Yesterday was the feast of the Annunciation: “… et Verbum caro hic factum est”, meaning: “… and here the Word was made flesh!” This ‘world-changing’ event took place at the small house in Nazareth, now within the beautiful, Basilica of the Annunciation, where it is said the angel appeared to Mary, asking her to become the Mother of God. “Be it done unto me according to your word“, were the words Mary spoke, according to Luke’s Gospel, when she accepted the will of God and said “Yes” to the message of the angel. Her words are carved on the stone, below the altar, in the little house of Mary, at Nazareth.

The Altar Stone – Basilica of the Annunciation

When God became man it was nothing less than a new creation – something completely new – made by the creating power of God, who makes out of nothing, for Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph knew nothing of this and was so upset when, on another occasion, he was told that Mary was with child, he decided to “divorce her informally”. Never, in the history of all humanity, has there been such a birth as this, defying every law of nature. No wonder that, in the scripture, it says: “For God nothing is impossible”.  This ‘miracle’ of creation reminds me of the Resurrection when, out of nothing, God ‘gave’ life back to Jesus – the life that had been taken away from him when dying on the Cross on Good Friday. Jesus – that baby conceived at Nazareth, when Mary said her “Yes” – was truly man, and truly God, and so, perhaps, it is the God in Jesus, that could do no other, but rise again in the humanity of Jesus?

Michaelangelo’s Creation – Sistine Chapel

Recently, I got to know a granddad, who came to see me and asked me to pray with him, because of a very serious family tragedy, concerning a grandchild. We stayed in touch. Grandma and granddad went to Rome, and when there, they thought of me and bought me a beautiful copy of the Sistine Chapel’s famous fresco, that of God creating Adam. The picture now hangs in our Priory. It shows God, depicted completely ‘alive’ with His helpers, angels and such around him, stretching out his arm towards the lifeless – but expectant – Adam. Adam is listless; there is no life at all, and fingers are just about to touch – a couple of ‘brush strokes’ showing us the dynamic – the momentous touch of God giving life to a human being. The artist, Michaelangelo, painted God’s left hand, almost embracing a ‘fearful’ angel, who looks at Adam and who seems very apprehensive and questioning: “Does God really know what he is doing? Is He aware of the tremendous risk he is taking, in creating Adam in his own image and likeness, with the ability to know, to love and to choose the direction in which to go? Does God realise ­– I wonder –what this will cost Him?” These are the questions that that particular figure evokes for me. Above, are much more-excited, and possibly less-experienced, younger angelic creatures who apparently cannot wait for God to create. They seem not to have thought about any consequences of God’s actions, but are just eager and ready to go right ahead in the ‘creation stakes’. All are depicted fully alive – and the energy in God – well that is like that of a million volts of electricity. Adam is completely nothing, lifeless, showing no joy, no knowledge, no will – an empty shell.

Creation out of nothing! It sets me thinking. If we have a real relationship with another person, something new is made – something that is unlike anything else in the world. It depends on one person being able to ‘let’ the other into his, or her, life and that requires ‘emptiness of self’. No two relationships are the same; how I relate to my parents is quite different to the way my brother or sister relates to them. We are all different and unique, all loved by God, all precious in God’s eyes. I wonder if relationships – so infinitely varied – are, in this sense, linked to the ‘nothingness’ from which God creates something new?

What I do know is that, very often, in order to live at peace and harmony with others, we have to empty ourselves of our own opinions and views, and let the other have his, or her, say, without imposing anything. No conditions! If I do this – and do it out of love – then, in a sense, I become nothing, and it will then become possible for the other to eventually ask the question, in an explicit or non-explicit way: “What do you think about this”. A dialogue is created that may have seemed quite impossible – ‘hope springs eternal’. There is quite a lot to learn from ‘nothingness’. St. Thérèse of Lisieux thought of herself as the ‘rag doll’ of God –  a ‘doll’ that God could throw here or there – do with whatever He willed, and she remained joyful.

The feast of the Annunciation has certainly got me thinking!

March 16th 2010 marked the 14th anniversary of my mother, Rosemary, who died in London, 1996, at the age of 89. Her anniversary made me reflect on the joy of knowing that we are united with all who have gone before us and who are now in paradise, and of the great gift of motherhood. Even though death separates us – in one sense – we are still able to talk to, and receive from, those who were so close to us – a wonderful two-way system of communication with those who have been a part of our lives. This year, two days before my mother’s anniversary, it had been Mothers’ Day. My mother taught me a great deal, apart from all the normal things that mothers teach; one important thing was to love the Catholic Church into which she had converted. My mother, in regard to her conversion to the Catholic Church, came under the influence (among other things) of Cardinal John Henry Newman and his biography “Apologia Pro Vita Sua”, and also, of course, my dad, who was a devout Catholic layman; she was determined to marry him, as a Catholic, herself!

However, my mother was not the only ‘mother’ in my life, important as she was in giving me birth and nurturing me as only human mothers can.  As you read on, you will begin to understand why I make this bold statement….

An ancient text from Islamic writings states:

“None of you is a believer until he desires for the other what the other desires for himself”.

(Number 13 of Imam “Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths)

This lovely saying is actually the Golden Rule of all religions and even of humanists; it holds a prominent place at the United Nations headquarters. For Christians and Jews it arises out of the Torah in the book of Leviticus, originally, though of course the wording is not exactly the same, and there it refers to any strangers, living among the Holy People of God, in those far off days. Jesus, himself, taught us the Golden Rule in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. 

In 1997, this text was quoted in the famous Mosque of Malcolm X in Harlem, New York, by a frail, white Italian woman, the first ever to enter and speak to 3000 people – mainly black American Moslems – and to murmurs of approval from this large audience. Now, Harlem is not the usual place for white skinned delicate looking ladies. It is an Afro-American residential area; some might call it a kind of ‘ghetto’, which has been marked, significantly, by serious violence, over the years. It goes without saying, that a white skinned New Yorker, does not think of going into that area unless he, or she, has an important reason for so doing – and even then trusting in the protection of God and God’s supporters! Malcolm X himself, was assassinated in 1967, by those black Americans who did not agree with his views; he had undergone a dramatic transformation, once having ceased to oppose ‘white’ America and begun to embrace the building of American unity, in the 1960’s.  And, the speaker on this momentous occasion, this frail Italian lady?  She was called Chiara Lubich, and March 14th 2010 marked the second anniversary of her death, the passing of someone whose influence has changed my life completely.  This last week I was reminded that I was not the only one! In many ways she became even more influential, for me, than my own mother, Rosemary, and that is true for many others.

How did this come about for me and many others? It is far too long a story to explain in this short piece, but, on the anniversary of her death, March 14th 2010, there were over 650 ‘celebrations’ world-wide, of her life. One took place, in Rome, on the Capitoline Hill – symbolic centre of government for Rome, from ancient times – at the heart of the city, by the forum. This celebration was organised by Rome’s Town Council, because 2010 marks the tenth anniversary of the City of Rome bestowing honorary citizenship on Chiara Lubich. In England, the equivalent might be the Guildhall in London and the London County Council and Mayor honouring a person, in such a way. In Rome, the title given to the celebration was “Chiara Lubich – A Life for Unity”. In the year 2000, she had been honoured with the Citizenship of Rome, because ‘her’ movement – the ‘Focolare Movement’ – had been ‘in Rome’ 50 years, 1950-2000, and the Citation for her ‘Roman Citizenship’ says: “The Movement creates a humanism of a new people of every culture, religion, age, and social standing”. Those present last Sunday, 14th March 2010, were artists, Nobel prize-winners, cardinals, Members of the Italian Parliament, her family, members of the Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara, and many others whose lives had been changed because of contact with her and with her spirit.

