Category: Deacon Tony reflects

The words of Jesus at the end of today’s Gospel reading are meant to inspire us and to instil fear in us at the same time. Listen/Read again to the words:

So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

Jesus is saying that this is all or nothing. Whenever we are put to the test, whenever we are persecuted, we are to hold firm; trust in the one who calls us by our name; the same one in whose name we are baptised.

In this country, we have far more freedom to practice our faith than in many other places around the world. But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security, our faith is under attack from wolves in sheep’s clothing. Many of our beliefs are being undermined and at the same time other faiths are being protected. People who criticise other faiths are often called Islamophobic or antisemitic, there does not appear to be a similar word in common usage for the criticism or discrimination of Christians.

In the first reading we hear how Jeremiah lost his friends when he started working for the Lord. He believes his friends are just waiting for the opportune moment to catch him out and take out some sort of revenge on him. But Jeremiah has the Lord at his side, he has trusted in the Lord and is confident that God will not abandon him if he is ever in need.

In the second reading St Paul emphasises that sin entered the world through Adam and that sin has been conquered by the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We, as followers of Christ have to follow His teachings, to be able to be like Him; and by doing so, obtain eternal life with Him.

The Gospel we hear today is Jesus finishing off his message to the Apostles, reminding them, and us, that He will be with them [and us]. We are never to shy away from sharing our faith, we are to put our faith into action, let others see Jesus through what we do and what we say. What we do, shows that we love and what we say tells people why we love. We are being asked to give witness to our faith in our daily life. We should ask ourselves –

Am I happy with how I bear witness to my faith in my daily life? How can I improve how I give witness?

For me, there are some aspects of my daily life, where I am happy, but I know that I can do so much more. I manage to visit some of the housebound people in our parish, but could I reach more people if I spent less time on my Ipad?

Am I ever like Jeremiah, worrying about what other people think or say about me?

This is a thing which has held me back for a long time. I would worry about what people thought I was doing, what they thought about any motive I might have. More so, like Jeremiah I would worry that they were just waiting for me to make a mistake and home in on it. At times this has left me paralysed with fear of what if!

Jesus is asking us to trust in Him, we are asked not to worry about any form of persecution, if we are doing our best for Him then He will look after us. If we are put on trial for our Christian faith then He will be in the dock with us, He will never leave us alone. Just like we are never to deny Him.

When we worry about what other people are thinking or saying about us, is this because we form opinions of other people? Are we judging them in a way that we do not wish to be judged ourselves? One of the most common phrases in Scriptures is ‘Do not be afraid’. Jesus uses it three times in the Gospel we hear today. He tells us not to be afraid, for He will reveal all. He tells us not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but that ‘we should fear the one who can destroy both our body and soul in hell.’ Finally, He tells usthere is no need to be afraid because He values us.

This week, I would like to encourage us all to ask ourselves, ‘what am I most afraid of? Then when we have identified that fear, pray to Jesus and ask for His help in conquering it. Remember He is with us, He is ready to help us, we only have to ask.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 852: the Spirit of Christ sustains the Christian mission
CCC 905: evangelizing by the example of life
CCC 1808, 1816: courageous witness of faith overcomes fear and death
CCC 2471-2474: bear witness to the truth
CCC 359, 402-411, 615: Adam, Original Sin, Christ the New Adam

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the Diocesan Life in the Spirit programme which is running online on Thursdays.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
• The six children being baptised in St Bede’s this Sunday.

Anyone who has seen the news this week, must have been struck by the devastation in the Mediterranean Sea, where so many people; many of them women and children; being lost as they desperately sought a new life. We do not know the reason why they sought a new life in another land, but we do know the motivation of those who allowed so many to go onto a boat with inadequate facilities; their motivation was money. In their desperation to make money, they forgot to be human and treated fellow human beings as cargo, or a commodity. Their attitude bears a close relationship to that of the slave traders from centuries ago squeezing in as many bodies as they could to enhance their profit. Many of the times previously these dealers in human life may have managed to get their cargo safely across the sea, this time, however, we have a disaster of Biblical proportion.

