Draft of a Homily for Domenica in Albis

This Sunday is traditionally known as Domenica in Albis – the Sunday for the taking off of the white clothes.  In the Early Church, adults would have been welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night and would have worn their white baptismal robes to Church for the following eight days – the Octave of Easter - as a reminder to themselves and to others of the new life they had received in baptism.  However, this Sunday they would set their white robes and would be reminded that whilst their way of dress would no longer mark them out as new Christians, their way of life should continue to do so as they did their best to keep their baptismal promises and walk in the way Christ taught them.

Our First Reading gives us a picture of the Apostles and their followers living as a distinctive community whose teaching and way of life was different from the society around them.  If we look at the history books we see that their distinctive way of life led to both the admiration and the contempt of members of the broader society around them.  Because they recognised that Christ was the Lord and that there is only One God, they would not worship the Roman emperor as a god or take part in the pagan worship of the state.  The fact that Christians were equally accepting of slaves and the nobility as brothers and sisters in Christ led to them being mocked for their disregard of the social order.  Because of the Christian principles of respect for all life and the duty to care for the vulnerable, the first Christians would have nothing to do with the Roman custom of leaving sickly new-born babies to die on the rubbish heap – and indeed, often adopted such abandoned babies.  Those who would have no truck with the Christians dismissed this as weak-mindedness, but this Christian example of compassion gradually won many admirers.  Likewise, Christ’s teaching about marital fidelity was radically counter-cultural when men saw it as their right to cast off one wife and take up with another – but the Christian community stayed loyal to the teaching of Christ in recognising the importance and dignity of marriage as a path to holiness for husbands and wives alike.  In short, part and parcel of the Christian life is living a challenging sort of life, made possible by Christ’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the support of the Christian community.

The challenge to us today is to recognise that we too have received the same Holy Spirit – we have the same religious and spiritual DNA as the Christians of the Early Church, and whether we are a small minority or a majority of the population, the challenge to us is the same – to live lives in Communion with Christ and with one another and to bear witness to the Gospel values taught by Christ and passed on by the Church under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  If we have been baptised, we have been challenged to live a life of faith, basing what we say and do on the Gospel.  St John tells us, “this is what loving God is – keeping his commandants; and his commandments are not difficult because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world.”

Objectively speaking, God’s commandments are challenging, are difficult.  I don’t think we should understand St John to be telling us that the Christian life is a breeze.  Rather, He is reminding us that if we truly believe in the power of Him who has given us new life, we will have His help in living that Christian life.  And that Christian life, he reminds us, is something that is in opposition to the world.

There was an interesting survey published during the week – the point of it was to show up the differences between the thinking of Irish Catholics and the teaching of the Church.  I suspect the desired intention was to help make the case that the teachings of the Church don’t match up with what is happening in modern life or with the thoughts of Irish Catholics.  To be frank, I wasn’t at all very surprised at the results of the survey which showed Church teaching to be very much the minority opinion, especially where issues of sexual morality were at issue.  It’s not a surprise because our opinions are shaped by the society around us and the opinion makers – the newspaper editors, the advertisers, the writers of soap operas, TV celebrities and journalists and so on, they’re the ones who are talking to us and shaping our thoughts and influencing our opinions.  The question we must ask is whether they are doing so in order to help us follow Christ and live the kind of life He asks of us.  Is it progress if our beliefs and attitudes do not correspond to anything that previous generations of Christians would have recognised as Christianity?

The question we must ask of ourselves as Christians is whether we are making a genuine effort to understand the kind of life that Christ wants of us?  Or are we accepting the common assumptions of society without criticism.  If we are puzzled about something the Church teaches, or puzzled about something that the media tells that the Church teaches, do we make the effort to find out what the Church actually teaches and why?  Do we spend time with the scriptures and with the Catechism of the Catholic Church in order to discern the call of the Lord?  Do we ever balance the hours and hours of television, radio, newspapers and chat with time spent in prayer and the study of our faith?  Have we ever asked a priest we trust to explain something about Church teaching that puzzles us?  Do we believe enough in Christ and His victory over the world to believe that the way of life He calls us to might involve holding values that do not square with the common consensus of that same world?  Is it more important for us to accept the reasoning of the society around us, or to stay in communion with the followers of Jesus throughout the ages who were not afraid to choose a radical way of life above the values of their time?

When ‘doubting Thomas’ saw the Lord’s wounds and made His profession of faith, Jesus blessed all those who would accept the Apostles’ teaching and believe in Him:

You believe because you can see me.  Happy are those who have not seen, and yet believe.

That describes our situation – those of us who have not seen Christ in the flesh, but who know Him through the life of faith.  We know Him in prayer and in the sacraments, in the scriptures and in the life of the Church.  The prayers of this Mass ask that that knowledge and faith be kept alive and life-giving in our lives, in our minds, in our hearts.  We pray that we will have the courage to entrust ourselves to the Lord & the determination to seek His wisdom to sustain us in our Christian lives.

Addendum:  You need to read The Thirsty Gargoyle's take on the ACP survey.

Homily for the 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings here
A number of my parishioners said some kind things about my homily this morning and said it encouraged them. It's somewhat more 'personal' in tone than most of my homilies, but it seemed like an appropriate time to speak very personally about some of the challenges of priesthood these days.

It has been a tough week and a half to be a priest in Ireland. There is a storm raging around us at the moment, and it’s not always easy to know what to make of it. Because, some of what is happening these days is JUSTICE – hidden things being brought to light – evil, wrongdoing, incompetence, carelessness and neglect being dragged into the light of day. Sunlight is the best detergent – this kind of purification, even when it is painful, is something that we must accept, and even welcome.

