It's good to laugh, too.

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Remembering the last Sunday in ordinary time before the season of Lent gets underway. Recalling also those saints who, ordinarily, might have been mentioned. Our co-patrons of Europe, Ss Cyril and Methodius; the inimitable St Valentine, priest, martyr, who knows?

Ora pro nobis.

Pastoral Letter from Archbishop Bernard Longley

PASTORAL LETTER

OF THE

ARCHBISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM

THE MOST REVEREND BERNARD LONGLEY

FOR 6^th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

14 FEBRUARY 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

This Sunday we find ourselves on the threshold of Lent. We still have a few days before we enter this great season of grace and these days give us a little time to prepare. As we do so I am conscious of being with you for the first time on our Lenten pilgrimage towards Easter. I hope that my few reflections following today’s Scripture readings may help us sense our unity in Christ as we approach the coming forty days. Writing my first Pastoral Letter certainly makes me conscious of my unity with you, within the family of the diocese, as we move together towards Lent.

Every threshold offers an important choice and the threshold of Lent is no exception. The choice lies before us every year as Ash Wednesday draws close. Are we ready to cross the threshold and go into this season following Christ so that we can enter more deeply into the mystery of his death and resurrection? Are we prepared to accompany him and one another into Lent so that we may eventually enter into the joy of Easter transformed and renewed?

The prophet Jeremiah illustrates the choice before us in terms of a curse and a blessing. It is a curse when we decide to trust in ourselves, for then we become like dry scrub in the wastelands. But when we agree to trust in the Lord we become like a tree by the waterside that never ceases to bear fruit. We can choose to trust in the Lord by consciously and wholeheartedly walking with him and depending upon him as we cross over the threshold into Lent.

St Luke reveals something fundamental about the choice before us in his account of the beatitudes. In our Lord’s teaching those who are truly blessed, although they suffer, are set alongside those who are really deprived, even though they have plenty. This is a reminder that God does not see as the world sees. Poverty and hunger, sadness and rejection by others can lead to a deeper happiness when they enable us to find and depend upon God (and we surely also have our part to play in showing God’s goodness and love to all who suffer in these ways). Riches and fulfilment, laughter and the good opinion of others will always deprive us of true happiness when they make us forgetful of God’s presence. Finding true happiness means seeing our lives in the light of God’s truth as we cross the threshold of Lent.

These are Lenten insights of faith that we want to share with the world around us. Lent is a season that we have to experience personally, yet it can never be something entirely private. In the Church we sense our unity with one another as we encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to make a good beginning to Lent. But we also have an opportunity to give witness to others in the local community, especially as they see us gathering on Ash Wednesday for the symbolic moment that starts us on this Lenten journey.

We can begin Lent wholeheartedly if we choose today to renew our commitment to prayer, self-denial and almsgiving. Prayer underpins our trust in the Lord, holding us close to him as the foundation of our lives and giving us a clearer vision of the way ahead. Self-denial helps us to live the life of the beatitudes day by day, more readily aware of our dependence on God and of the blessings we can so easily take for granted. Almsgiving is a call to be generous, to notice the needs of others and to respond with a compassion that can deepen the likeness of Christ within us. These three help us to see ourselves and the world around us illuminated by the light of Christ.

In the days leading up to Ash Wednesday we have time once again to make our commitment to Christ as his disciples so that our observance of Lent may be of benefit not only to ourselves but also to others. Let us pray for one another within our parish community that together we may be strengthened and make good choices this Lent. Please pray for those who will assemble in the Cathedral next Sunday for the Rite of Election, when the Church recognises their desire to be fully part of our Catholic communities and calls them to be received into full communion at Easter. Pray also that the choices we all make this Lent will cause us to trust more and more in Christ so that each of us may become like a tree by the waterside that never ceases to bear fruit.

I pray that each of us may be blessed with a joyful and fruitful Lent. May we come refreshed and renewed to accompany our Lord in his death and resurrection in the Holy Week that leads to the joy of Easter.

XBernard Longley

Archbishop of Birmingham

Given at Birmingham on 11 February 2010 and appointed to be read in all Churches and Chapels of the Diocese on the weekend of 13/14 February 2010.

Lent is fast approaching.

Perhaps by now you are considering Lent, beginning on this coming Wednesday. If you are wondering what to read, you could do no worse than popping over to Fr Ray Blake's blog: Saint Mary Magdalen. Father has a link to Fr. Jerabek who in turn has some meaty Lenten reading for your consideration. Fr Jerabek includes writings by the Fathers, the Saints, Cardinal Newman and also St. John Mary Vianney. You can find them all here. Let me know whom you decide to go with.

