I very much welcome the news of the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope, taking the name of Benedict XVI. His predecessor of that name was Pope between 1915 and 1922 and, it is said, died of a broken heart because he was unable to bring an end to the First World War. Benedict XV was a man of peace and I feel that it is a mantle that the new Benedict will inherit. St Benedict is also the patron saint of Europe and all that I know of Benedict XVI points to the fact that he is totally committed to the unity of Europe, stemming from its Christian history.
The new Pope comes with the reputation of being 'the enforcer'. Cardianl Ratzinger is a man of immense courtesy and gentleness, he is a man of prayer and one who is close to the Lord. Ratzinger the Pope will, I suspect, present a very different image from that with which he has been saddled in the past.
He does not have that public charisma of John Paul II, but I feel sure that in his quiet way he will very quickly endear himself to the Catholic family world-wide in particular and the whole human family in general.
His election to the Papacy is a gift of the Spirit to the Church, and just as we have prayed for those whose task it was to elect him, so we now pray for him, and for ourselves that we may recognise in his voice that of the Good Shepherd.
Today we are asked to reflect on the Christian vocation we each have as a result of our baptism. In our gospel reading at Mass, Christ presents Himself as the Good Shepherd and the Gate of the Sheepfold. Today we are especially asked to pray for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
We should think about the young people of our parish and their futures. Many will be called to marriage and parenthood, but we should also be open to the possibility that God may be calling some to serve him in priesthood or the consecrated life. We all want the best for our young people, and to help them achieve happiness in life through the realisation of their God-given potential, even if this might mean we have to sacrifice our own dreams and plans for them at times.
The ministry of the priesthood and the service of consecrated life are needed and valued in the Church. Young people should be encouraged to consider these vocations along with other life choices. Those who show signs of being called to these vocations need encouragement and prayers to help them reach a mature decision about their futures.
Today we should also pray for those who are in formation for the ordained ministry or consecrated life. We can also give thanks to God for all those in our diocese who celebrate important jubilees this year. We wish them every blessing.
On Friday, Pope John Paul II was laid in his final resting-place. His last few days were particularly difficult as we saw his life gradually ebb away until death came as a welcome relief on Saturday 2nd April. Those final days of the Pope's life here on earth, for me, and I'm sure for many of you, brought back memories of the times I sat by the bed of my loved ones and watched them gradually slip away from this world. No matter who we are, however important we may be or however insignificant we may seem, we all face that final journey on our own.
During his lifetime, the Pope worked to bring people together. His death was the occasion of one of the greatest gatherings in the history of mankind. The Pope has now done his work, which we need to continue. May he rest in peace.
In two weeks, the Cardinals will gather again in Rome to elect a new Pope. We now need to pray for them - that they will be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, You are our eternal shepherd and guide. In your mercy, grant your Church a shepherd who will walk in your ways and whose watchful care will bring us your blessing. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The mystery of human life and death becomes clearer through the celebration of Easter. Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, suffered and died. But God raised him from the dead. He appeared to those who believed in him. They bore witness to what they had seen and heard; God has the power to raise from death to a new life. God promised to raise us also from death to life, we are the witnesses to the wonders that we have seen and heard.
Easter is the pre-eminent celebration of our faith. Many people doubt the presence of God and doubt the possibility of life after death. The Christian faith runs counter to this cultural phenomenon with good news: God rules over all, in life and in death. To be human is to be hopeful. To be alive is to walk toward death and through it to a new life.
The joy of this season resounds for fifty days.
Our liturgy today is one of the highlights of the year with two main parts, the procession with the palms and the reading of the passion.
The procession reminds us of Jesus' final entry into his own city of Jerusalem. It was a very joyful event and it all happened without any planning or organisation. The people seemed to join together spontaneously to express their admiration and respect for Jesus. The procession gives us the opportunity to pay our respect to Jesus and together proclaim him as our saviour.
