St Thomas Aquinas has a splendid phrase: “Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened God’s hand”. Our belief in the value and integrity of every human life (without a single exception) stems from the understanding that each person is the fruit of the creative imagination of God – thus life is a personal gift to be cherished, and its wilful termination by any other than natural means is gravely wrong. There is a national consultation taking place at present concerning the law on “assisting suicide”. The Catholic Bishop’s Conference of England & Wales are asking everyone to have their input into this consultation, and you will find copies of a letter from the Hierarchy on the tables at the back of church. Archbishop Nichols, in particular, urges everyone to involve themselves in a debate which goes to the very heart of what being human means.
Our belief in the innate value of each person - because willed into being by God - also involves the understanding that “God made us for himself” - that there is an eternal quality about the human soul. Today’s feast of ALL SAINTS celebrates those many, many souls (known, and unknown, to us) who have completed their pilgrimage through this life and now enjoy love’s reward face to face with God in heaven. “O what their joy and their glory must be, those endless Sabbaths the blessed ones see! Crown for the valiant; to weary ones rest; God shall be all, and in all ever blest” (Peter Abelard). The Creeds teach us that we are part of a single communion and fellowship with those in heaven and we are especially conscious today of the thinness of the veil which divides them from us, a veil which becomes even more transparent when we share in the mystery of the Mass. All Saints Day reminds us that our fundamental vocation is to holiness of life – we are called to be saints, nothing less. May those already in glory, pray for us that we, too, might become “worthy of the promises of Christ”.
But what about those who die without being fully ready for the vision of God, those who have as yet to become the people God created them to be? The one word answer is PURGATORY. Far from being the place of agony envisioned by the medieval mind and epitomised by Dante, the understanding of a state in which we are given the chance of purification and growth should be seen as part of God’s merciful provision - never giving up on us, ever willing to fan into flame the smallest act of co-operation, always another chance. We call November the Month of the Holy Souls which we observe as a special time of prayer for those still waiting to complete their journey home to God. We have a duty to pray for those who have gone before us: we try not to neglect our loved ones in this life and we should certainly try not to neglect them when they need the reassurance of our affection in purgatory. This Monday is ALL SOULS DAY, the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed, to give it is proper title. Masses will be offered at 7.15am & 12.30pm as usual, but the 6pm will be a Solemn Requiem sung to Gregorian chant by our choir. Masses will be offered for the intentions of the Holy Souls throughout November and you are invited to contribute to these Requiems and to enclose the names of those you want commemorated on the November Dead List, either by using the papers and envelopes provided at the back of church, or by writing their names in the book provided.
There was a great celebration in Westminster Cathedral yesterday (Saturday) to mark the recent canonisation of St Jeanne Jugan, the Foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor. The Sisters have a special link to our Diocese as they care for many of our elderly priests (Monsignor Miles among them) in their homes at Vauxhall and Stoke Newington. This weekend we have a second collection to support the SICK & RETIRED PRIESTS (over a hundred of them at present) who have served our Westminster parishes. Please help the Little Sisters and the Archdiocese to look after these priests as they deserve. There are envelopes for your contributions on the table at the back of the church - these can be used to maximise your offering through Gift Aid.
25.10.09
Sermon for 30th Sunday [Year B]
The healing miracles of Jesus can be read at differing levels. On the one hand, they are always signs of compassion and the desire that individuals should be released from whatever is limiting their lives. The Catechism reminds us that Jesus loved with a fully human heart, and the events recorded by St Mark in the Gospel we have just heard are an expression of that love as blind Bartimaeus makes his act of faith and receives its reward. "Son of David; have pity on me … Master let me see again”.
But, as the Gospel writers make very clear, the One who gives sight to Bartimaeus is the fulfiller of the ancient prophecies: “then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongues of the dumb shall sing for joy”. The healing miracles are acts of charity, but they are also effective signs – for those prepared to recognise them – as to the true identity of Jesus as God’s Son, Israel’s Messiah.
