christ loved, so must we if we are to be his effective witnesses. There is no moment of our human existence, from the cradle to the grave, that cannot be available to Jesus’ mission – if we allow him access. As we experience his love for us, our response to that love is in our love for one another. It is impossible to be part of Body of Christ and ignore Christ in one another, equally part of that same Body. “By the love you have for one another,” says Jesus, “everyone will know that you are my disciples.” The Lord is risen. Alleluia! Fr John FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Good Shepherd Sunday 25th April 2010 From January to March this year I spent ten weeks at Hawkstone Hall, a pastoral renewal centre run by the Redemptorist Fathers in the depths of the Shropshire countryside. They run three such courses a year aimed at priests and religious men and women seeking sabbatical time, often in transition between different assignments. We were a comparatively small group of sixteen participants, ranging in age from 47 to 80, and drawn from Africa, North and South America, Australia and Europe. It was a wonderful and vibrant experience of the universal Church; and while we in western Europe bemoan the lack of priestly and religious vocations, the evidence of the flourishing Church in Africa especially was heartening. The recent publicity over sexual abuse scandals involving Catholic priests and religious has done a lot of damage to the Church. It may only be a tiny minority of clergy who offend, but even one is too many. Our hearts go out to those who have suffered such terrible hurt and betrayal. In such an atmosphere it is difficult for us priests to remember the extraordinary truth that God through his Church has chosen us, weak and inadequate as we are, to be channels of his grace through our ministry of teaching, healing, caring and reconciliation. At the moment the awareness of our weakness could make us retreat into our shells and lick our wounds. But that is negative and lacking faith. Instead, we are more than ever convinced of the miracle that God is strongest when we are weakest. It is his glory we seek, not our own. And if all of us, lay and religious, acted on that belief, new leaders and servants of God’s people would come tumbling into the Church. Why not you? The Lord is risen. Alleluia! Fr John THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER 18th April 2010 Memory is a very powerful thing. Listening to a particular piece of music, catching the scent of a particular flower, or seeing a familiar face in a crowd, can trigger an association with some experience either good or bad. In today’s gospel Peter goes fishing with his friends, just as he used to before they met Jesus. He is trying to forget the pain of his denials, and now that Jesus is risen he is not too keen to look him in the eye. Escape to the familiar old routine is his answer. But a night of fishing proves fruitless. Dispirited, he heads for the shore. A voice from the shore comes over the water in the half-light of dawn, inviting the disciples to drop the nets to starboard – and a huge catch results. Memories of Jesus doing that when he first called them come flooding back. “It is the Lord!” says John the Beloved. Peter, like Adam in the garden after the Fall, is naked and tries to hide by wrapping his cloak around him and jumping into the water. And what does he find when he comes ashore? A charcoal fire, like the one where he denied his Master, and Jesus preparing breakfast on it. No escape. He resisted getting his feet washed at the Last Supper, but at least he’s letting Jesus serve him breakfast. Three times Peter denied him. Now three times Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?” There’s no hint of reproach in his voice, no sarcasm, no judgement. Peter knows he is forgiven and reinstated, and his original calling reaffirmed: “Follow me.” No matter how far you feel from God, allow him to call you by name with no hint of reproach. Like Peter, will you have the courage to respond with all you heart: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” The Lord is risen. Alleluia! Fr John   SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER 11th April 2010 Now that a general election has been called in Britain, Parliament will be dissolved and everything will be on hold until after 6th May. Between now and then, the various political parties will be out to woo the voters with their particular policies for the country. Before we listen to them, however, we might do ourselves a favour by digesting a document recently produced by the bishops of England and Wales for just this moment. It is called Choosing the Common Good. Let me give you some quotes from it by way of a taster: • The period before a General Election is a time to reflect on what sort of society we live in and how we would like it to be. • The common good refers to what belongs to everyone by virtue of their common humanity. • If anyone is left out and deprived of what is essential, then the common good has been betrayed. • Society cannot change for the better without restoring trust. • Virtue is doing good even when no-one is looking. Politicians often claim that churchmen interfere in politics. But politicians have no qualms about interfering in religion. In truth we cannot divide life into neat watertight compartments; and our faith informs everything about life and even what lies beyond it. When, like Thomas in today’s gospel, we reduce everything to the here and now (“what you see is what you get”), we will never convince politicians or anyone else of the claims of faith. But if we believe, as Thomas came to believe, that Jesus is not just a human super-hero but my Lord and my God, then all creation takes on a deeper meaning. It is out of that meaning that we must live if we are to witness effectively to our faith. Alleluia! The Lord is risen! Fr John   EASTER SUNDAY 4th April 2010 On the world stage it has been a bleak year so far. The earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the long winter in these islands, the unrelenting gloom of industrial disputes and economic uncertainty have painted a dark picture. Add to it the continuing revelations of gross misconduct by some Catholic clergy in different parts of the world, and it seems the Church too is part of the picture, at the very moment we need her light and reassurance. The events of this Holy Week portray Jesus entering the darkness and seemingly being overcome by it. But the way he does it is far from despairingly or with stoical resignation. To the last he goes to his fate with love, generosity and compassion, forgiving his enemies and surrendering himself into his Father’s hands with total trust that all will be well. The resurrection of Jesus is not an escape from the tribulations of this world into some utopia when this dreary life is over. Easter is about living the resurrection now. In other words, when we refuse to give in to the pessimism, blame culture, and self-seeking attitudes all too prevalent around us, and instead allow God to fill us with the love, generosity, compassion and trust of Jesus, then we are resurrection people. When we hope against hope, forgive while others condemn; when we pray with expectant faith, and persevere in prayer in the face of adversity and seemingly no answer; when we love those who are so difficult to love, who return us insult for kindness, then we are resurrection people. If, like Mary Magdalen, you stay near the tomb of your disappointments and broken dreams, yet trust in God, expect to see an angel gently reminding you that Jesus is leading you out of the tomb to a new life in him. Alleluia! The Lord is risen! Fr John   THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD 3rd January 2010 By now most of you will know that I am going away from the parish for ten weeks on a pastoral renewal course. After giving out for more than seven years at Wickford I feel the need for some space to be refuelled and receive a bit myself, so that I can be a more effective pastor. I find it interesting and faintly amusing to hear the reactions of people to this news, ranging from one comment, “it’s all right for you, going off for ten weeks’ holiday!” to another who said, “it doesn’t sound like a break to me – more like a busman’s holiday!” Few people have much idea of what is really involved in a priest’s life; they only see the tip of the iceberg. In this Year for Priests, it seemed an appropriate moment to stand back and give thanks for God’s gift of priesthood, and not allow the pressures and demands to diminish my effectiveness in ministry. As God said to me through a wise prophet some thirty years ago, “you are my son, not my doormat.” The wise men likewise left their homes and routines to follow a star to unknown lands. It was in having the courage to pursue their dream that they were led to the Christ child. They upset Herod with their search for a new-born king, triggering the massacre of the Innocents. But they were filled with delight when they found Jesus and his mother, and offered their precious gifts. On our journey of faith we too can upset others when we challenge them with the gospel message; but we find our consolation in meeting Christ and his mother in prayer and the sacraments, offering our lives afresh in his service. May the Lord bless you and yours as we begin this year of grace 2010. Fr John   FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 20th December 2009 The snow comes, and predictably the schools close, the roads are treacherous and travel is disrupted. For a moment we are paralysed or severely restricted till we get our snow legs or ice skates. No bad thing to stop and remember what all our frenzied pre-Christmas activity is for – Jesus. Whether or not the first Christmas was really “in the bleak midwinter” with “snow on snow” is beside the point. Yet for the things that really matter we’ll move heaven and earth to get there. And that’s what God did. Move heaven and earth – or more precisely moved heaven to earth by sending his Son into our midst. Just as when the landscape is covered with snow everything looks different, so when the Word became flesh and lived among us life took on a new meaning and purpose. We are no longer bound by the restrictions of the here and now, the prison of hopelessness, the problems and tragedies of our lives, the fears about the future of our planet or our jobs or our grandchildren. The good news is that God has lifted us into eternity by sending his Son into our time and place, to share our limitations and vulnerabilities and pain, and love us into heaven. In today’s gospel of the Visitation, Mary was probably not restricted by snow, and certainly not hampered by rail chaos or airport closures. But her journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth some one hundred miles away was not easy. What impelled her was the Good News she carried in her womb and heart; and thoughts not of herself but of God and of others. Our greetings across the miles are so much easier these days with cards and phones and emails and Skype. May we see Christ in one another, and find time for one another. A blessed and peaceful Christmas to you and yours. Fr John   THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 13th December 2009 Have you ever seen God dance? No, I don’t think you will see him competing in Strictly Come Dancing, but the prophet Zephaniah tells the people of Israel, languishing in exile, that the day will come when God will set them free. They will exult and rejoice because God is in their midst. And it seems that not only the people, but God too will be ecstatic about it: “The Lord your God is in your midst... he will dance with shouts of joy for you”. Of course, God is spirit and cannot literally dance. The prophet is conveying in human language that “the Lord takes delight in his people” (Psalm 149). Can you imagine the Father dancing for joy over you? Do you realise you are that special? What today’s first reading also shows is that when we are happy, God is happy too. In Jesus, who took on our human nature, we can see it literally. While there is no record in the gospels of Jesus actually dancing or laughing, there’s no reason to believe he didn’t – quite the opposite. He is often shown expressing other emotions: fear, tears, anger, love, joy, etc. He is truly “God-with-us” or Emmanuel. Through him we know what God is like in an accessible language, the language of human nature. To welcome him into our midst this Christmas, we need to ask the question the people asked of John the Baptist when he called them to prepare for the Christ: “What must we do?” Wishful thinking isn’t enough – there’s practical preparation too. John’s answer was to ensure our treatment of others is kind and fair. Let’s hope we’re doing that much already. But why not go a little further, and find joy in doing it? Will you put a dance in your step? God bless you and tours this Advent. Fr John SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT 6th December 2009 Perhaps one of the reasons we have lost our capacity for wonder and surprise is that we have lost our ability to wait. Credit cards were introduced with the slogan: “Take the waiting out of wanting”. You can have it NOW. But what’s wrong with waiting? Yes, of course there are many times where delays can be tiresome, dangerous or even fatal. But getting instant solutions to everything reduces our appreciation and sense of gratitude, and eradicates the future. We have nothing to look forward to. Once we get what we want, the excitement of desire diminishes, and it’s not long before we want something else. No, we can’t take the waiting out of wanting because wanting is waiting. We long for something we haven’t got, and that longing is of the essence of desire, of our human energy. Ultimately, it is our hunger for God which lies at the root of all our desires, and Advent is the season of the year par excellence when we get in touch with our desires. In the famous words of St Augustine’s prayer in his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they rest in you.” Without waiting we cannot grow. A mother waits nine months for her child to be born. The people of ancient Israel longed for a Messiah, a Saviour to come, but when Jesus was born he took us all by surprise. God did not announce the exact date, but when it did happen is remembered in a specific date and place in history, roughly 2009 years ago. Has our life of faith become so familiar and predictable that we have lost the capacity to let God surprise us? God bless you and yours. Fr John FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 29th November 2009 Happy New Year! As the calendar year (at least in the northern hemisphere) heads into the darkest days and longest nights, the Christian year proclaims a new beginning and the promise of hope. Are we simply optimists pretending all is well when everything around us is sunk in gloom and despondency? Is it just a psychological trick to give us false hope? Is Advent just escapism? If that were true, then the opening words of Jesus in the gospel today are hardly sweet and gentle – quite the reverse. They speak unequivocally of nations overwhelmed by tsunamis and people unable to cope with the world’s traumas. Is he trying to intimidate us? Is he frightening us into submission? No, of course not. That’s not his style. He is being realistic, making us face our own powerlessness and human limitations which he himself assumed in coming among us. If we put our trust in him we will find a way forward in hope, even when we can’t see the result yet. Put your confidence in me, he says. Hold your heads high; don’t cower at the darkness, but trust that I am your Light leading and guiding you. Advent is a time to stop and reflect while the commercial world bids us do the opposite – go on a frenzied shopping spree. The pressure this puts on people who can ill afford to spend this Christmas is enormous. Jesus says our hearts can be coarsened by the cares of life; we can allow worry to rob us of the peace Christ came to bring. Make time to pray, read Scripture, and remember what really matters in life. Stay awake to the real meaning of the approaching feast of Christmas. Happy New Year! Fr John OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING National Youth Sunday - 22nd November 2009 When Jesus stands before Pilate on Good Friday morning, the Roman governor questions him about his authority and status. Pilate thinks of kings and kingdoms in terms of territory and political power; Jesus’ response to him takes Pilate into unknown territory and unearthly power. Yes, Jesus is a king whose mission is to bear witness to the truth. Only those who are on the side of truth listen to his voice and accept his authority. The way to find this kingdom is to find the truth. Pilate famously asks: “What is truth?” but doesn’t get a reply. The answer is in Jesus’ own words four chapters earlier (John 14:6): “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We tend to think of truth as an abstract concept, the essence of what is right, good and honest. But today truth is treated subjectively; what is true for you may not be true for