One of the musical items featured in the BBC’s ‘Last Night of the Proms’, 2012, was the Rogers and Hammerstein’s song: ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.  In the second half of the programme, it was sung by the BBC Symphony Chorus, accompanied by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and led by the Maltese Tenor, Joseph Calea.  Of course, the audience of some 6,000 ‘Prommers’ joined in this lovely anthem, and the whole sounded like one great, and glorius hymn to God.  It was certainly enough to stir the senses, to get the ‘hairs standing on the back of one’s neck’, and move the stoniest of hearts.

The Last Night of the Proms, 2012

The song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was composed for the Musical, “Carousel”, and the words read just like a hymn; in the show, it is sung by Nettie, to give courage and support to her cousin, Julie, after her husband kills himself because of his involvement in a failed robbery.  Perhaps, even more famously, it became the anthem sung by football supporters of many football clubs, worldwide – most significantly – by the Liverpool FC  supporters, since at least the early 60’s.  The words go as follows:

“When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark.

Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone …. …”

In my view, this anthem has been instrumental in helping the Liverpool fans, has given them the courage to bear the pain and suffering – to bear the brunt – and come to terms with the infamous Hillsborough disaster of April 1989; Liverpool FC were at the Sheffield stadium for a semi-final match again Nottingham Forest.  In the human crush that occurred at the start of the match, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death and over 700 others were injured, many seriously.  The incident involving so many fatalities was bad enough – the worst ever to have occurred at a football match in Britain – but this was compounded by the ‘failed’ enquiries into the causes.  I say failed, because it now transpires that the official authorities, allegedly, have consistently failed, all through the years, to reveal the truth of what actually occurred, despite the repeated calls and demands of the bereaved families, desperate to know the truth surrounding their loved ones’ deaths.  However, in the course of the last few months, 2012, thousands of documents relating to the disaster have been offcially released, and an independent inquiry has made public its report, setting out the actual details of what took place on that fateful day in 1989.  Most importantly, that report absolves the Liverpool fans of all blame, though they were publicly castigated by officialdom in earlier reports:

 The Liverpool ‘Shrine’ for the 96, and the Anthem above the Stadium Gates

Turning away from the injustices dealt out to the deceased fans and their families, and back to the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, I am quite sure in my own mind that the words of the anthem, the heart-warming tune and the way in which its singing is sure to touch all hearts, reflect a certainty that, overall, it is God’s way of helping us – even those who are, perhaps, disposed to put football before religion.  As I said earlier, it always puts me in mind of a hymn, and very often it is sung in that way – reverential, with longing and with hope – even by those who may not believe.  For those who do, it is, surely, a way for believers to express their trust and hope in the Lord.  It is saying, we are never alone, and that God is always with us, to love us, and help us. And, who knows, He may listen, and even help the play on the football field to proceed in a certain way?  And all the ‘Anfield Scousers’ in the world would not argue with that!

Walk on walk on with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone …. …”

Socius

To view the blog in its orginal format, please visit the main blog site.

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). 

This blog attempts to continue the conversation in last week’s blog, referring to the fact that the way we relate to God develops and changes in different times and contexts. Its thesis is that an individualistic approach to God, for all the good it has done in the past, is not adequate for people to find union with God in today’s world. The Holy Spirit, himself, is offering us an alternative: i.e. that we deliberately and consciously make our journey to God with others: If we reach union with God, we only do so with others. 

I well remember a highly respected, observant and experienced monk of our community speaking about the mistake that people make when they decide – not to love their neighbour for himself or herself – but because they want to love “Jesus” in their neighbour. He explained that, what we must do is actually to love the other person, as a human being, and if we thought, primarily, about loving Jesus in the other, we were ‘forcing it’, ‘manipulating the situation’ and not really ‘being simple, straight forward, and human”.  

That argument to me was very compelling and understandable, all the more so because that monk and I had a good relationship. Yet, Jesus spoke the opening words of the blog, above, and also, when he appeared to Saul on the way to Damascus, he said to him: “Saul, Saul, why  you persecuting me?” I do not like to dismiss the words of Jesus despite what my friend had said. 

In practice over the years, it has sometimes been a struggle for me to put myself out for the other when he, or she, is someone to whom I find it hard to relate. Whenever I was able to manage it, it was because the words of Our Lord helped me: I was doing it for him, in that person. It was also a matter of relating to that person, as a human being. This way of acting led me many times to resolve difficulties with others, and I am glad I followed that way. Yet I have always had, at the back of my mind, what my fellow monk friend said. 

In the meantime, the famous saying in John’s epistles “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4: 12), has only reinforced my conviction that the way to love God is to love my neighbour, and in this way we may achieve even the highest contemplation. This does not take away the value of quiet hours of prayer alone with God. However it is easy to ‘kid myself’ that I am in contemplative union with God, when I say to Him: “Dear God (or Jesus) I love you!” and then I fail to “love” or put myself out for my difficult companion, who needs my attention. St. John understood this, for later on in the same chapter, he writes: “Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers and sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen”, (1 John 4; 20). 

The Holy Spirit is calling us, in today’s world, to be in the highest contemplation, but immersed in this world. It is a great help to achieve this high aim, by living the present moment to the full. 

Living the present moment well is not easy; all of us are so easily distracted from what is ‘the one thing necessary’, for a host of reasons. One of those reasons for me is not having the awareness of my constant need for God, and his love, in each day – whether I feel up, or down; and the spiritual and mental effort, under the grace of God, to achieve that attitude of mind, at least in my case, is not over yet.

Recently, I came across the following words by a Bishop I knew, personally. His name was Klaus Hemmerle, and he was Bishop of Aachen, in Germany, a philosopher above all, and a Bishop who worked, tirelessly, for ‘The Kingdom’. What he writes here has resolved my difficulty between listening to the words of Jesus and listening to my monk friend.

