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In October we find ourselves in the Month of the Most Holy Rosary. Hopefully, for many, this already forms part of their Daily Prayer but, throughout this month our Blessed Mother gives us a timely reminder of this great and powerful Prayer through which we may meditate upon the Lives of Her Son and Herself. The Rosary which, time and again, Mary has, in her many Appearances, called on her children to say, presents us with an overview of the History of Salvation as in the New Testament. Thanks to Saint John Paul II (Read his Rosarium Virginis Mariae) this treasury has been enriched by the Luminous Mysteries, which bring before our eyes the part of Our Lord's Public Ministry from His Baptism in the Jordan to His institution of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Last Supper.
One of the beauties of the Rosary is that it can be said by anyone, educated / literate or not, at so many different 'levels'. Adults and children alike can gain great Graces from this Prayer. One way of presenting it is to compare it to a movie of the Lives of Christ and His Mother: the 'scenes' of the Mysteries in our mind's eye are accompanied by the 'background music' of the Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Be's; like many a film it begins joyfully then skips a few years and launches into various episodes of the Hero's Life. Events then take what appears to be a down-turn but, of course there then comes the Happy and Triumphant ending, pointing towards even greater things to come! This Prayer can be said at any time and in any place; maybe as we are travelling to or from work or as we prepare for / give thanks after Mass. It can be said in its entirety or a Mystery at a time. There are probably even Apps for our Smart-phones! In school, children have responded very positively to a Decade at the end of a day. A great apostle of the Rosary was Father Patrick Peyton with his telling slogan that “The Family that Prays together, Stays Together”. The Family Rosary has been, and continues to be, a source of many Graces and Blessings for Parents and Children alike. Our Saviour opened His Arms on the Cross to embrace those He was going to Sacrifice His Life to save, namely fallen humanity which, in the fullness of time, included us. We are now, through our Baptism, responsible for embracing God and so working our way to Heaven, to rest eternally in His Loving Embrace.
The Church offers us, Her children, a treasury of helps to keep us faithful to God and, so, in the State of Grace. Mass and the Seven Sacraments form the core of this treasury. The Teachings of the Church, passed on to us through the Pope, Bishops and Priests, provide, as it were, a ‘road-map’ which will, if followed, together with the Grace of the Sacraments, keep us firmly on the way to Heaven. While a ‘minimum’ of Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation Masses and Confessions will ‘do’, there are additional aids to sanctity which, whether we recognise our need for them or not, are on offer. Every day, for example, we are invited to come and just spend some time in our Parish Church, adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, just being there and talking with Him in the silence of our hearts, open to any inspirations He may put into our minds. Even if physically going to church is not possible (we may well have to be at work) we can still, wherever we may be, tell our Lord of our love for Him and ask for His help in our daily life. If, however parents find themselves at home with children, then why not, even once a week, bring them to adore Our Lord, maybe even staying for Mass afterwards. Just as delicate seedlings need watering, feeding and pruning so the growing faith of our children (and, indeed, our own Faith!) must be carefully cultivated. If our children see us giving Adoration and Mass the importance they deserve and are encouraged by us to do likewise, we are handing to them a priceless treasure which will be with them through the ‘storms’ of life, exceeding in value all the ‘treasures’ of ‘heaven on Earth’ set before us by the advertising media. “Lord, save us or we perish”, cried the terrified Apostles and Jesus, with a gentle rebuke, calmed the raging storm which had threatened to overturn the fragile boat and drown its occupants. This familiar story is, surely, in a way, a picture of everyday life, filled as it is with ups and downs which sometimes seem almost overwhelming.