Some of what is happening these days is INJUSTICE – some things have been said which are unfair. Hurtful and hate-filled things have been said. So much of the good work done by laity and clergy has been written off and ignored. Anger about Cloyne is justifiable. However, this same anger has blinded some people and led us to the day I never thought I’d never see – the day when the political leaders of our own country would be mounting an assault, trying to crack open the seal of confession. Priests have been willing to die for the sake of that seal.

Some of the criticism the Church has received has been justified. Some of it has not. But, I don’t think that a homily is the right time for me to work through in detail the rights and wrongs of the whole horrid situation. Good and sincere Catholics disagree about where these rights and wrongs and this is not the time for me address that particular controversy.

Because, I very much appreciate that all of you who have gathered here this morning have made your choice to come to Mass. Many of your friends and family, I am sure, take a different decision. Those of you who have come here have probably had a difficult week and a half as well. Some of you probably dread turning on the radio or looking at the newspaper.
Some of you have come to Mass with serious doubts about the Church, or about the clergy. Maybe your faith is battered and bruised. That is understandable. Some of you are here feeling that the Church is getting an unfair whipping and you’re angry with politicians or the media. Maybe you feel like digging in your heels in spite of them. That’s understandable as well. Some of you are probably somewhere between those two positions or don’t really know what to think. That’s understandable as well.

Whatever you feel about being here at Mass this morning, about being part of the Church, can I reassure you of one thing? The real reason that you are here this morning is because God wants you to be here. St Paul in our second reading assures us of this – God has a plan for us, and has chosen us to be the brothers and sisters of his Son. He wants to be at work in us so that we resemble ever more closely Jesus Christ. We must never lose sight of that. God has called us and continues to call us to know His mercy and his love; He invites us to know his friendship and His consolation and the healing power of Christ.

And it is because of that invitation, that call, that I am so upset about the situation in Ireland at the moment. I am upset, first of all at the damage and pain inflicted on victims of cruelty, abuse or neglect. That upsets me greatly.
And I am upset at the fact that this pain and damage and all the aftermath from it – both inside and outside the Church – is cutting people off from the healing power of Christ and His Gospel. Lord knows, we need that healing and that Gospel these days. As a priest, it’s the fact that Christ’s own healing and power is being blocked in so many ways that frustrates me.

I have been in this parish for the past X years and have been a priest for the past Y – I can’t really complain of ever being badly treated in any real way because I am a Catholic priest. I haven’t had to deal with people hassling me or insulting me because of my priesthood. I don’t feel threatened or put upon in the slightest in that way. Quite the opposite, in fact. People have been so good and supportive to me in my priesthood and have been keeping me in their prayers, so I don’t at all get the sense that people want to treat me badly. And I want to make it clear that I am as happy today to be a priest as I was the day I was ordained.

No, the thing that concerns me about the priesthood in the present day and about the future is that because of all the evil things that have happened in the past and because of the way we’re dealing with them today, it’s going to be more and more difficult to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people – and in a time when there is so much pain and confusion, that’s truly disheartening. There is so much out there blocking the Gospel and making it harder to hear the voice of Jesus Christ in our country. That, as I said, is truly disheartening.

Because, I genuinely believe in the ‘pearl of great price’. I believe in the Kingdom of God, I believe that knowing Jesus Christ and trying to do God’s will is worth more than anything else in the world. I believe that there is a greater beauty, a greater power, a greater healing, a greater wisdom and a greater consolation in the Gospel of Christ, the only-begotten Son of the Father, than in all other philosophies.
I believe that NOTHING compares with the fact that the Son of God has come among us as a man, has suffered for us, and invites us to be part of His family, the Church. I believe that there is nothing greater than knowing that we are His brothers and sisters. There is nothing more life-giving than to know Him in Word and Sacrament.

The fact that you too have gathered here in this church for Mass this morning shows that you too know the attraction and power and healing of Christ – and you will understand me when I say that the only healthy and sure way out of our current morass is in turning to Christ with courage and trust asking Him to give us the words and the understanding and the healing that He alone can bring. We won’t find it in our upset, or our anger or our frustration or our disquiet, unless He alone shows it to us. But if He grants it to us, we will find Him despite the darkness we have to face.

Solomon, in our first reading, prospered because he discerned well. He knew what he needed from God in order to rule justly and he asked for it. God heard him, God granted His desire and gave him even more than He asked for because He asked wisely.

We need the spirit of Solomon today – in our weakness, we need to turn to the Lord and ask him to guide us, to give us his wisdom. We need a spirit of prayer. We need a spirit of discernment. We need a spirit of understanding and right judgement to make sense of difficult times. Above all, we need a faith that binds us ever more closely to Christ. In this faith, we need to find a deep compassion for all who are called to be Christ’s brothers and sisters and to be our brothers and sisters as well. The Lord alone can grant that, and the Lord alone can cause his will to be done, even in times of confusion and chaos.

St Paul points us in the right direction – he reassures us, “by turning everything to their good God co-operates with all those who love him.” We see that most clearly of all in the Cross – when Christ brought salvation out of unadulterated evil. All that Christ has to give us comes out of that darkness. We ask Him to do the same for our Church, for our people in Ireland today – to bring His salvation and light out of the darkness and confusion of these days.

An extract from my Christmas Morning Homily

And he dwelt among us.  Literally, in the Greek, it says, he set up His tent among us.  He threw his lot in with us.  It wasn’t just that he passed through – making an appearance and then vanishing like a shooting-star making its way across the heavens.  That would make the Incarnation, the Word becoming Flesh, a wonder – something to be commemorated, but not the mystery we celebrate today.  No, He became one of our tribe in such a way that our sufferings are His sufferings, our victories are His victories.  When he ascends to the right hand of the Father, it is not to abandon us, but rather, to lead us on that same journey.  The manner of His coming shows what He intends.  He wasn’t born in a palace or behind closed doors.  He wasn’t insulated from the hardships of life.  He came among us in a stable where poor shepherds and wise Kings found an equal welcome.  He came to us as a child – so that instead of putting fear into our hearts, He might draw love out of them instead. 