St Mark tells us that “immediately his sight returned, he followed him along the road”. In other words, what has happened here on the road from Jericho is far more than just the immediate solution to a specific problem – that of physical blindness – it is a life-changing experience which involves a decision to become a disciple. “Follow me”, says Jesus: he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going … believe in the light and you will become sons of light" (Jn 12:26).
Pope Benedict has written about the blindness which afflicts so many people in what he describes as the contemporary wilderness. Blindness of course can take many forms. It can be physical: there are many in today’s world - our brothers and sisters - who go hungry and thirsty, who do not have the basic requirements for education and health care. That is a scandal. But, as Jesus demonstrated with Bartimaeus, there is a blindness of the sprit which needs addressing also. It is the whole person that needs healing, and that involves more than the alleviation of external symptoms. Souls, as well as bodies, need nourishment, and, the fact that so few around us today are awakened to the things of God, is a real scandal, too. The blindness of unbelief may not be identifiable as a medical condition, but its effects can be as limiting and damaging as if it were.
Our second reading – from the Letter to the Hebrews that great treatise on the priesthood of Christ – talks of the humanity of the Saviour, and of how there is understanding of, and sympathy with, our condition because Jesus was prepared to take upon himself what Scripture terms the “limitations of weakness”. The Incarnation, which takes us to the very foundation of Christian belief, means that we are understood from within – that the God in whom we believe, who reveals himself in Christ, the perfect copy of the divine nature, feels for us with a human heart. There is nothing which we can experience which does not have resonance already within the Godhead. There is no pain which you and I can feel, no sense of isolation or emptiness, no search for identity and meaning, no anxiety, no fear, which has not been absorbed into the humanity of Christ. That is our faith. That is our hope. And it does make all the difference.
Jeremiah, in our first reading, has words of reassurance for a people in exile. “The blind and the lame - a great company returning - they had left in tears. I will comfort them as I lead them back. I will guide them to streams of water”. The prophecies are fulfilled. Christ comes to lead us home to the Father: he is the One who tries, quite literally, “to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken, to proclaim liberty to captives, to comfort those who mourn, and live in the shadow of death”. (Is 61:2)
But the problem for the Church, as for the world, is whether we allow Christ to speak- whether we are genuinely open to hear his word of healing. Do we want to remain in the darkness, or to emerge into the light? Do we want to see clearly? Bartimaeus begged that his life should change – and it did. Perhaps this is the raison d’etre for our parish here in Spanish Place. These doors open every day, all day, to all comers. An invitation offered. And within, the beauty of holiness, a building redolent of the things of God – a gate into heaven – manna in the wilderness, a beacon of light. We have been given great gifts - let us cherish them – let us never take them for granted. Let us do everything we can to share what we have with those around us. “Master, let me see … Go, your faith has saved you”.
But, as the Gospel writers make very clear, the One who gives sight to Bartimaeus is the fulfiller of the ancient prophecies: “then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongues of the dumb shall sing for joy”. The healing miracles are acts of charity, but they are also effective signs – for those prepared to recognise them – as to the true identity of Jesus as God’s Son, Israel’s Messiah.
St Mark tells us that “immediately his sight returned, he followed him along the road”. In other words, what has happened here on the road from Jericho is far more than just the immediate solution to a specific problem – that of physical blindness – it is a life-changing experience which involves a decision to become a disciple. “Follow me”, says Jesus: he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going … believe in the light and you will become sons of light" (Jn 12:26).
Pope Benedict has written about the blindness which afflicts so many people in what he describes as the contemporary wilderness. Blindness of course can take many forms. It can be physical: there are many in today’s world - our brothers and sisters - who go hungry and thirsty, who do not have the basic requirements for education and health care. That is a scandal. But, as Jesus demonstrated with Bartimaeus, there is a blindness of the sprit which needs addressing also. It is the whole person that needs healing, and that involves more than the alleviation of external symptoms. Souls, as well as bodies, need nourishment, and, the fact that so few around us today are awakened to the things of God, is a real scandal, too. The blindness of unbelief may not be identifiable as a medical condition, but its effects can be as limiting and damaging as if it were.