The two-hour long celebration, last Sunday, focussed on the main events in her life. (Those interested can follow this on the website http://live.focolare.org. It is mainly in Italian, but the Jewish Rabbi and the Imam, referred to below, speak in English and can be picked up after 20 minutes or so.)  Here I want to focus on just one event – the Harlem Meeting in 1997 – mentioned above in paragraph 5.  Apart from showing a short clip of what happened in 1997, people that had been present at Harlem spoke about what that event had meant for them.

Michael Shevak

Notably, one was Jewish Rabbi from New York, Michael Shevak, who went to the Mosque because he was asked to go and listen to Chiara. He explained what a fearful experience it was for him and his wife, both white skinned, and Jewish. He had been brought up by good parents, but was taught to be prejudiced against those who were not white. He was terrified of visiting the dangerous area of Harlem – an area you did not visit as a white person – if you ‘valued your life’. He explained that being Jewish, itself tends to make you fearful, but his prejudices also made him afraid of dark skinned races. However, he knew from experience, that when asked by the people of the Focolare Movement to go somewhere, he would always go, immediately, in the knowledge that God was sending him ultimate challenges in his life. Therefore, going to Harlem meant making an act of faith – an act of faith that would take him, and his wife, to the edges of their faith and trust. At the end of the talk, given by Chiara on that ‘famous’ day, he turned to his Christian friend, next to him, and said one word: “Incredible”. It was almost ‘unbelievable’ that such a thing had happened at all.

Imam El Hajji Izak-El Mu’eed Pasha

Even more amazing, for me, were the impressions of the present Imam of the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque, Imam El Hajji Izak-El Mu’eed Pasha – a large well spoken black American – who himself had been present in 1997. He spoke in such hushed, and awesome tones, saying that the dignity, honesty and innocence of Chiara Lubich, would never be forgotten by the two millions strong Muslim community of WD Mohammed, founder of this American Muslim movement, and the person who hosted and invited Chiara to Harlem in 1997.

Chiara and WD Mohammed 

 Malcolm Shabazz Mosque Harlem

It was also important to note that those who frequented the famous Mosque, named after Malcolm X, where Chiara gave her talk, would never forget it. He went on:

“Chiara had delivered to the Moslems of America the words of Jesus Christ (blessed be his name) and his mother Mary (blessed be her name) and as a result Chiara would be present always in the hearts of the Muslims and of all Americans. Furthermore the pact of unity made between Chiara and WD Mohammed would never die; it has changed the world and certainly it has changed America for the better.”

These are strong words of hope that refer to things happening now – things that have happened in the life-time of the readers of this blog. ‘HOPE’, a virtue akin to confidence and self-esteem, is one of those qualities that a mother instils in her children, but sadly something that is lacking in many hearts today – witness one fact alone – the extraordinary rise in ‘young’ suicides in our country. It is, perhaps, ‘hope’ above all else, that Chiara has given to me and to many others, building in my case, on the loving experience I received from my own mother, Rosemary, and my father, Henry, amid all their limitations – not to mention my own! Real hope comes – not from abstract theory – but from the concrete experience of life, and many people who belong to the ‘humanism’ of a ‘new people’ of every culture, race, religion, age and social standing – referred to by those who gave Chiara, Honorary Citizenship of Rome – are recipients of this life-giving experience. I count myself among them.

To conclude, I thank you mother, Rosemary, for all you gave me, and thank you, Chiara, mother in another sense, for all the ‘Hope’ and ‘Meaning’ given to my life through ‘knowing’ you. Actually, Chiara, I thank you because you have simply helped me to see my inheritance as a Christian, a Monk and a priest – privileged to be a monk of Ampleforth Abbey; privileged to be a priest in St. Mary’s Leyland,– trying to be at the service of all with whom I am involved. You emphasise again the ‘Golden Rule’: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”, and so point me in the direction of becoming an ever-better Christian, as you encourage others to become ever better, in their own path to God. But, there is something more that you have given me – the beauty of belonging to a people who live and work for unity – a unity that I would never have known – never have experienced, had I not come to know the people who belong to every culture, race, religion, age and social standing.  Truly, they give such a special enrichment to life – and all of them hold fast to the ‘Golden Rule’.

Is it true that human beings, today, are lonelier than in the past? Igino Giordani (1994-1980), now on the road to beatification and sanctity, was a prodigious Italian Catholic author / writer, a man I was privileged to meet on more than one occasion and whose thought and culture, for me, was and still is fascinating: he still reminds me so very much of my father, Henry Cotton, though Igino was a man of far wider experience and culture than my Dad. The similarities arise from his simple, yet profound, love of God and neighbour, together with his fatherliness!

In his diary for the 23rd January 1948, when he was then an MP in the Italian parliament, Igino wrote:

“The loneliness of fear is not that of the hermit, but that of the people of the streets and of the (political) assembly ….when you are misrepresented, misunderstood and oppressed, as though you are not really fit to live in the space you occupy”.

This phrase “loneliness of fear” gives a ‘bump-start’ to a train of thought … .. when we simply do not communicate with our fellow ‘men’ – when we are so preoccupied with our own affairs – when through our lack of neighbourliness we often ignore others and don’t even see them, then at times, seeds of the “loneliness of fear” can spread in oneself and on to others.  This feeling can be all the more pronounced in times of trouble, when our isolation takes over – when, say, the computer breaks down – what a disaster, in itself – when we are alone in our motor car and a break-down occurs – and real fear creeps in … … I could go on, but you will know what I mean.

People say that the ‘quality’ of neighbourliness is growing less: Lancashire folk were well known for their neighbourliness and friendliness, (nothing to do with being a ‘nosy parker’) yet today in Lancashire there are people who do not know, nor particularly want to know, their neighbours. To be fair, there are others who enjoy neighbourliness; they are themselves – and have – great neighbours … .. often amongst the older folk, mark you! But, social structures are constantly changing, and evidence from our worries, i.e. some events such as the break up of families, family tragedies – even concerning the children, the difficulties of staff at school faced with the bad behaviour of pupils, today’s much publicised anti-social behaviour – and probably, many other things that readers may be able to add – all suggest family life and social structures are fragile. Let’s face it – the Church is fragile; human beings – like us – are fragile!

‘Hope’, for me, is the same as that provided by Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter, known best by the first three words of its Latin title: “Novo Millennio Ineunte – At the beginning of the New Millennium”. The whole letter is well worth reading, but let us pause on Section IV, “Witnesses to Love”. Pope John Paul II put all his thoughts into the context of the ‘amazing experience’ of the Jubilee Year, the year, 2000, manifest in Rome, as he considered renewal of the Church. One of the best experiences were the days in Rome covering ‘World Youth Day’ with 3 to 4 million young people in the city, and no riots, no bad behaviour, but rather joy, hope, singing and happiness, as young people from all over the world, flocked together. His words are inspired by the Gospels and he points out that pastoral planning –  for any kind of renewal – must be inspired by the New Commandment.

