At the Mariapolis, in Norwich, at the beginning of this month, one of the speakers said that God is like a ‘Dad’ who, playfully and lovingly, places his son on his shoulders – full of love and care for his ‘lad’. Observe, carefully, and you may see that often the lad does not even feel it necessary to cling on to his father’s head, but looks around, full of happiness and joy, plays, and feels completely safe. So it is with God and ourselves, if we believe – and live by – the truth that God loves us, immensely, and with the same degree of care. Now they say that the ‘proof of the pudding is in the eating’ and my coming to Slovenia, just a few days ago, has borne out the truth of that maxim, in a very personal way. On arrival at Ljubljana airport, not only did I have no idea where to go, but was brought, safely, to this place some 50 miles distant; then, my plastic card – at the ‘Hole in the Wall’, appeared to lose 400 Euros in the transaction – that, too, got sorted out; on the accommodation front, and instead of the single room  I was expecting, I was asked to share – but, even this, has worked out better than being in a room on my own. Well, you may say, these things are ‘small beer’ – just simple every day happenings – but, what about the bigger ones?

Last week, my ‘Blog’ was about ‘Charisms in Unity’. Today, it is about God, his care for us and how he looks after us so closely. I am still with the company of Religious at Celje in Slovenia, but now, the group has changed and expanded to include a total of some 61 men. We are no longer involved in a magazine, but are trying to discover what it is that God wants from us, as a group of Religious men, to help support the growth of unity in the world.   God calls us to be his close disciples, in the Church, and in our respective Religious Orders, where there is great variety, and this variety is reflected here in Slovenia: there are members of the younger Religious Orders, like Marist brothers, brothers of St. Gabriel, Divine Word Missionaries, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, De La Salle brothers, Cammillians and so forth. Also, there are representations from the ancient orders, such as Benedictines, Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits – and a whole lot more besides!

All of us have also been given another calling by God – a call to live for Unity: we have been ‘touched’ by what the Church has authenticated as a ‘Charism’, (from the Greek, meaning ‘gift’) of the Church, in “The Work of Mary” (the official Church title of the Focolare Movement); under the ‘umbrella’ of this ‘Movement’, all categories of people can belong: men and women in Religious Life, people of other Churches, those of other Religions and those of no Religion, but who appreciate and follow the spirit of unity. To be, and to work ‘for a united world’, is something that attracts even some who think ‘religion’ is outdated, I think, largely, because such people are attracted by the spirit in which “Unity” is lived – as at a Mariapolis – and this very much includes mutual love and support. Here, I would like to be very precise, also, by stating that this new calling to unity, does not mean any lessening of the original call each of us Religious has, to his, or her, own vocation.

Returning to our roles in Religious Life, this being called ‘into the life of unity’ is something that accords with the will of God, for Jesus prayed just before he died “… …that all may be one” (John 18, 21) … … and this ‘all’ must include those in Religious Life. Right up to fairly recent times, Religious Orders have been isolated – sometimes even opposed, or less than fraternal, towards each other.  You may find this, opposition, antagonism even, something very strange, when you come to think we are all brothers and sisters in the Church.  On this point, I well remember seeing a medieval fresco, at Subiaco, Italy, where St. Benedict lived and founded his first monasteries; the picture showed ‘white’ monks fighting and killing ‘black’ monks.  Surprising!  Remarkable! However, we are saved from this dire situation, I am sure, because belonging to a ‘life of unity’ only strengthens the love we have for our own particular calling as members of our Religious Orders – and for each other. That has been my own experience, and it may come as a surprise to some readers of this Blog, to be told that, without this gift of ‘unity’, (to put it simply), from God, I am certain I would not still be a monk within my own monastery.  God has certainly carried me, on his shoulders, many times, and in many different ways.

Perhaps this helps to explain why, here in Celje, we are an enthusiastic ‘band of men’, some of whom are distinguished members of their Orders, with important positions and duties to perform within them. The times in which we live are not so different, fundamentally, and in reality, to the time when Jesus was alive, or even to the times of our own founders; all times are difficult times, and God helps us, now in our times, as he did, then, in theirs. This ‘new’ experience from God is something which helps, considerably, in the life of the Church today.

God carries us, individually and collectively, on his shoulders, now, as he has done all down the centuries, in other times and in many other ways. Consider for a moment, how hard it is to keep a small group of people, together, in harmony and peace;  here, I am thinking, for example, of family life, life in our neighbourhoods and life in our streets, life in a parish, or diocese, in a religious order; there are many other examples.  This simple exercise of mind shows us the need for this ‘gift’ of unity. We are a ‘large’ group, here in Celje; the agreement reached, about new plans to help us grow, in our progress as Religious, with our one aim of ‘unity’ is, to my mind, a miracle, because we come from different countries, with different backgrounds, different outlooks, temperaments, characters and also with different experiences. Despite our diverse cultures, etc, we really are, all pulling in the same direction, overcoming all possible difficulties, along the way. But be aware, please, that working together in unity it is not always easy – it requires some effort, some sacrifice, some self-giving every day.  And, of this I am convinced – it could not have been achieved without God’s help – without God ‘carrying us along on his shoulders’.

Last Saturday, the whole group of us went on along on a five-hour drive to a place in Croatia, to the site of a “Mariapolis Centre for Unity” run by the Focolare Movement, and there we met the President of the Focolare and her Co-President. Interestingly, the Church insists that the President of the Focolare will always be a woman, and if you look, carefully, at the group photograph of all our Religious, you will see a small, insignificant looking lady surrounded – almost engulfed – by men. She is Maria Voce, who, before becoming a part of the Focolare Movement, was a lawyer from the south of Italy. In the evening, we were invited to a party in honour of Maria Voce, and her Co-President – arranged, with much love by the peoples of this part of the Balkans: Romania, Moldavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia.

(L) Getting ready for the Party with children and families, from most mid-Balkan countries.  (R) The Greek Catholic Priest, and his family, who sang at the Party – Saturday Evening,  7th August

This centre was a place of refuge for many who fled their homes, in the ‘recent’ Balkan wars, when NATO was involved; British troops were involved, as ‘peace-keepers’ also. In complete contrast with the ugliness of war, it was so beautiful to see the harmony among those present from countries that, not many years ago, had been in bitter conflict, fighting each other. Of course, this was just a ‘drop in the ocean’ but, sufficient to make us realise that it is possible to bring about peace and reconciliation – given the opportunity, and the will to respond.

Fr. Leopold Grcčar OFM, from Slovenia

Finally, I would like to tell you something of how Fr. Leopold was feeling, during his journey to Croatia, on that Saturday, because here was another expression – another example – of God ‘carrying us on his shoulders’ through the most difficult of times. We reached that quiet period, after the excitements of the main event, and that time when some of us like to sit down and share their thoughts on the day. Fr. Leopold then told us we had travelled, on the ‘bus, through the place where he had lived, as boy and young man. He shared with us some of the memories the journey re-kindled, because, as a young boy during World War II, it was very dangerous as many were being killed by Nazis, or by Partisans. His family was a Religious one, but, it seems, that was no help, for ‘Religious families’ were thought not to be on the side of the Partisans.

One day, he saw a long column of prisoners, marching by, under guard, and all of them were taken by their captors and shot – mass murder – under no other name.  (Sadly, this slaughter of Slovenian people, and other nationalities, happened a lot – all too often, in fact – in the Second World War, and in this area, for the record, such atrocities were to continue even after the war finished.) Some time after this mass execution of prisoners, an Austrian soldier came to his parents’ house, and, at this, the family were very frightened, as his presence could place them in great danger. The soldier was in need of food and drink, and Fr. Leopold’s mother gave what she had to him – to her, it mattered not that he was a soldier and an Austrian – he was ‘Jesus at the door’. He then confessed to them, that if he could, he would go back to his own country, over the mountains between Slovenia and Austria, on his knees, after all he had experienced – in repentance for what had happened – just so long as he never again, had to kill another human being.