Parish Newsletters

The parish newsletter is often the primary means of communication within a parish and I was wondering; what do people like to see in a parish newsletter? Whether it be visiting a parish, perhaps moving into a new parish or just your regular Sunday place of worship what do you like to read about? It would be very helpful if you could add some thoughts in the com box. Nothing lengthy, deep or time-consuming to prepare, just some initial thoughts would be wonderful to hear.

Lenten Reflections - it's never too late to prepare!

Today, zenit are reporting on the following initiatives for Lenten reflection from both sides of the globe. Give them a try:

Australian Bishops Offer Online Lenten Reflections

UK Catholics Prepare Resources to Study Creed

SYDNEY, Australia, FEB. 9, 2010 (Zenit.org).- As Catholics worldwide are preparing to begin Lent next week, Church leaders are offering resources to deepen their faith through reflections on the Gospel and the Creed.

The Australian bishops' conference is offering "an innovative online experience" called "The Reflection."

In a press release announcing the initiative, Archbishop John Bathersby, chair of the conference's Commission for Mission and Faith Formation, said, "Instead of just giving up something for Lent, why not take up something as well?"

"This year we are asking that you consider spending time with friends and family reflecting on the Scriptures that lead us to this joyous celebration of the Church," he added.

This Internet-based formation program follows on the successful e-conferences organized by the bishops last year.

Archbishop Bathersby stated that some 20,000 participants from across the globe joined in these two online conferences, demonstrating "a hunger in people to deepen their faith."

The Lenten series will include the contribution of 12 prelates, and will feature the Sunday Gospel readings with extra resources for deeper reflection.

The first episode will begin on Sunday, but the reflections will be available on the Web site at any time for people to join in at their own pace.

Living as one

Across the globe, Catholics in the Diocese of Westminster, in England, are also preparing Lenten reflection materials that will be launched in several countries.

The "Living as One" resource offers a means for Catholics, as individuals and as small groups, to explore the words and meaning of the creed.

In a communiqué, Mark Nash, organizer of Small Communities for the diocese, stated that this program will help people "explore what we understand by 'the Church' in its broadest sense."

He continued, "In the creed, we recite the words 'one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church' every week but do we know what they really mean?"

The director of the diocesan Agency for Evangelisation, Father Michael O'Boy, affirmed, "Throughout the season of Lent, 'Living as One' will help us toward a deeper appreciation of the Church and a more heartfelt proclamation of the creed we recite week by week."

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the diocese, said, "This Lent, as you journey with Christ through the desert, may you hear more clearly Christ's call for the unity of the Church, and may you be drawn into a deeper communion with him whose body, the Church on earth, we are."

The press release noted that the program booklet will be distributed to dioceses throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

The resource is also being offered for ordering from other countries. The communiqué reported that the Diocese of Stockholm in Sweden has previously ordered and translated the small community resources for distribution.

--- --- ---

On the Net:

The Reflection: www.thereflection.vividas.com

Living as One: www.rcdow.org.uk/smallcommunities

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday
to a particularly
special reader
of this blog!

Did you sign the petition yet?

Several bloggers are encouraging us to sign a petition in support of the Pope's forthcoming visit to Great Britain.

Fr John Boyle writes:

At time of writing 795 have signed. Add your name to theirs.

The National Secular Society has launched a petition "Make the Pope Pay. Say NO to a State-Funded Visit to the UK" They have almost 15,000 signatures at time of writing.

Did you sign the petition yet? Sign it here. I'm number 802. Which number are you?

Invocation 2010

It's been talked about for a while now, and finally here's the website with all the information!

www.invocation.org.uk

Running from 2nd to 4th July this year (the clue is in the name invocation 2010), it is open to anyone aged between 16 and 35 who are open to hearing Christ call them into their true vocation. This might, helpfully, be priesthood or the religious life.

It looks very exciting and I encourage you to take a look at the website to find out more. It's being heavily 'pushed' so do please direct anyone who may benefit from the weekend to find out more. When I talked to Chris, over at the Vocations office in Birmingham, he told me that this will be the first time that all the seminaries, religious houses and vocations within the dioceses will meet at Oscott. This in itself is exciting news as we, perhaps, begin to see vocations now in a nationwide context. United in prayer we are undoubtedly strengthened.

It might be fun, as the weeks roll by, to find out more about the event and perhaps even look at some of the events which are planned. More details on the website for now, here. It's also possible to follow a facebook group already and you can get the link here.

Hope to see you there!

Resurrection

(any excuse for a Caravaggio)

Just recently I've been thinking a lot about death. Burying the dead, in so much as we've had a lot of funerals of late, meeting with relatives/friends to plan the liturgy and all that this entails. It can be very emotionally draining and today I was particularly struck of the loss of someone very dear. It is hard to say goodbye, or even au revoir, sometimes. I was reminded, thank goodness for death because it reminds us of the resurrection.

St Blaise Blessing of Throats

Lord, hear the prayers of Your martyr Blase.
Give us the joy of Your peace in this life
and help us to gain the happiness that will never end.

Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

The priest or deacon places the candles around the throat of whoever seeks the blessing, using the formula: "Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you free from every disease of the throat, and from every other disease. In the name of the Father and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. R. Amen."

Archbishop Vincent speaks for us all

At the audience yesterday, with HH Benedict XVI, Archbishop Vincent addressed the Pope on behalf of all Catholics in England and Wales and this is what he said:

Most Holy Father,

It is my privilege and delight to address you in the name of the Bishops of England and Wales and all Catholics in our countries.

The visit ‘ad limina Apostolorum’ gives us a precious opportunity of thanking you personally and most warmly for the years of service you are giving to the Apostolic See as our beloved Hoy Father. Nor do we forget the years in which you were prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where you always received us with the utmost courtesy and interest.

We wish to assure you of our prayers and heartfelt support for you in the exercise of this supreme Office. We are proud of the strong tradition of profound loyalty to the Holy Father which is part of our heritage in England and Wales. It is very much a feature of our Catholic life.

We would like to take the moment to thank you in particular for your inspiring teaching in the Encyclical Letters you have issued for the whole Church. The most recent of these, "Caritas in Veritate," has been well received in our countries and is making a significant contribution to the debate about and examination of those circumstances and conditions which lead to the recent financial crises and the world wide hardship it has caused. Your insistence on the central place of the human person, and of integral human development, is a powerful reminder that the most important truths have to shape economic and social programmes if they are to be of genuine service to the common good. First among these are, of course, the respect for life from its beginnings and the crucial role of marriage and family for the well-being not only of children but also for the good of society.

We thank you for the leadership you have given, even in recent months, on the questions of our care for the environments of our world: both the natural environment and, crucially, the human ecology necessary for our proper development. These matters are of deep concern to many in our countries, including many young people, who have accepted the invitation, in large numbers, to look closely at ways in which they can live more simply, so that others may simply live.

We thank you, too, for your constant encouragement to us through the initiatives of the Year of St. Paul and the Year for Priests. In our different dioceses we have built on these invitations both in the deeper appreciation of the Word of God and of the gift of the Eucharist. At this time we appreciate your concern for the dignity and reverence with which the Mass is celebrated. This is a central part of the life of every priest and bishop and we are committed to constant effort in this regard. In particular the new translations of the Roman Missal offer us an opportune moment to deepen our appreciation of the Mass. Through catechesis we can renew our reception of the richness of the Church’s faith through the ages which, in faithfulness, is now handed on to us in these texts.

Of particular delicacy for us is the response made by you, Holy Father, to those Anglicans who, from different parts of the world, asked for a pathway to be established by which they could come into the full communion of the Catholic Church bringing with them elements of the Anglican patrimony which fully accord with Catholic faith. Years of close cooperation and deepening friendship and communion with our brothers and sisters in the Church of England have helped us to ensure that the various interpretations of and reactions to ‘Anglicanorum Coetibus’ have not seriously disrupted the relationships between our Ecclesial Communions. Indeed the commitment to commence a third round of discussions as part of the work of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission has reinforced this relationship. We remain ready to explore with those Anglicans in England and Wales who wish to take up your generous and paternal response to their requests the ways forward towards full communion. We ask for your prayers in these important and sensitive matters.

But most importantly of all, Holy Father, we wish to express our joy at the prospect of your visit to our countries. We are grateful to Her Majesty the Queen, and to her Government, for the invitation extended to you and for the manner in which preparations are being undertaken. The entire Catholic community looks forward to this much hoped-for visit and the encouragement you will give not only to us but to all our fellow citizens. There are, of course, great challenges facing the Catholic community in our land, as we strive to be faithful to the Lord in both word and deed. But there is also an openness to the things of faith, not least in a time of uncertainty and anxiety about many aspects of our society. We are confident that your presence and teaching, with its consistent and reasoned appeal to all people, will be warmly received, as will you be personally. The Beatification of the Venerable John Henry Newman, who spoke so eloquently to our English tradition and culture, is, we trust, the eagerly anticipated climax of your proposed visit.