To all who did accept Him, he gave power to become children of God.  That is why we rejoice today.  He didn’t just come among us as a teacher or a guide.  He came to transform us – to make us children of God.  Beginning with the love and wonder we feel when we gaze on Him in the Nativity scene, He wants to transform our entire being – to turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, to bind up our wounds, to give us the strength to walk righteously and to restore our friendship with the Father.  This day, we see the Saviour who has come to search for us, the one who wants to spend time with us.  Come, therefore, and let us find him.  Let us adore Him who is so great.  Let us spend time with Him in prayer.  Let us receive Him in the Eucharist.  Let us know His reconciliation.  Let us see his Glory and learn from his humility.  Let us welcome the One who is the true light.

Something more upbeat...

A friend has taken to describing the Association of Catholic Priests as the Association of Grumpy Priests, so it behoves me to post something uplifting and positive.

Firstly, Don Marco reminds us that we have some wonderful saints to celebrate this week:

I have always experienced the last days of September and the first week of October (September 29 -- October 7) as a moment of spiritual enchantment within the Church Year. Is it the intoxicating effect of Saint Michael's Summer with the peculiar quality of its light? Is it the procession of saints that passes before our eyes, or should I say, through our hearts? These are days almost excessively rich in grace.
Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael descend first on September 29th, in a cloud of incense and a blaze of light. Christ Himself is all their beauty: decus angelorum. Ask them to teach you to gaze with faith and with holy desire upon the Face of Christ, the Human Face of God.
Saint Jerome follows on the 30th, absorbed in the Scriptures, with his lion plodding sleepily along beside him, stopping only for those who need a word of encouragement in the labour of lectio divina. Ask him to obtain for you the grace to practice lectio divina as a Holy Communion with Christ.
On October 1st a young Carmelite smiles: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, Doctor of the Church. As she passes she lets roses fall; she says nothing, but in her eyes shines a message of confidence for the sinners whose company she has always preferred. Ask her for an increase of hope.
And there are more...

I've also added a new Irish Priest 'blog to my links: Fr John Hogan's Ex Umbris et Imaginibus.  (I almost wish I'd chosen that as the title for my 'blog...)

Over at The Preaching Life, Fr SC recounts a favourite anecdote of a mutual Dominican friend:

During one particular homily one of the preachers recounted a conversation he had with an old friend. This friend had been very successful in business, he was a real high flyer. And as things go, as he succeeded in his business life, he abandoned, or at least 'down graded' his spiritual life, and gave up on the Sacraments. One day the two friends were talking and religion came up. The priest's friend explained who he thought religion was a good idea, but that 'institutional' church was not something for him. He began to explain that he saw God as an energy, somewhere out there, a life force to be tapped into when you needed it. (A common enough idea, these days, by the way.) The learned Dominican retorted "How do you expect me to have a relationship with a battery?!"

I'm probably stealing that one for this Sunday's homily!

Finally, I can't wait to start using the corrected English translation of the Roman Missal which is due to come into effect in just over a year's time.  The current translation regretably obscures some of the more theologically powerful parts of our Mass.  I've often wanted to preach on a particular liturgical point but don't really fancy beginning a homily with the words If you look up the Latin text of this prayer... Anyway, the Church Music Association of America have produced Youtube videos of the new Mass texts chanted. Have a listen to get used to the new texts, and hopefully these videos will encourage those priests who can sing to use these melodies when the corrected translation comes into effect. 

Palm Sunday Homily

Could there be a greater contrast between the two gospels we hear today? In the first, Christ is welcomed joyfully into Jerusalem as Messiah; in the second, he is hauled outside the city to be crucified as a common criminal. And in that second Gospel – the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Luke – practically every sort of human weakness is to be seen.

We see:

• The apostles bickering at the table of the Last Supper
• The proud boasting of Peter
• The drowsiness of the Apostles who would not watch with Christ
• The traitor Judas betraying his beloved Master with a kiss.

We see:

• The disciples strike out with violence
• The rough treatment given by the guards
• The three-fold denial of Christ by Peter
• The cruel teasing of the soldiers
• The vengeance of the Chief Priests
• The cowardice of Pilate who passes Christ off as someone else’s problem.

We see:

• The mockery of Herod
• The refusal of Pilate to give an honest judgement
• The blood-thirsty fickleness of the mob, a crowd of ordinary people like you or me
• The callousness of the executioners as they go about their work and as they toss dice for Christ’s clothes
• The taunting of the thief who hung alongside Jesus.

And so Christ dies.

And yet, all is not darkness. We also see the compassion of the women of Jesusalem, the repentance of the Good Thief and the conversion of the Centurion. We see the courage of Joseph of Arimathea who claims Christ’s body and the tenderness of the women who lay Him in the tomb.

In the midst of all the darkness, Christ’s will is not broken, and he inspires some few to keep following Him. As the suffering servant foretold by Isaiah, He makes no resistance, but in fidelity to the Father carries out His mission to the end. And by carrying out this mission He offers healing. Christ first heals the ear of the High Priest’s servant. Christ inspires the women of Jerusalem to compassion at a time when the public mood is still baying for His blood. His sufferings bring conversion to the Good Thief and to the Centurion and after His death, Joseph of Arimathea steps forward with courage and the women remain faithful to Him by honouring His dead body.
Christ endured all manner of darkness, all manner of punishment and violence in order to heal us of that same darkness and in order to draw some goodness out of us. We read and re-read the Gospels so that our hearts may be softened by His grace, His teaching and His example. We ask Him, by His Passion and Death, to make us humble and faithful to His saving words.