 Madonna on the side of a house in Celje today, showing  a still  strong Catholic faith among many Slovenians

Fr. Leopold finished his account – essentially, one of outrage and repentance – and it was then that a young Austrian Religious, in our group, and another good friend, admitted that, on the journey to Croatia, he had felt a bit ‘agitated’. He went on to explain that, as he travelled, it was with the full expectation he would meet, that day, peoples from nations killed by Austrians fighting for the Nazi regime, during the war.  From a deep sense of personal sorrow, he felt, that he wanted to apologise, profoundly, for what his fellow countrymen had done; in their name, he said ‘sorry’ to the rest of us. These were moments of profound meaning, for me, thinking at the same time, of the joyful people we had met, and the tragic experiences through which they had lived.

God brings good out of evil, as he did for martyrs like St. Lawrence, patron of Ampleforth Abbey, my monastery, and it happens to be on his feast day, 10th August, that I write this.  Jesus is … … “The way, the truth and the life” … … and in Him, we can remain sure of divine help, ‘riding on the shoulders’ of His Father, whilst entrusting ourselves to him. That is what all true Christians are called to do.  Dear Lord, help me to have more of that Spirit!

Readers of this blog might well ask: “What, in the name of heaven, is Fr. Jonathan doing in Celje, Slovenia, a guest of the Lazarist Fathers –  they follow the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul – with 20 or so others in Religious Life?” It is from this beautiful and tiny country in Europe, at the top of the Balkan peninsula, with a population of only 2 million, that I write to explain.

Each year, a special meeting (more strictly, perhaps, a series of meetings) takes place for men and women in Religious Life, and I have been involved in this activity for about 20 years. The meeting is international in structure, and consequently, we meet where most can reach a central venue, without too much difficulty; this year it has been the turn of Slovenia. It goes without saying, that all those involved have a strong experience of God and his Love; moreover, each individual’s faith has been reinforced, within their own calling as Religious, by a God-given gift – the gift of knowledge and experience of the Focolare Movement. The Focolare Movement is, itself, the recipient of a very important, gigantic, gift from God; I refer to the gift of UNITY.  Unity  involves all types of people in this world, lay-people, young and old, all the different races, all the different Christian denominations, and many of the different World Religions –  even people of no religious beliefs. Why?  How? Basically, because it comes to spread ‘LOVE’, in and throughout, the world; that was  Jesus’ task – Jesus who gave us the chance to be ONE with God, and, as we know, ‘God is Love’. It is love that will unite people everywhere; it is this love that many have experienced, including those of us in Religious Life. All Christians are meant to know God who is Love, experience Him, know Him and Love him. The Focolare Movement does this in a new way, just as when each Religious Order was founded it was an expression of Love in a new way.

Above,  there are, from left to right, Religious from Italy, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, USA, France Germany, Holland, Poland, and England taking the photo!. Some are on the Theological Commissions of the Church, teaching in universities, others retired, others in charge of novices or juniors. There are Benedictines, Jesuits, Franciscans, Redemptorists, Divine Word, Carmelites, Brothers of St. Gabriel, Claretians, Oblates of Mary Immaculate and from the congregation of the Child Jesus among others

Our latest meeting finished just a little while ago; it was about the publication of a magazine on the Religious Life – the life in which all of us are involved. It was a kind of annual editorial meeting for the magazine that is called ‘Charisms in Unity’ and is produced by Religious men and women, (and others) trying to share, by means of the written word, the immense gifts that God has given to the World, the Church and to those in Religious life through the auspices of the different Religious Orders. There are eight different editions, in eight different languages.

‘Charisms in Unity’ is different from the many other magazines on Religious Life, because it emphasises the unity between Religious Orders – as well as the specific differences. I will try to explain a little further. Each Religious Order is, in itself, a gift from God, and this gift is usually called its ‘charism’; the word ‘charism’ means gift, from the Greek. The different charisms of the many hundreds of religious orders are all inspired by one Holy Spirit. These charisms are, essentially, different expressions of the life of the One Jesus; for example you could say that the Benedictines shared the unity of Jesus in his ‘prayer and work’. Most readers will know that the monks who serve St. Mary’s, in Leyland, are Benedictines. But then there are Carmelites: their charism might be expressed in ‘the prayer life of Jesus’. Franciscans emphasise ‘the poverty of Jesus’, missionaries emphasise ‘Jesus who sent out disciples to spread the Word, as he did himself, teaching orders ‘Jesus the teacher’, and so on. Searching for a good analogy, I would point you to a garden, in which there are many different flowers, all placed quite artistically to complement and show off each other. There is just one garden, but many different types of flower. By analogy, we have discovered that all these ‘charisms’ make much more sense if they are ‘united’ with each other, when they are ‘in communion’ with each other – but, united in a way that allows them to keep their individuality. Thus, the ‘SPIRIT’ of the magazine is underlined, is given its ‘raison d’être’, by its title, ‘CHARISMS IN UNITY’.

It is fascinating, always, to meet up with others, from different backgrounds, the product of very diverse experiences, to share with them those experiences, and furthermore, to be encouraged by them, in coming to know God, as Religious, in our world today.

Apart from working out the best way to write and spread our message, we are very aware of the challenges facing the Church in the world today. We realise that the Holy Spirit is calling the lay people to be protagonists in the life of Faith and in the life of the Church.   This would add to – compliment if you like – the work of priests and religious, who remain essential to the life of the Church, and bring about a working combination, potentially very beneficial. We know that much good work is done by people who do not belong to the Church, but are actively involved in promoting justice and peace in the world; actively involved, also, in the issues concerning the very survival of our planet and the threat of ecological disaster; actively involved in many other important challenges facing our world. At the same time, we know that the Church is criticised by many people; that, in Europe, the majority of Religious Orders are in a weakened parlous state with few novices, and that the present prognosis for the developmental future of the Church lies with those peoples in Africa, India, the Philippines and, in parts of South America. We are aware of the major problems many individuals have with the Church itself; many find its, seemingly, autocratic ways hard to cope with; many have an affection for Jesus and his teaching – but not for the Church, itself: many intellectuals, together with, perhaps, a majority of ordinary folk in Western Europe, think that the Church is irrelevant, and that faith in God is out-dated.  It is true that many Christians fail to practice their faith as their forebears used to do.

Bearing all this is mind – taking on board all the pros and cons – in all of this, it is good to know that God has also inspired new life, often in small new groups, often not very well known new groups, within the Church. These are the new ‘Movements’ of which the ‘Focolare’ is one. When one meets some of the people involved, in a two-way sharing of stories and experiences, it can be very heartening, and all this helps many to continue with their faith in God, because they see people making a real contribution for good to this world of ours – in many different ways – and from many different situations.

On this note, I want to end my blog with an introduction to a few of these people, my friends, for the benefit of my readers.

 Fr. Fabio Ciardi OMI

Fr. Fabio Ciardi OMI from Italy is the person who has helped to run these meetings for many years. He teaches theology in Rome, and has a great deal of experience of Religious Life, not only having responsibility for young students in his own order, but is also in touch with many other different religious orders. He has published many books on Spirituality, on the Gospels, on Spiritual Theology. He also has personal knowledge of inter-faith dialogue with Jews, Moslems and Buddhists. He once came to stay in Leyland, and I had the joy of going on a 10 day holiday with him to Ireland, some years ago.

 Fr. Germano,  Brother Matthew, Fr. Ludwik

Fr. Germano, on the left, is a Divine Word Missionary from Brazil. He has been there all his life, though he is a native of Holland. He is talking to Fr. Ludwik and in the middle is Brother Matthew, both Benedictines from Poland. Fr. Ludwik founded the monastery of Biskopow. He used to be the Prior and allowed Fr. Suawek to come to Leyland on two occasions. Now Fr. Suawek is his prior. Fr. Ludwik has had a very full monastic life, is the author of various books in Polish, and Br. Matthew is the novice master at their small monastery in the South of Poland, where all the nine monks are young, with the single exception of  Fr. Ludwik.