Our second reading – from the Letter to the Hebrews that great treatise on the priesthood of Christ – talks of the humanity of the Saviour, and of how there is understanding of, and sympathy with, our condition because Jesus was prepared to take upon himself what Scripture terms the “limitations of weakness”. The Incarnation, which takes us to the very foundation of Christian belief, means that we are understood from within – that the God in whom we believe, who reveals himself in Christ, the perfect copy of the divine nature, feels for us with a human heart. There is nothing which we can experience which does not have resonance already within the Godhead. There is no pain which you and I can feel, no sense of isolation or emptiness, no search for identity and meaning, no anxiety, no fear, which has not been absorbed into the humanity of Christ. That is our faith. That is our hope. And it does make all the difference.
Jeremiah, in our first reading, has words of reassurance for a people in exile. “The blind and the lame - a great company returning - they had left in tears. I will comfort them as I lead them back. I will guide them to streams of water”. The prophecies are fulfilled. Christ comes to lead us home to the Father: he is the One who tries, quite literally, “to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken, to proclaim liberty to captives, to comfort those who mourn, and live in the shadow of death”. (Is 61:2)
But the problem for the Church, as for the world, is whether we allow Christ to speak- whether we are genuinely open to hear his word of healing. Do we want to remain in the darkness, or to emerge into the light? Do we want to see clearly? Bartimaeus begged that his life should change – and it did. Perhaps this is the raison d’etre for our parish here in Spanish Place. These doors open every day, all day, to all comers. An invitation offered. And within, the beauty of holiness, a building redolent of the things of God – a gate into heaven – manna in the wilderness, a beacon of light. We have been given great gifts - let us cherish them – let us never take them for granted. Let us do everything we can to share what we have with those around us. “Master, let me see … Go, your faith has saved you”.
The Rector writes . . . . . . [25th October]
I was contacted by the BBC this past week asking for comment for the “Today” programme on Pope Benedict’s decision to make special provision for those Anglicans who want to come into full communion with the Catholic Church on a corporate rather than an individual basis. I said that I felt the Pope’s initiative is an exciting one, as it offers a fresh model for reconciliation and, at a time when ecumenism seems to need a kick-start, there is a generous offer being made to those who honestly understand the ministry of the Successors of St Peter as part of the “esse” of the Church. It befits the Pope as Universal Pastor to open his arms wide to try to embrace anyone and everyone. The commission given to Peter, and renewed in Benedict, is “feed my sheep”.
In writing to the Colossians, St Paul uses a phrase which is as radical as it is demanding: “In my own body I do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his Body, the Church”. Somehow – and it is a mystery – we all interact with one another on our shared pilgrimage through this life: the virtues and the pains, the joys and the difficulties, of one have their effect on others. This basic Christian understanding is central to the theme of this coming month. November is the Month of the Holy Souls when the Church reminds us of our obligations to pray and work for those who have gone ahead of us, and still wait the fullness of the Resurrection. We have a special responsibility to those who have handed the gift of faith to us – our parents, teachers, religious, priests. At the back of the church you will find sheets which will be included in the November Dead List and envelopes for any offerings you might want to make towards the Masses offered for the Dead during November.
November begins next Sunday with the glorious feast of ALL SAINTS. How fortunate we are to know that we are all in this together: that those on earth, and those in Purgatory, are in a single communion and fellowship with those in Heaven. The saints are our friends and helpers – they encourage us, and watch over us, and want only that each of us should come to see what they see, and experience what they now experience. Pope Benedict has spoken of the “?wilderness” in which so many people are living today – for some that is the wilderness of poverty and physical hunger, but for so many, particularly in Western countries, the wilderness is a spiritual one where individuals have lost contact with their Christian roots, and where the things of this life are all-important to the detriment of the eternal dimension. Devotion to the Saints and the Holy Souls does go some way to help us find a right balance between those things which are temporal and those which are eternal.