Bishop Klaus Hemmerle of Aachen, in Germany

 Bishop Klaus was always ‘on the go’, engaging with people, never still for long. This good man lived, and died, for communion, or unity, in the Church; he enlightens me about the challenge presented at the beginning of this short blog. Loving Jesus, in the other, is to love the other as a person, in his, or her, own right. 

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40): 

‘This Word tells us definitely what the human person is and what the human reality is … This interpretation of what it is to be human is certainly scandalous, and no less than Jesus who scandalized people by declaring himself the Son of God. In the name of their own freedom, in the name of their own identity and specialness, people feel they must protest against being identified with Jesus Christ. People wish to be loved for themselves, for what they are, and don’t want to be degraded to a kind of mask for Jesus. They fear instead that the ‘something more’ of love that they receive for love of Jesus will be something that takes no account of them, something that puts them to one side, something that robs them of the love they desire for themselves and which they need. But any whose love is such that by loving Jesus in the other person they neglect the other as a person, in this act neglect Jesus as well. And any whose consideration of the presence of Jesus in people leads them to diminish the reality of the human being, in reality have not understood in the slightest the presence of Jesus in their neighbour. 

Jesus makes himself one with me, that is, he does not leave me alone. He is on my side in a radical fashion, he accepts me just as I am, and anything that concerns me concerns him too. I remain myself, I become fully myself, precisely because I do not remain alone. 

The mystery of Christ is the mystery of every human being. What does this mean for the person I meet and what does it mean for me and my life? With reference to the other it means I am never involved with someone who is just a link in a chain or a cog in a machine or merely a cipher amidst the huge mass of human material. Every time I meet a human face, I meet God in the unconditional reality of the divine, I meet the voice that over this human face utters what was said of Jesus on the mountain of Transfiguration: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved!’ (Mk 9:7). There are no exceptions. 

We meet Christ especially in the least, in those who seem the furthest from him, in persons where the face of Christ seems blanked out. How can this be? On the cross, living his forsakenness by God, making himself even sin (2 Cor. 5:21), Jesus identified himself with all that was most distant from God, from all that most seems opposed to God. Only by discovering Christ in our neighbours, in those furthest from the mystery of their own personhood and from the mystery of Christ, giving to the person that human love which is offered in an undivided way to the person and to Christ himself, can our neighbours discover their own identity with Jesus, their closeness to him, their being fully assumed by him.”

To read the blog in its its original formatting, please visit the main blog site. 

The Year of Faith began yesterday.  Coinciding with the opening of the 2nd Vatican Council, 50 years ago yesterday, 11 October 1962, it is a calling to faith from Pope Benedict. 

Fifty years ago I was a young monk, very immature, very opinionated, but chosen by God to belong to him alone, as a monk. He must have had a lot of trust to choose me. He knew very well how often I told him that I wanted to belong to him; however, I am aware of how little I put into the relationship with him, and conversely, how much he did for me. Over the years, I have listened when my brethren make speeches, given their experience of being a monk for 50 or 60 years, and there is one over-riding theme: a desire to thank God, and all who have supported them over the years, especially their fellow monks. In 2011 it came my turn to make a speech on my Golden Jubilee of monastic life, and it was the same for me. This attitude exemplifies a witness to the life of faith and our knowledge of God, who helps us to change from being self-centred to being other centred – from seeing everything in relation not to the ‘me’ but to the ‘other’. 

The Vatican Council has had much more influence on peoples’ lives, in the long term, than has the fully reported scandals, murders and wars of those days. Since Monday of this week, 8th October, a new Synod of the Catholic Church has been going on in Rome. Proceeding even now, it remains unreported by our British media; however, it may be significant to note that this Synod will affect people much more for good, than the present scandal concerning Jimmy Saville – a scandal that continues to make today’s headlines.

Archbishop Rowan Williams with Pope Benedict XVI 

Yesterday, 10th October, the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed this Synod of Bishops, on the topic they are getting to ‘grips’ with – ‘The New Evangelisation’. I doubt if many, in England, know about this important English contribution to the Synod of the Catholic Church, made up of Bishops and other invited members, among them Religious men and women and laity.  Archbishop Rowan spoke as a brother-believer to the assembly. He explained something of what it is to be a human being, as well as a ‘man of faith’. He underlined the need for people to be changed: 

“To be converted to the faith does not mean simply acquiring a new set of beliefs, but becoming a new person, a person in communion with God and others through Jesus Christ.”

He went on to say something very important: 

“Only as this begins to happen will I be delivered from treating the gifts of God as yet another set of things I may acquire to make me happy, or to dominate other people. And as this process unfolds, I become more free—to borrow a phrase of St Augustine (Confessions IV.7)—to ‘love human beings in a human way’, to love them not for what they may promise me, to love them not as if they were there to provide me with lasting safety and comfort, but as fragile fellow-creatures held in the love of God. I discover how to see other persons and things for what they are in relation to God, not to me. And it is here that true justice as well as true love has its roots.” 

Whatever anyone says, the Spirit of Vatican 2 is still very much alive, given that he has been allowed to speak. This, itself, is an act of faith and trust by Pope Benedict, who personally invited the attendance of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at this important synod. 

The way people respond to God has changed over the centuries. In the beginning, post Apostolic times, martyrdom was the high point to be longed for: this was followed by the ‘flight from the world’ of the early monks, when persecution in Europe ended.