Fr. Paolo Monaco SJ

Fr. Paolo Monaco SJ, is an Italian Jesuit from Naples who works also to co-ordinate the Religious who are interested in this life of unity. He is an expert on the computer and has been helping, especially, the young religious all over the world, who are also involved. He seems to hate fuss and bother, and simply gets on with his work, though has many interesting things to say about the present and future of the Church.

 Fr. Carlos Andrade

Fr. Carlos Andrade on the right is a Spanish Claretian missionary, the same order as Fr. Florencio who came to stay with us in Leyland, from Spain, on 3 occasions. Carlos is a theologian who has taught in Madrid for many years and at present is doing his thesis and doctorate in Rome. He writes many articles for ‘Charisms in Unity’ and always has something interesting to say.

Fr Theo Janssen OFM

Fr Theo Janssen OFM is a Cappuchin from Holland who has worked for many years in Rome at the General House. He also lectures on Spiritual Theology in Rome, and has been involved in the Focolare for many years. He now runs a special “School for Religious” (St. Benedict spoke about the monastery being a school of the Lord’s service) at Loppiano near Florence, where men in Religious life go for 6 months to learn what it really means to live in ‘unity’. Loppiano is the first international town of the Focolare, and Religious are helped there by the example of the thousand people who live there, mainly laity and make it a town where Gospel values are lived out, especially the new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you”. His great advantage in life is that he speaks well, German, French, Italian, English, some Spanish, and of course Dutch, and also knows Latin and Greek. He is a humble and homely person, very easy to get on with.

This is the time of year when people move on and things change. It is the end of term, and those who are leaving school will move on either to another school or college and that can be difficult for some. There are members of staff who retire or change their jobs, and in our school there is the chaplain who has decided that she (yes, we have a young lady who has the name “school chaplain” as her title) should move on and start a different career.

Tuesday morning mass at 8am is one in which we invite our students at school to come to mass, and a solid core of about 10 have been there regularly over the last year. Teachers come too, and also our chaplain. Last Tuesday the young altar server asked me if she could say a word after mass to thank our chaplain Gemma for supporting her and the students in the school and wish her God speed in her new job; after Holy Communion she did just that. It was an emotional moment because the pupils and staff are very sorry to see Gemma go, even if objectively it is the right thing. This all made me reflect.

It is hard For priests to leave a parish, just as in many cases for parishioners it is hard to lose their priest. He has often become a part of the parishioners’ lives, part of their families through his ministry. When asked “what is it like to be a priest on a parish”, the response I give is that it could not lead to better “job satisfaction” because you become a trusted member of so many different families. That is as long as a priest has a small amount of love and giving in him and an interest in people. It is such a privilege to be invited to be so fully trusted, almost a member of the family.

It all ends when things change and moves happen and that can be a strong emotional experience of loss and little gain. It is true also for teachers who leave schools and those who leave friends and neighbours as circumstances take them away to new places. What remains of all the time that people have shared each others’ lives? The events and happenings do not remain: they may be happy or unhappy memories but they cannot return. Nothing remains except the love that has gone into the days lived together.

Faced with these young people at that Tuesday morning mass I felt suddenly quite incapable of explaining to them the special nature of Christian Love. It is quite different to the love that we hear proclaimed in so many songs or expounded in the newspapers or in novels or TV plays. How are you able to go beyond the mundane to the genuine article of a really satisfying experience of loving? Especially as I have seen young people, older than the ones in front of me in the chapel last Tuesday morning, who are aimless and bored, into drugs, sitting cabbage like in front of Television or computer with seemingly little purpose in life. Jesus was on this earth and has given each person the chance to find out the meaning and purpose of his life. It is all to do with “love” and yet how hard it is to share what this really means. The saying is true: “Love does make the world go round”.

What is love? For some people love and sex are completely entwined. How then did Jesus love? Had he failed in love, a person who chose not to have a personal intimate relationship with another human being? I know a man who thinks that anyone who is consecrated to God by vows of celibacy has repudiated love.

Everyone wants both to love and be loved. Yet it is not something that you can keep and preserve. It is a bit like water: if you try to grab it the liquid runs between your fingers and goes.

Love necessarily includes relationship. I think it would be true to say that the relationship of Jesus and Mary his mother was the strongest human relationship that has ever existed in this world. Since Mary, Jesus’ mother is considered to be the “type” or the “model” of the Church, and the Church is the spouse of Christ, Mary must not only be the mother of Jesus but also his spouse. Given that Jesus is God made man, Mary is immaculate and made worthy to be the mother of God, a short reflection makes a person realise the uniqueness of their relationship. Their parting must have been very hard, especially in the circumstances of the crucifixion where it happened.

John and Mary at the foot of the cross

During his time on the cross Jesus seemed to have said to his mother “I am no longer your son” because in St. John’s Gospel, from the cross Jesus saw his mother the disciple whom he loved standing next to her and said “Woman, this is your Son”. Turning then to the disciple he said, “Here is your Mother”. And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. (John 19: 26-27) That must have been an agony for Mary his mother, precisely as his mother.

One day Jesus was speaking to the crowds and his mother and brothers appeared, standing outside, anxious to have a word with him. A man came to Jesus to tell him, and Jesus said to him “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Stretching out his hand to his disciples he said, “Here are my mother, and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother, and sister and mother”. (Mt. 12: 47-50)

Your mother and brothers are here

On the surface what an extraordinary thing Jesus said about the one with whom he had such a strong relationship. It is amazing to think that Jesus found those who were his disciples and did God’s will were also in relation to himself like a mother or a brother; i.e. people who make him feel good, loved and wanted. He too gave others that sense else why did they leave everything to follow him? Our Lord it is said did not cling to his equality with God, but emptied himself to become human. (cf Phil 2; 6-8). It seems that he also did not cling to his relationship with his mother, but quite deliberately left home and family to begin a new adventure with others who would follow him and become another kind of family. This was the prototype of the Church that would later be formed by his disciples. At the same time he never forgot his mother Mary, and she never forgot her son Jesus, but they went about in their own way their Fathers’ business for them.

I read a meditation linked with this thought recently. It runs:

Whoever follows Jesus does not do so in order to live in a particular place (like a presbytery or religious house)…Whoever follows Jesus follows God and therefore has no place except in God himself.

If on the one hand this might seem negative, a renunciation of everything, on the other hand it can also be viewed in a positive sense. Every place in the world, all the houses in the world, become ours, because the Son of Man is master of the universe and his home cannot just be a little house in a little town.

Whoever follows Jesus finds his home everywhere, finds his town everywhere, and similarly finds his family and his homeland everywhere.

This is an overwhelming aspect of a vocation; we do not follow Jesus in a particular place, in a particular house; we follow Jesus in order to be his children and his brothers and sisters throughout the whole universe.

This thought may be able to throw light onto what Love is: probably the words will help us to understand if we have experience personally of what it speaks.

Let us remain open to God teaching us by his Holy Spirit what true Christian Love really is. It is this Love that in the midst of our tears will assuage sadness at parting and make sense of all the difficulties we will face in life.

Nearly every news item contains headlines of frightful teenage atrocities and our immediate reaction is to have them put away for life.  There is absolutely no excuse for their behaviour, but there are a number of reasons that may well be the cause.  In our high school, in south Liverpool, roughly 70% of the pupils have only one parent – usually a mother on her own, or with a partner – many of these children are “keyhole kids” because, when they get home from school, their parent is at work and there is nobody home to welcome them.  The lucky ones have a “Nan” who will look after them until someone comes home; consequently their Nan and Granddad are the people they know and love most.  

Family life at home is a rare or unknown experience.  They seldom – if ever – eat together as a family, but have their tea on a tray in front of the TV, often watching unsuitable and violent programmes until well into the night.  In a word, they lack any real experience of discipline.

The ‘Mission Statement’ of the College is as follows:

“That we provide a safe, secure and happy environment.

We provide opportunities for all pupils to develop their talents,

recognising and celebrating their achievements and success.

We believe that God loves each person and we encourage

respect for people and treat them equally.

We encourage a spirit of cooperation,

responsibility and self-discipline.

We affirm the Christian values of faith, hope and

love – love being the greatest of these.”

That, I think, is why the School is the centre of their lives,

though they would be unlikely to admit it!