When times are hard people do desperate things. In the Old Testament the Israelites moved to Egypt when famine struck, they settled there and multiplied, the local rulers in fear enslaved these people, forcing them to work long hours doing dangerous work. These people, who had moved away from the Lord, cried out for help; God heard them and sent Moses to set them free.

Many centuries later, the descendants of those same people found themselves enslaved again, this time in their own land. The Romans had invaded and imposed their will on the Jewish people. This led to an increase in poverty and the problems associated with poverty – illness, malnutrition, crime, fear and untimely death. This time God sent His Son to rescue the Jewish people. But not all of them listened. In our Gospel today we hear about a few of those who did listen. Jesus taught people to be compassionate, Jesus led by example, He even asked for forgiveness to those who were executing Him.

There have been times in my life when I have felt distant from God, times when I didn’t come to Church or even pray. But God kept calling me back, either through the people I met, or through my wife and children, God did not give up on me. On those returns when I went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I was welcomed back, never condemned. During this week ahead, if you feel that God is not close to you, I’d like you to think again. God is always close in our relationship. Ask yourself, am I close to God?

Our Scriptures today, remind us that God is always there. He rescued the Israelites from slavery and then sent His Son to recue their descendants, those who listened were saved, and sent out to widen the Chosen people to the whole world. Those original Apostles sent out as shepherds to the world to guide and teach have their own descendants now. It is not by their blood and DNA that they can trace these descendants. Their descendants are the bishops of the Catholic Church today, and the blood they demonstrate their descendance by, is the Blood of Jesus Christ. The bishops of today still teach the Good News, they are our Spiritual fathers as successors to the Apostles.

Both of those chosen by God to rescue the Israelites in our Scriptures today were threatened with death when they were babies. Under the Pharaohs rules, male children were to be killed, but Moses’ mother found a way of protecting him. Our Blessed Mother, Mary was an unmarried mother, potentially put at risk of divorce or stoning and the new born Jesus, was at risk of slaughter at the hands of Herod, and many other innocent children died in Bethlehem.

This Sunday is designated as the Day for Life in the Catholic Church in the British Isles. The Church teaches that life is to be nurtured from conception to natural death. In England and Wales, Day for Life is celebrated on the third Sunday of June each year. This year it falls on 18 June. For the first time, it will be celebrated in Scotland and Ireland on the same day.

The theme is ‘Listen to Her’ and focuses on post-abortion trauma and the impact of abortion primarily on women, but also men and others.

Each year a message is released, usually by the Church’s Lead Bishop for Life Issues, offering a reflection on the year’s theme. The 2023 message is unique in that the bishops’ have given it over to a Catholic woman who has had an abortion to share her experiences. Often the voices of women who have had an abortion are silent in Church and in society. The hope is that this will help break this silence and offer further opportunities for healing and reconciliation. [The message is in the link below.] The young woman is called Jane, she very bravely gives her testimony, and it is really worth reading. Jane could be any woman sitting amongst us, we don’t know. We thank Jane for her bravery in sharing her story and pray that her story helps anyone else contemplating abortion to reconsider and to seek help from a pro-life source. Or if there is anyone trying to cope with the grief or guilt following an abortion alone, that they are encouraged to reach out and seek help.

As I said at the beginning, there are some people who see human beings as commodities. The lives lost in the transport of their human cargos are disposed of indicative of our throw away society. Since the legalisation of abortion, the unborn child has also become a commodity and is not being seen for the beauty it is. Now some in society are pushing for Euthanasia, the killing of people who are close to the end of their lives. The advocates of this say they will put in safeguards to protect the vulnerable. But as we have seen with abortion, the safeguards are eroded over time, with some places now permitting the abortion of healthy babies up until birth.

How can this be right?

They are asking doctors, nurses and midwives to do the opposite of what their vocation called them to do; and now, if they speak up they risk losing their jobs.