 Skellig Michael with another Skellig also in view

Some Celtic monks resorted to the Atlantic Ocean, setting up their monastery on a tiny Island called Skellig Michael, about 12 miles from the mainland.  It was an extreme example of ‘fuga mundi’ or ‘flight from the world’. To this day, it is quite an adventure to visit the Skelligs. Later, faithful Christians thought that other people were a distraction from God, who is to be loved best by being ‘alone with the Alone’. That spirit is still very strong, and links to the idea that I, alone, and God, are the basics in the best way to find God. Since we are also encouraged to be ‘self-reliant, and in control of our own lives’, there is a very strong tendency to ‘go it alone – individually – to God’, even in today’s world. We are often, not trusting of others, but suspicious and defensive when it comes to others, who may be a threat to my position in life, my job to be done. This individualism is reinforced by modern technology, the motor car and many of the ‘gismos’ that we have all around us.

Young person on a mobile ‘phone

They lock me into myself, often, and I can fail to relate to my immediate neighbour, though I can talk to a person far away on my mobile. 

Now in this very confusing world – the World post Vatican 2 – God is calling us to himself in another way. He is asking us to come to himself on the Journey of Faith – with others – in communion with others. Our neighbour is not to be avoided, but to be loved.  Archbishop Rowan is part of this direction of thinking. But so are all the decrees of the Council: the Church, the Light of the Nations; on Revelation, the Liturgy, the Church today, Joy and Hope; on Ecumenism; on the relationship of the Church with non Christians; on Religious Freedom and so forth.

Next week, I would hope to comment on what loving our neighbour means, and how our Journey of Faith links to that mysterious phrase of Jesus:

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40):

To read the blog in its original format, please visit the main blog site.

This week I would like to discuss  the concepts of priesthood, in particular, my understanding of the ‘Royal Priesthood’ – ‘… a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation … that you should show forth the praises of him who called you …. ’ (1 Peter 2:9), and also that of the Ordained Priesthood.  All this links closely with our new Presidential Chair in Church, of which a close up picture is shown below:

When I entered the monastic community of Ampleforth Abbey, in September 1961, I did so because I thought God was calling me to the priesthood. I soon discovered that I had entered a monastery, and that monastic life did not emphasise, primarily, the importance of priestly ordination; rather it seemed to emphasise my response to God’s call, out of his immense love for me, to give myself to him as a monk. This was formalised in the vows I took as a monk. I discovered, also, that monks who were ordained priests, did not act, necessarily, more virtuously than monks who were not ordained. We then had no ‘lay brothers’ – all trained monks at Ampleforth were ordained priests – but I met other brothers, in Religious Life, who were often more ‘rounded’ human beings than some priests. In any case, I could observe with my own eyes how people behaved, and all in our monastery are, first and foremost, men with all the good, and less good characteristics they possessed before becoming ordained. 

In January 1973 I was sent for a short ‘stint’ to St. Mary’s, Warrington, for my first parochial experience. There, for the first time, I began to see how the people of God – the ‘Royal Priesthood’ –  esteemed we ordained priests so highly in their regard; I asked myself why this should be, and to this, my conclusions are: 

1. They love their priests, if they are kind and do their duty, because priests help them in important personal and family times.
2. The Ordained Priest is a direct link with God because he consecrates Bread and Wine at Mass and has the power to forgive sin. He is, therefore, a channel bringing grace to the people, through the sacraments.
3. He is not married – save to God – and so is a ‘man apart’, having time to spend in prayerful studying, and time each day, in union with the one each Christian person is meant to make the centre of their lives: God.
4. The priest is meant to be a true shepherd and lead people to know God and his Love – a task he can only perform if, truly, he is a man of God, a man of Love.

My instinct has always been to see myself as, essentially, a member of the ‘One Body of Christ’, but with a special function as a priest. I hasten to add, however, that this special function does not mean I am ‘better’ or ‘more worthy’ or ‘more holy’ than my brothers and sisters in the Community of Faith. In fact, each baptised person is, potentially, a priest, prophet and king, as is stated in the Baptismal Rite. True, a lay person is not an ordained priest, but each Christian can be a person acting as a ‘bridge’ between God and humanity, which is exactly like the role of a priest. I have always liked to see the priest as ‘servant of all’, just like Jesus, who washed the feet of the apostles at the Last Supper. 

But, to return to the subject of the newly aquired Presidential Chair, in our Church. Below, is a photograph showing it in relationship to the ambo and the altar. Those who are involved in the Art and Architecture Department of our Diocese felt that we, in Leyland, had one omission – one piece missing – in the re-ordering of our Church, that has taken place during the past few years. That essential missing piece was a ‘Presidential Chair’, designed to give due honour to the office of the priesthood.

I have to say that much careful thought was exercised over this, and it took a relatively long time for the authorities to agree a design they thought worthy of the Church; ultimately, the finished piece has been made by the ‘Mouse Man’ of Kilburn, Yorkshire – the firm that produced the benches for our Church – and other major wooden accoutrements. Just as our forefathers wanted the best for our building, so the authorities agreed that we should have the same quality for this, uniquely, important feature of the sanctuary.

 Wood Carving Detail – Back of the Presidential Chair

Since its positioning, I have found that this new Presidential Chair, now in use, has caused me to reflect a little, on a number of aspects. It is now one of the three ‘major features’ on the altar, whereas its predecessor – a much smaller chair – was somehow ‘lost’ in the scheme of things. It makes me see the importance of the ‘office’ of the ordained priest, in that he really does represent Jesus in the liturgy, for the congregation. However, it must be noted that the chair does not honour the man who is the priest; rather, it honours Jesus, who is the one who leads the liturgy. The liturgy of the Church is actually the liturgy of Christ, himself, something much more important than the sum of the individuals who make up the congregation, including the person of the ordained priest. In a very profound way, it is important that the ordained priest occupying this chair should become united, as close as is possible, to Christ, for, after all, he represents Our Lord in the liturgical assembly, together with everybody else – but in a way, differently, to the congregation. The honour is given to Jesus himself, not to the individual person of the ordained priest. 