What about the rest of the young people, we hear so much about, because of their totally unacceptable behaviour?  Judging by the number of pupils who are sent to our Support Centre from other schools where, if they have a ‘Mission Statement’, it would seem to fail to deal successfully with the pupils’ problems; as a consequence, on some occasions, the pupils express a wish to change schools, and after a six weeks trial period, they begin to show some signs of stability, self-discipline and punctuality. The Managers of the Centre may well recommend them to be accepted, provided their previous school is willing to give them a transfer – which they usually give – only too happily!

Most of their problems are anger management, attention seeking, truanting and considerable insecurity.  So they easily get themselves mixed up with even more unsuitable companions, who are already ‘fixed’ on alcohol and drugs.  One of the glaring problems is the lack of discipline in their lives and we would do well to listen to one of St. Paul’s letters: he says: “The Lord disciplines him who he loves.  It is for discipline that you have to endure.  God is treating you as sons, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?  If you are left without discipline, in which, all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” – tough words, but badly needed advice, we would do well to heed.

One of the problems is the lack of safe, well run, places for young people in which to recreate, such as youth clubs – well organised, with plenty of things to do – and rules which they must keep or be asked to leave.  Some time ago, I came across an article in the paper about a family who are running a youth club from their home, making a place where they know they are loved and respected – but run also with strict discipline.  The point of the article was to say how successful it is, and that they are overcrowded with applications, and in great need of somewhere in which to expand.

The other day, there was a programme on the TV about a gang intent upon doing violence and damaging property.  A young lad of about 11 years was anxious to join them.  The gang leader gave him a brick and said: “If you want to join us, throw this through the old woman’s window.”  The lad dropped the brick and said: “If that’s your game, frightening old women, you can get lost.”  The leader stabbed him with a knife and left him bleeding on the ground.  He was taken to hospital and eventually recovered, having nearly paid the price of his life for doing what he knew to be right.

What can we do, as individuals, to help young people feel secure in themselves, and not want to get involved in all that they see on the streets, hear what is going on in other young peoples’ homes and what their friends tell them?  If it is possible to give a welcome in your home, to your teenager’s friends and get to know them, they will feel loved and accepted, and hopefully want to change their lifestyle – should it need to be changed – and feel at home with your family.  In my experience, when they are shown respect, love, and are willing to accept the rules, they usually react in a positive way, and want to respond in order that they may continue to be accepted.

It is easy for me to make these statements, when I am not immediately subjected to teenagers constantly knocking at my door, or taking advantage of the family’s generosity, but, for them, it might be the beginnings of a change of pattern of behaviour; it may just help them to cope with the many disadvantages most of them face.

St. Augustine lived in the third and fourth centuries and died in the year 330 AD. The extent of his writings was vast, so much so that his many books, today, make up 46 thick volumes in their English translations. When I say ‘ writings’ , they were not all written by him, in the actual sense, as he dictated his books to ‘stenographers’, often keeping a particular book in his head for many years, as he dictated. In addition, he was constantly writing sermons, letters and dealing with multitudinous issues, as the Bishop of a very large diocese, at Hippo, in North Africa. His ‘stenographers’ were scribes, who, in those days, had to write on tablets – all quite heavy and coated with wax – later to be transcribed again onto parchment.  So Augustine, on his journeys, in his study – or wherever – would have scribes working away on what he was dictating. Reportedly, it took 20 years to write one of his greatest books, “The City of God” – its pages all there, assembled inside his head – and unravelling, one by one, all in perfect order as he dictated. Today, although we know a great deal about him from his writings, it is very difficult to gain any real idea of the essential genius of this great man, and how he achieved so much.

(Probably the earliest) portrait of St. Augustine of Hippo

One of my friends – an intelligent man – has definitive views about St. Augustine of Hippo. A lapsed Catholic, and one who considers himself an Atheist, he has never found the Catholic teaching on chastity to his liking, and is of the opinion that St. Augustine is the cause of all the bad teaching, within the Church, on the subject of sex.  He thinks that the guilt, carried by Catholics deep in their hearts concerning sexual morality, has its roots in St. Augustine’s strict moral teaching.

Within my own experience, circumstances have, from time to time, led me to meet up with many Augustinians. I have one friend in Spain who is of the Augustinian order, and likewise, his sister. She belongs to a semi-enclosed Augustinian convent at Huelva, a town in southern Spain. He, Fr. Manolo Morales on the other hand is like most Augustinian priests involved in active pastoral work. Both of them, it must be said, radiate a wonderful sense and presence of joy!  

The Augustinian community of Huelva July 2001

(Fr. Manolo is 4th from left – back row)

Some years ago, I was with them, in their convent, on 28th August, the feast of St. Augustine, and my friend, the priest-brother was proud to introduce me to his sister and her companions. We had a most wonderful celebration of the feast, in the courtyard of the convent, and I well remember the joyful atmosphere, enhanced considerably, when the younger sisters performed some traditional Spanish dancing, to a guitar played by one of the sisters.  I will never forget, the beautiful singing and the evident joy among the sisters – an atmosphere of true happiness reflecting the life-style of the community and one that led, in those days, almost inevitably to the desires of a number of young girls to join them.  

As far as I am aware, that is still the case.  I was with a group of men in religious life, on holiday near Huelva,  and Fr. Manolo, the Augustinian priest, although not well physically, but spiritually alert and ‘playful’, used to walk up and down the beach with a very ‘well-thumbed’ copy of St. Augustine’s ‘Confessions’. He told me he never tired of reading the book, that is the first-ever biography, historically, in which a person reflects on his own feelings about God, and on his own feelings about life, personally.  I will always remember Fr. Manolo’s humorous stories, and the way he related to all of us who were with him on that holiday. His persona, his manner, his outlook and life-style, his character – all of this and more – ‘shouted’ to all and sundry, that this was, certainly, not the outward-expression of somebody ‘riddled’ with guilt about sin.

But, to return to St. Augustine, often in our breviary readings we have extracts from his writings – very often from his sermons. One such extract occurred on Sunday 4th July, and its content was very meaningful to me. It was concerning sinfulness, and in it Augustine refers to the famous psalm, often called “The Miserere”, (Psalm 50 or 51) which begins, in the grail translation: “Have mercy on me God in your kindness, in your compassion blot out my offence.” This psalm is allegedly written by King David after his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of her husband Uriah, the Hittite.

What follows is an extract of the Roman breviary for 4th July, this year, taken from St. Augustine’s writings:

“’I acknowledge my transgression,’ says David. If I acknowledge it, then pardon me, O God. We must not assume at all that we are living good lives, free from sin. Let a man’s life be praised in so far as he asks for pardon. But as for men without hope, the less attentive they are to their own sins, the more they pry into those of others. They seek, not what they can correct, but what they can criticize. And as they cannot excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others.”

This extract reminds me so very much of articles that appear in our newspapers, concerning the bad behaviour of so many people, strongly criticized in this very public way, by the media. This kind of writing – ‘gutter press’ if you like – fails to bring hope to peoples’ lives.   On the contrary, it can, and often does, destroy lives. The passage in the Gospel comes to mind: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone”, … .. and one by one those who were about to stone the woman, taken in adultery, slunk away, until only the woman was left with Jesus.

One English Sunday newspaper springs readily to mind.  To me, it appears to be very hypocritical: on one page it seems to rejoice in displaying all kinds of half-naked people (or worse), in writing about peoples’ affairs and so forth, and then on another page it will delight in openly writing about some scandal involving a person in a high position – its tone usually sexual – and with a distinct air of self-righteous justification.  Some may say ‘indignation’!

Augustine goes on in his sermon:

“… … as they cannot excuse themselves, they are ready to accuse others. This was not the way that David showed us how to pray and make reparation to God when he said: ‘I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is always before me.’  David was not interested in other men’s sins.”