Now this corresponds exactly with experience – my experience. At a meeting in Middleton, Manchester in 1972, 500 or so quite ordinary people demonstrated something quite extraordinary – and all because their focus was the living of the New Commandment – a life-changing experience for me. Above all, I saw that to live the New Commandment was not a dream, but a possibility: it is a fact that many people desperately wish to live their lives focussing on this Word of the Gospel always, and ever since then, I have counted myself one of them. And the occasion? That was my first ‘Mariapolis’.

The words of the Pope fell on “rich soil” when I read them. He, himself, did not pluck the ideas out of thin air: they come from his experience. He quotes St. Therese of Lisieux, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, because she was an expert in “the knowledge of love”:

“I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was aflame with Love. I understood that Love alone stirred the members of the Church to act…I understood that Love encompassed all vocations, that Love was everything” (St. Therese).

Section 43, of Novo Millennio Ineunte, is headed: ‘A Spirituality of Communion’. The Pope begins:

“To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us in the millennium which is beginning”.

He goes on to write about the practical meaning of this. He says it must be promoted by teaching people about it. But note the word “home“. Do we not all long to feel at home with ourselves and others? Herein lies a clue to our understanding and to our learning.

I, too, have spent time specifically learning about this; in fact for two months – December 1982 to January 1983 – I had permission to attend a ‘school’ for men in religious life, to learn about communion or unity. In total, we were a group of about 12 men at ‘Castelgandolfo’, situated in the Alban Hills, just outside Rome, with a ‘Cappuchin’ as our ‘centre of communion’, and with Spaniards, Columbians, Ugandans, French, Italian, and English among the group. It came as a ‘cultural shock’ to live closely with people of other countries, but with a ‘built-in’ greater shock to discover that one of the Spaniards resented all British people, because of our occupation of Gibraltar! The dispute concerning Gibraltar had never crossed my mind as being of any great importance! In the end, we became the best of friends, after he told me he had never ‘loved’ an Englishman more than me because, having offered, he did in fact, darn a big hole in one of my socks. After that we laughed a lot! At the end of the two months or so, I asked my Ugandan companion what he thought of the Cappuchin, Fr. Bonaventura, who was so wise, so good at gathering us all together, so good at affirming each one personally and so understanding. He replied, “Fr. Bonaventura is not just a father to me, he is also a kind of mother”, and I could not help but agree. The learning process for me goes on with the living experience of life, right up to today!

The fact is that we have all been brought up – in the Church, and in society – not to be men and women of ‘communion’ but rather ‘fulfilled individuals’ who achieve fulfilment by promoting our own talents together with the attitude, ‘the devil take the hindmost’. But, this way of life is diametrically opposed to the way of ‘communion’. In fact, the great challenge all of us face is to discover how we can live as unique persons – responsible for our own decisions – but in the knowledge that, at the same time, we will only discover the person we are, by taking into account our relationships with others. A fine priest, responsible for all the diocesan priests who wished to live this life of communion and now deceased and who was known to me, put it like this:

“I am fully a person when freely and consciously I affirm the other, even if it costs my life: this approach, Jesus explains in these words: ‘No one has a greater love that the one who gives their life’ for the other. In other words: nobody is more themselves, more a person than the one who safeguards the transcendence of the other by transcending themselves in denying themselves. This is the law of divine society as it was revealed and lived by Jesus; and it could not but be also the law of human society and of every kind of human living. Jesus himself helps us to understand it. The grain of wheat is not itself unless it becomes a shoot; but it becomes a shoot only by passing through a kind of dying. He also said: ‘the one who wishes to save his own life will lose it while the one who loses it, who is ready to sacrifice it, will find it’. (Fr. Silvano Cola)

Yes, there is a lot to learn – something closely connected with humility – that helps a person to realise that they cannot hope to face the challenges of life, on their own – without the help of others. It is not an easy lesson to learn, especially when we are invited by the world, and even by the Church sometimes, to be independent, self assertive, develop our talents, to be self-motivated and to be proud of ourselves. In business, in politics – even in our own neighbourhoods and possibly in the Church – this can mean putting the other person ‘down’ who thinks differently, or who has a different culture, or is just ‘in the way’. Of course, we need our self-esteem; we need to have a legitimate pride in self, but – careful now – a pride that comes from the knowledge that any gifts and talents we have are from God, and that without God, we can so easily turn in, on self, and apply the glory to self. This, in the end, leads to disaster. Furthermore, these gifts and talents should be used to affirm and not suppress others, for if we suppress others, we will only create enemies, and become people who failed to give, of self, for the sake of the other.  Ultimately, we would become self-centred, rather ‘twisted’ individuals, failing to develop into the person that God intends us to be – a person ‘in communion’ with others.

A word of caution! There is so much more to this whole question of ‘Spirituality of Communion’ –  much more than can be found written here, but the most important conclusion is that, in any event, it is not so much something to write, as something to experience. It does bring hope to those who think and live in this way – hope that will help to overcome that ‘loneliness of fear’ identified by Igino Giordani in his writings of 1948, now well over sixty years ago. His words were meaningful then!  I believe they still are!

“If you’re doing God’s work, how is it that you feel discouraged? The more difficult things become, the happier you should be, just as Peter and John, after they had been flogged: ‘As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name’. (Acts 5: 41) When you are successful, give thanks to God. When you fail, likewise give thanks to God, for it is when you fail that he tests you to see if you are working for him or for your own glory.  In fact to be joyful and courageous during times of failure is much more difficult than being joyful in times of good fortune: you can count the number of heroes of the first kind on the fingers of one hand.” (Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan “The Roots of Hope” published New City 1996 536 & 537.)

In the little book of daily sayings about the ordained priesthood, one can identify a period of three or four days, around Saturday 27th February, when the theme has been the presence of God’s Love manifested more prominently in failures or mistakes, than in success, and in all this, I was once again struck by the Vietnamese Cardinal, who wrote his little sayings in his prison cell – you may remember him from a previous blog, dated 27th November 2009. In the opening quoation, he throws out a challenge: that those who are joyful and courageous in times of failure, can be counted on the fingers of one hand; they are so few. A challenge is a challenge, and although it is probably impossible for me, I like a challenge! Why should some people not ‘buck the trend’ and actually learn how to be joyful when they have failed? In our attempts to ‘rise to the challenge’ – to be joyous and courageous in times of failure – we may find encouragement in the text of ‘The Word of Life’ (March 2010) where it is written:

“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Mt. 17:20).

The last phrase is not put there for nothing – it must have meaning! But, to understand its full meaning may be difficult.  However, on the website you can find the whole ‘Word of Life’ text for this month, commenting on this short phrase, and the commentary is very helpful, with a short story at the end.