So, it pleases me, greatly, that we have been given the opportunity to receive this new chair into our Church, through the generosity of individual parishioners, who gave money for this specific, and important complement to the altar; similarly, grateful thanks go to those who belong to the ‘500 Club’, because some of the money came from that source, as well. 

It is fitting that the ‘Royal Priesthood’ has, in this way, honoured the ‘Ordained Priesthood’, and I hope that the Presidential Chair will remain a feature of our Parish community, for many, many years into the future. I hope, and pray, that, in time, there will be young men, and women, coming from our Community of Faith of the Royal Priesthood of Leyland St. Mary’s, willing to give themselves to God, as religious men or women, or indeed as ordained priests.  May God bless you all and thank you, again.

To view in its original format, readers are advised to go to the main blog site.

In this week’s blog, I want to put down some thoughts on the subject of Jesus’ Passion and Death – one of the most important and central tenets of our  faith.  Most of us Christians are familiar with the Crucifix – the sight of Jesus on the Cross – and, to be honest, it’s not a pretty sight.  In simple terms, it portrays a man hung on a cross to die. 

The Crucifix above the High Altar – St. Mary’s, Leyland

Even so, the crucifix does not come near describing the stark sequence of events involved in an actual Roman crucifixion.  Many people have taken the view that our accustomed modern statues and pictures of Jesus on the Cross are more realistic than the early and medieval, though still ‘watered down’ images of what took place – a bit like looking at something awful through tinted spectacles – so as to take away the worst impressions of what took place on Calvary.  It is as though public consumption could not – cannot – cope with the actual violation of that once perfect human body.

In order to portray the sufferings and death of Jesus, in a more true-to-life reality, the actor-cum-director, Mel Gibson, produced and directed the controversial film, ‘The Passion of The Christ’ in 2004.  His attempt to describe the sufferings and death of Christ Our Saviour, in real terms, proved an upsetting experience for many people – Catholics among them – and many said that the film set out the sequence of events towards the end of Jesus’ life, in the very poorest of taste.  The film was certainly not suitable for the very young, in my view, and many adults admitted that the some of the scenes were stomach-churning.  I have heard many adults say they have no wish to see the film, for whatever reasons. Having, myself, watched the film, I have to say that it was certainly not an easy experience.  It made me think very deeply about what was going on.  My conclusion was that the director had made a conscious attempt to show his audience just what the arrest, public humiliation with all its indignities, the scourging and crowning with thorns, finally, the crucifixion and death of Jesus was like – what it would have been like to have been there – the scene in all its true colours.

Jesus, Calvary and Mary – stills from the ‘Passion of the Christ’

That having been said, we must realise that despite Gibson’s attempts to bring home the true message of ‘The Passion of The Christ’, it falls short by a very wide margin.  It cannot tell us what Jesus was like, truly, as a man.  It cannot tell us, truly, what it was like for this Son of God to be treated as a criminal, worse than a murderer like Barabbas.  It cannot describe for us, adequately, the injustice done to an innocent God-made-Man. It cannot take us there to see and hear the crowd, many eager to see Jesus crucified, many horrified at the sufferings being ‘dished out’ to a man who had done no wrong, many heart-broken for Jesus, his family and those who loved him.  It cannot show us the fear and tremblings of a man about to be killed in the most brutal way – the moods of the people, the atmosphere of the scene, or that sense of dereliction, abandonment and aloneness of the figure at the centre of all this.  It cannot convey the pain and blood-loss-weakness of a man whipped and crowned with long sharp thorns, the excruciating feel of nails being driven through the the wrist and through the ankles, then to be hung on a cross of rough-hewn wood.  It never could show what it was like to hang on that cross for hours before death actually took away all that pain.  We must never forget that, though Jesus was divine, he was also a man just like us and, therefore, able to experience injustice, abandonment, humiliation, ridicule, condemnation, pain, and the fear of oncoming death, just like all human beings.

If that was ever to be the end of the saga, then what a totally depressing conclusion it would bring us to imagine.  Thank God, that is not the case. Thank God it is not just about suffering and death. Thank God, that is not the way it ends, for this is not just about that kind of downward spiral that leads to complete despair.  Ultimately, it is about LOVE and HOPE.  The story tells us about love, the love of one human being, for each and every one of us – love for the whole human race.  It is about so much love contained in that one man, that he gave up his life for the rest of us, a sacrifice of divine proportions, more than sufficient to atone for the countless wrongs of humanity, thereby to save us from the threat of everlasting enmity towards God, our Father and Creator. 

However, it is not easy to make the cosmic leap from that deep depression to the realisation that all this is about hope, wrapped in a great love; the leap across that void requires a leap of faith – faith, that wonderful gift that comes from God. However, this is not likely to happen all at once, like a spark, like a flash of lightening.  Rather, it is a journey in faith that God allows us to travel more slowly, through all the experiences of our lives.  In life we see the good and the bad, the evils that surround us everyday, (and always make the headlines), and, on the ‘other side of the coin’, the millions of people who lead good lives and who are deserving of happiness – all those who try to make the world a better place.  To all of us, these are the experiences we have of life – lessons if you like – and the lessons become more and more intensified as we grow older and, hopefully, a little wiser.  God is at work in all of this, teaching us about life and about his love for all of us, about his original design in his creation of the human race, and about his wish to see all of us united with him, in eternal happiness. So, the story is also about hope, the hope we now have of reconciliation with God, who loves us all – who loved us so much – that He gave us his own Son as a sacrifice, that we may be saved from eternal darkness – if only we say ‘sorry’ for our sins, and mean it.

We began with the sufferings and death of Jesus, our Saviour, a negative note of sadness and depression.  Through faith we come to quite the opposite, all the positives of love, hope, reconciliation and forgiveness with the God who made us, who loves us, always and forever.  But, what enfolds all of this is LOVE, the Love of God and the Love of Jesus, for without that binding love, that love which drove a man to undergo an ignominious death, we would have nothing to look forward to – nothing other than that deep, dark, godless void.  Thank God for Jesus, now and always!