This week is the most important week of the year. During our Holy Week and Easter ceremonies we walk with Christ step-by-step, hour-by-hour through the events which bring us salvation. We enter Jerusalem with joy, we share a meal with Him at the Last Supper, we follow Him to the Cross with our own burdens and struggles and then we wait at the tomb with hope, awaiting the victory of His Resurrection.

I ask you to do this with minds and hearts fully prepared. I appeal to each and every one of you to make the most of this week by making a good confession. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been away for a long time. It doesn’t matter whether you have something big on your conscience or if it’s just that there are lots of small things which have built up over a while. There’s no good reason to put it off Christ’s forgiveness, and every reason to make a good Holy Week. May Christ, by His Passion and Death, lead us to the Glory of His Resurrection, Amen.

Christmas Night Mass Homily

[This is still in draft form, so please forgive my infelicities of thought and style.]

After the passage of countless centuries from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth and formed man and woman in his own image, and very many centuries from the time when after the flood the Almighty had set his bow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant and of peace; in the twenty-first century from the migration of Abraham, our father in faith, from Ur of the Chaldees; in the thirteenth century from the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses; in about the thousandth year from the anointing of David as king according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; in the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the City of Rome; in the forty-second year of the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus; while the whole world was at peace, Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the Eternal Father, desiring to consecrate the world by his most gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and when nine months had passed after his conception, is born as man in Bethlehem of Judah from the Virgin Mary: the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh. (Christmas Proclaimation)

Throughout the world, on ‘this holy night’ (cf. Opening Prayer), parishes gather together to hear the Christmas proclamation and celebrate the great feast of Our Lord’s birth. Individuals and families make their way out of the cold and darkness, into the warmth and light of our Christmas celebration. It’s no coincidence that we gather in the darkest time of the winter to hear how the true light of the world came in our midst.
The Door of Humility
And as we think of millions who gather, like us, to celebrate this feast, let us turn our minds in a particular way to the City of Bethlehem, where Christian memory has preserved the place where Christ was born of Mary twenty centuries ago. A church has stood on that spot for the past 1,700 years, and beneath the Church is the grotto itself, the cave-stable where the Word of God came into this world. The spot is marked a silver star set into the floor, with a Latin inscription: Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. But to reach that that star, to go into the grotto one must first get into the Basilica of the Nativity itself. The main entrance of the Church is called the Door of Humility – and is less than 4½ feet high! It’s not possible for anyone – no matter how great or good – to get to Christ’s birthplace without bending down! Of course, it was God Himself who bowed down first, coming among us in poverty to share our condition.
The Mind of a Child?
Because God has bowed down, to come among us, let us too bow down in humility and spend a little time at the crib. Have you ever seen little children being brought to look at the crib? They’re fascinated by it – the angels, the shepherds, the Kings, the animals, Mary and Joseph, and at the heart of it all, the baby Jesus – so small, and yet the centre of attention. Christ tells us that we must be like little children (cf. matt 18:3), and this is – I think – especially true at this Christmas celebration. Children are filled with wonder and joy at Christmas. The Christmas story is one that a child can grasp. But it’s not just a children’s story. It’s not just something for children to wonder at. Our wonder and joy should be just as great as that of the smallest child learning about the crib for the first time. Our adult faith should be continually astonished that our God has come among us in such humility – as a small baby, in a cave, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger, cared for and dependent on a carpenter and his young wife. We who have seen something of life should renew our amazement and joy this night – because God Himself has come among us, has put Himself at our mercy, has come to show His love and win our love in the greatest humility. If anything, we should be even more astonished than the children!
Not a Children's Story
This is no fable or fairy story. There is no history or life more real than that of the little child, born in poverty, coming into a world of darkness. There is still much darkness and poverty in the world – in the Bethlehem of today, and in so many other places. There is a darkness and poverty in the corners of our own lives too. And yet, the true light has come into the world and we are invited to welcome Him.
Venite Adoremus
Come let us adore Him. Let us take the time to truly worship Him this evening. Let us be joyful and grateful this night. If we do not take the time to adore the child in the manger, we cannot know God or His peace. True peace and true communion are offered to the world through that little child. If we bow down and worship Him, turn our hearts and minds to adoration of Him, we will know that God is truly among us. If we worship Him in His innocence and humility, we will become what we worship. God has come among us as a child, has shared our life and our struggles so that we might have a share in His life, His peace and His glory.

Introduction to Creed
Let us stand for the Profession of Faith – and because it is Christmas, we genuflect at the words “and was made man” in honour of God's humility in coming among us.

Prayers of the Faithful
With joy and confidence in the power of God who came among us as a man, let us make our prayers for the Church and the World:

We pray for the Church throughout the World – that the faith and joy of Christians everywhere may be renewed.

We pray for peace in the world – between nations and peoples, and within families – may the Infant Jesus bless us with His peace.

We pray for all those who suffer – from poverty, ill-health, and despair – through the power of the Holy Spirit and the help of those around them, may this season bring them hope.

We pray for our own intentions – I offer this Mass this evening for all our parishioners – especially for those who find it difficult to celebrate this Christmas.

We pray for our dead – especially those who died during the past 12 months – May the Lord welcome them all into His presence.