Rather, I think it ought to be that, within this practical attitude to life, lies the root of real joy and hope – the joy of being forgiven, totally, by the all merciful God. When somebody says he is not a sinner he is making God to be a liar according to the scriptures (cf 1 John 1,10); in other words that person is the liar. We are all sinners – excepting Jesus and his Mother – every last one of us, even the saints. Yet you never see a sad saint, as that would be a contradiction in terms. However difficult life is there is always a chance for joy when there is union with God, and in Him, union with others.

Returning to my friend and his attitude to St. Augustine, I have to say: no, I do not think St. Augustine is the reason for an unhealthy view about sex in our world. Personally, I would be much more inclined to think that if we have an unhealthy view of this subject it is much more to do with our inability to rest in the goodness of God, aware that we are all forgiven sinners, and that all too often we are far more interested in the misdemeanours of others, at the expense of a critical examination of self.  Above all this, surely, it is far better to focus on the joy of God’s infinite and daily love for each one of us, personally, remembering as the scripture says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:12).”

Extreme Unction – by Rogier Van der Weyden

‘Extreme Unction’ was the title given to the ‘Sacrament of the Sick’, until the Vatican Council re-christened it, on the grounds that it was available to all baptised Catholics who were seriously ill, or suffering from the affects of old age, and not only those who were at the point of death.  The sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ Our Lord, and it is mentioned by St. Mark, when he describes Jesus’ instructions for the mission of the Twelve: “So they set off to preach repentance; they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.” (Mk: 6: 12-13).  We find a mention of it, also, in St. James’s Letter: “If one of you is ill he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him. The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.” (James: 5:14-16)

I can remember, many times, being called to someone who was ill, in the night, when I was at St. Peter’s, Seel Streeet, Liverpool in the `1950′s, and hearing the Dockers, standing outside the pub saying: “Look, Priest.” The accent was on the word ‘priest’, implying: “Someone’s had it!” (or someone had not much longer in this world). In those days, when people saw the priest going to the tenements, they would assume he had the Blessed Sacrament with him, and they wouldn’t expect him to talk to them.

When administering the ‘Sacrament of the Sick’, the priest begins with a short introduction, ending with these words: “Let us entrust our sick brother/sister to the grace and power of Jesus Christ, that the Lord may ease his/her sufferings and grant him/her health and salvation.” He then invites the sick person to make his/her confession or make an act of sorrow and gives absolution.  Then, in silence, the priest lays his hands on the head of the sick person and prays over him/her, in the faith of the Church. This action is used also in Baptism, Reconciliation and Confirmation; it signifies blessing and healing and follows the instructions given by Jesus, that the Apostles, “… .. should lay their hands on the sick and they will be healed.”

The priest then anoints the sick person on the head, and on the palm of the hands, with the words: “Through this holy anointing may the Lord, in his love and mercy, help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin, save you and raise you up.”

Those of us who have experienced this sacrament at first hand, ether by receiving it ourselves or by being present when someone we are looking after receives it, will have experienced some of the many effects of this amazing sacrament. The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening –  peace and courage – given to the sick person, to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness, or the frailty of old age!  (I could write a book about that – old age, I mean!)  This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens the sick person, against the temptation of discouragement, and anguish in the face of death. His gift of grace is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also, to the healing of the body, if that is God’s will.

By the grace of this sacrament, the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ’s Passion, thus taking a real share in the saving work of Jesus.  In addition to the anointing, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life, the Eucharist as Viaticum — a passing over – from death to life – from this world to the Father.

All this puts me in mind of one very special occasion. I remember the time when one of the senior members of a Parish family was nearing death, after a long and drawn-out sickness, and the whole family was gathered in the sick room.  I offered Mass for him, and the whole family present were all able to receive Holy Communion and join in the responses for the Anointing and Viaticum. Granddad – the patient – was conscious throughout, and the effect of the joint family prayer gave him great joy and peace.

It happens sometimes that people are reluctant to call the priest, largely because they fear that the sick person may begin to think he is more ill than he had, at first, thought. Priests are trained to handle the situation with great tact. If in doubt, you should explain that the patient is of a nervous disposition and the priest will act accordingly.

For myself, I keep the Holy Oils in the car because one never knows what one may come across when visiting people. I have often used them in the school, when a pupil comes to see me in great distress, either about themselves, or about the family. When that seems to be appropriate, I explain all about the Sacrament and tell them to go and think about it, and if they decide they would then like to receive it, to come back and let me know.  On the occasions when they have come back to me,  I have been impressed by their attitude, and even more, by the results.

The longer I live — especially in my contacts with teenagers – the more I realise what problems they have to face, quite apart from the inevitable ones of growing up. Most often, they are searching for someone willing to listen, and accept them as they are; only then, are they prepared to listen to advice, consider it carefully, and eventually to accept it – in all probability. They long to find someone who will always be there for them – someone who will be a ‘rock’ for them. What we have to remember, is well written in that excellent book, ‘The Little Prince’ where the author makes the point: “You become responsible forever, for what you have tamed — It is only with the heart that you can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

During the last week, a group of us held our monthly ‘Focolare/Word of Life’ meeting at one of the local prisons with about 25 prisoners present. We read as usual, on the computer ‘Power Point’ and text, the commentary on the Gospel extract, chosen for the ‘Word of Life’ for June, “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10: 39). All those present are free to comment and share their experience of what God’s Word means in our lives; the first to comment was a prisoner who had read the extract.  He said: “When Jesus said these words he was thinking of martyrdom”, and then posed the question: “What does the Church think of martyrdom today?”

In using the word ‘martyrdom’, the prisoner was referring to the ‘modern martyrs’, most often identified as such, in today’s media – ‘suicide bombers’ in other words. Using the term, he had no idea that the modern era has seen more Christian (mostly Catholic) martyrs, than at any time in the Church’s history. These true, Christian martyrs, who never make the headlines, are the real ‘heroes’ of today’s world. I say ‘true’ because the true martyr – the real martyr never kills anyone else; there is no hate, only love in his or her heart, a heart full of love for God and neighbour.

On the other hand, ‘suicide bombers’ are, no doubt, ’courageous’ in giving away their own lives, but, we are then driven to question what kind of ‘radicalisation’ and ‘lack of human compassion’ has entered their hearts, for, together with their own deaths, they then want to kill as many others as possible – in some misguided furtherance of their cause, ideology, whatever? It is right, also, to question ‘what kind of injustice they, perhaps, suffer to make them want to act in this way?’ Possibly, they suffer such deep injustice, under some oppressive regime, that it leaves them –and people like them – feeling utterly helpless, with no acceptable alternative but a ‘murderous’ death. In his own time, Jesus, too, could well have been driven to the same conclusion – even acted in similar fashion! But, could he, in reality?  He was the Son of God, and so he couldn’t – he didn’t!  He gave away his life in meekness, love and compassion, thus accepting his fate for the salvation of all – a lonely and ignominious death – his reasons well hidden from the ‘madding crowd’ and known only to the ‘chosen’ few, and coming to life only because of the remarkable Church founded by them.   His followers, with faith, came to know he was raised from the dead and alive among them.

Here in Britain, a land of relative freedom, it is difficult for us to understand how ‘suicide bombers’ can believe they are contributing to our world, in any positive fashion. We should pray that God, in his infinite mercy, will forgive them the murders they commit, even though they may feel justified in their actions. I suspect they must be able to find some justification, somehow? Rumour has it some of these people are under the influence of drugs, though others say they can sometimes be at peace, smiling, cheerful and friendly, as they blow themselves up – together  with as many bystanders as possible. If I were the ‘angel of darkness’, I would be rejoicing at any ‘devilish’ method of domination, control, power, whether it comes from an oppressive regime – or a reaction to it – such as ‘suicide bombing’. ‘Suicide bombing’ seems to portray courage, but you can tell there is something very wrong, just by the ‘fruits’ it produces – fear, anger and the terrible sufferings of innocent people. The ‘real’ martyr who dies silently, giving his life for the God, in whom he or she believes, bears other fruits, including compassion, bravery, the strengthening of peoples’ convictions, and a great coherence in the community or society to which he or she belongs; and that greater coherence can be of ‘long term’ effect.  In saying this I point to Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, who was beatified on 6 June 2010, just two weeks ago in Poland, some 26 years after his assassination on October 19, 1984, by the communists. His death contributed to the end of the Communist regime in much of Eastern Europe.