Socius

Readers are advised to go to the main blog site to view the blog in its original format.

I was in Primary School at a Mass for the opening of the new school year. It was so good to hear the young pupils from 5 to 10 years of age singing their hearts out, and so much at peace with the things of God. What to say to them was a challenge? 

“How many of you have seen photographs of your parents at a young age – perhaps younger than you are now?” More than half put up their hands. “They all went to school, like you now here in school, and look how different they look now to what they were then! Who do you think this is?” One little fellow had an eager hand up straight away. “Jesus!”. “No, Jesus would not have had a tie, and looked Jewish.” Another: “You!” “Yes, you are quite right, when I was younger than anyone in this school”.

 Myself – at a much more tender age!

“But now look and see the difference; this is me with my great nephew, Owen, at a family Mass, just after he was baptised, and the other picture is with my great nieces, Lucy and Zoe, when they were about two years old”.

Myself with my great nephew and two great nieces 

“What a lot of adventures have happened in my life, and God has asked me to be a priest and a monk! So, I can come and say Mass for you here, and who knows what God will want from you!”

On a rather different tack, Pope Benedict is about to go to Lebanon this week-end. It will be a very important mission, and a risky one, as all readers will know about the human ordeal going on in neighbouring Syria. Fewer may know that a Trappist Monastery in the Holy Land, was attacked and vandalised by militant Israeli settlers, last Tuesday, 11 September. What follows is an official report from the Zenit news: 

Political and Religious leaders in Israel have conveyed outrage over last week’s desecration of a local Trappist monastery. 

Vandals struck in the early hours of last Tuesday morning, setting fire to the main entrance of the Latroun Trappist Monastery and spray-painting phrases ridiculing Jesus, along with the names of several West Bank outposts that were recently evicted by the Israeli government. Authorities believe that it was a “price tag” attack, which is the name given for vandalism or acts of violence aimed usually at Israeli security forces or Palestinians. Usually carried out by radical Israeli Jewish settlers, attackers will strike at a site, usually Christian or Muslim, as a price for being evicted from their settlements. 

A group of 50 rabbis and leading Jewish scholars signed a statement written by Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottsstein, director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute in Jerusalem, condemning the vandalism. 

Dr. Goshen-Gottstein presented the message after a Sunday Mass at the Latroun monastery presided by the abbot, Fr. René Hascoët. The letter expressed disdain for the attack on the Trappist monastery. “We feel deeply sorry that you were treated with such disrespect by others who are members of our faith community,” the statement read. 

“In our understanding, the creation of humanity in God’s image is the great motif of the Torah. We believe the Torah mandates full respect for the infinite value, equality and uniqueness of every human life, for we are all created in the image of God. There is no place for hatred or bigotry towards those whose religious commitment is different from our own.”

Here is a picture of Pope Benedict as a young boy in Germany, and again as our Holy Father at the age of 85 years.

The boy who would be pope and Pope Benedict at the General Audience, Wednesday 12 September 2012 

This ‘old’ man is going to bring a message of peace and hope to the Christians, and to all people of the Middle East,  presently in the hell of aggressive war. It is a kind of miracle that he will be able to enter such a stressful situation at his age; how many men of eighty-five, of those I know in Leyland, would be up to that? It is not just the man, Joseph Ratzinger, who is involved here, good and faithful though he clearly is. Rather it is the office of the Papacy that is presented in front of everyone. The young, fresh, friendly German boy, of the photo above, had no idea of all that Providence would ask of him in his life, and with God’s grace, what good he may bring about. 

I would end by recommending a beautiful song that is a favourite of my friend, Manfred Kochinky, who is suffering from an incurable brain tumour. What has Providence brought to him, a relatively young man in the prime of life, who has dedicated himself to God, and who, in this illness sees: “The Love of God coming to him”. He told me, today, he cannot listen to this song enough. It is a modern folk song about life, and all that it entails; not only that, it’s all that Jesus, himself, means to those who remain in him. 

If you press control and click on the link it should open up immediately. 

http://youtu.be/FMO8giNalX8 

Manfred wrote: ‘I found this song by Alison Krauss, which rings  lot of bells for me, because I think it is profoundly true.  How lucky I am to be able to go on this road together with others!!’

I’ve seen hard times and I’ve been told
There isn’t any wonder that I fall
Why do we suffer, crossing off the years
There must be a reason for it all

I’ve trusted in You, Jesus, to save me from my sin
Heaven is the place I call my home
But I keep on getting caught up in this world I’m living in
And Your voice it sometimes fades before I know

Hurtin’ brings my heart to You, crying with my need
Depending on Your love to carry me
The love that shed His blood for all the world to see
This must be the reason for it all

Hurtin’ brings my heart to You, a fortress in the storm
When what I wrap my heart around is gone
I give my heart so easily to the ruler of this world
When the one who loves me most will give me all

In all the things that cause me pain You give me eyes to see
I do believe but help my unbelief
I’ve seen hard times and I’ve been told
There is a reason for it all

To view the blog in its orginal formatting, readers are advised to go to the main blog site.

Below is a short report from the international press; it was headline news last weekend: 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani police say authorities have arrested an imam who had accused a Christian girl of blasphemy. Munir Jaffery, an investigating officer in the case, said Sunday that Khalid Chishti was arrested late Saturday for allegedly planting pages of a Quran in a shopping bag containing burned papers and ash that had been carried by the Christian girl.  The 14-year-old girl was later accused of burning pages of the Quran, a serious offense in Pakistan that can result in life in prison.  The about-face could lead to the girl being released from prison and defuse what has been a religiously charged case in Pakistan.  The case has been especially sensitive because of the girl’s young age and questions about her mental capacity.