The proclamation of the Lord's passion is the heart of today's scriptures. This year we hear Matthew's version that is one of the longest. Several episodes are unique to it: Judas bluntly asks is he the betrayer; Jesus reprimands the warrior in the garden that all who live by the sword perish by it; Judas hangs himself; Pilate's wife tells him of her dream; Pilate washes his hands and at the death of Jesus the earth quakes, rocks are split, tombs are opened and the saints are raised. The reading of the passion opens the way to Holy Week.
I draw your attention to the Easter Triduum: the Mass of the Last Supper, the Liturgy of the Cross on Good Friday afternoon and the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. All three hang together and I would urge you to try to attend all three.
In 1961 Peter Benenson was reading a newspaper on his way home from work when he came across an article about two Portuguese students from Lisbon who toasted "liberty" and were both imprisoned for their pains.
Peter was very upset about the injustice of the situation. He went into the church of St Martin in the Fields to meditate. The idea of Amnesty International crystallised in those few moments. He talked to a friend and the pair went to see the then editor of the Observer. On 28th May that newspaper carried an article, "the forgotten prisoners", which proposed an appeal for amnesty to be launched around the world on behalf of political prisoners. The article had an immediate effect and within a few months, led to the creation of the world's most effective human rights organisation. Amnesty International went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1977 and today counts over 1 million members in more than 140 countries.
Amnesty had to ensure that its denunciations of injustice and ill treatment were accurate. It had to take effective steps to neutralise the accusation of those governments that were uncomfortable with the reports Amnesty issued about their conduct, and to counter the claim that it was either a "communist front" or " a tool of capitalism". It has been necessary to ensure that no government could bend the organisation to its own ends, as it has to respond to the comments of hostile governments.
Peter Benenson was offered many awards and personal honours, all of which he turned down and he invited those who offered the honours to join in the work of Amnesty International.
It is difficult for us to imagine what it is like to be blind and to live in an isolated world of overpowering darkness, groping one’s way through life without knowing what colour means or what a human face looks like. The joy and wonder which nature in its many aspects can evoke are entirely missing.
Our Gospel today gives us an account of the cure of a man who had been born blind. We do not even know the blind man’s name but we can imagine how his life was suddenly changed. Up to this point, because of his blindness, he was reduced to being a beggar. Now he was in a new world; colour, shapes and nature were opened up to him. He could now work and provide for himself. His life could never be the same again and for this he had Jesus to thank.
However, the blind man was not just cured of his physical blindness, a whole life of faith was opened up for him too. He was invited into a new world that could enrich his life in a new way.
This season of Lent gives us an opportunity to lift our spiritual blindness and take the scales from our eyes so that we can see the world with the eyes of faith. We can also open ourselves to being aware of God’s love and care of us so that we can live our lives, no longer alone, but in the continual presence of God.
My thanks to all who have taken part in the discussion groups in Growing Together in Christ. The reports are on their way to the diocese. There are still some books available for any member of the parish who would like to use them and perhaps even send in your own report to the diocese before March 19.
I am sure that some of you are now thinking "Thank God that is all over. Now we can get on with our own parish life." Well, I have news for you. We have not heard the last of Growing Together in Christ. In July, there is the conference in Reading then in the autumn we will have to follow-up the issues raised, as they will not go away no matter how much we want them to. The Church we have known in our diocese is changing and will continue to change.
Change does present us with many opportunities if we are prepared to take them. If you look at any successful organisation you will see that it has been able to change and adapt to a world that continues to change. Nothing ever stands still! Our church has changed so much over the past fifty years and if we are to be true to our calling in our time, we need to be able to change and look for new ways of serving the Gospel. The changes that will of necessity take place in our diocese will affect all our parishes and our way of doing things.
It will be better to work with the change rather than fight against it. We all need to show generosity and be aware of the needs of the whole rather than our own local needs.
Today's readings give us two images, the call of Abraham and the transfiguration of Jesus. Abraham was called to leave his own land and his own country and go to the Promised Land. He will become the father of a great nation, if he goes. Abraham has to go in faith; he has to leave all that he knows behind and go into the unknown. He does not know what he is going to find, he can only take God's word for it. In other words, he was asked to travel in faith. I am sure that all of us here are also asked to walk in faith.