As Catholics we are called to protect life, killing another human being is wrong, regardless of whether we use the word, kill, abort or euthanise. These other words are deliberately used to deceive, and as Catholics we know who the great deceiver is. As Catholics we are also called to be a safe place for those who have listened to the great deceiver, it is not our job to condemn, we are all sinners. We pray for those who have had abortions and we pray they find God’s forgiveness.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 551, 761-766: the Church prefigured in Old Testament community
CCC 783-786: the Church a priestly, prophetic, royal people
CCC 849-865: the apostolic mission of the Church

CCC 2270-2283: Abortion and Euthanasia

Day for Life Message – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• The success of the Diocesan Life in the Spirit programme which is running online on Thursdays.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
• Those considering an abortion, that they be guided by those around them in prayer.

As our creator, God provides what we need when we need it. There is clear evidence of this in our first reading today; where we are reminded that God provided for the Jewish people while they wandered through the desert for forty years. This was despite the complaints and disobedience which were evident from those same people. But still God provided for them. Moses reminds the people of how bountiful God was; by freeing them from slavery and granting them His protection. Humbling them and testing their resolve to keep His commandments.

The psalm adds to this by proclaiming that God has protected the Chosen people and fed them with finest wheat.

Our relationship with God needs to be constantly worked on; God is always there and ready to respond; are we able to say the same?

How do we stay close to God as we go about our day? If we are parents or Grandparents, how do we help the children we have responsibilities for, develop and maintain a relationship with God?

Jesus; who is true God and true man, understands that we need to be nourished with spiritual food to help us in our journey towards heaven. This is why He gave us the Eucharist at the Last Supper, the greatest gift just before He entered into His Passion. This was controversial; many of the Jewish followers of Jesus felt obliged to walk away when Jesus spoke about eating His flesh. They suspected Jesus of advocating cannibalism. Nothing could be further from the truth. The flesh we eat does not destroy the body, nor is the victim dead anymore. The flesh we eat is the Risen Christ, His Body and Blood is the food which leads to eternal life.

With apologies to those who have already read the words of St John Paul, which were published in this week’s Diocesan e-news I’ll share the following quote

The Church has received the Eucharist from Christ her Lord not as one gift – however precious – among so many others, but as the gift par excellence, for it is the gift of himself, of his person in his sacred humanity, as well as the gift of his saving work. Nor does it remain confined to the past, since “all that Christ is – all that he did and suffered for all men – participates in the divine eternity, and so transcends all times”

Pope St John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 11

Recently at St Bede’s there were three Masses celebrating the First Holy Communion of the young people in the Parish, and this Sunday, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Jesus, the young people of St Michael’s and St Oswald’s Parish will celebrate their First Holy Communion. For me it is several decades since I made my First Holy Communion and although I have some memories of that day still, those memories are probably mixed in with other special days.

What is more recent of course was the time three years ago when we were all denied the opportunity of attending Mass for several months and the joy of returning to Mass and receiving Our Lord again was magnificent. The vacuum in our lives was filled again; with perhaps a renewed appreciation; because we could be in Communion with the Body of Christ again, not just spiritually but sacramentally.

This is a mutual exchange, while we receive the ‘gift par excellence’ which St John Paul mentioned, we are giving ourselves to Jesus. The words quietly spoken during the preparation of gifts “Through the mystery of this water and wine, may be come to share in the Divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” These words tell us how important Christ’s gift is; both to Christ and to us. While we share in his Body and Blood, we become like Him, sharing His Godliness. This is why we as Catholics must always profess the truth of the Eucharist; this is not just symbolism. Jesus Christ is truly present at every Mass, and He comes to us as bread and wine, transformed through the actions of His priest into His Body and His Blood.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

CCC 790, 1003, 1322-1419: the Holy Eucharist
CCC 805, 950, 2181-2182, 2637, 2845: the Eucharist and the communion of believers
CCC 1212, 1275, 1436, 2837: the Eucharist as spiritual food

e-News – Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth, (portsmouthdiocese.org.uk)

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• The success of the Diocesan Life in the Spirit programme which started last week.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our young people who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation in Portsmouth Cathedral today
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of celebrating the Baptism of five children, including my granddaughter. In the Baptism service, as the water is poured over the child’s head, the celebrant says, ‘I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ Notice, that the celebrant says the ‘name’ and not the ‘names’. This is significant, this is because “there is only God, the almighty Father, his only Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity.” [CCC233]

Through our baptism we became new creations, called to obey the Father, by following the example of the Son, enriched and empowered by the graces we receive through the Holy Spirit.