Hafiz Mohammed Khalid Chishti, the Imam of the Mosque in Mehrabad, being led away blind-folded and under arrest. 

With regard to the above and the blog which follows, I have been in contact with Father Jonathan via the wonders of email.  Presently, he happens to be in Gozo, giving a retreat to the Missionaries of St. Paul, founded in Malta, 1910.  We approached the subject quite independently and, it must be said, from quite different standpoints; consequently, the blog as it now stands, represents the meeting of two quite different minds, on a subject matter that has proved difficult because of the extremist positions that often come to bear on such controversial issues. 

Readers of this weekly blog will recall Father Jonathan’s often writings on the subject of unity.  Only last week he actually used the following passage: 

“Unity fascinates me and gives purpose to my life as it imparts a vision of how life should be in all its aspects; that vision is wide-ranging and includes church, state, families, factories, schools, different countries, different Christian denominations, different religions, ….. “  

He also went on to point out that, historically, the Church had experienced much disunity in centuries gone by, especially among some of the religious orders, and the problems such disunities had caused.  By simple extrapolation, the argument can be extended to cover the sorts of problems resulting in disunities between religions, communities, nations ….. et al. 

The Christians of Rimsha’s Community protest and seek her release. 

The population of Pakistan is overwhelmingly devoted to the worship of Islam, and the Christians living there make up but a very small – even tiny – minority.  The disparity in numbers alone, may be sufficient to cause uneasiness amongst the few Christians endeavouring to keep to their faith, but I have read of problems that go much further than just pure numbers.  From some of the items I have read in the British Catholic press, I am given the distinct impression that very real persecutions, and religious intolerances exist in some areas of Pakistan, and that these are often directed at the Christian men, women and children.  This is not to say that the majority of the population – Christians and Muslims – do not get on very well together, living peaceably side by side.  At the same time, there are those with extremist views among the Muslim population, and as always with extremism, the power and influence they exercise is widely disproportionate to, and vastly outweighs, their numbers.  Small wonder then that some of the Christian communities are afraid, at times, for their safety. 

On this point, Father Jonathan, whilst on his mission abroad, has discussed some of the issues with his retreatant missionaries who have first-hand knowledge of working in Pakistan.  He asked them was it dangerous for a European, and a Christian, to be living in Pakistan?  (It may be important to note that the discussions took place before any knowledge of the imam’s reported actions towards the 14 years old girl). His words, setting out the brothers’ balanced views concerning this, are recorded as follows. 

“Firstly, they said that when they went among the ordinary people they found themselves very much accepted and loved. Almost all of them had not only lived there but built Catholic Churches for the Catholics where they had their missions. They said that when they met the local Muslim people, they found that when they explained that the building they were trying to erect would be a house of God, the Muslims were only too pleased to assist them in any way possible. After all they have a strong belief in God. They also acknowledged that it was important to be careful and not to take un-necessary risks in areas where there may be militant people. The Christians are a tiny minority in a state which has Islam as its official religion. In this state which is often reported as being “anti-Christian” there is certainly a need for Christians to be very cautious. It is also true that there are some Muslims who want to force out the Christians.”

It is very difficult for a person with no experience of Pakistan, its 190 million people, their customs and cultural heritage, to make judgements on a case such as the one in point.  If the reports are true to the allegations, and the imam did attempt to ‘frame’ this young and vulnerable girl, then it is also true, it seems, that his two associate imams were responsible for telling the truth as to his actions – actions designed, in his words, as the only way to ‘get the Christians out of Pakistan’.  We then have the situation where the illegal actions of one, are counteracted by the good and proper actions of his two ‘friends’ – and all from one Muslim community. 

The Muslim faith has the same teaching among all its doctrines as almost every other religion – ‘The Golden Rule’ – especially important;  this says, simply: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”   Clearly, the first imam was in contravention of this rule, and if it were to be proven true that he burned pages of the Koran to add to the girl’s bag, then he is also guilty of blasphemy, in the same way as allegations against the girl; such offences carry the death penalty in Pakistan – a very serious situation for both. I hope and pray  it will not come to this.

I leave the last word to Father Jonathan, who always appears to have the gift of ‘pouring oil on troubled waters’. His words come after discussions of the ‘Rimsha’ case:

“There I would leave this issue leaving the ordinary person to make up his, or her own mind about the case. Certainly, It would go against all Christian principles to behave in this way: it would also, it seems, go against Muslim principles, too. For some reason there must be Pakistani Muslim people who really cannot tolerate Christians, and that is a pity, and could lead to crime. It might be the same if the ‘boot were on the other foot’, Christians who could not tolerate Muslims in their country. There must be other Pakistani Muslims who are prepared to stand up for the law, and be ready to denounce such a fellow Muslim, acting unjustly, as happened in this case. 

So let us ask God, who is the same God for Islam, and for Christianity, to help the people of Pakistan to learn from this case, and to act justly, and thank God that this little girl’s life will indeed be spared. May the people of Pakistan live in peace with their Christian minority, and may racist and religious prejudice diminish all over the world.”

Socius

To view the blog in its original formatting, readers are advised to go to the main blog site.  

The famous portrait of the meeting of Saints Francis and Dominic, allegedly in Rome 1215, at the Dominican Church Our Lady, above the Minerva, Rome 

Just before he died, Jesus prayed: “That They All May Be One”, often put into Latin as “Ut Unum Omnes Sint”; listening to a person speaking when they are about to die, what they say often really sums up their life – their last will and testament – so it was with Jesus; he was leaving us his last bequest.   Unity fascinates me and gives purpose to my life as it imparts a vision of how life should be in all its aspects; that vision is wide-ranging and includes church, state, families, factories, schools, different countries, different Christian denominations, different religions, young, old, differing racial groups, philosophies, theologies, art, history, education, family life – and so the list goes on. 