We live in a very busy, sometimes overactive and often noisy world; the storms that threaten us may be the cares, challenges and troubles of life, whether they be living out our Marriage vows, paying bills or bringing up our children so that they will influence those around them for the better rather than being influenced by those who regard God and Religion as nothing. For many, Sunday, maybe their sole possible weekly visit to church for Mass, those few minutes before Mass starts provide a rare opportunity for a moment of quiet calm contemplation; perhaps it is their main respite from the hurly-burly of life. They may come early because they recognise that they have a real need to prepare themselves for the Holy Sacrifice, and to ask for God’s Grace to help them in the sacrifices they may be called to make during the week ahead. Whether we, personally, feel the need to pray or not (although we all need to prepare ourselves for, as the Fathers of Vatican II, spoke of, “…full, conscious and active participation…” in the Mass) charity surely demands that we consider those who do wish to speak with God, those who need this weekly oasis in which to rest in God's Embrace, the calm in the eye of the storm of life! Sorrowing Parents, Pupils and their Teachers were once attending the Requiem Mass of one of the students who had, sadly, died of Leukaemia. During the homily, a baby began to cry. Father brought this into his thoughts. “Although we are, today, mourning the death of a loved one, we have just been reminded by that cry that, though some lives must end, others will begin”. He reminded us all of the vital place that our children hold in the Church.
While we might, for example, object to our prayers and contemplation being disturbed by audible conversations among adults, we will, surely, take heart at the sound of a baby’s cry or the voice of a small child; these little ones are reminding us that, through God’s Gift of life and the generosity of Parents who conceive and nurture them, the Family of the Faithful will, as Jesus promised, live on. Christ said, when His Apostles would have sent children away, “Let the little ones come to me…” On another occasion we are told by Him that we must become child-like (not childish) ourselves, showing that unconditional love and trust to God that a child shows to his or her parents. Just as our children depend on us, their Parents, to bring them to birth, feed and clothe them, they depend on us, too, in a more profound and critical way; parents as the first teachers of their children are in the forefront of their education in and practice of, the Faith. Children need to become familiar with the church and the Mass from as early an age as possible. While part of their education in the Faith will, indeed, involve developing a reverent silence in church, however, Parents must not be self-conscious if the children express themselves as only little ones can! Every time we hear the cry of a cry of a baby or the voice of an infant, we must thank God and Parents for the continuing life of the Community of the Faithful. Our children are the sign of our Love, demonstrating that as Catholics, we do not go along with the often anti-life mentality of the world. They are the Adults – Parents, Priests and Religious – of the future. Following the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity we celebrate Holy Communion itself, the precious treasure which Christ first gave (His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) to His Apostles at the Last Supper and which He longs, every day, to give to us, not as a reward for being good but as help to that end.
Thanks to the present English translation of the text of the Mass we can clearly ponder, just before Communion, the fact that, in ourselves, we are totally unworthy to have God come into our body and soul; echoing the words of the Centurion, we declare, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the Word and my soul shall be healed”. In this profound prayer we not only admit our fallen human nature but we proclaim our firm belief that Christ can, in His Goodness, if we are truly sorry, drive out sin. It is because Jesus, God the Son, actually comes to each of us personally that the Church insists upon our being in the State of Grace, i.e. free from Mortal Sin; she requires us, also, under normal circumstances, to fast for one hour (water and medicines excepted) before receiving Communion. Hopefully, realising the importance of the Food of our Souls compared to earthly food, this is no big deal; we might also remember that, decades ago, the fast was 24 hours. This was then reduced to three hours, now one. Should we feel that our desire for Holy Communion is not as strong as it ought to be then two child-martyrs, Saint Tarcisius and a Chinese girl, Little Li, who both gave their lives for the Holy Eucharist in times of persecution, will help us to re-kindle our love for the closest union with our God before He embraces us in Heaven. Read the stories of Saint Tarcisius and Little Li on the internet. Remember, too, that in various parts of the world, our Brothers and Sisters are still risking their lives for the Privilege of going to Communion. Wonderful stories, here, to inspire you and your children! Happy Feastday! For anyone who has had, in the past, or currently, has doubts or unanswered questions about our Wonderful Catholic Faith or finds the Teachings of the Church challenging, the Apostle, Saint Thomas, is most definitely for us! Often popularly known as Doubting Thomas, he is a likely intercessor for those who find themselves unsure in any way about the Beliefs, Teachings and Practices of the Church. His declaration that he would not believe in Christ’s Resurrection unless he could see and touch his Risen Lord, followed by his later heartfelt and, probably, shamefaced cry of “My Lord and my God”, on seeing Christ, should give us more hope that our own questionings are well understood by God Who, as the psalmist says, knows us intimately!