Next weekend also sees the second of the annual collections asked of us by the Archdiocese. This one is to support the SICK & RETIRED PRIESTS who have served our Westminster parishes and who now, through age or infirmity, need to be cared for .. the oldest of whom is now in his 102nd year! There are donation envelopes at the back of the church and you are asked to return these next Sunday – please be as generous as you can.
Last Sunday,
In writing to the Colossians, St Paul uses a phrase which is as radical as it is demanding: “In my own body I do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his Body, the Church”. Somehow – and it is a mystery – we all interact with one another on our shared pilgrimage through this life: the virtues and the pains, the joys and the difficulties, of one have their effect on others. This basic Christian understanding is central to the theme of this coming month. November is the Month of the Holy Souls when the Church reminds us of our obligations to pray and work for those who have gone ahead of us, and still wait the fullness of the Resurrection. We have a special responsibility to those who have handed the gift of faith to us – our parents, teachers, religious, priests. At the back of the church you will find sheets which will be included in the November Dead List and envelopes for any offerings you might want to make towards the Masses offered for the Dead during November.
November begins next Sunday with the glorious feast of ALL SAINTS. How fortunate we are to know that we are all in this together: that those on earth, and those in Purgatory, are in a single communion and fellowship with those in Heaven. The saints are our friends and helpers – they encourage us, and watch over us, and want only that each of us should come to see what they see, and experience what they now experience. Pope Benedict has spoken of the “?wilderness” in which so many people are living today – for some that is the wilderness of poverty and physical hunger, but for so many, particularly in Western countries, the wilderness is a spiritual one where individuals have lost contact with their Christian roots, and where the things of this life are all-important to the detriment of the eternal dimension. Devotion to the Saints and the Holy Souls does go some way to help us find a right balance between those things which are temporal and those which are eternal.
Next weekend also sees the second of the annual collections asked of us by the Archdiocese. This one is to support the SICK & RETIRED PRIESTS who have served our Westminster parishes and who now, through age or infirmity, need to be cared for .. the oldest of whom is now in his 102nd year! There are donation envelopes at the back of the church and you are asked to return these next Sunday – please be as generous as you can.
Last Sunday, I said Mass for you all in the amazing Wieskirche in Southern Bavaria – one of the finest of the Baroque pilgrimage churches there.
It was snowing heavily but I was warmed by thoughts of Spanish Place!
The Rector writes . . . . . . [18th October]
A very sincere thank you to those who worked so hard to make last Tuesday’s Farewell Mass for Father Terry Phipps such a moving occasion: everything combined to give Father Terry a splendid departure, and I know how effected he was by the warmth of the feelings expressed. It is invidious to mark out anyone for special mention (when so many were involved) but the serving in the sanctuary was impeccable, the hospitality afterwards generous, and the music glorious. I hope that there will not need to be such an event again for a very long time!
I know that many of you were able to visit the Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux while they were in Westminster Cathedral. We must hope and pray that great graces (“a shower of roses”) will come down on many people to reinvigorate their Christian lives. The Scriptures talk of “having nothing yet possessing everything” and Thérèse is the perfect example of that truth. A cloistered nun who died aged 24, the product of the limitations of a late 19th century French upbringing, who catches the imagination of millions of people through the posthumous publication of her spiritual diary. Thérèse remains a contemporary figure in her struggle to find meaning (and God) through the pain of terminal illness, but it is her teaching about the “Little Way” which shows that the road to Heaven is open for each one of us if we are faithful to the small things of our daily routine. For me, almost more powerful than being close to the Relics, was the prospect of thousands of people, of all sorts and conditions (including many children) queuing quietly and prayerfully to be with St. Thérèse.