In this connection, I would like to share an event that illustrates, for me, what this unity can be like, in practice, and in origin. 

One beautiful aspect of this is unity between the different Religious Orders in the Church, described for us in a portrait of the famous meeting between Saints Francis of Assisi and Dominic of Spain. Both of them were contemporary founders of different religious orders, with different, divinely given, distinct Charisms by God, for the good of the Church and humanity. There is only one Holy Spirit, so these can, and should, work together. Those of us with some knowledge of the history of the Church know how far apart religious orders have sometimes been over the centuries. It makes me wonder, at least, whether or not Christianity has truly been lived in its 2,000 years of life, and whether there is still much, if not all, to be discovered? 

Yet there are glimpses, everywhere, of the great reality, and this for me is one portrait of the joy and humility when brothers and sisters live in unity: 

How good and how pleasant it is when brothers (and sisters) live in unity!

… for there the Lord gives his blessing, life for ever. (Psalm 133) 

My Dominican friend, Fr. Valentino Ferrari OP, has died this last week, in Rome, at the age of 90. He, too, lived and died for this ideal of unity, together with many others, including men in Religious Life. He and his great Franciscan friend, Fr. Andrea Balbo OFM, (always given the name of Fr. Novo,) both celebrated 60 years of priesthood together, and below is a picture of them giving each other the sign of peace, at their celebration some two years ago.

 Fr. Novo (Andrea Balbo) OFM and Fr. Valentino Ferrari OP in 2009 both passionate for what is often called the “Ut Omnes” on their Diamond Jubilee of Priesthood. 

Fr. Novo said in his homily on that occasion: “In 1949 I was ordained in Bethlehem, and Fr. Valentino in Rome; but in God’s plan, in the plan of Our Lady, our souls became like those of brothers. I am a Franciscan, he a Dominican and we have repeated in our lives the embrace of St. Francis and St. Dominic, and I pray that it will go on forever in Paradise. Here in this chapel is also the tomb of Igino Giordani and of Chiara Lubich and both remind us of the same reality. Giordani was in the Dominican third order, as Chiara was a member of the Franciscan third order; otherwise she would have been known by her maiden name Sylvia. Once again, the Lord who has willed to return here to this earth today, born by “The Mystical Mary” of those united in his name (Matthew 18: 20) has willed that this “Mystical presence of Mary” should be born by the unity on two saints who live again in their sons, Francis and Dominic. 

Fr. Novo died on 28 July 2012, and Fr. Valentino on 27 August 2012; both were very well known to me, a Benedictine, and so, in that same embrace, we can also put St. Benedict.

Readers of the Mailpress are advised to visit the main web site to view the blog in its orginal format.

Yesterday, 22 August, was the Feast of the Queenship of Our Blessed Lady; I love this feast day for a specific reason.  In the 1950’s a brave Jesuit priest, called Fr. Maria, escaped at the risk of his life from Communist Czechoslovakia; he had actually been secretly ordained a bishop, unknown to almost everyone, except a few in the Church. Czechoslovakia was the most oppressive of all the communist regimes – so it is said – and, after his escape, he came to the West to find an antidote to the evil communist regime that he described as “The Mystical Body of Satan”.

People being shot escaping – Museum of Communism in the modern Czech Republic.

 In his search for this ‘antidote’, he realised he needed to find “The Mystical Body of Christ” as something real, and not just something to fit a vague theory. Eventually, he was led by events to the first ever Mariapolis, at Tonadico in the Dolomites; it was there that he realised that what he saw, with his own eyes, (cf 1 John 1), was a true expression of the unity that brings Jesus to birth among us.  He had found the answer to his search. Mystically, Mary the mother of God, was bringing Jesus to birth again – in a new way – and  in our world. A book could have been written of his adventures.

First Mariapolis at Tonadico in the Dolomites 1949

On this day, but in another year of the 1950’s, a group of laity, religious and diocesan priests made a pact in which they wanted to be – if God so willed it – the ‘Mystical body of Christ’ that would overcome the evil that Fr. Maria had described as “The Mystical Body of Satan”. 

Nowadays, communism is dead for a large part of humanity, though not for China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam; however, Satan is very much alive and is doing his level best to make the society in which we live intolerant to the presence of God and all the values associated with God: truth, beauty, purity, trust, forgiveness, mercy, joy – all leading to love – the raison d’être of all human beings.  In our world, without communism, we still need to live as a community in which God is born again; “The Word can be made Flesh in our time” –  “The Mystical Body” – whether we call it of Christ, himself, or of Mary, who brings Christ to birth. 

Jesus, Forsaken on the Cross, and Mary, Desolate, come into this picture.  For anyone to live in God, and with others, then, personally, and, everyday, he is invited to take up his cross (Luke 9: 23). Jesus Forsaken, we find in ourselves, in others, and in many circumstances.  When he was forsaken by God, and by man, he showed his Love the most. So when we meet him like this, he is our true friend, the one we can love the most. For me it is still taking time to absorb and understand what all this means; I think it will be a life-long journey of discovery. It reads as a negative experience that happens from time to time, and is simply a part of life, though a very distressing part. At the same time, it can be the ‘springboard’ to new life!