Let us Pray
Lord God, you sent your Son among us as our Saviour. May our celebration of His birth deepen our faith and strengthen our hope. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

On the Conversion of St Paul (Extract from a Homily)

If we want to understand St Paul, we need to understand what happened to him on the roads to Damascus. If we want to understand why he wrote so passionately, travelled so tirelessly, was willing to endure shipwreck, imprisonment and beatings, we need to understand what was special about that event. There was a blinding flash of light, a heavenly voice, and a force that knocked St Paul to the ground... extraordinary things indeed, but they don't explain the great change which occurred in Saul of Tarsus. The important thing which happened on the road that day was that Paul met the Risen Lord, and that's what changed his life. And why did this meeting make such an impression? Because in Christ he encountered the mercy and love of God. Christ does not punish Paul for persecuting his followers, but offers him the chance of forgiveness. And Christ doesn't simply say to Paul, "I have forgiven you, let bygones be bygones." No! Through Annanias, Christ invites this former persecutor to become an intimate friend, someone who is entrusted with a mission which is no one else's. That's how God works. That's who God is.
My brothers and sisters, that same meeting happens in the life of every Christian. He presents Himself too us, He dearly wants to meet us. He extends to us the same mercy and makes known to us the same divine love. He invites each and every one of us to that same friendship. He has known each and every one of us from before the foundation of the world and has for each and every one of us a mission which He has entrusted to no other.

Christmas Homily

After the passage of countless centuries from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created heaven and earth and formed man and woman in his own image, and very many centuries from the time when after the flood the Almighty had set his bow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant and of peace; in the twenty-first century from the migration of Abraham, our father in faith, from Ur of the Chaldees; in the thirteenth century from the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses; in about the thousandth year from the anointing of David as king according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; in the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the City of Rome; in the forty-second year of the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus; while the whole world was at peace, Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the Eternal Father, desiring to consecrate the world by his most gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit, and when nine months had passed after his conception, is born as man in Bethlehem of Judah from the Virgin Mary: the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.[1]

There are many ways in which we could try to date the event we celebrate this evening. The Ancient Greeks counted out the years between one Olympic Games and another, putting the birth of Christ in the 194^th Olympiad. The Romans counted from the year their own great city was founded, and marked out time according to the reigns of their emperors. St Luke, when he was writing the history of Christ pinned down that first Christmas by reference to the fact that Quirnus was governor of Syria. Since then, empires have fallen and risen, and all those ways of marking time have fallen into disuse. We now count our years as AD and BC. AD –in the year of our Lord, BC – before Christ.

Christ was born into a world where dates were marked by reference to the great men of the time, or some historical event. Now, however, every time we read a date or talk about an event in history, we mark the time by reference to what happened on that holy night in Bethlehem. The death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, the fall of the Roman empire in 476 AD, the great Fire of London in 1666, the 1916 Easter Rising, September the 11th 2001. The way we number our years reminds us that all of human history can be divided into a before and an after… the preparation for the coming of Christ, and the new era which began with His birth. Cardinal Newman once wrote, “Christ … came to make a new and better beginning of all things than Adam had been, and to be a fountain-head from which all good henceforth might flow.”[2] Tonight we celebrate that new and better beginning, when God himself was born into this world as a little baby.

Look at the crib. Step back from the romance of it for a moment, and it does not look like a promising beginning. A family, forced to leave their home so that they might be taxed, a mother who finds no place to give birth to her baby, but a stable. A baby, wrapped up tight in swaddling clothes, unable even to lift his arm. And yet, this baby, this little child is not only the King promised to the Israelites, but is the Son of God Himself.

It is a scene of love, and of joy too, no doubt. Mary and Joseph rejoice in the birth of his child, but to human eyes it seems an unpromising and poor beginning for a child's life, and not at all like God's new beginning for us all.

The angels know better, they sing, “ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace to men who enjoy his favour.” They see what we now know by faith. They see in that little child God’s favour, God’s generosity to us all. They see what we struggle to understand – that God made himself weak so that all men and women might know Him, love Him and receive His peace, His salvation. The angels see that God does not want to gather his straying children by a show of force, but wants to share our human life so that He can transform it from within. He wants to walk with us, so that we can learn from one like ourselves, He wants to suffer for us, so that He will never be far away when we suffer, He wants to die for us, so that we might no longer have anything to fear from sin and death.

That is what we celebrate tonight. Our ancestors knew how to celebrate this feast, even when they lived in a hardship we can’t imagine. There is the old custom of lighting a candle in the window each Christmas so that Mary and Joseph might have light to guide them on their journey. There was also the custom of setting food out on the table so that the Holy Family might have something to sustain them in their travels. The light of that candle also promised safety to the priest in times of persecution and a welcome to the wanderer in times of hardship. The food was not only for the Holy Family, but was to be shared with anyone who had need.

These customs show that those who went before us realised two things. In their concern for the Holy Family they realised that when Christmas is celebrated, the events which happened in Bethlehem are not trapped in the past… The birth of Christ still matters today, still has effects for us today, and if we celebrate Christmas well, we can, in a sense, be brought back to that stable, to gaze on the Child Jesus and welcome Him with joy!

The second thing they realised is that the celebration of this feast should lead us into a greater love and generosity for those around us. The new and better beginning must take hold in our hearts… If we welcome Christ at Christmas, and if we welcome him in the Eucharist, then we must give birth to Christ ourselves, by having a more Christ-like heart. We must not be afraid to be more generous, more forgiving, more loving, more prayerful, more humble. We must not be afraid to let the idealism and the joy of Christmas touch our hearts. Christ came into the world poor so that our souls might be made rich through him.

“Mary treasured all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” May her prayers help us to give Christ a true welcome this Christmas.

---

[1] Roman Martyrology (The Proclamation of Christmas)

[2] Lectures on the Doctrine of Justification

Another Wedding Homily

I celebrated my second wedding recently. Again, I've changed the name of the bride and groom. (I wonder if posting these homilies is 'keeping me honest' - it makes it less likely that I'll be tempted to recycle them.)
Jer 31:31-34 Ps 144:8-10.15.17-18 1 Jn 4:7-12 Matt 5:1-12

The Exchange of Hearts
After Jennifer and George exchange their vows, they will symbolise this new commitment to each other by the exchange of tokens. And when we were discussing the ceremony, and running through the various options in the rite they told me that they would be exchanging heart-shaped tokens, this brought to mind a few half-forgotten verses:

My true-love hath my heart, and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given.
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss:
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one;
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides:
He loves my heart, for once it was his own;
I cherish his because in me it bides.

In this prayer by the Elizabethan courtier Sir Philip Sidney, the dividing line between religious devotion and romantic poetry seems to fade away. And this is no surprise, because, as we heard in the second reading, God is love. This is the great truth which underpins all of Scripture. A German theologian called Joseph Ratzinger once described the Bible as being the great love story between God and humanity. Creation, the coming of Jesus Christ, his sacrifice for us, and his promises to us; they only makes sense in as much as we understand them as being an expression of love.

Something Ordinary and Extraordinary
Now, I don't want you to think that I’m ‘up in the clouds’ or talking about abstractions when I speak about God and love. Nothing could be further from the truth! When the Bible talks about God and love, it does so in order that we might understand the real meaning of the most basic and important things that we come up against everyday.

Love makes the Difference
You see, we are here to witness George and Jennifer exchange their vows – to commit themselves to life-long faithful companionship as husband and wife. On one level, this is the most natural thing in the world, on another it is an extraordinary act of trust and hope in the future. Because Jennifer and George are making a big commitment to each other. I’m sure they’re a little bit nervous… but they’re also happy, able and willing to make these promises to each other. Precisely because they have grown to love each other, they have come to make this big commitment and make it joyfully. When we speak about the power of love, we’re not speaking empty words… in George and Jennifer we see that this God-given power of love, has prepared them and made them capable of making a real commitment that we applaud them for.

The Meaning of the Marriage Vows
And when they make this commitment, they’ll be using some very realistic and down-to-earth words:

for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health

The future is unpredictable… and one might be tempted to take the negative point of view, and ask whether it’s possible for a couple to commit themselves

for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health

However, love comes first… and love prevails over all circumstances… and if we bear that in mind we realise that the vows that they make to each other come before these circumstances of better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health. It is because they have bound themselves to each other that they can faithfully face whatever life has in store for them knowing that because of the exchange of hearts they will have the other to rely upon. The bond of marriage is a binding-together that makes them both stronger. George, you will always have Jennifer to support you. Jennifer, you will always have George to rely on.

A Sacramental Writing on Each Other's Heart
Our first reading speaks of God writing on the hearts of the people he has chosen – a sign of love and closeness. When George and Jennifer exchange their vows, they write on each other’s heart. Their life together will be a communion of hearts. What they do today is the beginning of something which they will be continuing for the rest of their lives.

The Life-long Necessity to Renew this Sacrament
George and Jennifer – I encourage you to cherish this day. Keep the memories of this day alive to remind yourselves of where your priorities lie, and where joy is to be found in this life. Remember to keep giving your hearts to each other, and to always cherish the gift of the other’s heart.

The Vocation of Married Love
This is how you will continue to grow more deeply in love as a couple, how you will best face life with confidence, how you will learn to be good parents, friends, family-members and neighbours to those around you. The living-out of this day is where your joy and satisfaction are to be found. It will involve hard work, there will be ups and downs, but the important thing is to remember that from this day forth you will always have each other.

Our second reading ends with the following words:

As long as we love one another
God will live in us
And his love will be complete in us.

Take these words to heart, know that this congregation is with you and that you have a special place in the thoughts and prayers of those friends and family who cannot be here today.
Your family and friends support and encourage you, the Church blesses you with the blessing of Christ.
May the adventure of married love which you begin today, bring you joy and fulfilment, in this world and the world to come.

Wedding Homily

I celebrated my first wedding today, and preached the following homily. The name of the Bride and Groom have been changed.

1 Cor 12:31-13:8; Ps 102; Jn 15:9-12

Love the Foundation
It is a central truth of the Christian faith that love is the foundation of all there is. St John tells us that God is love, and we learn that it is out of love that God made the world. In making the world, he crowned his work by creating human beings, male and female, and in making man and woman for each other he showed that it is in love and through love that happiness and new life may be found.

The Redeemer restores the Original Plan
We all realise that this great truth about love is easily forgotten. Sin, selfishness and human weakness blind us to this fact, and it is for this reason that we need a Redeemer. This Redeemer, Christ Jesus, was sent to remind us of this great truth and to enable us to live according to the Law of Love. And in considering this mission of Jesus we see that it is no coincidence that the first public miracle he performed at the wedding feast of Cana. We see too that he caused quite a stir when he spoke of the importance of the permanence marriage and the fact that marriage finds its true meaning in the light of God’s original plan of love. Nor is it a coincidence that St Paul compares the love of Christ for the Church with the love of man and wife. The message is clear – marriage tells us something about God’s love, and God’s love is the foundation and the ideal for marriage.

Marriage and Growth in Christ
Marriage is the way in which most Christians are called to live out their vocation – growing in love and growing to be more like Christ is what you Maria, and you Michael are called to. Through your marriage you will follow Christ and grow in his love by loving each other and the family that God might send you. Therefore, this is a joyful day for us gathered here and for the Church as a whole.

Joy
Jesus speaks to us of love in the gospel you have chosen for this ceremony. When speaking about the love the disciples should have for each other he makes it quite clear that such love brings joy. So too it is with marriage. Maria and Michael, the joy you find in each other’s love has brought you to this church to be joined in holy matrimony. You do so with the legitimate and praiseworthy intention that marriage will bring you an increase in this joy. Never forget this connection between love and joy; never forget to keep this joyful day frequently in your mind and never forget the fact that happiness in marriage, true happiness in marriage, comes from the continual decision of husband and wife to keep loving each other joyfully.

Sacrifice
The joy of marriage does not mean that life will always be easy. Love is not just a vague uplifting emotion that is experienced apart from the challenges and struggles and crises of human life. With Christ as our example, we note that love always carries with it some sacrifice. When St Paul speaks to us of love we recognize in his words a challenge – we must be “patient and kind”; we need to put aside boastfulness, conceitedness, selfishness and resentment. And we know from experience that this is not always easy, but we also know that any temporary happiness or satisfaction we might get from being boastful, conceited, selfish or resentful is short-lived compared to the true happiness of those who learn to excuse, to trust and to hope. And so, if marriage involves making sacrifices for each other, be reassured that this is not simply a burden, but rather the foundation of the happiness that comes from love; this is the only sort of happiness which endures.

The Bond
Finally, we approach the big moment. Maria, you are entrusting yourself to Michael; Michael, you are entrusting yourself to Maria. You are making a life-long commitment of fidelity to each other, forming a bond that cannot be dissolved. This is both something solemn and joyful, and if you are feeling a little nervous I certainly wouldn’t blame you. Just bear in mind that the bond of marriage is not a bond that imprisons, but rather binds you two together in such a way that makes you both stronger, more free, and opens up new opportunities and a new adventure in your lives. Michael, from this day forth you will live your life knowing that Maria is your support. Maria, Michael will now be your strength. The joy you find in each other will help you face life and to live it to the full; the joy you find in each other will be a foretaste of the everlasting joy of heaven.
In a few brief moments, when you exchange vows, a new family will come into being. The Church rejoices in this, shares in your happiness, and promises you, through this holy sacrament, Christ’s blessing, not just today but every day you live hereafter as husband and wife.

Homily for the Vigil Mass of Christmas

A homily for the Vigil Mass of Christmas. This congregation will largely consist of families with children.

Tonight we are waiting. The world has always been waiting. Mankind has always felt the need for salvation; we have always known that things are ‘just not right’ and have called out to God asking Him to intervene and straighten things out.

More than two and a half millennia ago, the prophet Isaiah spoke of this need for salvation. Politically and morally Jerusalem was in a bad way; once again, the Chosen People had turned their back on God. But the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah and gave him words of comfort. God would intervene to put things right for mankind – the land that was called Foresaken and Abandoned would receive a new name: My Delight and The Wedded. The Chosen People are called to trust again in the Lord. God would put things right. But how would this be done?

Would God intervene with great power – destroying the evil and rewarding the good? Would He raise up a new king of Israel to establish a state of justice and peace? Hoping for a powerful God who judges is a risky proposition – can we really be confident that we would end up in the right? And, could we ever think that any earthly king or state can put things right, when the real problems of the world are found within human hearts.

The answer that God gives is the reason for our celebration. He does not come in power and might. He does not come as an earthly king. He sends his Holy Spirit to the Virgin Mary and she is found to be with child. He Himself took flesh from the Virgin. This is why the Old Testament calls Him Emmanuel - God is with us. God Himself became a little baby – a baby called Jesus, a name meaning Saviour. And how does He save us? He does not do so with brute power and might, but the strange weapons of weakness, innocence and love – the weapons by which a little baby can win our hearts.

By coming into the world as a child, God makes possible a new relationship with Him. He makes Himself small so that He is no longer far away from us. He shows us that His love for us is so great that He wants to enter into our world, into our lives and make Himself defenceless in front of us.

By coming to us as a baby He invites us to open our hearts to Him. This is where His salvation begins – by driving out hatred, bitterness and sin and replacing it with His love. During the year we will celebrate His teaching, His Passion, His Cross, His Resurrection and His sending of the Holy Spirit – but tonight our focus is on the beginning. At the beginning is the baby. We look at the little baby in the crib and our hearts open; we learn that He is our God and we realise that the whole world has been changed. We know that the world is not Foresaken or Abandoned, but that Heaven and Earth have been wedded to each other, and God has come to change us so that he might truly delight in us. We know that God has come close to us, and has poured His grace and His love into our world, and for that we give thanks on this Holy Night.

Pope Benedict wrote a letter about hope about a month ago which explains what this mystery of the baby in the crib means to us. He writes: Through him we have become certain of God, a God who is not a remote “first cause” of the world, because his only-begotten Son has become man and of him everyone can say: “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20) [Spe Salvi 26]

I’d like to say a word to the children now. I’m sure you’re all very excited about Christmas, about Christmas dinner and sweets and presents and so on. I hope you all have a fun Christmas. But don’t forget what the fuss is really about – take a little time to look at the baby Jesus in the crib – at home or here in the Church. We are celebrating His birthday at Christmas; so take some time to thank Him for coming into the world to be our best friend who helps us to live good and holy lives. Adults, we could do worse than do the same.

A Homily for the Memoria of St Lucy

A homily prepared for a Mass in St Peter's Basilica marking the Memoria of St Lucy and the anniversary of a friend's admission to the Church. Those who attended the Mass received a rather confused version of the homily as I managed to leave my notes in the sacristy.

We celebrate today the feast of St Lucy. According to the old calendar, this was the shortest day of the year; you will have noticed the darkness as we made our way to the basilica. There is therefore a certain irony in this celebration because Lucy's name means light.

This virgin-martyr of Syracuse is particularly celebrated in the northern countries, which makes it is fitting that this day be the one on which we should also be celebrating with Q the anniversary of her admission to the Church because of her Scandinavian heritage.