Jesus went up the mountain with his three closest apostles. They had no idea what to expect but for them something special happened. Jesus was presented to them in a new light. They were able to see him in his glorified state. They saw a glimpse of what he was and what he would be again. This would help them in the difficult times that lay ahead because each one of them would be severely tested with the arrest of Jesus. Later in their lives as members of the church they would face many personal trials. So, having seen Jesus in his transfigured state would give them something to hold onto in the dark days to come.
In our lives we can draw on the faith and hope of those biblical people. Sometimes we too have to walk in the dark. We need some hope to be held out before us, to keep us going and to keep our focus.
This week as we begin the second stage of discussions on growing together
in Christ, it may be useful for us to recall the main themes that emerged
from the first session.
All are called to holiness.
Holiness is a gift from God that each one of us have been given. We respond
to this gift by being attentive to God living and working in our everyday
lives.
All are drawn together in communion through Christian initiation.
The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist draw us into deeper
relationship with God and each other.
All are called to mission through Christian initiation.
At the heart of who we are as Catholics is sharing our experience of God:
proclaiming the Gospel by our words and becoming the Good News by our way
of life.
The Eucharist defines the church.
The Mass is the heartbeat of the church - it brings us into deeper unity
with each other as the body of Christ, and urges us to go out to the whole
world and proclaim the Good News.
Everyone is gifted by the spirit. Each one of us has a part to play.
We are called to be a community of disciples.
We work together because we are parts of the body of Christ, not isolated
individuals.
We need a shared vision.
The society in which we live is changing rapidly. We need to develop a shared
vision to ensure that we are as effective as possible in proclaiming the
Good News in our world.
A good Lent can really make you miserable. You give up the things that you enjoy. You do without excesses. You practice charity to people that you would rather ignore. You cut back on sweets or caffeine, nicotine or alcohol, meat or dairy. You break your routine and the results are usually the same. Within forty-eight hours after Lent begins, you get grumpy.
But a good Lent can really make you happy. You can find out what your cravings are; you strongly put them aside because your craving for God is deeper. God responds to your search and will fill the gap with a closer union. You end the season more comfortable at prayer, more generous to the needs of others and less dependent on material things.
So what sort of Lent do I want to make? The one sure thing is that if we don't make up our mind now, we can be sure that nothing will happen. We will just drift and in no time Lent will be over - another opportunity lost. Today is the day that we decide what we are going to do for Lent. We may not achieve everything that we set out to do but unless we have a plan, we know that nothing will be achieved. The more realistic the ideal, the better chance of achieving it.
We have now received the feedback from the first phase of the Diocesan process of consultation in preparing together for the Diocesan Assembly that will be held in Reading University next July. The response to the autumn meetings was very encouraging. Over ten thousand people took part up and down the Diocese in all sorts of groups, some very large and others very small. The summary of those responses is now available to anyone who wants to pick up a copy.
I quote from part of section four…There was great honesty in responses. People wondered why, given the importance of the Eucharist, it is not possible to ordain women or married men to the priesthood. Others said that they did not understand what goes on at Mass and would love to have it explained to them. One person admitted, " I constantly puzzle about how Jesus is present in the bread and wine." Many people wondered why the divorced and remarried cannot be allowed to receive Holy Communion. If the Eucharist is to give strength when things are difficult why do we not allow it for people who have been through hard times? Others would like to share communion with other Christians, especially their Christian married partners."
We now need to get together again to look at two more topics that will help to prepare the way ahead and the changes and plans that need to be made for the future.
We hope to shortly to be able to let you know the dates and venues for future meetings. I hope that many of you will get involved again.
We are now ready to move forward in advertising for a parish catechist. The advertisement and job description are on the parish notice boards today. They will be circulated to other parishes next week and will appear in the next edition of the Portsmouth People. The closing date for applications is the 28th February.
The role of parish catechist in many ways is new but in other ways it is an attempt to fill the gap left in the parish staff with the moving of the parish Sisters last Summer. I would ask you all to pray that we will be successful in finding the right applicant to fill this new position so that we can continue to serve the needs of the people of this parish.
Since we began to make inquiries about the above post we have discovered that many of our local neighbouring parishes already employ pastoral workers to cover different aspects of parish life and with the declining number of priests this will become a greater feature of parish life.