Our times of failure are actually much more helpful in bringing us to the knowledge of God, than our times of success. Without God’s help, we cannot reverse our natural tendency to attribute our successes to ourselves – instead of to God, alone. When we forget the divine dimension, we damage ourselves; God teaches us, continually, to love Him, and sooner or later, there will be a ‘fall’ into something that makes us feel distressed or sad; often our own behaviour is the cause – the thing that saddens us most. Here, it is God who is gently talking to us – teaching us – and taking us by the hand and leading us back to him. Consider those feelings of sadness and distress that we experience: underneath they describe Jesus, who felt sad and distressed, himself, when alive on this earth – nowhere more so than when nailed to the Cross. Now, in our lives, he is feeling sad and distressed in you and me. Our problem is that we often do not, or cannot, see him in this distress and we fail to welcome him. A priest recently told a group of us that when he was working as a painter and decorator, before he was ordained, he fell from a ladder and seriously damaged his back. It meant having major surgery, with ‘plates’ put in to ‘steady up’ and strengthen everything. At first, he complained to God for allowing this to happen.  Only later did he come to realise that it was the very best thing that had ever happened to him. It made him stop and think – about where he was and where he was going. St. Paul said something that throws some light on this:

 ”When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words of wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified”. (2 Cor. 2: 1-2).

I wonder what Paul meant? What practical examples of Jesus Christ – ‘Crucified’ – did he make the centre of his conversation? We don’t know. But, there is an invitation, one that is hard to follow up – to be courageous and joyful in whatever the trial is: our mistake, our sin, our accident or our misfortune. What Paul, Jesus and Cardinal Francis Xavier are teaching us is that we must not get ‘bogged down’ in the suffering, but by ‘embracing Jesus’ in that suffering, we can climb out of any self-pity, false pride or self-condemnation-without-hope, and live to the full whatever God is asking of us in that present moment. It may mean living a ‘divine comedy’ when you are feeling ‘rotten’ but nonetheless, continue to act well. The power of God will take over within you, sooner or later, and you will be taken up by Him into another way of living – another way of being – a life filled with His grace. There is nothing like a challenge and perhaps, by learning from these examples, more than a few can be among those who are joyful and courageous in times of failure.

One very good friend is a priest, who was ordained priest later on in life, after a good career in teaching – he had been the head-teacher of a Catholic primary school. We agree on almost everything, and I enjoy his common sense, good humour, ability to tell jokes ‘till the cows come home’, and his love of life and of the post Vatican II Church. On one thing we disagree: the value of our English Catholic Education System. He does not rate Catholic schools very highly, while in my case, I do. Even to this day it is not clear to me whether, or not, he is in the right on this subject.

My view is that the English Catholic School System gives youngsters and their families the chance to be involved with the life of the Catholic Church throughout their education. My friend’s point, basically, is that, if the resources given to Catholic schools were to be used within the parishes, there could be excellent extra-curricular sharing of faith that would be of greater benefit to young people, than their use in the schools’ scenario.  

Be that as it may, on Wednesday 24th February, a week after Ash Wednesday, we distributed ashes to everyone who wanted them in our High School – a total of more than 800 people, counting staff and pupils. Ash Wednesday, itself, fell within the half-term holiday and consequently, most of the pupils and staff had not received ashes on the actual day. It was quite striking to see pupils and adults – Catholics and those of other Christian Churches alike – receiving the ashes, and in such an obviously good spirit. It manifested a clear sign that all in the school – teacher, dinner lady, site supervisor, pupil or chaplain – were on the same journey to God; the annual distribution and reception of ashes teaches us that each one of us is a sinful human being, and all need God’s saving grace. In one sense, all of us are brothers and sisters, even though the role of the adults is to be “in loco parentis” – acting as parents – in a special relationship with the pupils.

Distributing the ashes was a speedy and efficient operation; it was also prayerful and meaningful… “Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel”…. were the words we used – and, certainly, the ‘smudge’ on my forehead lasted ‘till tea-time. This ‘operation’, I suspect, could only happen in a Catholic school. It provides the ideal opportunity, right at the start of Lent, to explain what is a central Christian principal – that whatever mistake, or wrong path, we have taken in life, it is always possible to start again, in our relationship with the Lord, and also to do our best to mend our ‘broken’ relationships with others – the latter, sometimes, being more difficult than the former.

That same evening, we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of a local Catholic school in our Pastoral Area (Deanery). The School of SS. Peter and Paul, in the village of Mawdesley, was inaugurated, 30th January 1860. Situated in a rural area, the school has never had more than 129 pupils; at present they total around 70. Those who originally contributed to its building and maintenance, in the mid 19th century, had family descendants among the ‘packed’ congregation – Wednesday night – in SS. Peter and Paul Church, where we celebrated Mass, joyfully, for the occasion.  But, in describing this happy event, an important question is raised in my mind.  Why was it that people gave money to build, and open, and maintain a Catholic school all those (150) years ago?  It seems they must have wanted their children to benefit from a Catholic education, and, taking the argument a step further, were prepared to give their money to make all this possible.  We must remember, in those days, there was no state provision!

There has been a basic instinct within the Catholic community ever since the beginning of the Church, to devote a massive amount of time, money and energy to the education of the young. In fact, the vocation to teach has been considered the highest vocation of all, within the Church, because, fundamentally, it is assisting, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the formation of the person of Christ in the student. Teachers, and all those involved in the school environment, provide the context in which human talents are developed, and so Christ is formed in each person, according to each individual personality and character. Teaching …  education … are processes by which the mind is ‘broadened’ and ‘stretched’, new things are learned and the person then develops in art, music, sport and so on.

But, there is more to it than that!  I speak of the term ‘ethos’ – something that is hard to explain in terms of its true meaning.  It may be that we are unable, or too ‘shy’, to state where the ‘ethos’ or ‘special atmosphere’,  found in many Catholic schools, comes from.  Or, it may be that those involved in education do not realise it, themselves, because they do not live their Christianity as it should be lived.  Essentially, it concerns the presence of the Risen Christ in the school. The Risen Christ, in the Acts of the Apostles, was not accepted by all, just as Jesus, himself, was not accepted when he was alive on earth. There will, I am sure, be those who will reject the Lord within our Christian Catholic schools, but if you really want to be more precise about the ‘ethos’ within the Catholic School, it is good to be ‘up front’ and say: “It is Christ, raised from the dead, who is among us, who is our inspiration, our guide and our leader”.

To be absolutely clear, this presence of Christ does depend on the fulfilment of conditions – for Jesus to be really there – it does not happen without the Gospel conditions: “Where two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, there he will be among them” (Mt. 18: 20).  What on earth does that mean?  In a ‘nutshell’, it means that there are those, in the school, who are really and truly living the New Commandment of Jesus (John 13: 34). Love that is lived, and lived with each other, is the challenge, and it is a big one, for we are human and often we fail. It means living the art of loving.  Chiara Lubich (died March 14th 2008) – the founder of the Focolare Movement (and its Charism is Unity) – put it like this:

• Christian love means seeing Christ in every person we meet.
• Christian love means loving everyone without exception.
• Christian love means being the first to love. We cannot expect to be loved before we start loving.
• Christian love means loving others as ourselves.
• Christian love means making oneself one with others. This means loving in a practical way.
• Christian love means loving our enemies, doing good to them and praying for them.
• Jesus want the love he brought on earth to become reciprocal. He wants us to love one another.
• Love led Jesus to die on the cross for us. Genuine love for others requires self-denial and sacrifice; almost always love demands suffering.