It seems unlikely, in the present climate, that there will be a full-time Assistant Priest at Spanish Place. This is sadness for us all but it would appear to be a reality we have to face. I am exploring the possibility of two other priests coming to live at the Rectory: these will have responsibilities within the Archdiocese (as does Father Kavanagh) but will be able to help maintain the rhythm here at St James’s. We do need to do all that we can to encourage fresh vocations to the priesthood. This autumn, again, sees the number of Westminster seminarians increasing, but it will be several years before these men feed through into the parishes. In the long term, I do not doubt that labourers will be forthcoming, but in the next decade or so the harvest will, necessarily, be thinner than it should and ought to be.
I think you will already have heard that Pope Benedict has appointed Bishop Bernard Longley – who has episcopal oversight of Spanish Place – as the next Archbishop of Birmingham. His enthronement will take place in St Chad’s Cathedral at Midday on 8th December. Those who have had the good fortune to work closely with Bishop Bernard know that he is a sound teacher as well as a gentle pastor. Westminster’s loss is very much Birmingham’?s gain: we shall miss him very much but, alongside Archbishops Nichols, Archbishop-elect Longley is well-fitted to provide the leadership needed for the Catholic Church of this country. Ad multos annos!
As you read this weekend’s newsletter, I will be on pilgrimage in Southern Germany (I return on Wednesday) and remembering you all especially at two of the best-loved Bavarian shrines - Eichstatt and Altotting.
It is good to be your Rector.
I know that many of you were able to visit the Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux while they were in Westminster Cathedral. We must hope and pray that great graces (“a shower of roses”) will come down on many people to reinvigorate their Christian lives. The Scriptures talk of “having nothing yet possessing everything” and Thérèse is the perfect example of that truth. A cloistered nun who died aged 24, the product of the limitations of a late 19th century French upbringing, who catches the imagination of millions of people through the posthumous publication of her spiritual diary. Thérèse remains a contemporary figure in her struggle to find meaning (and God) through the pain of terminal illness, but it is her teaching about the “Little Way” which shows that the road to Heaven is open for each one of us if we are faithful to the small things of our daily routine. For me, almost more powerful than being close to the Relics, was the prospect of thousands of people, of all sorts and conditions (including many children) queuing quietly and prayerfully to be with St. Thérèse.
It seems unlikely, in the present climate, that there will be a full-time Assistant Priest at Spanish Place. This is sadness for us all but it would appear to be a reality we have to face. I am exploring the possibility of two other priests coming to live at the Rectory: these will have responsibilities within the Archdiocese (as does Father Kavanagh) but will be able to help maintain the rhythm here at St James’s. We do need to do all that we can to encourage fresh vocations to the priesthood. This autumn, again, sees the number of Westminster seminarians increasing, but it will be several years before these men feed through into the parishes. In the long term, I do not doubt that labourers will be forthcoming, but in the next decade or so the harvest will, necessarily, be thinner than it should and ought to be.
I think you will already have heard that Pope Benedict has appointed Bishop Bernard Longley – who has episcopal oversight of Spanish Place – as the next Archbishop of Birmingham. His enthronement will take place in St Chad’s Cathedral at Midday on 8th December. Those who have had the good fortune to work closely with Bishop Bernard know that he is a sound teacher as well as a gentle pastor. Westminster’s loss is very much Birmingham’?s gain: we shall miss him very much but, alongside Archbishops Nichols, Archbishop-elect Longley is well-fitted to provide the leadership needed for the Catholic Church of this country. Ad multos annos!
As you read this weekend’s newsletter, I will be on pilgrimage in Southern Germany (I return on Wednesday) and remembering you all especially at two of the best-loved Bavarian shrines - Eichstatt and Altotting.
It is good to be your Rector.