On the Cross – A Painting of Jesus Forsaken by God and Man

When I am feeling lost, betrayed, a failure (through my own fault or the fault of others – it matters not); when I am ‘cornered’ in despair, or just weary and utterly’ fed up’, it is my friend showing himself to me.  I meet him then, forsaken, and it is never – humanly speaking – easy, but it is Jesus in his forsakenness, who is my / our only good.  When I let that sink in, and then go out to be a loving person, in all the circumstances of life in which I find myself, then Jesus is able to show himself to me if I am open to him. It is his gift of grace.  I meet THE ONE, who is THE LOVE of my life. This personal choice is made all the more true and ‘enlightening’ when I have a community of faith with which to share, to share with others.  I do not share the details of the suffering, but share the fruits of overcoming those sufferings, by his grace, when and if, those fruits occur. I know they will occur even though it may not be immediate, and these are the virtues of hope and of faith, leading to love. God is Love! (1 John 4: 8). What more do I need if God is one with me?

 The ‘Pieta’ by Michelangelo

However, sometimes, I am left alone; sometimes, I feel alone;  sometimes, I feel lonely.  When that happens, it is necessary to take on the virtues as lived by Mary, Desolate. She was alone, and lost, many times in her life, but she always hoped, and always lived the virtues of patience, purity, meekness, long-suffering and so forth.  Basically like Jesus, she did not sin, but had all the temptations to do so, and she needed, consciously, to turn away from sin, even though she was immaculate. 

Living our spiritual lives in the ‘Mystical Body’ day by day, is living in that heaven-sent space between our two great friends, Jesus, Forsaken and Crucified, and Mary, Desolate, whose greatest loneliness was at the foot of the cross. That is where she was utterly desolate – expressed for me in art by the finest image of her – in Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’.  This may sound like a pious exercise; in fact, it is a very strong human experience – one that leads to a person growing into the human being he, or she, is meant to be. 

If I can manage this challenge, and find others who live the same challenge, then God will truly allow me to live as a member of the Mystical Body, that ‘engine’ which ‘generates’ the presence of the Lord, in whose mystical body we live. In heaven, and on earth, that Mystical Body has Mary as its Queen, the great feast celebrating her Queenship falling on 22 August, each year.

To view and read the blog in its original format, readers are advised to go to the main blog site.

Yesterday, the Church celebrated the great feast of Our Blessed Lady’s Assumption into Heaven, a very important event for all of us, but especially for Leyland St. Mary’s, as this is our very own patronal feastday. Promulgated by Pope Pius XII in 1950 as an Article of Faith, this ‘new’ dogma of the Assumption was simply confirming what Western Christianities and Eastern Orthodoxies had believed for many hundreds of years.  Below is a beautiful example of what belief and faith in God and Our Blessed Lady is all about.

Father Jonathan

 Olympic Faith:

During the past two weeks, I have been fascinated by the Olympic Games.  For most of my life, I have always very much enjoyed watching the games, from the many venues overseas, but it has been a privilege to have been able to watch the games played out on home turf.  I hope that you, similarly, have been able to enjoy the daily specatacle of athletes giving everything they have in the many competitions.  And, although it may be seen as patriotic favouritism, the British Team have done remarkably well in many aspects of the Games, winning medals in more events than ever before. 

On Friday 10 August, I was watching the Olympics on TV.  Much of what I was seeing did not really interest me, and I had other more important things on my mind; quite a lot was simply repetative of earlier events of the day, and there were many events that did not appeal to my taste in sport.  But then, the announcers revealed what everyone was thinking would be an important event – the 5,000 metres race for women – and, very much in line with today’s experience of the strongest runners in long distance races, the favourites were thought to be certain to come from a select group of nations of Africa – Ethiopia, or Kenya, perhaps chief among them. 

The race began and there was a large field of competitors – all facing a lung-wrenching, muscle-binding, 12.5 laps of the 400 metres track. In the early part of the race, two runners from TeamGB took the lead as ‘pace-makers’, but then, with around a lap to go, the Africans took the lead, and, in a most exciting finish, an Ethiopian lady named Mesaret Defar won the event, throwing her arms wide in exultation as she crossed the winning line.  She was followed closely by a fellow Ethiopian and ladies from Kenya.

Ethopian, Defar, wins the Ladies’ 5000 metres

She then proceeded to do something I have never witnessed before.  Breathing hard on her knees after her exertions, she took out a piece of cloth on which there was an icon of the Madonna and Child.  This she showed to the cheering crowd of 80,000 people, kissed it, and then draped the icon over her face for everyone to see. The pictures below speak better than any words.

Mesaret Defar Takes Out the Icon of the Madonna and Child and Kisses It

As she did this, I could not doubt the devotion that was shining on her face. It had been a thrilling finish to the race, and one could not help but applaud the exertions of those who had carried the race through to the winning post; the crowd were going ‘wild’, but for me, the magnificent moment in all this excitement was to see this lady, in all humility, kiss the image of the Madonna and Child.

A day or so earlier, I had watched the Jamaican, Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, win the 200 metres sprint, thereby retaining his ‘crown’ as Olpympic Champion in this event; only a week ago, he had similarly retained his Gold medal position in the 100 metres.  On winning the 200 metres, Usain made the Sign of the Cross on his chest and then, raising his eyes to heaven, gave out a very public sign that he was sending this prayer to God above.  On another occasion, a British lady judo contestant, having performed well in front of the home crowd, won a silver medal.  At the end of her bout, her face filled with tears and she looked heavenwards and spoke.  Against the loud and supportive applause of the crowd, it was not possible to hear the words, but they were easy to lip-read.  She said, “I love you mum.”  It transpires that her mother had died some years ago with cancer.  What wonderful faith in God’s mercy and the hereafter!

 I have on many occasions in sport seen participants speak to heaven above and make the Sign of the Cross on their chests. Such actions by many of the athletes have been even more apparent in these Olympics,.  However, the actions of the Ethiopian lady, Mesaret Defar, made a very big impression on my mind – one that I hope I shall never forget. What an act of faith!  And, how wonderful it was to see a world-class athlete acknowledge that, in her victory, she owed everything to her heavenly Mother and to Jesus.

Socius

 To view the blog in its original formatting, readers are advised to go to the main blog site.