Father Jerzy Popiełuszko

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”, wrote Tertullian (c. 160 – 220 A. D.), one of the early Fathers of the Church, and so we can look forward to a great “re-generation” of the Church, in the light of so much love, given by people who are the unknown, and unsung, heroes of our age. One group, among hundreds of thousands, were the seminarians in Rwanda, who belonged to both the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes – forty of them – wantonly slain by a murderous gang in 1994. They refused to separate themselves into the two ethnic groups, when ordered to do so, and forty died together, as a witness to their love of God and each other. On 11 June, in Rome, it was very moving to watch, on the internet, three who survived the ‘massacre’, all three now ordained priests and hear their testimony of forgiveness; one of them was shot several times, but lived; another, seven years after the killings, went to a parish, in Rwanda, to serve the people, and recognised, in the congregation, those who had been the murderers of his companions; in his testimony, he said that God gave him the grace to forgive them.

At this point, I want to perform a ‘leap of faith’ and take you to a completely different era – different in time – but related in terms of theme, as you will see. I love St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher and, very much connected with them, Katharine of Aragon. Often, in our houses, we see their portraits, and John Fisher looks dignified and noble, but also rather thin and emaciated. He was Bishop of Rochester, and the only Bishop, at the time of King Henry VIII, who was prepared to stand his ground, against the King, when Henry cut most of the Church, in England, away from its stock. John Fisher, was confessor to Katharine of Aragon, and their common friendship makes me wonder if Katharine’s steadfastness gave him courage. St. John Fisher gave his life, out of love for God, his neighbour and the Church on 22nd June 1535. St. Thomas More, was appointed Chancellor of England by the same King Henry VIII, and he gave his life for the same cause on 6th July 1535.

St. Thomas More              Katharine of Aragon             St. John Fisher

The positive part of the Word of Life “Those who find their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” is the second half: we are able to find Life – the Life that Jesus wanted us to know and to experience, by first losing our life. The actual commentary of Chiara Lubich referring to martyrdom is:

 “When Jesus said these words he was thinking of martyrdom. We, like every Christian, have to be ready in order to follow the Master and stay faithful to the Gospel, to lose our lives, dying if needs be, even a violent death. With that, by God’s grace, we will be given true life. Jesus was the first who ‘lost his life’, and he regained it glorified. He warned us not to be afraid of those who ‘kill the body but cannot kill the soul’ (Mt 10:28).

(Apropos martyrdom, there is another kind of martyrdom called a ‘White Martyrdom’, consisting not of a single violent death, but rather, the daily dying to self, that is part of a holy life. This could be illustrated by many saints who are confessors, rather than martyrs.  It is something that is ‘normal’ for any Christian life.)

Katharine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII.  During her marriage, she had at least six pregnancies, but only one child – Mary – survived to become Queen, after Henry’s death. Largely because his 18 years marriage to Katharine had failed to produce a male heir to the throne, Henry decided to repudiate her in favour of Anne Boleyn.  The King maintained he should not have been allowed to marry Katharine as she was his elder brother, Arthur’s wife, and this was against Canon Law.  In order to marry,  Pope Julius granted Henry and Katharine a dispensation, on the grounds that her marriage to Arthur had never been consummated.  Katharine, never relinquishing her stance, was always to stand by her vow that this was the case,  but Henry – his assertions built on very shaky ground – continued his repudiation by taking Anne Boleyn as his wife.  In this dispute, Henry versus Katharine, all the evidence appears to support Katharine’s avowed position – the people certainly supported her and believed she had been truthful throughout.   However, her place usurped by Anne, Katharine became virtually removed from her place as Queen of England, from 1525 until her death in 1536, though she remained popular with the people of England, largely because of her ‘transparent’ goodness and integrity.

There is a second important aspect to her life.  Katharine always refused to accept Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and considered herself, as did most of England and Europe, the King’s rightful wife and Queen until her death.  In proclaiming himself Supreme Head of the Church in England, Henry simply defied Pope Clement VII, who refused Henry his nullity. But, these were dangerous times, and any attempt to antagonize Henry was tantamount to courting disaster, as Thomas More and John Fisher found to their cost. Both were executed for High Treason; they did not agree with what the King was doing – and said so, in forthright terms.   Likewise, Katharine could well have met the same fate.  Putting herself against the King, she stood by the truth – displaying again stalwart courage and integrity –  and was banished for her stance.  She refused to go against the truth: she lost her life, but then found it.

Katharine was intelligent, attractively very pretty, and religious. Saint Thomas More was to reflect, later in her lifetime, that in regards to her appearance: “There were few women who could compete with the Queen [Katharine] in her prime.” She learned to speak, read and write in Spanish and Latin, and spoke French and Greek, Spanish and English. She had domestic skills, such as needlepoint, lacemaking, embroidery, music and dancing. The great scholar Erasmus would later say that Katharine “loved good literature which she had studied with success since childhood”. Education among women became fashionable, partly because of Catherine’s influence.

She was loyal always to her husband. In 1513, Katharine fell pregnant yet again. Henry appointed her Regent when he went to France on a military campaign. When the Scots invaded, they were defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field, with Katherine addressing the army, and riding north in full armour with some of the troops, despite being heavily pregnant at the time. She sent a letter to Henry, along with the bloodied coat of the King of Scots, James IV, who died in the battle.

Katharine died, relatively, young – at just forty nine – after living a life of deprivation and isolation for years. A month before she died she wrote the following to her husband, Henry VIII.

My most dear lord, King and husband,

The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe thee forces me, my case being such, to commend myself to thee, and to put thou in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of thy soul which thou ought to prefer before all worldly matters, and before the care and pampering of thy body, for the which thou hast cast me into many calamities and thyself into many troubles. For my part, I pardon thee everything, and I desire to devoutly pray God that He will pardon thee also. For the rest, I commend unto thee our daughter Mary, beseeching thee to be a good father unto her, as I have heretofore desired. I entreat thee also, on behalf of my maids, to give them marriage portions, which is not much, they being but three. For all mine other servants I solicit the wages due them, and a year more, lest they be un-provided for. Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire thou above all things.

Katharine the Quene.

This, I suggest, is the mark of a great lady, who had – by then – died a ‘thousand’ martyrdoms, at the actions of her wayward husband; he seemed bent on his own human ‘solutions’ to the difficulties he faced rather than relying on a loving trust in God, portrayed by his first wife, Katharine. Her destiny was closely linked to that of John Fisher and Thomas More, both of whom were put to death because of ‘The King’s Great Matter’, i.e. his repudiation of Katharine of Aragon, because he wanted a marriage annulment, from the Pope – and that he never got!

Katharine discovered the ‘Life’ that Jesus speaks of in the ‘Word of Life’, despite the sufferings caused by the politics and self-centredness of people around her. The letter above is witness to it, and so are the testimonies since her death. It is said that, at her funeral, when she was buried in Peterborough Cathedral, 70,000 people lined the route out of respect for her. Furthermore, to this day, there are always flowers at her tomb, and a constant stream of people to honour her memory.  She remains a kind of legend in our country. Should you ever have a chance to visit Peterborough and its cathedral, you can verify this for yourself. You will see, there, her place of rest, with the letters above her tomb, “Katharine Queen of England”.

Never was there any hint of the mind of a ‘suicide bomber’ in her example; rather, her life was very much concentrated on the following of her Master and Lord, Jesus. Small wonder, it was, then, that after the break with Rome and the Church, King Henry feared that Katharine might be the centre of a popular uprising. She has not been declared a Saint, but in any study of her life, the reader may well be struck by the similarities with those who lead holy lives – who die to self, day by day – a loyal queen, a great lady – steadfast and true to her calling – imbued with inner strength and integrity – a lady who would not deviate from the path of life which lead her to suffering and death – and to the loss of her life, in order to find it.

Perhaps we too can face the challenges of life with a bit more peace and gentleness of heart, with the examples of Thomas More, John Fisher and Katharine of Aragon to encourage us, and be mindful of many of our fellow Christians, mostly Catholics, who are suffering severe persecution, in our own time, and losing their lives, only to find them.