Fr Tom
Last week we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord in which Jesus chose to be identified with us sinners, such is the extent of his love for us. We hear in today's Gospel how John the Baptist points Jesus out as the long-awaited Saviour. Jesus came to take away our sins. He came to heal our wounds. He came to renew us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The opening line of the Gospel today is one we hear at every Mass when the Priest elevates the Eucharist before the reception of Holy Communion: 'Look, there is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world'. The one John saw walking along the dusty road in Palestine, the one most people would have regarded as a rabble-rouser and a threat to the authority of the respected religious leaders, is the One we receive at Mass in Holy Communion.
Just as the Spirit endowed Jesus with the grace and power He needed to fulfil his mission, we too are given the strength we need to live our Christian lives and fulfil the particular plan that God has for us. We are endowed with the same Spirit and Jesus becomes food for our Christian journey. As Baptised Christians we don't journey alone, but have the care, support and love of our fellow pilgrims through life. There are moments when we feel buffeted by the trials and tribulations of the journey and need the help and support of our fellow travellers. At other moments, we realise that we are called to reach out and help those in need. One such way that this community of St. Joseph's has reached out in recent weeks is in the generous outpouring of financial donations for those on the other side of the world whose lives have been torn apart by the recent earthquake and flooding. This is one of such moments on our pilgrim journey through life when we can support our suffering brothers and sisters through our prayer and our generosity.
It had been centuries since the last recognised prophets had appeared in Israel. Just as the Jews were beginning to feel that God had fallen silent, John the Baptist appeared, but those who acknowledged John as a prophet and became his disciples were in for a surprise. John, the last Old Testament prophet, was the immediate forerunner of Christ, the Messiah. John’s baptism by water was for those who wanted to repent and be reconciled with God. This was to give way to a Baptism by fire and the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Jesus the long-awaited one had come, not as a brave warrior but as one prepared to accept John’s baptism and immerse himself in humanity’s muddle and sin. At John’s mild protest that Jesus ought to be baptising him, Jesus encourages him to leave things as they are, for the sake of ‘righteousness’. What a gesture of immense love! The God who was sinless, who had no need of Baptism, chose to acquaint himself with our fallen, fragile world. Whenever we feel ourselves in a muddle, overwhelmed by our own failings or despairing of the evils of our world, we know in faith that God is close. The God who chose to be born in a stable needing the care of human parents, the God who willingly queued up with the other sinners for Baptism, is the same God who walks with us each day of our lives and who fulfils our deepest needs.
Pope John Paul has declared 2005 as the year of the Eucharist. In this year we are invited to deepen our understanding of the Eucharist, the central mystery, source and summit of our faith. The Eucharist is God's gift of Jesus to us. John refers to this gift when, in today's Gospel, he reveals the mystery of Christ in words that are clear and simple, yet contain inexhaustible depths of meaning. In this Christmas season we ponder the meaning of Christ's coming amongst us: as we listen to this reading and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten us as to who Jesus is and why he came into the world.
The invitation that the Holy Father extends to us is to rekindle a deep love and sense of awe for the gift of the Eucharist. We are called to rediscover the amazing wealth of the Eucharist and to learn more deeply to draw life from Jesus in the Eucharist, and in drawing life to find inspiration, energy and nourishment to live our lives more fully and to participate actively in the saving mission of the Church.
Let us resolve at the beginning of the year to renew our Sunday worship by reflecting and praying on the readings at Mass. We will not only nourish our lives on God's Word, but be drawn ever more into the life of the Church. Just as human life needs food and water so to the soul needs the food of Scripture and the Eucharist.
Thursday 6th January is the Feast of the Epiphany and a Holy Day of Obligation.
Masses are at 10.00am and 7.30pm at St Joseph's.
For previous "Thoughts" click here
Contact Details
Parish Priest: Fr. Tom McGrath, Tel: 01628 783988
Parish Office: 01628 783988 Fax: 01628 776863 (Monday to Friday 9.am to 12 noon)
Parish Centre: 01628 636312 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm)