The waiting is over. We can all now move on to celebrate. It is the time of year when we as Christians can lead the world in celebration. Christmas does bring together many different traditions from many cultures and civilisations but the coming of the Christ child adds a new dimension to them all. CHRIST IS God's gift to the world and we have the task of making the world aware of that gift. By keeping Christ central to our celebration we can be sure that our celebration will be grace filled.
Especially at this time of year, I am most aware of the many people who are involved in the life of the parish. I would like to thank one and all of you who generously give your time to the parish. I am always amazed at how many people are involved in doing so many different things; mostly getting on with things quietly without looking for any notice or attention. I say a big thank you; the parish is such a better place because of your effort and support and many people's lives are better too.
May the coming of Jesus among us bring Joy and Happiness to all of your homes.
It is a strange paradox that many who have most are often as unhappy as those who have little. The less well off know from experience the difficulty of surviving and sometimes they are very conscious of the need to support and help one another realising that difficulty could be theirs again tomorrow. On the other hand, accumulating more than one needs and hoarding against every possible crisis seems to destroy inner peace, to awaken selfish acquisitiveness, to heighten awareness of one's own rights rather than those of others, to seduce one into seeking happiness in getting rather than giving, to sap one's capacity to love and be loved, to cripple one's growth as a follower of Christ, to blind one to the neighbour's need and goodness.
Christ comes to cure such blindness and to enable such cripples to run again. Tomorrow's gospel tells how to prepare for his coming. 'If anyone has two coats, he must share with the one who has none and the one who has something to eat must do the same.' Can we afford to risk doing it? As followers of Christ, can we afford to risk not doing it?
Life today is very challenging for the young. Advances in technology and communications as well as access to continuing education have created opportunities worldwide for some. The better opportunities do not come cheaply or ready-made. Willingness to take risks and to make tough choices is often essential for success. Some face up to such challenges. Others do not. What enables one person to follow his/her better option while another does not? Vision, personal and shared. Vision is what enables a person to face a challenge as an opportunity rather than a burden. The young often see those in authority as being strong on challenging them but short on inspiring a vision that they can make their own.
Today's liturgy is better balanced. In recounting the Baptist's plea to his contemporaries, Luke challenges us to make ready our hearts for God's new coming at Christmas by eradicating sin from our lives. Paul enkindles a vision within us. 'My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best. This will prepare you for the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us'
Advent is a time to nourish the vision by sharing it in faith.
Water is the most valuable natural resource any country can have. Valuable though oil, gold, uranium, forests may be, there is a growing realisation worldwide that water is a key element in all life and that the world's water resources are limited and being depleted. A few strengthening voices try to awaken public opinion to what is at stake.
On other planets where there is no water, there is no life. On this planet, this blessed resource is recklessly endangered through deforestation, radioactive waste and many other pollutants. In Africa, it is forecast that future political battles will not be about oil but about adequate supplies of plain water to sustain life.
The familiar is so often taken for granted. It often takes a crisis to alert us to the fragility of life's treasures. Sometimes we ignore the warning signs and only appreciate a blessing when it has been taken from us through death or destruction, carelessness or cowardice, apathy or arrogance or through timidity or temerity.
Faith and Family are two resource treasures that are endangered today. In a rapidly changing world, many of the civil laws and other conventions that supported both are disappearing. Destructive pollutants permeate every aspect of social living. We contribute to them ourselves through unprecedented self-centredness and irresponsible individualism.
Today's gospel challenges us to be more aware of the signs of the times, to realise how faith and family are being undermined. But it also reassures us that God will give us the strength to confidently survive all that is going to happen. Advent is a clarion call to protect and to nurture in our own lives and in society at large; the most precious gift God has given us. It is a call we ignore at our peril.
We collect strands of courage like treasures from the deep. We guard them as part of the collective memory that makes all of us more human. I carry in my heart an image of a young man standing in front of a tank in Tiananman Square in Beijing. I think of him and breathe a purer air. Today, on the feast of Christ the King the Gospel presents as a model a Christ who stands alone and courageous in bearing witness.
Courage is a universal commodity. Children muster courage in the backyard of the world as they resist the neighbourhood bullies or face down rejection. Old people bring courage to bear as they master the audacity it takes to deal with ageism or ill health. Young people test their courage against social norms or corporate business practices. Courage comes from deep within us; from a powerhouse created by fortitude and humility and prayers. How else could Sung Sue Kye continue to witness to truth and integrity and dignity? Courage is what makes the difference between a gracious and a noxious world. And Christ reveals its sacredness on this feast day.
Lord, you offer freedom to all people.
We pray for those in prison.
Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist.
Support with your love, prisoners and their families and friends,
prison staff and all who care.
Heal those who have been wounded by the activities of others,
especially the victims of crime.
Help us to forgive one another, to act justly, love mercy and
walk humbly together with Christ in His strength and in His Spirit,
now and every day. Amen.
Lord, we ask you to bring to the attention of the prison authorities,
charities and society the urgent need to provide further finances
and resources to enhance and strengthen the work undertaken
By people who are working tirelessly to rehabilitate and prepare prisoners
for their eventual release.
Today we welcome Fr Michael Morrissey to St Josephs to celebrate all our masses. Fr Michael is parish priest of St Edward's, Windsor. In case any of you think that I have a day off, I am celebrating all the masses at St Edmund Campion parish. This is the Sunday that we have the change around of priests in our new pastoral area.
So again people ask what are these new pastoral areas all about? We are living in a changing world and as a diocese we need to respond to that change. Long term, we as a diocese are committed to providing Sunday mass for the maximum number of people. We are working with a reduced number of priests and in the future, not every parish will have its own priest. That does not mean that the parish will disappear, but it will be served in a different way. Mass will be celebrated by one of the priests of the pastoral area. It may mean that there will be less masses, and therefore less choice. At first glance this may seem to be a great loss, to have choice taken away. But it may also have the positive effect on getting us all to focus on the importance of Sunday mass, and making the celebration of our mass the first priority of our Sunday, rather than what many of us do at the moment, of fitting mass in so as not to interfere with our Sunday activities. I am quite sure that if mass is central to our lives then we will have no worries about the future provision of mass.
The month of November brings many changes to our lives. No matter how long autumn seems to be delayed, once November comes the leaves begin to turn to autumn gold and gradually to fall quietly to the ground. We now know that winter is only just around the corner.
November also brings us to the end of the liturgical year. Where we mark the end with our remembering our dear ones who have departed this life. The nation takes a pause to remember those that have fallen in the great wars and indeed those that are still falling as the result of war. It is a time when we are reminded yet again the futility of war.
Two parish events I would like to draw to your attention; on Saturday 11th at 3.00pm we have the special mass for those who have died from this parish in the past year. This mass is open to all and any one who would like their loved ones included in that mass are welcome to include their names on the list which will be read out on the day.
On Sunday 12th November we will recite the rosary in the catholic plot in Braywick cemetery at 3.00pm. We will then have the blessing of the graves of all those who request a blessing. I am sure that for all of us November will be a time when we make a special effort to pray for our loved ones.
With the arrival of Fr Kevin in Maidenhead and now that he has settled in, Fr Kevin would like to share and help with the monthly Mass of the Sick. We have talked it through and decided that it would be best if we alternate the venues. So our next Mass for the sick will be celebrated in St Edmund Campion church on Friday 3rd November at 10am. There will be no Mass in St Joseph's that morning but we will provide transport for anyone who has no car. There is a list on the board for anyone who would like a lift. Cars leave St Joseph's at 9.40am.
My congratulations to all who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on the 11th October. My thanks to all who helped in any way to make it a very enjoyable celebration. The big question now is where do our newly confirmed young people go from here? The gifts of Confirmation should be used in the service of others; they are not for our own use. It would be good to hear from our young people as to what they are doing and will do in the life of the community and the church. I am looking forward to lots of ideas coming forward from them.
World Mission Sunday is a special time when we can explicitly share Jesus' mission on a local level, and with all people of the world, as it is celebrated in every parish worldwide.
The theme for this year is 'Love: the soul of mission' - a message that Pope Benedict has consistently repeated, frequently quoting John 13:35, 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another'. This is the mission - the life of service - which convinces other especially when grounded in justice and in wholehearted response to expressed needs.
The Catholics of England and Wales have a record second to none in their support of the overseas mission of the Church; and your generosity is greatly appreciated.
This year we have been a bit slow in getting going with the Journey in Faith group. The reason is that I have been hoping to share the group with St Edmund Campion and I had to wait until Fr Kevin had some time to settle in. I am now very happy to say that this year the two parishes will run one group under the direction of Fr Kevin. It will be a shared group with an input from both parishes.
Until Christmas the group will meet in St Edmund Campion on Thursday evenings from 8pm until 9.30pm, beginning on 2nd November.
Therefore, our parish needs to make a contribution. We need people to join the group who wish to explore their faith. I already have a few names but if there is anyone else who would like to join the church or to rediscover their faith, this is your opportunity.
I also need people to join the team to help run the programme as we cannot leave it all to Fr Kevin. We need catechises, sponsors and general helpers and supporters. It is a great opportunity for the two parishes to do something together, to share resources and to be seen to be working together.
Passionate God,
Giver of life and bearer of pain,
We behold you in the green of the grass
And the lush of the earth,
In the glow of the sun and the warmth of the rain.
So uphold your harvest people
Long held in the grip of hunger and the terror of war,
In the chill of darkness, and the shadow of death.
Through the cross of Christ,
Lead them from fear to trust,
That swords turn to ploughshares and spears to pruning hooks.
Guide them from despair to hope
That war cries turn to field songs
And death throes to birth pangs;
And nourish them with the milk of peace
That seeds of grace take root and death gives way to life. Amen.
Jesus never shirked using strong images to make a point. Today's gospel gives one example. He speaks of cutting off one's right hand if needs be, in order to stay close to God. We are familiar with cases where the removal of a cancerous limb or organ saves a person's life. The operation may be serious and the loss grievous but in the overall context of the person's life it is worth the pain. Still, some do not have the courage to face it.
The image is a powerful one to alert us to reflect on our lifestyle. A diseased selfishness may be a cancer that is wrecking our relationships with one another and with God. It may be stealing, deceit, infidelity, tale bearing, a sharp tongue, abuse of alcohol, neglect of family, sharp practice at work or some other crippling sin. Cutting it out may be painful and require great courage. Jesus warns us that it is the only course open to use if we are to be saved. His grace, love and mercy will enable us to do just that, if we so choose. The choice is our own now.
On 1st September, 24 Pastoral Areas came into being across our diocese. These pastoral Areas are one of the foundations for our implementation of the Diocesan Plan 'Go Out and Bear Fruit'. They are not an administrative reorganisation but a way of enabling communion to develop and mission to be more effective. In our area, (St Edmund Campion; St Edward's in Windsor; St Francis in Ascot and St Joseph's) we are invited to work with neighbouring parishes and communities to discern and address the pastoral needs of our locality.
Each of us is responsible for ensuring that the focus of Pastoral Areas is outwards rather than inwards. We are called to be people of mission, always seeking opportunities to share the Good News, to reach outwards to those around us in our homes, our local areas, and our places of work. This is challenging, and each of us will do it in different ways.
There will always be a temptation to put this missionary dimension on one side while we concentrate on something that might seem 'easier'. What is crucial is that we keep reminding ourselves of this evangelising focus, that we keep drawing ourselves back to it and placing it at the heart of all we do in our Pastoral Areas.
Today is HOME MISSION SUNDAY, a day of prayer for the spread of the Gospel in England and Wales. Please pray that we will find new ways to share our faith with others. CASE works with individuals, parishes and communities to encourage evangelisation and to have a deeper understanding of the world in which we live and are called to share the Good News of God's love. It has a popular website with plenty of downloadable resources to equip the Catholic community in the urgent task of evangelisation www.caseresources.org.uk. CASE runs the Catholic Enquiry Office, offering free and confidential information about the Catholic faith to enquirers~ if you know someone who has questions about the Catholic faith, you could ask them to look at www.life4seekers.co.uk.
With the return of the schools this week parish life is getting back to normal again. My hope is that you were all able to enjoy a summer holiday and that it has been a good family time. I was fortunate in being able to spend two weeks in Ireland and catch up with family and friends. I now have only two aunts left of my Mother's generation and sadly one of them is now in hospital, which is very sad, because she is the one who looked after all our family when we were young.
Today we begin our First Communion preparation with the enrolment of the children. This year we seem to have a large group so we will need some more helpers. It is very important that the children's parents take the preparation seriously and give full support to the children and catechists. I don't want to hear from anyone else about your son being picked for an under-eight football team. The only team selection that I will take seriously is selection for the full England side…then I will make alternate arrangements.
Journey in Faith will also be getting underway shortly. This is for any adult who would like to know more about the Catholic faith. We welcome the baptised and unbaptised. For some, the journey may lead to full entry into the Church next Easter. We will begin with where people are and gradually move on from there. We will need some catechists and sponsors to support this programme.
Our Confirmation preparation is well underway. It is very encouraging to see our young people taking part in such a positive way. Please keep them all in your prayers and we should have a great celebration on 11th October.
People are usually judged by how they live rather than by their ideals. Many people have had an ideal of a more just and caring society. Some work for it in a peaceful and self-sacrificing way. Others see violence as the way forward. For more people, talk about such an ideal is just ritualistic window dressing and they are not prepared to change their lifestyles to bring it about. Lip service is the only service they pay to their acknowledged ideal.
As we hear in today's gospel, Christ used his strongest language to denounce the Pharisees who proclaimed total service of the one true God as their ideal but who reduced that service to ritualistic washings and ceremonials which they called religion. Christ denounced their lip service and challenged them and us to a conversion of heart that would root out avarice, slander, adultery, deceit and every other evil that harms the neighbour.
True enough, we need our ideals. Christianity is built on ideals. They inspire us to better living, remembering that good is only achieved at great cost to those who do it and that when we fail, Christ is with us to enable us to begin again to strive for our ideals rather than settling for the lip service of mediocrity.
For previous "Thoughts" click here
Contact Details
Parish Priest: Fr. Tom McGrath, Tel: 01628 783988
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to 12 noon)
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