The Rector writes . . . . . . [11th October]
Father Terry Phipps is an almost impossible act to follow, and it is with a certain amount of trepidation that I write this first letter to you as his successor. Father Terry’s “Farewell” Mass takes place this Tuesday (13th October) at 6pm and I know that everyone will want to come along to express their respect and gratitude to a priest who has served this parish so well and so selflessly for the past eight years. After Mass, there will be a reception in the parish centre. Our affection goes with Father Terry as he begins his new ministry in Hertford and we pray that the next few years will be truly happy ones for him.
It is never easy for a priest to leave a parish he loves, and I know from my own experience of these past few weeks how Father Terry must be feeling, but, as priests we are men under obedience and when the call comes we respond (sometimes at some personal cost) to what we believe to be the will of God expressed through our bishop. Because of this act of faith we are able to say “in Your will is our peace”.
And now it is my turn to follow a long line of dedicated Parish Priests of Spanish Place. Our Saviour defines all Christian ministry in terms of service, and I would want you to know that I am here to serve you as best I can. If there is any way in which I can be of use please do not hesitate to make contact. I look forward to getting to know you over the coming months. Already I have met with such warmth and kindness and I am grateful for that.
Having only just arrived, I am sorry that I have to be away from Thursday until the following Wednesday (21st). Before the current changes were mooted I had agreed to lead a pilgrimage of my former parishioners to Bavaria “In the Steps of Pope Benedict”. We all owe a particular debt of gratitude to Father Nicholas Kavanagh who continues to help ensure that the regular round of Masses is maintained.
These past few weeks have been a time of special grace for Catholics in England and Wales as the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux have been making their pilgrimage through our country. The climax of the progress comes this week when the Relics come to our Cathedral at Westminster. There are copies of the programme available at the back of the church: if you can, please try to visit the Cathedral (which will be open, day and night, from this Monday afternoon until Thursday). Wherever St Thérèse has travelled (particularly through Ireland) there has been a revival of interest in all forms of vocation and a quickening of Christian life – may the same be true in London this week. Spanish Place has a particular connection with the “Little Flower” through the work of Monsignor Vernon Johnson who is commemorated in the chapel at the back of the church.
October is a time of special devotion to the Rosary, and Mary’s chaplet is being offered throughout this month each weekday evening at the conclusion of the 6pm Mass. Part of the attraction of the rosary as a form of prayer is its flexibility: sometimes, in moments of great stress, it is enough just to hold it in one’s hands; while, at others, the rosary serves to focus our own sorrows and joys as we experience them through the eyes of Jesus and his blessed Mother.
Please pray for me, as I do for you.
It is never easy for a priest to leave a parish he loves, and I know from my own experience of these past few weeks how Father Terry must be feeling, but, as priests we are men under obedience and when the call comes we respond (sometimes at some personal cost) to what we believe to be the will of God expressed through our bishop. Because of this act of faith we are able to say “in Your will is our peace”.
And now it is my turn to follow a long line of dedicated Parish Priests of Spanish Place. Our Saviour defines all Christian ministry in terms of service, and I would want you to know that I am here to serve you as best I can. If there is any way in which I can be of use please do not hesitate to make contact. I look forward to getting to know you over the coming months. Already I have met with such warmth and kindness and I am grateful for that.
Having only just arrived, I am sorry that I have to be away from Thursday until the following Wednesday (21st). Before the current changes were mooted I had agreed to lead a pilgrimage of my former parishioners to Bavaria “In the Steps of Pope Benedict”. We all owe a particular debt of gratitude to Father Nicholas Kavanagh who continues to help ensure that the regular round of Masses is maintained.
These past few weeks have been a time of special grace for Catholics in England and Wales as the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux have been making their pilgrimage through our country. The climax of the progress comes this week when the Relics come to our Cathedral at Westminster. There are copies of the programme available at the back of the church: if you can, please try to visit the Cathedral (which will be open, day and night, from this Monday afternoon until Thursday). Wherever St Thérèse has travelled (particularly through Ireland) there has been a revival of interest in all forms of vocation and a quickening of Christian life – may the same be true in London this week. Spanish Place has a particular connection with the “Little Flower” through the work of Monsignor Vernon Johnson who is commemorated in the chapel at the back of the church.