In today’s first reading; which is taken from the Book of Exodus immediately after the Chosen people had strayed by worshipping a Golden calf; Moses pleads for the people and calls upon God to be merciful; he begs God to forgive them and to restore the Covenant; which God does. God being merciful, gracious, slow to anger, faithful and kind.

How many of these qualities are we able to muster when someone offends us? I know that I can get angry very quickly but am also blessed to be able to calm down reasonably quickly too. I try to forgive and see the best in people, often giving people a chance to make amends, I will try to help those close to me to calm down, asking them to try and see things from the other person’s perspective.

In the second reading we have a familiar blessing, which is taken from the end of the 2^nd Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians. “The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” This was preceded by a hope that they can be united, live in peace so that the God of love and peace can remain with them. If we look at social media and in the Catholic Press there appear to be many factions gathering pace within the Church; some even contemplating life outside of the Church. This is not to happen with us. We are called to be brothers and sisters to one another. The only way to live as brothers and sisters is to stay united, remain close to God; that way God remains close to us.

What can I do to support unity in the Church? For me it means learning when to listen and help the speaker feel listened to and balancing that with challenging if I believe the speaker is harming the unity of our Church. I can also choose which Church commentators to listen to and which to drop. Starving some of the more destructive elements of their oxygen; reduces the spread of their disruption.

In today’s Gospel we hear the message Jesus gave to Nicodemus. God the Father sent his only Son to save the world. Salvation is secure for those who believe, but those who refuse to believe are condemned. This message was not just for Nicodemus or the Jewish people. It is for the whole world. It is still valid today. We need to believe in The Holy Trinity, the One True God who lives in unity and desires us to be in union with Him.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

CCC 202, 232-260, 684, 732: the mystery of the Trinity
CCC 249, 813, 950, 1077-1109, 2845: the Trinity in the Church and her liturgy
CCC 2655, 2664-2672: the Trinity and prayer
CCC 2205: the family as an image of the Trinity

I found this posted on Twitter by a Catholic priest [Fr. R.M. Vierling] –

When we cross ourselves, let it be with a real sign of the cross. Instead of a small cramped gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us at once. how it consecrates and sanctifies us. It does so because it is the Sign of the universe and the sign of our redemption. On the cross Christ redeemed mankind.

By the cross he sanctifies man to the last shred and fibre of his being. We make the sign of the cross before we pray to collect and compose ourselves and to fix our minds and hearts and wills upon God. We make it when we finish praying in order that we may hold fast the gift we have received from God. In temptations we sign ourselves to be strengthened; in dangers, to be protected. The cross is signed upon us in blessings in order that the fulness of God’s life may flow into the soul and fructify and sanctify us wholly.

Think of these things when you make the sign of the cross. It is the holiest of all signs. Make a large cross, taking time, thinking what you do. Let it take in your whole being,–body, soul, mind, will, thoughts, feelings, your doing and not-doing,– and by signing it with the cross strengthen and consecrate the whole in the strength of Christ, in the name of the triune God.

Romano Guardini, Sacred Signs (1911)

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• The success of the forthcoming Diocesan Life in the Spirit programme starting in June.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our young people preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation next weekend in Portsmouth Cathedral.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.

The Solemnity of Pentecost is one of the most visually striking events in the New Testament. The scripture readings used today tell a story of transformation, unity, peace and being sent out to spread the Good News.

In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear how the apostles were transformed from being timid and afraid, into evangelists; going out and speaking boldly to pilgrims who were visiting Jerusalem from all around the Mediterranean Sea.

We also hear how the crowds; who had previously shown little interest in their message; were transformed from their stubbornness and lack of ability to understand; into people who became astonished as they heard the Word of God in a way they could understand; all of this through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The second reading from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians highlights how all who profess Jesus as Lord; form one body. We are all given different gifts through the Holy Spirit and are expected to use them for the benefit of others, or in other words, for the benefit of the Body of Christ. Being one body, we should all look to protect one another and to look after the welfare of one another. As a healthy human would never do anything to deliberately harm their own body so we should never do anything which could harm another part of the Body of Christ.