me, we might say. In other words, it’s not the whole truth. Truth itself is bigger than your truth or my truth. We may say as members of Christ that we have the truth. But it might be better to say that the Truth (Jesus Christ) has us. Ultimately Truth is not a concept but a Person. Truth does not consist in simply doing the right thing but being in a right relationship with God. We measure the integrity and sincerity of our lives by comparing them to the life of Jesus and his teaching. Young people often have a way of challenging the humbug and hypocrisy of our society, and of getting the rest of us to face uncomfortable truths about ourselves, much as Christ himself did in his ministry. May we ask God’s blessing on them in the decisions and direction of their future. God bless you and yours. Fr John THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 8th November 2009 - Remembrance Sunday The human memory is amazingly sophisticated. It records every second of our waking life and in addition holds unconscious material, the extent of which we cannot guess. How much we can recall is only a fraction of what’s there; and while it will not always yield up the particular memory we try to recapture, at the same time it may reveal something we do not like or want. Most of us were born since the two world wars of the last century, which is why Remembrance Day helps to remind us of events that have radically shaped our lives today. But the wars and conflicts since, which are still in progress in places like Afghanistan, make it difficult to forget that ordinary human lives like our own have been and continue to be lost in the elusive search for peace. As the Constitution of the Church in the Modern World of Vatican II states, “peace is not the absence of war, nor....the balance of power between opposing forces. Instead, it is rightly and properly called ‘the effect of justice.’” Remembrance is also at the heart of our Catholic faith. Our central act of worship flows from the command of Christ at the Last Supper to “do this in remembrance of me”. We remember his sacrificial death, not so that we may harbour revenge or bitterness, but paradoxically so that we may have life to the full, because he gave his life for us not out of duty but in perfect love. Whether we recall the death of our loved ones, of those killed in battle, or the victims of violence at the hands of others or of environmental disasters, each of them is united with Christ’s death on the cross, and is included in every Mass which re-presents his death and resurrection. It’s good to remember that. God bless you and yours. Fr John ALL SAINTS 1st November 2009 Saints are more admired than imitated. We look at their heroic lives, sigh with regret that we could never be that holy, and sigh with relief that God isn’t calling us to be anyway. Sanctity is not for us; only for the chosen few, we believe. Perhaps the problem lies with our restricting sainthood to those in the premier league of holiness. The saints officially canonised by the Church are exceptional examples, coming from many different cultures, countries and historical settings. The majority, somewhat unfairly, seem to be bishops, priests or nuns, which gives the impression that holiness is better suited to the professional religious. Nothing could be further from the truth. The central chapter of the key document of the Second Vatican Council is entitled “A Call to Holiness”, and reminds us that every single member of the Church, by reason of their baptism, is called to be a saint, to be holy. What is holiness? Is it about adopting a pious attitude, saying lots of prayers, and being as good as possible? No. Holiness is not our initiative, but God’s. God calls us to become like him, to grow closer to him, to “put on the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5). He invites us to come to know him through prayer, Scripture and sacraments, and in love and service of our neighbour. In the words of St Therese of Lisieux, we are to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. If that’s what he wants, he will empower us to do it – but in his way, his time. The last thing a truly holy person thinks they are is holy. Only God can see the result of his own efforts in us. As another modern saint, Mother Teresa, used to say, “God never asks us to be successful, only faithful.” God bless you and yours. Fr John   THIRTIETH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 25th October 2009 At the beginning of the gospel of St John, as two disciples of John the Baptist start following Jesus, he turns round and asks them, “What do you want?” Again, in last week’s gospel from Mark, Jesus asks the sons of Zebedee who are asking a favour of him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And now it’s the turn of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, who is calling after Jesus, to hear the Master saying, “What do you want me to do for you?” It might seem strange that Jesus, who was able to read people’s thoughts, should need to ask those questions. Surely he knew what they wanted. We could say the same thing about prayer. God knows our needs better than we do, so why bother to ask him? The reason he asks is to get us to think about our desires. A good teacher will not simply feed us information; he/she will try to elicit the information from us by asking questions (drawing us out – which is the root meaning of the word “education”). So when Jesus asks a blind man “what do you want?” he is giving him the space to talk about his real desires. Being able to see may be the obvious one, but no doubt he had many others, like “I’d like to stop begging and have a decent job”. Jesus is doing the same for me and you. Right now he’s asking you what he can do for you. How will you answer? What do you really want? Do you believe he can really do it for you? God bless you and yours. Fr John TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 11th October 2009 The rich young man has acquired much in his comparatively short life. And he wants more and more. Not only material goods; he wants the secret of spiritual success too. What do I have to do to add eternal life to the shopping list? What hoops do I have to jump through to get to heaven? Jesus’ answer is to stand the young man’s thinking on its head. You obtain eternal life by renouncing your life. You become rich by becoming poor and making others rich. But he couches that stark truth in the context of the rich man’s desire. He sees deep inside him a seeking, an insatiable curiosity for real happiness. He sees ultimately what the young man cannot see – that love is the object of his quest. So “Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him” (Mk 10:21). Only by engaging us in a relationship of love can Jesus call us to greater things. If you love someone deeply enough, you’ll do anything for them; as St Paul famously reminds us, “love is always ready to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes”. Love is always an invitation, not forced on us against our will. The rich young man cannot accept Jesus’ invitation, and turns away sad. The sadness comes from being torn in two – he is inspired by Jesus’ love and challenge to him, but he now finds he cannot go that far; the cost is too great. Perhaps we too feel inspired by the gospel of Jesus, but the pressures and constraints of our daily living make us almost despair of being good enough for God. Hence the disciples’ reaction: “In that case, who can be saved?” And Jesus looks steadily at them, gazes at them, and says it’s impossible for us, but God can do it, if you let him. Let Jesus gaze at you now with love, and ask yourself how you would like to respond. God bless you and yours. Fr John TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 4th October 2009 One of the reasons why the Catholic Church holds marriage to be sacred and inviolable is because it is a sacrament. Every married couple is making a statement that every day, “from this day [their wedding day] forward.... till death do us part”, they are mirroring the faithful love that Jesus the Bridegroom has for his Bride, the Church. When marriage is no longer a permanent total commitment for life and ends in divorce, it ceases to be a sign of God’s constant love which never ends. This is not a judgement on any particular failed marriage, as the reasons for divorce are many and varied. But it does argue for a careful, thorough and prayerful preparation for marriage in the Church. The Church insists on at least four instructions for each couple preparing for marriage. When I consider that I spent six years training for the priesthood, a mere four or five hours in preparing for Christian marriage seems woefully inadequate. It is clear that many, if not most, Catholics do not know that a Catholic is expected to be married in the Catholic Church. If they are married elsewhere without explicit permission the marriage is not recognised by the Church. Some would say that the Church is being unrealistic in such high expectations marriage. But she is only echoing the words of Jesus in today’s gospel: “What God has united, man must not divide.” If God has brought this couple together in unity, what human authority can override God? This is the ideal set before us; and if we fail after giving of our best, we must entrust ourselves to the providence of a loving and forgiving God who can heal our hearts. God bless you and yours. Fr John TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK Home Mission Sunday - 20th September 2009 I have been very touched by the kindness and sympathy of so many people following my father’s death just over a week ago. He died peacefully following a stroke at the age of 87, and we his children feel above all a sense of gratitude for his life, for all he has given us; our loss is that much easier to bear as we endeavour to make our lives his legacy. When in the gospel today Jesus speaks of his forthcoming passion and death, the reaction of his disciples is to pretend they haven’t heard, and ostrich-like bury their heads in the sand. To compensate for their discomfort and insecurity, they compete for power and argue which of them is the greatest – after Jesus, of course. James in the second reading reinforces the damage caused by our aggressive self-seeking. Wars and battles, he says, don’t start with one nation against another, or even one person against another. They start with the conflicting desires fighting in a single human heart. Peace begins with me. To illustrate how to defuse the time-bomb of ambition and self-will, Jesus takes a little child and, by placing him between himself and his disciples, implies that following Jesus is to be led by a child. That child-like spirit, that being of service to others, that total trust in God’s providence was a hallmark of my father’s life, from which I hope to continue to learn as he goes home to his Creator. His funeral will be celebrated on Thursday next 24th September 10.30am at Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead. May his gentle soul rest in peace. God bless you and yours. Fr John TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK - 13th September 2009 At the heart of the Christian message – indeed, it is the Christian symbol – is the cross. For the first four centuries Christian art did not picture the crucifixion; it was too graphic, too explicit a reminder of a common and cruel instrument of execution in the Roman Empire. But we cannot escape the truth that this was the way Jesus died, that he accepted this degrading and excruciating death as a consequence of his total and unconditional love for each and every person on this earth. He was killed by those who could not accept his refusal to limit God’s love to the worthy, the religious or the good. The cross represents a love too enormous (and costly) to be ignored. In today’s gospel Jesus foretells his approaching death and resurrection. But even before that ominous prediction is revealed in the stark reality of Good Friday, he invites his would-be disciples to follow the same path. Indeed, he makes it clear: unless we accept the suffering of the cross in our own lives, we cannot be his disciples. Our own reaction, like Peter’s, is quite human – if we’ve got to follow you, then don’t go that way, Lord! Try something less difficult! But for us, it’s too late. Already we have been baptised into his death, and keep making the sign of the cross to remind us we accept its consequences every day. When suffering comes, when the dark and messy parts of our life threaten to limit our vision and the possibility of God loving us, it is all too tempting to want to explain it, to rationalise it, to make sense of it. But ultimately we can’t. We only know that God in Christ has entered into the heart of suffering not to explain it but to show us how to live with it. And to rise again with him to new life. God bless you and yours. Fr John   TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK - 6th September 2009 One of the best-kept secrets of the Catholic Church in this country is that there are some significant changes to the English translation of the Mass about to be sprung on us. Familiar texts such as the I confess, Gloria and the Nicene Creed will be modified, some heavily, and so will some of the responses. For example, to the priest’s invitation The Lord be with you, the congregation will reply And with your spirit. All the Eucharistic Prayers will read differently. While some parts are attractive, much of it is stilted and archaic, in my opinion. It’s as if it is only half-translated, and is yet to be rendered in clear English. The present translation of the Roman Missal has been familiar to us since its publication in 1975. At that time it was intended as a short-term version while a more thorough and more elegant translation was being prepared – a mammoth task, since it had to be agreed by the Bishops’ Conference of every English-speaking country in the world. In 1995 the final text was submitted to Rome for approval, and there it sat gathering dust until 2001, when a totally new set of guidelines for translation were decreed by Rome. Years of painstaking work was scrapped and the English-speaking hierarchies were told to start again. At last the new edition is nearing completion and will possibly be published next year (I overheard a conversation in a London Catholic bookshop between an Australian cardinal and a British publisher a few weeks ago, so I know!). In America they are already publishing details of the new version to prepare their people (see www.usccb.org/romanmissal). But there’s not a squeak out of the bishops of England and Wales. You heard it here first! God bless you and yours. Fr John   TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK - 30th August 2009 One of the consequences of an aggressive individualism is the loss of a common moral code of behaviour. The one who makes Frank Sinatra’s song “I Did It My Way” their anthem is not interested in anybody else’s way unless it fits with theirs. Even the laws that have been introduced to regulate a society that has lost a moral compass are flouted or ignored. An amoral society is well on the way to becoming an anarchic one. Yet there are signs that we not only want to restore order but even regain a moral compass. The pendulum is beginning to swing back the other way. The reaction to the Scottish Justice Minister’s decision to return the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing to Libya on compassionate grounds is instructive. Compassion is a central Christian virtue which appeals not just to legal technicalities or even moral codes, but to the heart. What at heart do we really want for this man? I believe the reaction has revealed the divisions and conflicts in the heart of each of us. I want to be forgiving and compassionate, but what about justice? How do I reconcile the anger and violence welling up in my heart with the love and forgiveness preached by Jesus? To placate our troubled minds we suppress these feelings and try to live on the surface, like the Pharisees in today’s gospel who insist on legal observance but don’t want to question their motives. What’s going on in your heart? What are the unconscious motivations which colour your judgements? Jesus challenges us, like the Pharisees, to examine the intentions of our hearts. We may not like what we see, but self-awareness is the first step to freedom and growth, and a step nearer the wisdom of compassion. God bless you and yours. Fr John   TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK - 23rd August 2009 GK Chesterton famously wrote: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.” When Jesus said “Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink of his blood, you cannot have life in you”, the reaction of his hearers was repulsion at what sounded like cannibalism. “This is intolerable language. Who can accept it?” Many of his followers left him. Did he run after them and say: “I didn’t mean it like that. Let me try and explain it in more acceptable language”? No. He even expected that his closest friends might leave too, and gave them permission. But Peter on their behalf said: “Without you there is nowhere else to go.” Much of what we are asked to believe and live by defies explanation. But that doesn’t lessen its importance or impact. Many of our contemporaries shun religion and mock any belief in God. What is it that keeps us going? Perhaps, like Peter, we can tell Jesus that he’s the best we’ve got as far as we can see! But Peter went on more positively to say: “We believe, we know you are the Holy One of God.” St Paul in today’s reading from Ephesians compares the relationship between Christ and us his Church to the relationship between husband and wife. Marriage is another mystery that has often been found difficult and left untried. But when it is tried and lived, the spouses are a living sign of Christ’s faithfulness to us and our loving commitment to him. We too often forget that it is never achievable by our own human effort alone. Only by allowing God’s grace to work in us can we surrender to him and say: “Lord, who else but you? We believe you are the Holy One of God.” God bless you and yours. Fr John   THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY - 16th August 2009 The Assumption is the major feast of our Lady in the Church’s year. Most saints’ days commemorate the day of their death, the day their earthly work was done and the reward of heaven was to follow. In Mary’s case, an ancient tradition of the Church says that after her death she did not decay but was taken body and soul to heaven, to share the same place as her Son whose body she had formed in her womb. In the Eastern Church the feast is still known by its original name, the Dormition or “falling asleep” of our Lady. You can still visit the church of our Lady near Gethsemane in Jerusalem, where the empty tomb of Mary is venerated. The first time I visited it in 1976, it was at the end of an Orthodox Eucharist, and people were coming out as we entered, handing us pieces of blessed bread (called the antidoron) as a sign of peace. In my ignorance I thought they were sharing Holy Communion, but I now know better. Whether we refer to the Dormition (falling asleep) or the Assumption (taking up into heaven) we are simply talking about two stages of the same reality. Like her Son, she too really died. She too was laid in a tomb. But she had no power to rise again like Jesus. Only God could take her to the glory of heaven. Although the Assumption has been part of Church teaching since the fifth century, it was never formally declared until 1950 when Pope Pius XII publically honoured the Mother of God with the solemn pronouncement of the dogma. We who worship in a church dedicated to our Lady have a special joy in celebrating this feast. May God bless you and yours. Fr John   SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL 28th June 2009 While these two great apostles are commemorated together, it is appropriate, at the closing of the Year of St Paul, to concentrate on the latter. Both saints stand out from the pages of the New Testament. Of the 27 books of the New Testament, 13 were written by or ascribed to Paul, and another (the Acts of the Apostles) features Paul as a central character from chapter 9. Although he came from a classical Jewish background (he was a Pharisee who studied the Law under the great Gamaliel in Jerusalem) he was brought up in Tarsus (in modern Turkey) as a Roman citizen speaking Greek. He was well placed, after his dramatic conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus, to preach the Gospel to the Gentile world. What comes across in the three extensive missionary journeys recorded in the Acts of the Apostles is Paul’s energy and single-minded commitment to sharing his faith in Jesus Christ. One might almost say he is obsessed with Christ: “I live not now with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) and “All I want is to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10) are two examples. Along with this prodigious enthusiasm Paul was gifted with a brilliant intellect. Not only did he dispense guidance and pastoral advice through his letters to the Christian communities he founded, he also developed a theology of Christ and the Church, of salvation and justification by faith, which forms the foundation of the Church’s teaching today. In that sense he is probably the most original mind in the history of Christianity. But supremely it is his experience of Christ and his life of prayer and service which counts the most. If we do not have a personal relationship with God in Jesus there is no foundation for a Christian life, however well meaning our intentions and actions. God bless you and yours. Fr John TWELFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 21st June 2009 Climate change has led us to look seriously at the way we as human beings are exercising our stewardship of the earth. While there have been periods in the earth’s history when the overall temperature has risen or fallen, the scale and speed of the present “global warming” is alarming. But when we see that human greed and misuse of the earth’s resources is the major cause, there are important moral and theological consequences. Not only do we have to change our lifestyle and accept responsibility for the harm done (what we Christians call repentance and conversion) but to recognise the prophetic voice of God in these climate changes, because as the psalmist says: “The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness”. With the melting of the polar ice and the consequent rise in sea levels, more and more of the low-lying land masses will disappear beneath the waves. The story of Noah and the Flood is no longer an ancient fable; it holds a lesson for today. How do we cope with powers beyond our control, especially when we have unleashed them ourselves? “The waves were breaking into the boat,” St Mark’s gospel tells us today, “so that it was almost swamped.” The disciples on board, hardy fishermen well used to handling boats in bad weather, were unable to cope and feared the worst. Where was Jesus? Asleep in the stern – where the tiller was. And it wasn’t the storm that woke him, it was the disciples! Like us, they wanted to be in control, but when they weren’t, they wanted God to restore their control. But Jesus teaches us that only when God is in charge that things work out for good. Do you trust God? Or do you try to manipulate him? God bless you and yours. Fr John   THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST 14th June 2009 Today’s feast was instituted by the Church in the Middle Ages and is still known by its Latin name Corpus Christi, which means the Body of Christ. At that time people were going to communion less often, and the practice of receiving from the chalice had become restricted to the priest. It was felt that the laity should only rarely receive communion at the Holy Sacrifice offered by the priest, so as a substitute it was common practice to be present at the Consecration – when the priest elevated the Host – to look at the Lord. The present excellent practice of Exposition and Benediction grew from this desire to gaze on what could not be received. Since the time of Pope St Pius X a hundred years ago, the Church has strongly urged us to receive communion more frequently, reminding us that all of us, not just the priest who acts in our name, offer the Sacrifice of the Mass with him. And for the last thirty years we have been encouraged to receive the Lord under both forms of bread and wine, a fuller response to the Lord’s explicit words at the Last Supper: “Take and eat.... take and drink”. As we can see from today’s first reading, the blood of an animal sacrifice represented the offering of a life. The animal had to die before its blood could be taken. In the same way Jesus died on the cross before his blood was poured out for us. On the night before he died he took a cup of wine and said: “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant which is poured out for you.” When we are privileged to drink from the chalice, we are not only recalling Christ’s gift of his lifeblood but also pledging our willingness to give of our lives in his service. God bless you and yours. Fr John   TRINITY SUNDAY 7th June 2009 At the time of going to press the local and European elections were under way and the outcome is uncertain; national government is in disarray and political leadership teeters on the edge of anarchy. The field is ripe for extremists to make serious inroads. An angry and bewildered public flounders around looking for scapegoats to blame, and clutches at any would-be saviour. Surely the serene contemplation of the Trinity at a moment like this seems so remote as to be absurd. Yet the mystery of God’s being in whose image and likeness we are fashioned lies at the heart of any healing of our human dysfunction. Indeed it was to restore the true dignity of our human nature that the second Person of the Trinity assumed our flesh and identified completely with our human condition, reconciling us with God and with each other through his death on the cross. The dynamic relationship between the Persons of the Trinity is the model of our human relationships; we are social beings because God is a family, not a lone individual. If we live in a world that destroys or rejects its most vulnerable people – whether by abortion, euthanasia, ethnic cleansing, racism, etc – then we are destroying ourselves. The measure of our love and care for the weakest is the measure of our self-worth. No wonder we have lost a sense of direction and leadership if our selfishness has set us on a course of self-destruction. To counter it, we have to build a community of love, forgiveness, tolerance and generosity of spirit, which can only happen if there is a change of attitude, sacrifice and commitment. That is exactly what the Christian gospel is programmed to do. And we are committed to this programme through our baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. God bless you and yours. Fr John   PENTECOST SUNDAY 31st May 2009 Who is the Holy Spirit? There is a perception that, unlike the Father and the Son, whose names immediately invoke concrete relationships, the Spirit is vague, ethereal and frankly spooky (as in the use of the old English name “Holy Ghost”). In practice, however, the Holy Spirit is anything but vague. When Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit when he ascended into heaven, he wasn’t sending a poor substitute for himself. As the fourth Eucharistic Prayer says, “so that we may live no longer for ourselves but for him, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit from you, Father, to complete his work on earth and bring us the fullness of grace.” Jesus’ work cannot be completed without the Spirit. And neither can ours. The fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians (5:22-24) show that the Spirit active in us produces practical results: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control, for example. The Rev Tom Smail used to say that the gifts of the Spirit are not things, but people, which means the number of spiritual gifts is past counting. Each one of us is a gift of the Spirit endowed with spiritual gifts. Each one of us is expected to use our gifts to produce the fruits of love, joy, peace, etc. Like the apostles at Pentecost, like those being confirmed today, we can do nothing without the power the Holy Spirit gives us. Perhaps this prayer, composed by the late Sister Josephine Payne OSU (Brentwood Ursuline) might help: Lord, graft me so deeply on to you that the life of your Spirit may flow through me, through every fibre of my being. Possess me utterly and completely, Lord Jesus, so that I may become a flame burning before you, burning with your life and love, and enkindling all who come in contact with me. Take from me all wrangling and jealousy, all unkindness and pride, and fill me instead with your joy and peace, your patience and love, your goodness and kindness and self-control, so that the new life you have offered me may not be in vain, but may grow and blossom as long as I live. Amen. Alleluia! Fr John   THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD 24th May 20093> The city of Florence in Tuscany is so full of works of art, in galleries, churches and open spaces, that there is only so much one can take in before experiencing cultural indigestion. Six priests of our diocese had only three days there this week, so we had to be selective. The danger is to rush around glimpsing everything but looking at nothing. With visual art I like to focus on one or two pictures and spend time letting them tell me their story. Some subjects are immediately arresting; others take time before they yield their riches. Among the many scenes from the gospel the Ascension is not as well represented as the Assumption of Our Lady, possibly because the latter subject celebrates the triumph of our human nature – Mary has made it to heaven, but her Son was going there anyway! But the picture which touched me was Botticelli’s Annunciation. The angel reaches out to Mary, inviting her by the gesture of his hand to become the spouse of the Holy Spirit. She in turn is at first fearful (one hand drawn back) then accepting, as her other hand mirrors the gesture of the angel. Isn’t that familiar? We are anxious, fearful or uncertain about what God asks of us, but at the same time we realise it is only by accepting God’s will on his terms, not ours, that our doubts and fears can be resolved. As we prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, may all of us, especially our confirmation candidates, say our Yes to God as Mary did, without knowing all the answers. Alleluia! The Lord is risen on high. Fr John SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER 17th May 2009 The word “love” appears in the second reading and the gospel today no less than eighteen times. You get the impression God is trying to tell us something. There is an apocryphal story about St John in his old age clambering into the pulpit every Sunday to say: “My dear people, let us love another”, then sitting down again. Sunday after Sunday it was the same message. One of the newer members of the congregation nudged his neighbour and asked: “Why does he keep saying ‘Let us love one another?’ to which she replied, ‘Because we’re not doing it yet’. The second reading contains the shortest description of God in the Bible: “God is love”. Short it may be, but simple it ain’t! We spend a lifetime learning to love, and no doubt we continue our lessons in heaven. God has revealed the meaning of love not in a philosophy or guide book, but in Jesus. God wants there to be no mistaking that love is lived out at the centre of our human lives, and has given his Son to us as a model, and his Spirit as the Enabler: Jesus shows us how to love, and the Spirit gives us the power to do it. Love is the key to healing the malaise of sadness and general gloom that permeates our society at the moment. Without God there is no hope; without hope the incentive to love is undermined. Jesus says the greatest love we can have is to lay down our lives for our friends, like the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The love we have for each other is the measure of how much we love God. Alleluia! The Lord is risen. Fr John   ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, 10th May 2009 Let’s begin with your answer to a simple question: do you go to Mass every Sunday (or Saturday evening)? If your answer is an unequivocal YES, there’s no need to read further. If you are a Catholic and your straight answer is NO, I would want to ask, in all sincerity, why not? Maybe you are ill, housebound or dependent on someone to bring you to church; if we do not know of your incapacity and are not already bringing you Holy Communion, please let us know. If you cannot come to church, we will endeavour to bring the church to you. Or perhaps you feel alienated from the Church through some tragedy or breakdown of relationship, whether through your own fault or through the hurt of others; or your problem may be with the Church’s perceived attitude or teaching which is difficult to accept. Your answer, however, may be YES, BUT... or NO, BUT... The “but” can imply the tension between the demands of the Church and of the world. Which of these two definitions of a Christian applies to you: one who lives in the world and goes to church, or one who lives in the Church and goes out to the world? Today’s life-style is competitive and divisive, leading to individualism, selfishness and loneliness. It takes hard work to maintain a sense of family, community and generosity of spirit. St Paul compares the Church to a body: Christ is the head, and we are the members. In today’s gospel Jesus says: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” We cannot survive cut off from the vine; we need Christ, and we need each other. Our love for each other, as the second reading tells us, “is not to be words or mere talk, but something real and active.” I find I need to go to Mass to give me the strength to live in love. Alleluia! The Lord is risen. Fr John   ON THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER, 26th April 2009 The various accounts of Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection have one