I want to take you to a little house situated not far from the centre of a small rural community.  Nothing sets it out as anything special – nothing specific – its just like all the rest in the neighbourhood – functional but poor, simple, houses in that rather quiet part of the village.  As we enter, we see ‘mum’ going about her daily work – washing, cleaning and polishing, mending, cooking and baking ready for the evening meal.  She sets the table so that the family can sit and eat, then sits down – for the first time in the long day – and relaxes, rests, waiting for her men-folk to come in from work.  They will be hot and tired and hungry. 

But, this working ‘mum’, you can see, is uneasy.  She tries to relax, but relaxation does not come easy.  Her face shows the worry that is troubling her – unsettling her.  You feel for her – this hard-working, caring, loving matriarch of the family – and want to try to help.  But help you cannot – she cannot even help herself. You see, she does not know what is troubling her.  She cannot ‘put her finger’ on it. She just knows, with a mother’s intuition, instinct even, that there is ‘something in the wind’, something indefinable, not spoken, not visible, but turning her life ‘upside down’.  She utters a prayer – that things will be alright – and then the mood is broken, as her husband and son come in from their day’s work, from the workshop, nearby.  They are hot and dirty from their labours.  Her husband washes and then almost ‘collapses in a heap’ to wait for his ‘tea’.  He is old and rather weary – getting near to retirement – but retirement would bring further problems.  They have little money on which to live and his work keeps them surviving.  Once he finishes work, their income would suffer and life would be all the harder.  The son, grown up now, would then have to provide for the family and, with just one person working, the money coming in would be halved, almost.  Son follows father, washes, and gets ready for his meal.  Suddenly, he puts his arms around his mother and says: “Love you, mum!”

They sit to the table and ‘mum’ serves the simple meal.  They sit and eat – mostly in silence – each with their own thoughts on the day’s events, and wondering what tomorrow may bring.  The scene is outwardly peaceful – a small family, grouped round the table, eating their evening meal – but there is an undercurrent.  All is not right.  Each of them is aware of something deep – troubling – worrying. All is not quite at peace. 

All at once, the son breaks the silence and sets hearts blazing: “Sorry to have to say this, mum, dad, but I am going to have to leave home.”  Mum and dad look at each other and turn, the unspoken question alight in their eyes.  Then Jesus answers their look and drops the rest of his ‘bombshell’: “Tomorrow – I have other work to do.” 

Mary and Joseph – still speechless – cannot come to terms with what has just happened.  In shock, they ask with loving hearts and eyes – the unspoken question, “Why”, and food has long since been forgotten.  Joseph, is beside himself with concern for the son – his life-long friend and help-mate – and what will happen to his family?  Mary, heart and eyes full of tears – remembers the words of the wise old man in the Temple, to the effect that a ‘sword should pierce her heart’ – and knows also that, for the future, there is much, much worse still to come, for she knows the scriptures and cannot forget those words of Jesus, spoken many years previously – also in the Temple – “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”  And Mary knows something about how God works!

Thus, from this most unsettling scene in Nazareth, with a ‘bombshell’ that near tore his family apart, Jesus begins his life’s vocation, to then go about his Father’s affairs and begin his public ministry.  On the morrow, he gathers his few personal things together, says his ‘Goodbyes’ to Joseph and Mary and walks away from his home – the home in which he has been happy for some 30 years, a home in which he has been subject to mum’s, and dad’s, love and controlling influence, a home in which he has repaid that love with perfect devotion to his earthly ‘parents’. 

It must have been a very sad parting – one tinged with deep regret, that the days of childhood and youth were now long-gone – with steps into a future, unknown.  Mary and Joseph must have been beside themselves with grief at the ‘loss’ of a ‘son’ they loved with all their hearts.  Yet in all this, and because of the people they were, they would be accepting all that was happening as the will of God.  They would be praying to Him that things would turn out well, knowing full well that God knows, far better than any of us, the ‘why’s’ and the ‘wherefores’, and what the future holds.  Even in deep sorrow, Mary and Joseph – I think – would still be aware of the immensity of the ‘job-in-hand’, the life-changing importance of the work Jesus was about to undertake, and so there may have been a sort of ‘acceptance’ – a sort of ‘not my will, but thy will be done’ – about it all.  I hope so, because, without that kind of assurance, the parting would then have been nothing short of disastrous – and what would have been the point?

Bishop Seamus Cunningham, Hexham & Newcastle, ordains Fr. Marc Lynden-Smith at St. Aloysius Church, Hebburn, 12 June 2010

I have been trying to reconcile the scene at Nazareth with some kind of parallel, within the realms of my own experience – difficult, I know – but there is one which, without too much imagination, has some common themes to commend it.   Many years ago, whilst still at Grammar School, I remember visiting priests coming to talk to the student body about vocations to the priesthood (and religious life).  I remember some of the heart-breaking, heart-rending decisions such visits brought about in some families, when sons and daughters decided they would choose to leave home and study for the priesthood.  Parents – invariably, they would have been loving parents, almost by definition – must then have been ‘pitch-forked’ into the ‘Mary and Joseph’ situation, only to find themselves between the proverbial ‘rock and a hard-place’ – torn between love for their children and their love of God, pride that their children should be choosing to give their lives to God, yet despair at the apparent ‘loss’ of ones held so dear.  I remember such thoughts crossing my mind whilst still at a rather tender age.  I remember my parents’ reactions when I voiced them, and though they would not have stood in my way, they would have been saddened, I know, should I have made the decision to take things further.  It was not to be! I think I would have made a rather poor job of it, in any case, – but the thoughts, the feelings, the concern and the worries the decision would have caused – are still part of my make-up.  

Fr. Marc Receives His Chalice at His Ordination, 12 June 2010

From the point of view of an ‘outsider’, I cannot begin to fully comprehend, fully understand, the feelings of separation – how could I?  However, it seems to me that in making the decision to follow one’s vocation to the Religious Life, this must inevitably involve mixed ‘blessings’.  I see great ‘sacrifices’ made  by parents, that sense of loss, those feelings of leaving behind home and family – something like tearing away an arm or a leg – to begin studies leading, eventually, to the giving of one’s life to God, but then there are the compensations – and very rewarding ones at that!  

Having come to know Father Jonathan and several other monk priests very well – with many years of learning on my part – I begin to realise something, I think, of the peace and harmony in their lives – lives devoted to the service of God and their fellow brothers and sisters.  This is not to say that priests, monks and nuns have it easy – surely, there are tribulations, distractions, along the way – but ultimately, they are following the example of Jesus, who left home and family behind at Nazareth.  And with just one driving motive – to serve; to serve God and do His will; to serve their fellow men and women and to help them on their way to paradise.    

And not just our friends, the Benedictines, but great ‘servants’ from the Jesuits, Redemptorists, Franciscans and many others, those who give their lives to the Missions, the many orders of nuns – Sisters Gabriel, Anna and Veronica, providing us with just three wonderful examples from the many other Religious Orders – all people, and religious, serving God and their communities – something magnified thousands of times throughout the Church.  What wonderful gifts from God – gifts to the men and women who make this ‘sacrifice’ –  to their parents, to their communities and the world, at large.  On  this note, and as this ‘Year of the Priest’ comes to an end, it would be as well to remember all this, and to thank God for his great love.  Without these men and women, our societies – and our lives – would be, so, so much more, the poorer.  We thank God for all this.  We thank all our priests, monks, brothers and sisters, who give their lives to serve us.

Jesus left home and family – to serve his community and world – in much the same way – then to make the ultimate sacrifice to His Father.  Parallels – yes, parallels there certainly are – across two thousand years – the service to mankind in between.

And, the answer to the rhetorical question in the title?  To serve – is to love – is to live!