In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus bestow His peace upon the disciples. This message given almost 2,000 years ago is even more important in these days for us. With the war in Ukraine seeming to get worse every week, how we all long for peace to be restored there. With the Cost-of-Living crisis biting harder for many people; how can these people find peace?

I am inspired by the words of the late Benedictine priest Fr Placid Murray; he reminds us that

Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you’ and then breathed on the disciples in a similar way to how God breathed the spirit of life into Adam; who He had formed from the dust of the earth. He has breathed a new spirit into us also, at our baptism and our confirmation. He makes us new; he gives us peace. But he does so, by changing us, but not necessarily changing the circumstances we have to live through. This is our difficult task: to live in the peace of Christ in times which are troubled, and in a world that is disturbed.

• We have to look inwards for our peace.
• We have to pray for peace.
• But how hard it is to keep on praying.

That is where the Holy Spirit comes to aid us in our weakness.¹

I need to remember in the times when I feel down or alone or when I am troubled that I must remember to pray. Jesus gave us our Advocate to help us, as He knew we cannot do everything under our own power. I know that I often forget this and need to remind myself at those times.

Can you remember a time when the Holy Spirit allowed you to feel the Peace of Christ? – what prompted it? What do we need to do to restore that peace?

For me a recent example of this is when I went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Medjugorje last year, the Sacrament itself is a wonderful experience; this was enhanced by the surroundings and being aware that hundreds of others were celebrating this Sacrament at the same time around me; all of us having the opportunity to start afresh.

Jesus continued in the Gospel to tell the disciples that He was sending them out into the world just as the Father had sent him. As we are disciples of Jesus, do we ever consider who we have been sent out to? Who is waiting for us to deliver the message of Christ so that they can be transformed by the Holy Spirit?

I may have mentioned previously of a time, long before I was ordained, when I was not attending Mass regularly. I was standing in a shop with some friends buying breakfast when an elderly man from St Michael’s Parish walked into the shop, pointed at me and said that I should be going to Mass with my wife and children. He then closed the door and walked out. He really got inside my head and made me recognise that he was right.

I believe he was prompted by the Holy Spirit, this was confirmed for me a few years later, when I was taking that same man to a hospital appointment and recalled the story to him. He had no recollection of it and seemed astonished that he would have done this. That encounter, along with other little hints and encouragement from many people helped me to find my way back to the journey I was called to. God works in us and through us, the Holy Spirit can transform lives if we let him.

The disciples were sent out to preach the Good News, they and their successors have reached all parts of the world. We only need to look around us in our Parishes today to see how successful they were. We have people from all around the world joining us both in person and on occasions virtually via the internet. Now we are the disciples of the 21^st Century, our mission is the same as those original disciples. Go out, share the Good News by our actions and our words, loving God and our neighbour. Helping Jesus to renew the face of the earth.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Solemnity of Pentecost

CCC 696, 726, 731-732, 737-741, 830, 1076, 1287, 2623: Pentecost
CCC 599, 597,674, 715: apostolic witness on Pentecost
CCC 1152, 1226, 1302, 1556: the mystery of Pentecost continues in the Church
CCC 767, 775, 798, 796, 813, 1097, 1108-1109: the Church, communion in the Spirit

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• The success of the forthcoming Diocesan Life in the Spirit programme starting in June.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation who have their retreat this weekend.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
• Paisley, Gayram, Miracle, Emily and Marina who are being baptised at St Bede’s this weekend and Allesandro who was baptised recently at St Michael’s.

1 Placid Murray OSB, 100 Liturgical Homilies, [The Columba Press, Dublin, 1988]50.

A key element of our Faith is the dialogue we have with God; which we call prayer. In our scripture readings today, we have examples of prayer. In the Gospel, we have Jesus praying to the Father. He is offering prayer by glorifying the Father and at the same time, telling the disciples that He has completed [or will soon complete] the work His Father set him.