October is a time of special devotion to the Rosary, and Mary’s chaplet is being offered throughout this month each weekday evening at the conclusion of the 6pm Mass. Part of the attraction of the rosary as a form of prayer is its flexibility: sometimes, in moments of great stress, it is enough just to hold it in one’s hands; while, at others, the rosary serves to focus our own sorrows and joys as we experience them through the eyes of Jesus and his blessed Mother.
Please pray for me, as I do for you.
Sermon for 28th Sunday Year B
In St Luke’s account of the Last Supper, a dispute arises among the disciples as to where each of them stands in the pecking order. Jesus takes the opportunity to declare forcefully: “The greatest among you must behave as if he were the youngest, the leader as if he were the one who serves”. He then goes on to define the ministerial priesthood of his Catholic Church: “Here I am among you as one who serves”. The incarnate Son of God, the Second person of the Blessed Trinity takes on the role of a servant – he ministers to those around him – the needs of others are always to be paramount.
“Here I am among you as one who serves”. Perhaps it is a failure to accept the full consequences of our Lord’s words which has led the priesthood into its crisis of the present generation. A lack of fresh vocations, at least here in Europe, moral relativisms, flagging zeal, the compromise of holiness. It is fitting that Pope Benedict has used the 150th anniversary of the death of John Vianney, the saintly cure d’Ars, the universal patron of the clergy, to declare this a Year for Priests.
There is the famous story of John Vianney, just appointed to the backwater of Ars, making his way on foot to his new parish, his few belongings in a bundle on his back. Tired and dispirited – for Ars had a reputation as a Godless place, and he could not find the right road. He came across a peasant who was, fortuitously, a native of the new Cure’s village and able to lead him to the door of the church and presbytery. As he thanked his helper, John Vianney said words that echo down through the years: “You have shown me the way to Ars, now I will show you the way to heaven”.
That really is what it is all about. A priest’s role today is varied: he has to be expert in what is now called “multi-tasking” and it is all too easy for him to fill his time with the many demands that crowd in day after day, in a busy parish. But he must never, never, forget that his primary vocation, the raison d’etre of his priesthood is the salvation of souls. “I am here among you as one who serves”. The fundamental service that the priest has to offer is to speak of the things of God, to open a gate into heaven for those in his care, to offer a vision of holiness. As St John Vianney delighted to say: “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”.
And yet, as another of the saints, Pope Gregory the Great, acknowledges: “It grieves me to have to say that the labourers in this great harvest are few, because there are not enough people to preach the good news, although there are people waiting to hear it. We see around us a world full of priests, but it is very rare to find a labourer in God’s harvest, because we are not doing the work demanded by our priesthood”.
As I begin my ministry here at St James’, I commend myself to your prayers. The Scriptures that are set before us today are a challenge and an encouragement. True wisdom, we are reminded by the Book of that name, will never be lacking to those who seek it – not wisdom of this world, but a perception of things as yet unrevealed which is the language of the Holy Spirit. The Letter to the Hebrews contains a reminder of the power of the Word of God, that double-edged sword which judges our secret emotions and thoughts. May that cutting edge of the Gospel never be lacking from this pulpit. And then the question put to Jesus: “Good Master what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Pray God that those who come into this building seeking an answer to that fundamental human question will never go away unsatisfied, unnurtured.