Today, Friday 11th June – the feast of St. Barnabas – happens to be ousted by the solemnity of “The Sacred Heart of Jesus”. St. Barnabas is known in the Bible as “The Man of Encouragement” and one may think him an ‘attractive’ saint, for many reasons. One who so thought was a monk called Fr. Barnabas Sandeman, who died 30 years ago on the Feast of St. Lawrence, 10th August 1980. For those Ampleforth monks old enough to have known him, Fr. Barnabas was a courteous, learned, cultured and encouraging man, who had to put up with some ‘rough-necked’ monks – those who did not share his love of Dante, Latin literature, Renaissance Paintings, fine poetry and the like – but were more interested in the ‘soccer’ results, the rough and tumble of Ampleforth College school-life, fishing, and other mundane pursuits. But, Fr. Barnabas also had a fair amount of the ‘Love’ that comes from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Father Barnabas in the Orchard at Ampleforth

At the same time, the Feast of the Sacred Heart is a very important feast, and His Holiness the Pope opened the ‘Year for Priests’, in 2009, on this very feast day; it closes on the same feast day, this year. This feast is not unconnected with ‘encouragement’, the ‘motto’ of St. Barnabas. Its ‘raison d’être’, however, is the ‘Love of the humanity of Christ for all people, shown by the ‘heart, the imputed sign of love for any human being, and, therefore, of Jesus. The heart is where our ‘person’ is, and for Jesus –   the ‘Word of God, become flesh’ we honour his ‘human’ heart, his ‘human’ person, by giving the Feast the title: ‘The Sacred Heart of Jesus’.

Face on the Shroud of Turin – Is this the loving face of Jesus?

But, to turn to my main theme, our Parish Pastoral Council, in this ‘Year of the Priest’ decided to try and deepen our parishioners’ understanding of the priesthood, and this has proved a worthwhile exercise –  certainly for this parish priest.  Firstly, I think, it was important to establish parishioners’ understanding of what was distinctive about the role of a priest. With this in mind, we ran a ’tick box’ questionnaire of 20 statements – divided into three sections – headed ‘Mass’, ‘Sacraments’ and ‘Support’. The vast majority of parishioners did know that only the ordained priest could ‘Preside and Celebrate at Mass’, ‘Could Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation’, as intended by the Church’s teaching, for the forgiveness of sins. Also, the majority were aware that it is only the Ordained Priest – and not even an ordained deacon – who can administer the ‘Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick’.

However, what has become clear is that there are other things – very important, spiritually – that laity can do,  at which they can be immensely effective – possibly more effective – and influential, on the spiritual life of a person, than a priest might be. For instance, it says in St. James’ epistle: “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective”. (James 5: 16)  This ‘advice’ does not mention that the other need be a priest. I have often heard about people talking over their own lives with a friend they can trust, someone not a priest, and finding that, sharing in this way, is both ‘life-giving’ and ‘life-changing’. In sharing confidences, it strikes me as obvious – perhaps advisable – that it may be much better for a woman, facing some personal challenges, to consider, well, talking over the situation with a trusted lady friend, and the same for a man to man, tête-a-tête. There is no need to be absolute about same-sex confidences, but, in general, it seems a good and sensible thing to consider. In our own Parish, our Administrator, I know, is ever in great demand, as a person in whom people confide, and this, to me, seems a very good thing, its robust spiritual roots very much in line with St. James’ Epistle.

Our research established other things – other actions – that the laity can do well, also. These came under the general heading of ‘Supporting’ and included supporting those close to death. Perhaps we should bear in mind that there were no priests, present with Jesus, as he was dying. Laity can, and do, pray with sick people, “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 6; 2), also teach others about God and be a spiritual guide “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. The lay person can be a good administrator, lead a Prayer Group or a Gospel Enquiry Group, and thus, do so many things, in support of people and the Church.

Having satisfied ourselves that these ideas were well rooted in peoples’ hearts, we then decided to find out, from parishioners, what kind of person they thought a priest should be, how he should act, and how a priest should be involved with others:

The questionnaire asked the parishioner to choose three answers from the five below, thinking about a priest as a person, about the ‘Being’ of the priest, and the ‘WHO’ of the priest:

1.   who is united with the Pope, the Bishop, his fellow priests and his parishioners?

2.   who is a holy and who lives according to the teachings of Jesus?

3.   who is welcoming to all?

4.   who is immersed in the Scriptures and the Church’s teaching?

5.   who always respects confidentiality?

The questionnaire asked the parishioner to choose three out of the five of the below that were more to do with the Action of the priest:

1.   be prayerful when leading the community in Church?

2.   celebrate reconciliation and healing of body, mind and spirit?

3.   have the help others in his own journey to God?

4.   be a role model for others?

5.   guide the Parish as the Holy Spirit inspires the Church today?

The questionnaire in the final section asked about priestly INVOLVEMENT with people, again asking the parishioner to choose three out of the five below:

1.   to build community in the parish, with fellow Christians, those of other religions and all of

      good will?

2.   to serve the needs of all as far as he is able, especially the poor?

3.   to support the young on their journey to God?

4.   to promote the spirit of sacrifice?

5.   alongside people throughout life, especially at times of need like infirmity and death?

From the results of the survey, four key themes consistently appear across the various congregations of Mass-goers, 6.00 pm Saturday, 9.30 and 11.00 am on Sundays. They highlight the priest:

*   who builds community in the parish, with fellow Christians, those of other religions and all

     of good will

*   who is welcoming to all?

*   who is with people throughout their lives, especially at times of need, like infirmity and

     death?

*   who guides the Parish as the Holy Spirit inspires the Church today?

The other themes also remain important and are not to be discarded despite not being in the four key themes as highlighted by parishioners in the survey.  However, It is clear that – in considering the statements of how a priest ‘should’ be, act, and involve – community, is one key element identified by parishioners; another is how the priest relates to people; another is his role as guide for the present time, and the future.

The end of the ‘Year of the Priest’ for us in St. Mary’s Leyland is actually a beginning in many ways, and that is why I gave this ‘Blog’ the title ‘Omega and Alpha’. Our ordained priests are challenged to work alongside the laity, who are seen – with the priests – as part of the community. This is something that Vatican II, and the ‘Leaving Safe Harbours’ initiative, in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, have been promoting. It would be simply impossible, for the parishioners of St. Mary’s, Leyland, to accept a Church in which the Priest has the controlling role in the Parish, and in which the people would be simply following, and obeying the ordained priest, on our journey to God. Rather, it follows the scriptural exemplification of Jesus, as portrayed in Chapter 15 of St. John’s Gospel: “I am the vine and you are the branches”, or the Pauline teaching: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ”, (1 Cor. 12;12).  Here we see, clearly, that ALL are co-responsible for the welfare of the Church locally. Thank God, this very much happens in our Parish.

Personally, I thank God for the liberation that this vision brings. It is not just, “the Fathers”, who are the key players in the local parish. Rather, it is all of us, together, fulfilling our own role, and being drawn together into harmony and unity, the community of monks united with the Parish Priest, and the Parish Priest, in turn, united with the other monks and the people. All are in harmony with the Bishop, and other priests in the Pastoral Area; again, all are linked through the Bishop to our brother Bishops and, in particular, to the Pope, who is the centre of harmony and unity of the whole Church.

The ‘burning’ question is how to live all this out in practice, and it seems to us, at the Pastoral Council, that this will be something of a challenge we face each day, and which we hope to face in a more systematic way next year, just as we tried to face the challenge of understanding the Ordained Priesthood, this year.

To conclude, I return to St. Barnabas and the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Yes, within the Church, priests and people all need encouragement if they are to fulfil the God-given role that each one of us has. It may seem a small and insignificant role, but it is one that only each unique person can do, within that unique family, involving those unique people, in each unique street. For the priests it is the same. They have a unique role and they need to learn how to be filled with such compassion and love for others that they will grow in learning how to understand, and love, so much diversity among their parishioners – and among their fellow companion monks. Some lay persons may have bigger roles to play, within the community, but this does not make them better, more important, or higher up, than others. It just leads to them being of greater service to the whole community. Priests and people need to learn how to ‘love’ others with the Heart of Jesus. The Feast of the Sacred heart may help us, and teach us, as we reflect on all these things, and the challenging situations we face each day.