He also prays for the disciples, acknowledging that they have accepted Him as the Christ, sent by God Almighty.

When I was reading this in preparation for today, my mind drifted to the parable of the servants who had been entrusted with 5 talents or 2 talents or 1 talent, each according to his ability [Matt 25:14]. If we recall the first servant invested his talents and doubled them and so did the second servant. The third servant was too afraid to lose what he had, so buried the single talent entrusted to him. He was condemned for his laziness.

If we compare this parable with what Jesus did with the talents he was given; He turned sinners and tax-collectors, as well as fishermen and Zealots into Apostles; these men formed the foundations of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, which has reached the whole world; teaching and spreading the Good News that Jesus is the Salvation of the World. Jesus in turn asks us to use the talents we have been given and asks us to be productive, we are not to keep our Faith [our talents] to ourselves, we are called to be like the Apostles and to spread the Good News to those we meet.

In the first reading, we have the Apostles and other disciples, meeting with Our Lady and other women. They spent their time in prayer.

Can we imagine what that room was like?

Can we imagine being in their presence?

They also used this time to be active and planned for the next stage of the growth of the Church, it was during these days that they selected Mathias to replace Judas, again they did this in prayer and then sought Divine intervention by casting lots. We are called to follow the example of the Apostles and to pray.

At this time, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all Christians, so that the Church founded by Jesus and developed by the Apostles can be one again. We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on those preparing for Confirmation, so that they can reignite the faith of those around them, just like the Apostles and the other disciples did, that Pentecost Sunday. We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to restore peace in our world. We pray for our leaders that they will see the value of every person from conception to natural death and that they will work to ensure that every person they serve is given every opportunity to thrive and contribute to Society.

We also remember that prayer, being a dialogue, involves listening. In the quiet during our prayer time, we need to follow the example of the Apostles and listen. What does God ask us to do? The Apostles used this time to plan the next stages of the Church, do we ask during our prayer time how God wants us to be involved in the next stages of the Church? Bishop Philip has a ten-year plan, have we looked at how we can actively engage with this?

Pope Francis in his message for World Communications Sunday [today] urges us to listen and to speak with the heart. He reminds us that in order “to communicate well we must love well”. Pope Francis takes inspiration from St Francis de Sales and St John Henry Newman in his message to the world.¹ Emphasising that communication should never be thought of as merely a sales pitch to get our message across, but should be one where relationship between the one transmitting the message and the one receiving it is crucial.

We can sometimes think that these things are difficult, that it is only really special people that God calls, that we are not able to do God’s work. But that is not true. Jesus called ordinary men and women to be His disciples. Some of them were named as Apostles and they were commissioned to go out to the whole world and Baptise in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Every single person who has been Baptised is an adopted child of God; we are all special, we have all been baptised as priest, prophet and king and this makes us all heirs to the kingdom. We have all been given a task to do, a task that only we can do.

This time, between the Ascension and next weekend when we celebrate Pentecost is a special time for us, we are encouraged to pray every day; these nine days formed the original Novena. I am following the Novena through a link from ‘Pray more Novenas’², this is an organisation which prays Novenas throughout the year and sends out daily reminders when they are on. It is a really useful way of being reminded to pray the Novena. [I have placed a link to this Novena and to another for a New Pentecost for the Church below].

Jesus told the Apostles to go and stay in Jerusalem and await the gift He had promised; that gift is the Holy Spirit. We therefore join in prayer with Catholics around the world and pray for that gift, it is a gift promised to all who believe. The promise was made by Jesus and Jesus keeps all of His promises.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Seventh Sunday of Easter: prayer and the spiritual life

CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 312, 434, 648, 664: the Father glorifies Christ
CCC 2614, 2741: Jesus prays for us
CCC 726, 2617-2619, 2673-2679: at prayer with Mary

Novena to the Holy Spirit – Pentecost Novena PRAYERS – Pray More Novenas – Novena Prayers & Catholic Devotion

Novena to the Holy Spirit for a New Pentecost for the Church – Novenas – Prayers – Catholic Online

What happened between the Ascension and Pentecost? (aleteia.org)

Pope’s Communications Message 2023 – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• Those attending the RCIA programme at St Bede’s on Wednesday evenings.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
• The 16 families due to complete the Baptism Preparation Programme at St Bede’s this weekend.