Our Lord, Himself, of course, is ever patient and, through His Church, wishes to enlighten us if we will but turn to Him. Standing in His place, our Priests are near at hand and ever-ready to help; together with their Seminary Formation and the Grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, they generally have a wealth of Pastoral experience and, while they cannot simply make doubts and fears disappear, they will surely be able to point us, should we be willing, in the right direction. It can be very instructive to read of those who have lapsed from the Faith, perhaps due to ignorance or misunderstanding of the Teachings of the Church (maybe having been influenced by the warped or distorted views of those who reject and oppose the Church) and, later in life, have found help in returning, often filled with a desire to bring others back to share their joy. There are also the conversion stories of those who have come into the Church from other Faiths. The sacrifice that may be asked of converts is clearly portrayed in Joseph Fadelle’s book, The Price to Pay, chronicling his conversion from Islam. Whether one is strong in Faith or not, such literature is a useful way of deepening one’s own Faith and Commitment, helping us to more clearly understand our own Faith. With The Holy Father’s call for Evangelisation comes a call to deepen one’s personal Faith and, of course, to be aware of how vital is one's example in living it which can say more than words alone ever could. Ignatius Press (www.ignatius.com) is one source of faithful Catholic literature to help us on our way. Think of the Spirit of God’s Love. In the Acts of the Apostles we hear Peter, our first Holy Father, proclaiming the universality (Catholic actually means Universal) of God’s Redeeming Love; in fact, if any souls are, finally, excluded from Heaven it will be solely due to their having knowingly refused God’s Loving Embrace, an invitation which continues to the very end of each life on Earth. God respects our free-will; He will not force us. Saint John, calls us to love one another as God loves us; God doesn’t just love us. He is Love itself, shown most clearly in His sending of His Divine Son to suffer and re-open the way to Heaven. Christ’s words to His Disciples re-emphasise His Loving Sacrifice of Himself on the Cross and the message that it is in obeying God that we not only prove our love for Him, but stay safe in His Arms, protected from evil.
Parents will readily understand this; you would move heaven and earth, surely even risk your lives, to keep your children from harm and they, hopefully, will grow to realise that they are safest when they (maybe reluctantly at times!) allow themselves to be guided by your ‘do’s and don’ts’; as they grow up they come to understand the great love which, sometimes, means that Mum and Dad will say ‘no’ or will insist that such and such be done, knowing better than their offspring what lies behind things which may appear very attractive. It may, sometimes, be hard to convince others of the rightness of the more challenging Teachings of Jesus, however we need look no further than His own example; when certain of His followers decided to desert Him, unable to accept His Central Teaching on Holy Communion, His Body and Blood as our Food of Life, He did not water things down but asked the Twelve who remained, “Will you also go away?”. May Love help us pursue the Truth, come what may! We, sadly, hear regular reports in the media about ongoing persecution of Christians around the world, sometimes involving their abduction and murder; these acts have, sometimes, been carried out by people claiming to be Muslims, saying that they are following God's Will.