We hear a lot today about “collaborative ministry”. What that phrase means is that all the Baptised have a responsibility to put their personal gifts and resources at the service of Christ and his Church. A politician said it this week: “we are all in this together”. I hope that in the years ahead each of you will know that your perceptions and experience are valued. We are indeed all in this together. But as Catholic Christians we also recognise that the priesthood is “the love of the heart of Jesus”, and that the priest must always be at the core of the Christian community. It is his role, it is my role, to teach and to preach, to celebrate the sacraments, to pastor, in other words to provide leadership – to form, to guide, to try to show each of you the way to heaven. That I will try to do.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to tell her Sisters of Charity that, together, they could do “something beautiful for God.” My prayer is that in this lovely place, with all its resources in terms of you its people, and the beauty of holiness which surrounds us (and which also delights our ears), we may, in these coming months and years do something beautiful for God, and bring many souls to an understanding of God’s love, and thereby to their salvation.
“Here I am among you as one who serves”. Perhaps it is a failure to accept the full consequences of our Lord’s words which has led the priesthood into its crisis of the present generation. A lack of fresh vocations, at least here in Europe, moral relativisms, flagging zeal, the compromise of holiness. It is fitting that Pope Benedict has used the 150th anniversary of the death of John Vianney, the saintly cure d’Ars, the universal patron of the clergy, to declare this a Year for Priests.
There is the famous story of John Vianney, just appointed to the backwater of Ars, making his way on foot to his new parish, his few belongings in a bundle on his back. Tired and dispirited – for Ars had a reputation as a Godless place, and he could not find the right road. He came across a peasant who was, fortuitously, a native of the new Cure’s village and able to lead him to the door of the church and presbytery. As he thanked his helper, John Vianney said words that echo down through the years: “You have shown me the way to Ars, now I will show you the way to heaven”.
That really is what it is all about. A priest’s role today is varied: he has to be expert in what is now called “multi-tasking” and it is all too easy for him to fill his time with the many demands that crowd in day after day, in a busy parish. But he must never, never, forget that his primary vocation, the raison d’etre of his priesthood is the salvation of souls. “I am here among you as one who serves”. The fundamental service that the priest has to offer is to speak of the things of God, to open a gate into heaven for those in his care, to offer a vision of holiness. As St John Vianney delighted to say: “the priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus”.
And yet, as another of the saints, Pope Gregory the Great, acknowledges: “It grieves me to have to say that the labourers in this great harvest are few, because there are not enough people to preach the good news, although there are people waiting to hear it. We see around us a world full of priests, but it is very rare to find a labourer in God’s harvest, because we are not doing the work demanded by our priesthood”.
As I begin my ministry here at St James’, I commend myself to your prayers. The Scriptures that are set before us today are a challenge and an encouragement. True wisdom, we are reminded by the Book of that name, will never be lacking to those who seek it – not wisdom of this world, but a perception of things as yet unrevealed which is the language of the Holy Spirit. The Letter to the Hebrews contains a reminder of the power of the Word of God, that double-edged sword which judges our secret emotions and thoughts. May that cutting edge of the Gospel never be lacking from this pulpit. And then the question put to Jesus: “Good Master what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Pray God that those who come into this building seeking an answer to that fundamental human question will never go away unsatisfied, unnurtured.
We hear a lot today about “collaborative ministry”. What that phrase means is that all the Baptised have a responsibility to put their personal gifts and resources at the service of Christ and his Church. A politician said it this week: “we are all in this together”. I hope that in the years ahead each of you will know that your perceptions and experience are valued. We are indeed all in this together. But as Catholic Christians we also recognise that the priesthood is “the love of the heart of Jesus”, and that the priest must always be at the core of the Christian community. It is his role, it is my role, to teach and to preach, to celebrate the sacraments, to pastor, in other words to provide leadership – to form, to guide, to try to show each of you the way to heaven. That I will try to do.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to tell her Sisters of Charity that, together, they could do “something beautiful for God.” My prayer is that in this lovely place, with all its resources in terms of you its people, and the beauty of holiness which surrounds us (and which also delights our ears), we may, in these coming months and years do something beautiful for God, and bring many souls to an understanding of God’s love, and thereby to their salvation.
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