1 Pope’s Communications Message 2023 – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)

2 Novena to the Holy Spirit – Pentecost Novena PRAYERS – Pray More Novenas – Novena Prayers & Catholic Devotion

In the Gospel used today, which is from the words Jesus used at the Last Supper, we hear Jesus tell the disciples; and us; that He will ask his Father to send an Advocate to be with us. An advocate is someone who speaks on behalf of, or who stands beside someone offering them support. This Advocate, is the Holy Spirit, called from the Father’s side to be at our side until the end of time.

Fifty years ago on Wednesday [10^th] I received the Sacrament of Confirmation, this was when I completed my Sacraments of initiation into the Church. The Catechism tells us that “Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life; Confirmation which is its strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ’s Body and Blood for his transformation in Christ.”[CCC 1275] In all honesty, I do not remember much about the evening when I was Confirmed, but fast forward 46 years and I can vividly remember the peace I felt when the Bishop laid his hands on me nearly four years ago at my Ordination; it was a peace that stayed with me for several months.

Within our diocese, and others around the world, Confirmations are happening at this time of year. The Church Liturgy is starting to prepare us for the Feast of Pentecost in two weeks’ time, and today we hear of some of the early Confirmation’s in the Church, which happened in Samaria. Holy Ghost Parish has over 50 young people going to the Cathedral next month to receive this Sacrament; I would like to encourage everyone to pray for these young people and for the Parish that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on them will strengthen their faith, enrich their lives, their families and all of us.

Jesus is calling each of us to be in relationship with Him and He tells us if we love Him then we will keep his commandments. Jesus summed up the commandments as loving God and loving our neighbour. When we think about these two distinct elements, I would like us to ask ourselves –

What have I done this week to show God that I love Him? And –

How have I loved my neighbour this week?

For me, the answer to the first question is that while away on holiday in the United States, I found that the Mass times last Sunday all seemed to clash with functions associated with the Wedding we were attending, except for one evening Mass, in another part of the town – which was in Spanish. So we went to the Mass in Spanish on Sunday evening. This helped me to realise that my knowledge of what is being said at Mass depends so much on those around me. When I tried to remember the prayers and responses in English, I found that I struggled at parts as those around me were speaking in their Mother tongue, which was not familiar to me.

As for loving my neighbour, I found that America, like parts of this country has an underlying poverty which is just below the surface. As we left our hotel to go and find somewhere to eat on our first evening there, we met Leroy, who simply said to me ‘I’m hungry man’. I asked him where I could get him something to eat, and he took me there. I arranged for him to get some food and as we left him, he stopped us and gave us a blessing, thanking Jesus for what we had done for him. I thank God that he introduced Leroy to us that evening; it helped to reinforce for me how much we need to be ready to help others when they are in need. Leroy never asked for help, he just stated that he was hungry and trusted in God that those who heard would respond.

When we hear in today’s Gospel the words of Jesus “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”, how do we feel about how much we love Jesus? Does the way we keep His commandments demonstrate how grateful we are to Him for what He has done for us? If not, what do we need to do this week to improve?

Our relationship with Jesus is not one sided. Jesus died to save us, He expects us to die to ourselves and to serve God and our neighbours. Jesus knows that this is difficult if we are alone, that is why He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, to guide us and strengthen us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus died for us because He loves us. In today’s second reading St Peter is urging us all to live a good life, be prepared to share why we live a good life, keep our consciences clear. Live as Jesus lived and be prepared to suffer as He suffered. Offer our sufferings up to the Father, pray for help when we are struggling and allow the Advocate [The Holy Spirit] to guide us back to the Father when our time on this earth is over.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Sixth Sunday of Easter

CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 243, 388, 692, 729, 1433, 1848: the Holy Spirit as Advocate/Consoler
CCC 1083, 2670-2672: invoking the Holy Spirit

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Our young people who are receiving Holy Communion for the first time this weekend.
• Our young people preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• Those attending the RCIA programme at St Bede’s on Wednesday evenings.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.
• The families due to begin the Baptism Preparation Programme at St Bede’s this weekend.