Devout Muslims, worldwide, have rejected these acts. It is becoming increasingly clear that godless acts are being carried out in their name. If we take a look at the Biblical roots of Islam, we will see how justified Muslims are in abhorring acts of violence and other intolerance committed by extremists against Christians and Jews. Such common ancestry includes notably, Abraham, “Our father in faith” (Eucharistic Prayer 1). We will find situations where Christians and Muslims coexist, where Muslim women, for instance, willingly use medical facilities provided by Religious Sisters. The Papal Charity, Aid to the Church in Need, provides in-depth and objective reporting on the world's persecuted Christians and, heartening examples of peaceful coexistence. Visit Aid to the Church in Need for a comprehensive overview. What is called for is Prayer for moderation, that extremist trends in Islam will give way to forces of moderation and tolerance. In all this we must. of course, be truthful and objective, not "papering over the cracks". While both Muslims and Christians proclaim belief in the one God, for example, Muslims explicitly do not share our faith in the Divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit and the exalted status we give to Mary, the Mother of God. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us and for all who help us show love to our persecuted Brothers and Sisters, redeemed by your Son. We have heard Jesus remind us that, “If a man serves me he must follow me” Through the Mass and the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Confession, we have, readily to hand, the means by which we may follow Our Lord and live in (or even regain) the State of Grace and so be constantly prepared for our Judgement and Eternity.
We have also heard through the Charity, Aid to the Church in Need, how for the Faith from which, sadly, we can be tempted to lapse or to practice indifferently, others of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ daily incur persecution, exile and even death for publicly practising. Bishop Patrick noted the generosity of our Parish when it comes to giving financial aid to those who, on our behalf, help those in the world who are often living in dire poverty or, as we have heard, are denied their freedom to practise their Faith. Of course, as we will appreciate, this open-handedness is only of real value when it is underpinned by Faith as it is then united to God, the Author of all Goodness. While we may be limited, financially, in what we can give, spiritually we are only limited by our own determination; “Ask and you will receive….”; beginning with our Morning Offering we can dedicate every prayer, work, suffering and joy of each day to helping those who are in need of any kind. Every moment of the day can become a prayer if it is offered to God and lived in union with His Grace. As the story of The Widow’s Mite illustrates, unlike the world, God looks into our hearts and not at externally ‘significant’ actions in our lives Saint Pope John Paul II, in Domicae Cenae (1980), said, of Eucharistic Worship, that it is “….both in the celebration of Mass and in our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament….like a life-giving current that links our ministerial….Priesthood to the common Priesthood of the Faithful…”.
As we are now privileged, at St. Bartholomew’s, to be invited to adore Our Lord every day of the week, it is fervently hoped that, gradually, more and more of our Parish Community will answer Christ’s call. Even a brief visit, a reverent genuflection, maybe taking five minutes out of a busy day, can be a source of great Graces and Blessings; with very young children this can gradually be built up into longer visits as they come to appreciate and love God’s presence and never-ending Love for them and their Parents. There is a touching story of a man who, daily, would pop into church, genuflect, saying, “Jesus, this is Jim. I have to be going now. Will you come with me?” and then leave. There came the day when he was involved in a fatal accident. As he lay there, life ebbing away, he heard, “Jim, this is Jesus. I have to be going now. Will you come with me?”. This holds a clear lesson for all; if we are, to the best of our understanding and ability, faithful to Jesus, He will more than repay our love when we die. There is only one day of the year, Good Friday, when Our Blessed Lord is not present in the tabernacle. Even then we would wish to show great reverence in church; how much more, then, should we wish on every other occasion, to show those who see us, believers or not, that we are, truly, in the Presence of God. Bishop Emeritus Fabian Bruskewitz, has this to say: “..we should (even) try to be respectful and silent in church after Mass, in consideration of those who may be trying to make their thanksgiving Prayers”. We are very lucky in this Parish as groups of our fellow-Parishioners already pray the Morning Prayer of the Church before each weekday Mass and, afterwards, pray the Rosary. On some days they also pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Why not join them in swelling the river of Prayer, both for ourselves, our Families and for our suffering Brothers and Sisters who may, even today, be killed for publicly showing the Faith we can take for granted! |
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
A Registered Incorporated Charity - CIO No. 1173050
A Registered Incorporated Charity - CIO No. 1173050
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