thing in common – he is not expected to appear. There is the element of surprise, and part of the surprise is that he seems quite normal! It’s almost comical, the way Jesus creates consternation at his arrival yet chides his disciples for reacting so fearfully. “Aren’t you glad to see me?” he seems to say to the apostles in today’s gospel from St Luke. Well, yes – but they don’t quite know what to make of him now. Is he the real Jesus they knew before his death, or a new Jesus, a sort of Superman, or even (as many early Christians were tempted to believe) really God pretending to look like a real being? “A ghost!” was their first reaction, but Jesus says, “Have you ever seen a ghost eating grilled fish?” The temptation of our human nature is to categorise Jesus as either a very special human being or a very humble divine being, just as we still tend to split ourselves into “body” and “soul”. Where’s the boundary between the two? Do we not experience ourselves as one person, and is not a split personality a disorder? The bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth has spotlighted the old conflict between science and religion, a conflict the Church once perpetrated in Galileo’s time but now heartily opposes. Atheists love to isolate religion from life, and try to show it as irrelevant, on the margins of human existence. If we deny the spiritual nature of the universe and focus only on the material, we are impoverishing ourselves, diminishing our human nature. The risen Christ is God continuing to surprise us with his ordinariness. Christ is risen. Alleluia! Fr John   ON EASTER SUNDAY, 12th April 2009 During my trip to Syria in February a number of my fellow travellers were not sympathetic to the Christian faith, and in voicing their concerns or criticism it became clear that what they objected to was not what I would recognise as the Christian gospel, but a caricature or distortion of it. One conversation, for instance, was about Christian festivals. The word Easter derives from eostre, a Saxon word meaning “sheepfold”, from a pagan spring festival. “So Easter is really pagan, not Christian,” ran their objection. Yes, the name and date of a pagan feast was indeed adopted by Christianity – but it took on a new and deeper meaning. It’s not just about bunnies and eggs – it’s about the resurrection of Christ symbolised by bunnies (new life) and eggs (the chick breaking from the shell reminds us of Christ breaking from the tomb). We live too much on the surface of our lives to ponder meanings. There is so much pain and uncertainty in our world today we prefer to keep busy and not think about it. But if we are to meet the risen Christ and find hope and sustenance for living, we have to stop and ask the crucial questions. We think that by doing so we will end in a crumpled heap on the floor of despair – or, in Christian terminology, nailed to a cross. Christ did not rise from a bed of roses but from a dark tomb. When finally we face the darkness of our own lives, the death of our hopes and dreams, we are looking into an empty tomb where we are told: “Jesus is not here. He is risen. He goes before you on your journey of faith. Walk out of the darkness into his light. He is with you always, to the end of time.” Alleluia! The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Fr John PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD 5th April 2009 The G20 conference this week was a bold attempt to bring world leaders together in the face of a global financial crisis. Until the credit crunch, each nation, each financial institution, had been working in competition with each other, trying to grab more and more money for their cause, oblivious of the fact that there is only so much money to grab. It has been a game of Monopoly for real, except that playing with people’s lives and savings is not a game. It is the poorest in the world who have suffered most, and their voice is barely heard. Suddenly we are beginning to hear from politicians and world leaders that we need to work together, to cooperate, to rediscover a sense of community and solidarity. Such a complete reversal of policy is welcome. This is good traditional Catholic teaching. May these not be empty words but a real sign of hope. Throwing money at the problem is of course only part of the solution. Far more important is a change of attitude, of heart and mind; what is needed are the virtues of compassion, forgiveness, encouragement, sacrifice and generosity. Christians during Lent have a word for this change of heart: repentance. We begin Holy Week, which commemorates the most profoundly life-changing events in all human history, with the awareness that the way of the cross, the way Jesus dealt with the crisis of a broken selfish sinful world, enfolds everything that matters. He has paid the price of our redemption - not a mere three trillion dollars, but his lifeblood. This week we are called not merely to commemorate a past event but to enter into what Christ has done for us, and apply it to our world today by our sacrifices, love and generosity.   Fr John ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT  29th March 2009 Naturally enough, it was Philip and Andrew, apostles with Greek names, who were approached by some Greeks with the request: "We should like to see Jesus." Like Zacchaeus who climbed a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus passing by, these Greeks weren¹t just doing a bit of celebrity spotting, so they could tell their friends they¹d met the famous Jesus. What they had heard and seen of him attracted and fascinated them. They wanted to know more, like Andrew himself at the beginning of John¹s gospel, where Jesus turns round to see him following and asks: "What do you want?" Andrew¹s reply, "Where do you live?" expresses the desire to know more, to experience living with Jesus, not just paying him an occasional visit. By now you will have realised that the journey of Lent is far more than about paying Jesus a few extra visits. At this late stage, as Holy Week looms closer, there is no room for half-disciples or part-time Christians. We¹re in it all the way or we walk away sad. Jade Goodey may not have led the most exemplary life, but she did die an exemplary death. Anyone who can teach us how to die well is exemplifying Jesus' words: "Anyone who loves their life loses it." We cannot afford to wait till our deathbed to learn how to die; we have to practise letting go of all that leads us away from God every day of our lives. Otherwise, paradoxically, we will never live. The control freak of the ego will cling on for dear life and all we will reap is a living death. We cannot rise again unless we are first dead. There is no Easter Sunday before Good Friday. What is preventing you from letting go of your fears and trusting totally in God? Happy Lent! Fr John ON THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT Mothering Sunday 22nd March 2009 One of the distinctive characteristics of the English temperament (and maybe the British one too) used to be a sense of fair play, and a soft spot for the underdog. But in recent years there has grown a hardness in our British society, a less tolerant spirit, quick to find fault and less forgiving. The incidence of road rage is a typical example; another might be the “trial by television”, when news bulletins report on the trials of serial killers, paedophiles, fraudsters and the rest, inviting us indirectly to make our own judgements and condemnations. I am not for a moment condoning the crimes committed or excusing those who commit them. But perhaps we have forgotten that only God knows the heart of each one of us, saint and sinner alike; as St James says: “Who are you to give a verdict on your neighbour?” (5:12). Sadly even we Christians have been sucked into this insidious way of thinking and abandoned our gospel values of compassion and forgiveness in favour of pagan values like vengeance and retaliation. The first reading today describes the consistent infidelity of generations of the Israelite nation, but nevertheless God sends a pagan monarch to show them the mercy they did not deserve; and all this occurred before Christ came. The words of St John’s gospel today are among the most famous summaries of the whole Christian message: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.” God is the only One who knows our hearts, and has every right to condemn us, but doesn’t. Instead he gives us the life of his innocent Son to save us and restore us to grace. If only we knew how much we are loved and have been forgiven, we would die of amazement or fall over each other in