Today we are being reminded to keep Jesus at the centre of everything we do as Christians. We see in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles how the early Church had to adapt and evolve to keep Christ at the centre.

The early Church had people from different traditions, nationalities and background’s, meaning that there was the potential for disputes to arise. The Apostles recognised this and asked the other disciples to nominate some from among the faithful to take on some of the pastoral roles within the early Church. Seven men were chosen to serve, these are recognised today as the first deacons, the word deacon coming from the Greek diakonos, meaning servant.

As Jesus gave an example at the Last Supper of serving; so too are we all as Christians asked to serve those in need. Ordained deacons are those who have received formation and, like the apostles did for those first seven men, the bishop; as successor to the apostles; lays his hands on those chosen to serve as deacons.

The Apostles, by deciding to delegate the tasks of serving the Community to those first seven men, were then free to keep Jesus at the centre of their lives, allowing them to continue to help spread the Good News.

In the second reading St Peter writes that Jesus, who had been rejected by the Jews, was the keystone for the Salvation of mankind. He added that for those who could not or would not accept Jesus as the keystone then they would find that the keystone would become a stumbling block which would bring them down. St Peter said that believers in Jesus have become part of “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, we are a people set apart to sing the praises of God, who has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

When I hear the Gospel used today, I am taken back to the days when I was still at primary school and was an altar server at my local Parish. This text was used at many funerals, and I am certain it brought comfort to those who were mourning. When Jesus said “In my Father’s house there are many rooms”, He was telling us there is a place for us, and that he would ensure it is prepared for us.

In the second part of this Gospel reading, we are reminded how we can reach that place. It is only through Jesus; as the Way, the Truth and the Life; that we can get to our heavenly home. As we were told in last week’s readings, we need to listen to the Good Shepherd’s voice; as all other voices who claim to lead us home are thieves and brigands.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Fifth Sunday of Easter

CCC 2746-2751: Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper
CCC 661, 1025-1026, 2795: Christ opens for us the way to heaven
CCC 151, 1698, 2614, 2466: believing in Jesus
CCC 1569-1571: the order of deacons
CCC 782, 803, 1141, 1174, 1269, 1322: “a chosen race, a royal priesthood”

Please keep in your prayers this week

• The success of the pastoral area formation programme ‘The Wild Goose’ which we are using as part of the Year of the Holy Spirit.
• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• All who are preparing to receive Sacraments for the first time.
• Those attending the RCIA programme at St Bede’s on Wednesday evenings.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those preparing to be ordained to the priesthood or diaconate.

This weekend the United Kingdom is celebrating the coronation of the new King. Many in this country are proud of the pomp and ceremony which Britain does very well. The Coronation is an ancient Christian ceremony; which has evolved down throughout the centuries. I pray that the Christian elements of the ceremony are described in such a way by commentators, that many will return to the faith or make enquiries to find out more about Jesus.

The sacred oils used to anoint the King, have been consecrated in Jerusalem. The olives used to make the oil were grown on the Mount of Olives where the King’s paternal grandmother was buried, and the oils have been consecrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem. The King’s late Father, the Duke of Edinburgh, had been baptised into the Greek Orthodox Church prior to becoming an Anglican when he married Queen Elizabeth. For the new King, the oil is not only a symbol of his Christian belief but has personal family connections too.¹ The Sovereign is anointed on his head, hands and breast calling on the Holy Spirit to guide his reign.²

The new king has said he sees himself as someone who will protect faith and not just be the ‘Defender of the Faith’.³ As people of faith, we welcome his resolve to protect our rights to worship and practice our faith. As Christians we are also aware that the celebrations on show for an earthly king will pale into insignificance when compared to the celebrations we hope to be part of when we meet our Heavenly King.

1 Holy oil for King Charles’ coronation consecrated in Jerusalem | Reuters

2 Why are British monarchs anointed? | The Church of England

3 King Charles to be Defender of the Faith but also a defender of faiths | King Charles III | The Guardian