With some temerity, I would also add that genuine love never seeks for an immediate response, but is just given – something that could go on for years and years before it is recognised –  indeed, it may never obtain response or even recognition.   It is given without thought of return. All this provides us with a programme for a good and ‘well-lived’ life-time.

To return to school: the ‘ethos’ of a truly Christian Catholic school, or ‘Christ Present in the School’, affects the subjects that are taught, the way they are taught, the way the school is managed, the priorities that are given day by day, even those who are invited in to be guest-speakers for the students. The ‘ethos’ affects those who visit the school, the school dinners, the refereeing on the football pitch. Then, there is the relationship that the teacher has with the individual student: a unique forum where the young person is led to discover the truth behind the bare facts of the subject, until he, or she, learns to know ‘Truth’ itself.  Make no mistake, this is an awesome responsibility, requiring the teacher to ‘be’ in the Truth, and to ‘live’ the Truth – a major challenge –  but, not just for teachers: the challenge is there for all those who work in the school; those involved in school dinners; those involved in cleaning and maintenance, and so on.  All these people share the one vision. Overall, the School Governors must have these values at heart, for the pupils, their families and the multitude of school staff.

And, the aim? This must be to lead the students – together with all who are involved in this community enterprise – to a fulfilment beyond our imagining. Thus teaching, or being howsoever involved in the whole enterprise of education, means being a partner with God, in his plan for a better world, where, in the end, God will be all in all.

I must ask my priest friend, with whom I agree about most things, what would he think of all this?

Lent is here. Traditionally, it is a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving, for the purpose of renewal in life; we are meant for joy and happiness amid this ‘vale of tears’ and if we have not achieved it, or if our joy has ‘slipped’ a little, then this is the time for renewal.

The season is timely, because there could be many things that depress us: we may have personal worries and difficulties; we may feel utterly alone; our day by day financial circumstances may not be very secure; we may find the ‘sad state of our country, spiritually and politically’ depressing; and then there is the war in Afghanistan, the never ending fear of the rise of religious fanatics in the Muslim world, affecting our own country, and, for us Catholics, the sad and depressing news of all the child-abuse by our Church people in Ireland, with wounding accusations being thrown at the Pope, the Bishops and our Church.

Thirty years ago, in 1980, the National Pastoral Congress in Liverpool proclaimed, optimistically for us Catholics in England and Wales, the famous phrase of St. Augustine: “We are the Easter People and Alleluia is our Song”. It is perfectly true that that is how all Christians ought to be, and here I want to describe a short story of success in this field, as an encouragement to anyone who may find the ‘ideal’ beyond them, just at present.   The story is both personal and quite simple; it is connected with ‘death to self’ – always a good thing – if you think of the law of nature and of the Gospel: every person, every individual and, in general, every living species finds their greater good in giving of self, and not in selfish, self-centred grasping, at the expense of others.

My story concerns the act of driving – something most of us do.  People often say that, when a person gets behind a steering wheel, the change in personality is often so startling that little ‘horns’ can be seen to grow out of his, or her, head.  The car – this is the place to be ‘Lord’ of all you survey – and, in your own vehicle, woe betide the other who interferes, or gets in the way. On this occasion I was not on my own, but with others, on a fairly long journey. At one point, we came to traffic lights where the main road had the lights weighted in its favour.  There was another, smaller road, that had the next priority, and thirdly, there was a tiny dead-end road down which we were to go – two-way, but so narrow it would have been exceedingly awkward to meet another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. For this minor road, the waiting time for the traffic-light change, at a busy time of day, was about 4 minutes – and even then, there was time for only three cars to move out. When driving, I like to play a game against the car, trying to conserve fuel in many different ways, and at these lights, I turned off the engine to do just this. A companion, next to me, said after a bit: “Ignite the engine so we get a good quick start”. That made me feel rebellious, immediately, and my first reaction was to tell him not to interfere. But, what about the law of the Gospel, and doing what God wants, rather than what I want? In practice, this often means doing what another wishes, and not what I would wish. St. Benedict calls it, “Obedience to others and not just to the superior”, so I did what my companion suggested. We had to wait another longish time, and then we were away! My companion had no idea of the internal turmoil his ‘instruction’ had caused me, and I continued chatting as if nothing had happened, as if nothing had mattered. Later on, we were able to continue a lively and enjoyable conversation – all the fruits of a little self-giving – and something that brought a great joy and peace to me. The happy ending – had I followed my ‘ego’ and allowed my ‘horns’ to take over – could have been so horribly different!

However, it is not a bad thing to feel good about yourself. If a person goes out of their way, not just to do what he or she wants, but to do what the ‘Man Above’ would want, then a good feeling emerges. The credit goes to Him, who is the one who loves each of us, immensely, and that is the truth – for whoever reads these lines. The good I do, is not because of my good efforts, but because He lives in me. All too often, and for many, it is a continuous struggle to get the ‘balance’ right –  I  know to my cost, it is for me.

So, to be an ‘Easter People’ is what Lent is for, and, if we have ‘slipped’ a bit, we can catch up and find what we human beings are for – for love, joy and happiness. The high point of Lent is, of course, the last week which is Holy Week, a momentous time when the priesthood of Jesus is fully achieved.  During those crucial days, Jesus was the Perfect Priest who reconciles all to God, and each other. He achieved it in his own perfect way – a perfection of self-giving; the perfect ‘grain of wheat’ died and produced the perfection of Redemption. It is a fact that the priesthood of Jesus is achieved by Jesus the ‘lay-man’, without the benefit of any liturgical ceremony – except that of the ignominy of Calvary – and without the aid of any Church building. Jesus became so humble as to become ‘nothing’ out of love for us. For us Christians there is only one Priest in which all priesthood finds its meaning, and that is Jesus himself. He is the model of how all priesthood should be; both the Royal Priesthood of all believers and the ordained priesthood.

We too can learn, in the small and big things of life, to do the same, and one thing is guaranteed – depression will diminish; joy and peace, that nothing can take away, will grow. Jesus helps us along the road to growth – to fulfilled men and women – to where we are the “Easter People and Alleluia is Our Song”.

How good it is to feel free, to feel at peace, to feel a chuckle inside you at something humorous that has happened, to share a joke, to be able to see the good side of life rather than the negative, not to have to worry about what others might say or think, to enjoy the company of good friends, to feel secure, to know that life is worth-while, to feel you are in the ‘right’ place and doing the ‘right’ job, to feel content despite the sufferings and difficult problems that come your way, to empathise with, and feel the pain and suffering of others, and to realise that death is not an end, in itself, but a new beginning. All these qualitative feelings speak to me and demonstrate, substantially, what it is to be alive – to be in quiet, tranquil joy, to achieve what always eluded me as a younger person – “to be myself”. Sometimes people would say to me in my teen-age years, and in my twenties: “Don’t look so worried Jonathan, it can’t be that bad,” yet, within my own mind, I didn’t really feel worried, and so I wondered what it was that I was projecting and why? Occasionally, I’d get the remark, “Just be yourself!”, and then I always wondered what that meant – and how to achieve it? As life has progressed, and things have become more settled, largely because life and its ‘patterns’ are more solidly in place, such remarks don’t come my way, any more; life is now too full and, if I don’t ‘mess up’, it really is fascinating and varied.