Most Holy Father, we are honoured to be received by you today. In this visit we strive to deepen the bonds of ecclesial communion not only between the Apostolic See and the Conference of Bishops, but more importantly between the Catholic community we serve and you yourself, Holy Father. You remain a vital sign and source of our visible unity in the Lord. We thank you most profoundly for this ministry and we assure you of our unwavering loyalty and prayers. We ask of you, Holy Father, your Apostolic Blessing for ourselves and for our people.

+Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales

Thanks to zenit for this copy.

Pope Speaks

Following on from yesterday's report of the Holy Father's address to the bishops of England and Wales, I listened to him on Vatican radio. It's a strange thing to hear our Pope speaking in English and so clearly (albeit with a deep German accent) to us all. If you're not a regular listener to HH Benedict XVI, then do go and have a listen here. It's five minutes of your time well spent.

Pope Addresses Bishops of England & Wales

Dear Brother Bishops,

I welcome all of you on your ad Limina visit to Rome, where you have come to venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. I thank you for the kind words that Archbishop Vincent Nichols has addressed to me on your behalf, and I offer you my warmest good wishes and prayers for yourselves and all the faithful of England and Wales entrusted to your pastoral care. Your visit to Rome strengthens the bonds of communion between the Catholic community in your country and the Apostolic See, a communion that sustained your people’s faith for centuries, and today provides fresh energies for renewal and evangelization. Even amid the pressures of a secular age, there are many signs of living faith and devotion among the Catholics of England and Wales. I am thinking, for example, of the enthusiasm generated by the visit of the relics of Saint Thérèse, the interest aroused by the prospect of Cardinal Newman’s beatification, and the eagerness of young people to take part in pilgrimages and World Youth Days. On the occasion of my forthcoming Apostolic Visit to Great Britain, I shall be able to witness that faith for myself and, as Successor of Peter, to strengthen and confirm it. During the months of preparation that lie ahead, be sure to encourage the Catholics of England and Wales in their devotion, and assure them that the Pope constantly remembers them in his prayers and holds them in his heart.

Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed. I urge you as Pastors to ensure that the Church’s moral teaching be always presented in its entirety and convincingly defended. Fidelity to the Gospel in no way restricts the freedom of others – on the contrary, it serves their freedom by offering them the truth. Continue to insist upon your right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements in society. In doing so, you are not only maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion, but you are actually giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them: when so many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the Gospel’s right to be heard?

If the full saving message of Christ is to be presented effectively and convincingly to the world, the Catholic community in your country needs to speak with a united voice. This requires not only you, the Bishops, but also priests, teachers, catechists, writers – in short all who are engaged in the task of communicating the Gospel – to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit, who guides the whole Church into the truth, gathers her into unity and inspires her with missionary zeal.

Make it your concern, then, to draw on the considerable gifts of the lay faithful in England and Wales and see that they are equipped to hand on the faith to new generations comprehensively, accurately, and with a keen awareness that in so doing they are playing their part in the Church’s mission. In a social milieu that encourages the expression of a variety of opinions on every question that arises, it is important to recognize dissent for what it is, and not to mistake it for a mature contribution to a balanced and wide-ranging debate. It is the truth revealed through Scripture and Tradition and articulated by the Church’s Magisterium that sets us free. Cardinal Newman realized this, and he left us an outstanding example of faithfulness to revealed truth by following that “kindly light” wherever it led him, even at considerable personal cost. Great writers and communicators of his stature and integrity are needed in the Church today, and it is my hope that devotion to him will inspire many to follow in his footsteps.

Much attention has rightly been given to Newman’s scholarship and to his extensive writings, but it is important to remember that he saw himself first and foremost as a priest. In this Annus Sacerdotalis, I urge you to hold up to your priests his example of dedication to prayer, pastoral sensitivity towards the needs of his flock, and passion for preaching the Gospel. You yourselves should set a similar example. Be close to your priests, and rekindle their sense of the enormous privilege and joy of standing among the people of God as alter Christus. In Newman’s words, “Christ’s priests have no priesthood but His … what they do, He does; when they baptize, He is baptizing; when they bless, He is blessing” (Parochial and Plain Sermons, VI 242). Indeed, since the priest plays an irreplaceable role in the life of the Church, spare no effort in encouraging priestly vocations and emphasizing to the faithful the true meaning and necessity of the priesthood. Encourage the lay faithful to express their appreciation of the priests who serve them, and to recognize the difficulties they sometimes face on account of their declining numbers and increasing pressures. The support and understanding of the faithful is particularly necessary when parishes have to be merged or Mass times adjusted. Help them to avoid any temptation to view the clergy as mere functionaries but rather to rejoice in the gift of priestly ministry, a gift that can never be taken for granted.

Ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue assume great importance in England and Wales, given the varied demographic profile of the population. As well as encouraging you in your important work in these areas, I would ask you to be generous in implementing the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, so as to assist those groups of Anglicans who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. I am convinced that, if given a warm and open-hearted welcome, such groups will be a blessing for the entire Church.

With these thoughts, I commend your apostolic ministry to the intercession of Saint David, Saint George and all the saints and martyrs of England and Wales. May Our Lady of Walsingham guide and protect you always. To all of you, and to the priests, religious and lay faithful of your country, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ.

From the Vatican, 1 February 2010

Happy Anniversary

It is, perhaps, not the done thing to draw attention to oneself. Nonetheless, I want to share with you my first anniversary of blogging. Looking back over the records I see that my first blog, my 'virgin blog' I think I called it, was on 29 January 2009. There you have it.

Missed the anniversary by two days, but those who know me will know that this is not atypical. Happy Anniversary, not least to those faithful followers who have been there throughout the journey. God bless you one and all. What a journey and it's only just begun!

At the risk of becoming maudlin, we'll leave it there, huh? Probably best.

The death of Our Lord

Today, as is common when praying the Divine Office for Fridays, I have been contemplating the first Good Friday. Particularly, I have been thinking and praying about suffering and not least those who suffer unjustly. Then I came upon this image on the blog maintained by Father James Farfaglia. You can read his blog here. What struck me about the image is the harsh reality of the scene depicted. Jesus' eyes are focused and yet seem bereft, lost, uncomprehending. Sad.

Why do bad things happen to good people? At seminary I was once advised that when you can say nothing constructive about suffering, then it's best to remain silent. There's truth in this, of course, but still our hearts question the justice of suffering. May God be with those who suffer this night and may He comfort them in their darkest hour. May He send his Angel to guard them and protect them and may they come safely home to the love of God.

The Dumb Ox

Getting toward the end of the day and having sought the intercession of the Angelic Doctor, St Thomas Aquinas, it was good to read an account of St Thomas as the Dumb Ox by Lawrence Lew OP over on that fab blog; godzdogz. In regards to the size of St Thomas, Lawrence write the following which I know will be of interest to many Oscotians!

The first thing that strikes us when we look at someone is their appearance. The rounded face and large stature which the artist has given to St Thomas is one that is almost immediately recognizable, and it is similar to one of the earliest paintings of St Thomas. There is a certain verisimilitude in such depictions of the saint, for according to contemporary accounts, Thomas was noted for his height and bulk. So, his mentor, St Albert the Great, famously called him a 'dumb ox', on account of both his size, we suppose, and also of his quietness in class. Later in his life, a Cistercian priest commented that Thomas was "large and heavy and had a bald forehead", and indeed, Thomas' own student, Remigio of Florence, says that he was "very fat". St Thomas' biographer, Tocco, also mentions that he was "large in body" with a "large head", and adds that he had thin blonde hair. This physical characteristic and his height are both thought to be derived from his noble Norman ancestry.

Makes for a refreshing change!

Holocaust Memorial Day

Let us not forget.

Oscar Romero

It seems that the Salvadoran bishops are 'pushing' the cause for canonisation of Oscar Romero, the assassinated Archbishop of San Salvador. Zenit has the story here. The current Archbishop is reported as calling for increased private devotions to Romero. Now, I'm not sure if this blog counts as private or public but save to say he features in my prayer life regularly. "The truth is that we have seen little private devotion and, on this point, it is fitting that there be greater devotion. There can be no public devotion for a person whose cause is being studied in the Vatican, but there can be private devotion, and it is fitting that it increase," the Archbishop added.

If you consider his intervention may be of help in your prayers then please consider asking him to intercede. I've been asking him to intercede for the people of Haiti, and for all those who needlessly suffer because of the poverty they experience. Knowing something of his background and the remarkable life and witness he led after being elevated to Archbishop it seems to me that he has some affinity with the poor. He's a good man to intercede.

Wikipedia, that bastion of authority, reports: Many suspect that the delay in the declaration of heroism and martyrdom is due to the fact that Romero is closely tied to, but not directly involved with, the liberation theology movement espoused especially by the Jesuits of Latin America. The charge has been dismissed by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints who have pointed out that Romero has not yet met certain criteria to move on to the next levels of the inquests, processes which have historically taken decades to roll into motion.

Five years before his assassination, Romero wrote to Pope Paul VI calling for Josemaria Escriva to be canonised. He wrote: Most Blessed Father, I humbly repeat my petition for a quick opening of the cause for the beatification and canonization of Monsignor Escriva de Balaguer, for the greater glory of God and for the edification of the Church.

Oscar Romero: “We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.” Are these the words of a saint?