the rush to love and forgive each other. Happy Lent! Fr John ON THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT 15th March 2009 In a recent lecture at Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O¹Connor who is shortly to retire said that to be human is "to be deeply tempted to be good". So often popular wisdom equates being human with being sinful. But sin makes us less human, not more. Sin diminishes us. So, the Cardinal goes on, "we need to encourage and affirm the good in each person, rather than simply naming the bad." One of my favourite sayings of our own Bishop Thomas is: "If you speak to the good in a person, you will always get a response." When we judge, criticise or condemn the only response we are likely to get, if at all, is a negative one. A positive constructive dialogue opens up the way to growth; a negative approach closes down any dialogue and it is much more difficult to move things forward. Note that the Cardinal wants us to be deeply tempted to be good. He did not say, to be right. Good people don¹t always get it right, but their basic intention is sound. The Ten Commandments which constitute today¹s first reading have for the last three thousand years or more provided a foundation for goodness, not just rightness. Law, by itself, doesn¹t make us good; it only provides a framework to contain our behaviour. The Ten Commandments are not laws like those of the land; they are based on a living committed relationship to God and our neighbour, the result of a covenant or agreement. It is this relationship which ultimately deeply tempts us to be good. The gospel today tells us that many believed in Jesus, but he did not trust himself to them because he knew what they were really like. May this Lent be a time when we can entrust our lives to God, knowing he loves us as we are. Don¹t close the link! Happy Lent. Fr John   ON THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT 8th March 2009 The Golan Heights, which Israel annexed from Syria in 1973, mark the politically sensitive border where Israel, Syria and Lebanon meet. The mountain which dominates this area is Mount Hermon, which most biblical scholars agree is the site of the Transfiguration narrated in today's gospel. I have admired its snow-capped peak from the Sea of Galilee while in Israel, and recently glimpsed it again in Syria, on the road south of Damascus, tantalisingly close but always just out of reach. The transfiguration of Jesus is a moment of joy and hope on the road to Easter. Suddenly he is revealed in glory; suddenly his three closest friends realise who he really is, and everything becomes wonderfully clear. But then the cloud descends, and they can see nothing; all they hear is a voice declaring that Jesus is God?s Beloved Son and that they must listen to him. Then they look around; the cloud has gone, and so has the light. All that?s left is the same old Jesus. The Christian life is like that, Lent no less so. There are moments when our life of faith makes blindingly clear sense, when prayer is a joy, and we want to love everyone. But they usually don?t last very long. There?s always the danger we will think we are in control of our lives, including the God bit. When the cloud of God?s presence covers us, we think we?ve lost him and he?s deserted us, when he is in fact tantalisingly close and just out of reach. If we can hang on in the darkness, believing and trusting only what we hear (God?s word), then we will find Jesus is with us all the time, looking as ordinary as Monday morning but the real Jesus. Happy Lent! Fr John ON THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT 1st March 2009 Perhaps there is no coincidence that the first Sunday in Lent this year falls on the feast of St David, Patron of Wales. Lent conjures up images of austerity, deprivation and penance, at which the early Celtic monks were adept: one of David's favourite pastimes was standing up to his neck in freezing water to make sure he didn't sleep during prayer! The Celtic monks had inherited this bizarre enthusiasm for asceticism from the desert fathers and mothers, the hermits of early Christian Egypt and the Middle East. While in Syria last week I visited the church of St Simeon, a hermit who lived on top of a pillar twenty feet high for thirty-six years - the stump of the pillar is still there! No, I'm not suggesting we imitate their practices, but we might catch something of their dedication. Their attempts to become holy might be extreme, but their desire to come closer to God was real enough. Do we want to come closer to God? Is our desire only hampered by not knowing how to go about it, or thinking that we are too far away from God to even try? The three practical tools of Lent Jesus refers to in Ash Wednesday's gospel are prayer, fasting and almsgiving (generosity and mercy). If we make only a token effort to use them, they won't work; but if we genuinely want to grow in faith they are not only effective but essential. So give time to listen to God in prayer; make space for the things that matter by removing the clutter; and make room in your life for others, especially the poor and needy. Happy Lent! Fr John   ON THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK 15th February 2009 In Jesus' day lepers were the outcasts; perhaps today's outcasts are bankers. Indeed part of the effect of the global recession is to make everyone feel alienated - will it be my turn next to lose my job or my home? I had a phone call this week from a friend in the USA whose business is going under and was on the edge of a breakdown - multiply that a few million times and you have a picture of a troubled world. But it is worth remembering that what we used to call the Third World has always been suffering poverty, far worse than what we are experiencing. A little taste of that may put things in perspective. One of the dangers of feeling alienated and disorientated is to find ourselves cut off from others, and loneliness and depression sets in. We need each other more than ever, and the support of family, community and Church is vital. But we must have the courage and humility to ask for help, and also the generosity and love to reach out to those in need. Never before has the need for true community been greater; the individualism and self-seeking of the last thirty years has almost destroyed it. We must rebuild and resurrect our society with the precious gift of our Christian faith through the Church. By reaching out and touching the leper in his need, Jesus not only identified with the marginalised but in the process became alienated himself. No more graphic picture of that truth can be portrayed than the cross - the place of death of a criminal and a slave. It was in that place Jesus redeemed the world. Like the leper, we can say to him from our desperation and fear: "If you want to, you can cure me!" Of course he wants to. But are we prepared to let him, and face the consequences of living a new life in him, a life he wants us to share with others? God bless you and yours. Fr John   ON THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR OF MARK,  8th February 2009, One of the effects of the "Big Freeze" in the UK, this week, was to slow everyone down.  Road, rail and air transport was severely curtailed or cancelled, and businesses and schools were closed.  Many of the things we planned to do last week never happened. Martin Luther used to say that if you are a busy person, you should spend one hour a day in prayer.  When someone protested they couldn't find that much time in the day, Luther retorted: "If you're a very busy person, you should spend two hours a day!" In other words, if you're too busy to pray, you're too busy. The gospel today describes twenty-four hours in the ministry of Jesus.  After a heavy day preaching and healing, he returns home to Peter's house to cure Peter's mother-in-law and minister healing way into the night as "the whole town came crowding round the door".  Yet after that, he doesn't get much sleep.  "Long before dawn" he is up and off alone to pray.  If Jesus the Son of God needed to pray, why do we think we lesser mortals don't need it so much? Our busyness can often be a smoke-screen keeping us from being still and listening to the voice of God.  There are aspects of our lives we don't want to face.  But Jesus needed to know his Father's will in order to direct his life aright.  However impossible our situation may look, the prayer of St Ignatius gives us courage: "Lord, help me to remember that there is nothing in this world that you and I cannot handle together." God bless you and yours. Fr John