My limited experience, I think, has led me to understand that all those positive human qualities come to me when I am peace with God and my neighbour – not when I am at logger-heads with either of them. In fact, it is when God is close that I, too, am close to God. But, to whom is God close? Is he close to those who pray each day? Perhaps, if the prayer is authentic and sincere! Could God be close to those who live a virtuous life? Perhaps, if they are not conceited and proud about it! Then again, is God close to those who, without fail, come to Mass every Sunday? Perhaps, if the rest of the week, they live in the way that God wants them to! Could God be close to the successful, wealthy and healthy? Perhaps, if they realise success is not for self-glorification, – if they use their wealth for good – and if they are grateful to God for the gift of health, without taking it for granted! To highlight just one of two of these ‘may-be’s’, whereas once I was not aware, I am now old enough to realise that often the prayer I make is not authentic, that there is a lot of conceit and pride in me, that often I do not live quite as God would desire.  At this point, there springs to mind a thought provoking phrase from the psalms that runs: “from my hidden faults acquit me”.

Talking recently to two people, who do frequently go to Mass, I began the phrase “God is close to……” and they both filled in the words: “the broken-hearted”.  And so it is that this phrase: “God is close to the broken hearted”, has played on my mind throughout this last week. I have repeated it often. I have found it on my lips when thinking of my own sins and failures, when visiting a family that has lost a child, when seeing a person in tears because of difficult relationships, when finding a person unsure of life and its future, when reflecting on the sad state of affairs in which we seem to find ourselves, in Britain, today, when contemplating the terrible and tragic spectacle of 200,000 dead, tens of thousands injured and millions displaced in Haiti.  Then there is the war in Afghanistan that is killing our people and God knows how many other ‘heart-breaks’ ….. all true stories involving human suffering, of an intense personal nature.  God is close to the broken hearted ….. and, if my thesis in the first paragraph is correct, then to be fully a ‘human being’ means also to be “broken-hearted”

Can that statement mean that God is not close to those who are not broken-hearted? I imagine that someone who is ‘self-sufficient’, who thinks they are fully ‘in control’ of their life, who lacks nothing, sees no need at all for a God – or others – to help them overcome pride and self-sufficiency, and feels no dependency on God, or any person, would perhaps be somebody with whom God is not close. Such a person would have no vulnerability for God, or anyone else to get close, for there would be too many barriers erected, ring-fencing such a person from any contact with the divine or the human; and so such a person would grow into a “Scrooge” , or a ‘loner’ that nobody could love or appreciate.

I remember, once, a most loving parishioner, within our Parish, moved to tears at the Heysel Stadium Disaster that occurred in Belgium at the final of the European Cup, May 28th 1985, when 39 Juventus fans were crushed to death, and 600 more were injured, just before their match with Liverpool FC. I have no idea who was to blame, or why it happened, but this parishioner was so moved by the tragedy that her compassion moved me to tears, also. She couldn’t do much about it, but she could pray; and that she did. That lady was truly broken-hearted and it was then that I realised a truth that was self-evident – events in the world around us, affect us deeply and personally. There are many forms of being ‘broken hearted’. You can be broken hearted at the sin, and suffering, in yourself, at the sin, and suffering, in our world, at the pain of many people who may be far away or very close to you. Here, there is no need for God ‘not to be close’ to any person, because any person can be broken-hearted. Here, it is open for all of us to be “fully human”, for the broken hearted are close to God, and when we are close to God, then there is a chance for the ‘human’ within us, to develop and grow.

All this brings to mind my reading of a short passage from St. John Bosco, (1815-1888), founder of the Salesians, (a world-wide Religious Order), who worked mainly with young and needy boys in Italy. It ‘talks’ of the joy of being human, being a Christian and also rounds off the paradox that exists within our human condition – being human means both, being broken hearted and being in joy. It made me realise that “to see the face of Jesus”, a phrase loved by Pope John Paul II, does not mean always seeing a smiling happy face: it can include a sad and thoughtful face, also.

“There are two main ways for the devil to try to trick and wean the young away from a good-living life. The first is to have them think that serving God means a sad and dull life, a long way from any fun or enjoyment. Dear young people, that is not true! I want to help you understand a Christian way of life that is, at the same time, joyful and contented, pointing out what are true pleasures and enjoyment so that you could repeat with the Prophet David: “let us serve the Lord in joy; serve the Lord in gladness”.

The second of the devil’s tricks is to think to live a long life and have the comfort of a conversion in old age at the point of death! Who guarantees that we will reach old age? It would be necessary to make a pact with death to wait for us until that time, but life and death are in the hands of the Lord. If God does grant you long lives listen to what I tell you: ‘the road that a young man takes in his youth he will continue in until his old age and death. If we begin a good life now when we are young, we will be good in the later years, our death will be good and the cause of eternal happiness.’”

Now, I ask, has not the ‘wheel turned full circle’ – are we not back where this short note began: the joy of being a full human being?

I have a friend, with whom I can share many interesting topics of conversation. We don’t meet often because both of us live busy lives, but, from time to time, we do get the chance for a good ‘natter’. On the occasion of our last ‘chat’, he told me about a young relative of his, with whom he is able to converse easily, and he asked her if she could explain to him why so few young people worship God, in Church, on Sundays,?

She was quick to answer: “It is because of the Church’s teaching about sex!”

Often have I pondered myself and with others, the question as to why younger people, are not more evident in Church, on Sundays, but never have I heard such a blunt and “single-minded” response. As a priest for thirty-eight years, it is obvious to me that the teachings of the Church about sex, do not sit easily with young people, and, I suspect, also with older people in some circumstances, but it came as quite a surprise that this young girl was so clear and forthcoming; I asked my friend to explain.

Very kindly, he did so: “This young relative has had her ‘adventures’ in life. She has children; she is not married, though is now in a stable relationship. In fact, she herself, has been absent from Sunday Mass for quite some time, but, presently, is returning to it – and that is a great joy.  It also explains the reason I was able to ask her opinion. She told me that, in her school days, the only teaching she received, was that anything to do with sex, not in accordance with the teachings of the Church, was sinful. No one had ever explained the reasons for that teaching from the point of view of God’s love.”

Again, I was curious and I asked him to explain further.  My friend continued to explain this young relative’s position:

“Nobody had ever told me that, if you have intimate relationships with another person of the opposite sex, it can affect you very deeply; it affects your spirit, your psychological make-up, your heart and soul.  Often, it goes very deep and is not something that you can just shrug off, as something of no consequence. In my case, it was painful, disturbing and totally upsetting. I did not have peace of soul. In other words, relationships with others bring responsibilities and consequences, and these consequences are, in reality, God’s Love ‘speaking to you’. God is teaching you through the spiritual and psychological feelings that you have. He is showing you that there are inevitable consequences to actions like this – however attractive it may appear to be closely involved, in an intimate way, with others. It is not easy to resist intimacy with another, especially as others in your peer-group behave in similar fashion and either directly or indirectly, encourage you to get involved. On top of all this, the media ‘pushes it’. There is this general attitude to life among people. Priests in the parish, and teachers in the Catholic schools will not be able to overcome these difficulties – these problems – these pressures.

But, all this is only the start.  If, as in my case, a baby comes along, then the responsibility is very obvious – and not just to do with your inner feelings, or your spirit. This, too, is an expression of God’s Love. Young people need to understand these things, from the point of view of God’s Love, because here lies the truth of the matter. One gets involved in sexual relationships with others, and there are always consequences and responsibilities – consequences and responsibilities, that are nothing other than lessons from God, who loves us so much.  It is so desperately important that the young should see things in this way.

Today, (…. and methinks …. all too often …. yesterday, also), young people simply do not accept the Church’s teaching about sex, in the way it is put across – that it is wrong, and a sin – and you should not get involved in it.”

“There is another thing, too. Many young women go on the pill, these days, as I did. What does going on the pill signify? It may be an invitation a girl is making, to the effect she is available to ‘get involved, in an intimate way, with others’, and that she is willing to take responsibility for whatever happens. It makes you ‘open’ for intimate sex, without any responsibility devolving on the young man, and that is what happened to me. In one way, a girl is simply available to be ‘used’. This is something that also needs to be explained – together with, especially, the consequences of such actions.”

All this amounts to an intriguing way of thinking, and one that was new to me – but not because I am unacquainted with the subject of God’s Love. In fact, God’s Love is the theme for the whole year 2010, among all those involved in the Focolare Movement. It is THE fundamental starting point for anyone beginning their spiritual journey to God. When, for the first time, it really ‘came home’ to me that God had an immense and personal Love for me, my life changed – especially as the change was supported by others, who also believed, and knew the truth of that very same thing. My initial insight was therefore sustained –  but it also needs sustaining everywhere, in the ‘hurly burly’ of life.

We two older ‘granddads’ went on to share, and converse about other things. How it is that people – including the young – are not able to listen to others – in many instances, I think, because of the ‘barriers’ within. Often, when trying to talk with others – not necessarily about this topic, (it is extremely unusual for me to have a conversation, with another, about sex), but almost anything to do with the teachings of the Church on personal morality – there is a blank face, and an inability, or unwillingness, to hear (listen to) what is being said. That could well be, because of the way such topics are handled by Catholic teachers and priests. However, I have heard of some amazing people – still young – but past school age– who do go into schools, to meet with pupils and who succeed in communicating effectively – communicating and discussing these subjects, in a way that is acceptable to the young people.

Within my own personal experience, I have seen something very similar, ‘acted out theatrically’, in our High School, when professional actors came in and performed in a play dealing with the issues surrounding abortion. The whole year group were so entranced by the performance that you could have heard a ‘pin drop’, and, at the end, they were invited to ask questions of the actors, just as though they were the ‘real’ people, having undergone the drama of an abortion. This was quite an amazing experience: and so, I conclude, communication with the young can be achieved, successfully, even in today’s world.

This topic – and how we two friends entered into it – has made me think. Sex and the Church is a huge subject, and this ‘blog’ deals with one small aspect, albeit through the means of an anecdote. Whether it is true, that this single issue explains why young people are conspicuous by their absence from Sunday Mass, may be another matter.  The teachings of the Church, linked to the sixth commandment, are not exactly easy to practice for anybody, whatever his, or her, state of life. The good Lord said that the ‘gate to life is a narrow one’; he was not referring to this issue alone, though it is, certainly, a part of it. Furthermore, the issue of intimacy outside marriage, has been there from time immemorial, and perhaps, there is a ‘divide’ separating the way the celibate clergy and religious, see and talk about these things, from the way the lay-person sees them. Comparatively, I wonder if there is something stronger in today’s rebellion against traditional Church thinking, on these subjects, than in the ‘days of yore’?

To conclude, I think it was very much a worth-while conversation I had with my friend, and when I said to him it may provide a useful topic for one of my ‘blogs’, he was content for me to use it, provided everything remained anonymous. I hope all this helps us, one and all, to think and reflect deeply. And, may the Holy Spirit guide us to be truly wise, in this area of our lives, as in all others.

There is an interesting piece in the first of the Vatican Council Decrees called “Lumen Gentium” (The Light Of The Nations) that has indeed thrown an illuminating light on the exploration of the ‘Priesthood’ in this ‘Year Of The Priest’. (It is to be found in the Paragraphs 2 / 3 in Section 32):

“The chosen people of God is one: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5). As members, they share a common dignity from their rebirth in Christ. They have the same filial grace and the same vocation to perfection. They possess in common one salvation, one hope, and one undivided charity. Hence, there is in Christ and in the Church no inequality on the basis of race or nationality, social condition or sex, because “there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor freeman; there is neither male nor female. For you are all ‘one’ in Christ Jesus”. (Gal 3:28 cf. Col. 3:11)

If therefore everyone in the Church does not proceed by the same path, nevertheless all are called to sanctity and have received an equal privilege of faith through the justice of God (cf. 2 Pet: 1:1). And if by the will of Christ some are made teachers, dispensers of mysteries, and shepherds on behalf of others, yet all share a true equality with regard to the dignity and to the activity common to all the faithful for the building up of the Body of Christ.”

St. Mary’s, Leyland, is fortunate in that many people in the Parish exercise initiative, and all kinds of things go on that work, precisely, towards the building up of the ‘One Body’. Joe Kealey is a one such person, in this point of view. Post-Christmas, he has organised, a series of monthly, “mini three-hour retreats”, focussed on the Priesthood in this ‘Year For The Priest. During each of the prayer times, there is to be a talk from a monk/priest or a nun, about their vocation, and it fell to me to start this process off, on Wednesday, last. There is nothing quite like having a deadline to meet, to sharpen the mind and heart and, over the past week, I have been thinking about what I was to say on the subject of “Why I became a monk – and, what has sustained me in this vocation”.  So, I am most grateful to Joe for his dogged perseverance, in setting this up, and in persuading several of us ‘religious’ to share their stories with an audience. Seeing before me the familiar faces of a few parishioners – as well as that familiar person, Sister Pauline MacDonald, who is the only Leyland girl to join the congregation of Our Lady of the Missions – I found myself thinking how similar it must be, to the vocations of those people in front of me, and therefore, how true and prophetic are those Vatican Council words, above, written some 45 years ago. We ordained priests, we religious and we lay folk are (like it or not) ‘in the same boat together, largely’.

In dwelling on all this, one or two ideas come to mind: the monastic life we lead is fascinating, absorbing and for me enjoyable.   I remember Abbot Basil Hume telling a group of us, young monks – who thought we understood the monastic way of life – that it takes at least twenty-five years to understand the monastic life. I wonder how long it takes to understand, properly, the vocation to marriage and all that that implies? My hunch would be a fair length of time – if not a life-time!  Then, in my case, my vocation came about through many twists and turns of providence, including the fact I was almost not sent to be a boy pupil, in Ampleforth College, where my vocation was nurtured. How true this must be, also, for those in other vocations! To continue, I then went on to describe many of the challenges I have faced and at the same time pose the question as to which of us does not face challenges – each in their own vocation –  including doubts, sense of loneliness, sometimes questioning the ‘absence’ of God’s love –  and then on top of all this, there are illnesses, bereavements and, in families, the challenges that children bring to their parents, and vice-versa, challenges that have never been mine?

But – and it’s a big ‘but’ – on the positive side, there are the many supports that help me, and hopefully others to persevere. A life of prayer is the ‘key’, common to all of us; good friends also; and, in my case, the supporting gifts of a loving God who helped me, through circumstances, to become involved in the life of that ‘Unity’ or ‘Communion’ – a ‘One-ness’ that has given me a sense of purpose, strengthening me to continue to believe, and begin again, even when things have been very hard. In practice, this means there are other people who sustain and support me and, reciprocally, I also sustain and support them – a common theme in the Church, which is called a “People of God”, or “The Body of Christ”, or “The temple made up of living stones”. But, that is also surely true for all of us – a truth that is borne out just as surely, in many other ways, within a parish community – a community composed, principally,of people we know, people we can call friends and all those people among whom we alive and associate?

My conclusion – the title above rings true.  In the Church we possess:

‘One Salvation, One Hope and One Undivided Charity’.

Nothing interests me more than meeting the Living Lord Jesus. He is peace, joy, purpose in life, happiness, a sense of humour, the ability to overcome difficulties, serious sufferings, and separation. My blog today is an attempt to describe meeting Him this last week. 

In the main service of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Churches Together in Leyland met on Wednesday 20th January, at St. Ambrose Church, in Moss Lane.  We followed the service that the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland had suggested.  During that service we were given a blank postcard and asked to fill in the question “What are you looking for” in the context of our Unity Service. 

It was a good question, and one that follows a week in which each day we have been asked, together, to consider and converse with each other, about certain aspects of our Christian experience, in relation to the general theme of the Week of Prayer, “You are Witnesses”.  Each day during the week we have taken the Word of God from Luke, Chapter 24 – the chapter that includes striking stories of the Resurrection of Jesus. Indeed, the stories have come alive for me, this week, as I have heard them read section by section.  Incidentally, this chapter includes the famous ‘Road to Emmaus’ story. 

On a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, November 2009, the last place we visited after seven memorable days, was the site of Emmaus, some seven miles from Jerusalem.  (To be fair, this is one of four different sites for Emmaus around Jerusalem, but that did not take away the spiritual impact of the place.)  It is located in a Palestinian area, and in a village where Christians are represented , among the many Muslims, by one Christian family and two Franciscan priests, who look after the shrine. I became very friendly with Fr. Francesco, the Polish Superior, in the short time we were there; I found him full of joy.  

Fr. Francesco and I had our photographs taken together, and at the scene, there was a lovely picture of Jesus ‘breaking bread’ behind the high altar.  But, life in that place was not easy: to get there one must first negotiate several road blocks, all constructed by the Israeli authorities, but also the roads and infrastructure surrounding life in this area are very poor, and the tiny group of Christians had – not surprisingly – suffered some difficulties created by their Islamic neighbours. On balance, I suppose this could perhaps have happened, in another country, and in another context, the end result being quite the reverse – Christians making it hard work for a Muslim minority!  But, to continue and reiterate our ‘ecumenical’ theme, on that occasion we celebrated a mass in the Catholic Church there, and the Word of God was proclaimed by a Salvation Army Officer, who works at their HQ in London.  Certainly, we experienced the presence of the Risen Lord, between the pair of us – with also the Anglicans, Methodists and URC people – and those who were Catholics, for we, too, were there on pilgrimage, with the express purpose of being in the Holy Land, gathered in the name of Jesus. All these memories have added to my appreciation of Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 24, during this last week.

Tuesday 18th January marked Day 2 of the Week of Prayer, and in the Methodist Church, Leyland, at the 12 noon Service, we were asked to consider ‘how we are witnesses, through stories’, and we shared with each other the following questions: 

1.                Have you ever been drawn into the stories of others?

2.                Has there been an occasion when you were able to share a story of faith?

3.                Where can we find the “Gospel Gossiped” using modern communications? 

For me, It was enlightening to hear from an Anglican of St. James’ Parish, Slater Lane, Leyland, how he had been inspired as a prison visitor, by the story of a prisoner, on a long sentence, in Wymott Prison, Near Leyland,  and who had come to Christ after committing serious crime – the result of his addiction to alcohol. Indeed, it transpired that the parishioner felt he could identify with this prisoner, as he had also been under the ‘curse’ of alcohol addiction, for a certain period, in his own life. Significantly, the prisoner’s story had provided inspiration to my fellow Leyland Christian. 

Thus, there has been a real and serious conversation taking place all week among the Christians of Britain, during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and for me, the ‘light’ that has been ‘seen’, in Leyland, is a sure sign of the Presence of the Lord, when people gather in His Name – especially as we are all involved in the prayer services, for and because, we believe in living and working for the Unity that Jesus prayed for, when he exclaimed: “That they should all be one.” 

Below are the results of those postcards in answer to the question: “What are you looking for?”  Not everyone present actually produced a card – we must have numbered about 100 or so people. From the results, It is fascinating that so many people, quite independently, should refer to “peace and harmony” in life!  Hopefully, the answers may help those who read this ‘blog’. 

• I am looking for the day when all people will be kind and loving to each other.
• Hope and inner peace.
• Eternal life.
• A caring, sharing, loving Christian community here in Leyland.
• To grow closer to the other Christians, in Leyland, as we walk, day by day, our journey together, witnessing to God.
• I am searching for more faith for me.
• For peace for all, a peace that lasts, is not transient and brings harmony and quiet to all in this noisy life.
• Unity, working alongside each other, with love.
• Friendship, understanding and peace across our faiths.
• Peace.
• A sense of fellowship with Jesus.
• I am looking for the day when all people of whatever faith will accept each other.
• For the gift of life, for the gift of peace and harmony around the world.
• I pray for peace and reconciliation with our Lord, in this country and around the world.
• Some indication of how we can stand and be proud of the fact that we are Christians in this current ‘unfashionable’ wave of indifference.
• For all Christians. to love one another. with no divisions.
• For all Christians to focus on Jesus and not on differences. For peace and harmony.
• Harmony and peace and tolerance in all religions and faiths.
• “The Peace of the Lord” for all people
•  A way to get us all together, to respect each other, and to work together.
• A peaceful, caring Church, Neighbourhood, Country and World.
• Christian unity “not before time”. I hope it comes about in my time.
• Fellowship, acceptance and tolerance.
• The One.
• The cross unites us, but I’m looking and praying for the Lord to help us overcome the     “human” influences that shape the different ways we worship in order to learn from one another. Better ways of enriching our walk with God in order better to glorify Him, shed His light afar, and spread the good news.
• I would hope that as Churches in Leyland we may discover how to make “our search  for unity” more alive with new people involved.

I think the Lord, himself, would have written some of those thoughts, had He been asked, as we were to complete this exercise – perhaps, a kind of meeting with Him, in Leyland, this week, and I feel a great joy in all of it.