I have mentioned the irony that we should be celebrating this feast of Lucy, the woman of light, in the depths of winter. However, the Church’s liturgical year plays itself out over the course of the solar year, and a certain relationship of harmony and counterpoint exists between the two. What better time to mark the arrival of Christ the light of the world, than the time when the light offered to us by the world is at its dimmest? Our celebration of St Lucy, the saint of light, should remind us that Christians are guided by a light which is not of this world.

Those of you who are familiar with the traditional iconography will know that St Lucy is frequently depicted with her eyes on a platter. This is because the early accounts of her martyrdom tell us that prior to being killed her eyes were gouged out. However, despite this she remained firm. The fact that the eyes of her body were dimmed casts into greater relief that there is a higher form of seeing, and another sort of vision. By her blindness, St Lucy showed herself to be stronger and more farseeing than her persecutors. By keeping the eyes of her soul fixed on the light of Christ, her perseverance and her bravery, the example of her faith and her chastity give a testimony which shone forth like a light and won the admiration of Christian and pagan alike.

And so it should be for us. We are Christians living in the world, but as Pope Benedict reminds us, the great hope of our life is not of this world. Our calling is to find the light which guides our steps in the child of Bethlehem, born into the darkness of a winter in obscure provincial town, seemingly bringing little to the world. Compared to the great men of his time and judged by the standards of the world, the birth of this baby must have seemed an irrelevance. However, these great men are now by and large forgotten, whilst the Child of Bethlehem has marked human history in a way unequalled by any other.

And yet, despite His importance by the standards of secular history, the true significance of God made man is not at all evident to worldly eyes. Only by the eyes of our faith can we understand and see His true significance. This is the centre of our lives as Christians. This contemplation of Christ, this allowing ourselves to be guided by the hidden light is what is important. Let us never allow the demands and noise of this world get in the way of it. This is no abandonment of the world however – rather it is central to the Church’s work of bringing sanctification and salvation to this world. She shines as a beacon bringing the light of Christ to the world the more she contemplates her Saviour. We see this written large in the martyrdom of St Lucy. Her dedication to Christ and her resolve to walk by His light alone meant that her steadfastness and bravery shone forth and was recognized by the world. Her devotion to Him allowed his flame to set fire to other hearts. May we never forget that the more we concern ourselves with the Christ who is hidden rather than with our own affairs, the brighter it His light will shine in the world.

A Homily to be Preached at a Public Mass in Convent of Augustinian Nuns

3rd December 2007 - Monday of the 1st Week of Advent (Readings)
[Please pray that this will still be understandable when I render it into Italian]

Sisters and brothers, we find ourselves at the start of the new liturgical year, during the season of Advent. This word Advent comes from the Latin verb advenio and refers to the arrival or coming of the Lord. It is a time of preparation and expectation. Despite not having the strong penitential character of Lent, it is a sober time and one during which we are encouraged to have a conversion of heart in order that we might be ready to welcome the Lord when he comes. In short, Advent is a time of hope – because the Lord is faithful to his promises, and therefore our preparations will not be in vain.
It is therefore very fitting that the Holy Father should give us as an Advent-present his new Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi. He addresses us his words on Christian hope, as we enter this period which is built around the hope of the Christian in the Coming of the Lord.

But what do we mean by the Coming of the Lord? Has not the Lord already come? Is Advent not just the preparation for Christmas, the feast that celebrates the Son of God entering the world? This is true, but our focus is elsewhere during the first half of Advent. We are invited to reflect on the Second Coming of the Lord. The word Advent, Adventus, translates into Greek as Parousia – the word used to refer to coming of the Lord in glory and judgement at the end of times. Looking around the world, we see that there is much injustice and suffering – and if history is to make sense, then there is need for a final, decisive intervention from above. What else does Isaiah mean when he speaks of “the blast of judgement and the blast of destruction” when “Lord will come and rest on the whole stretch of Mount Zion and on those who are gathered there, a cloud by day, and smoke, and by night the brightness of a flaring fire.”

The image is terrifying – but we must not be afraid. It is not intended as a threat but it is a call to responsibility and hope. The Holy Father tells us, “From the earliest times, the prospect of the Judgement has influenced Christians in their daily living as a criterion by which to order their present life, as a summons to their conscience, and at the same time as hope in God's justice.” (Spe Salvi, 41)
We hear the Lord speak of this same hour of justice in the Gospel when he says “many will come from east and west to take their places with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.” Do not forget, He makes this promise in response to the astonishing faith of the Centurion. Let us take this Centurion as our model and welcome the Lord with humility. If we trust in Him and His justice, He we can be sure that will guide us through this season of preparation and make firm within us His hope.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit - A Homily to Be Preached to a Community of Religious Sisters

29 October 2007 - Monday of the 30th Week of Ordinary Time - Readings

Saint Paul speaks to us today of one of the great mysteries of our lives as Christians - the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Through our baptism, Christ has made us sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, and so that this title might be more than just an empty saying, the Holy Spirit has been poured into our hearts. It is the same Spirit in whom and through whom the Son of God brought healing to many during His earthly life. With that Power at work in us, what do we have to fear?

But St Paul tells us something else; he tells us that when our soul calls God "Father", it is the Spirit who is speaking in us. He is the one who is at work in us, even in the intimacy of our most private prayer. And perhaps this seems a little shocking. Have we lost all freedom if we give credit for our prayer to the Holy Spirit, rather than to our own efforts? Certainly not, because the Spirit is the Spirit of Sonship who liberates asked from the slavery of sin and of fear, and to permits us to live the lives of sons and daughters of the Lord whose driving force is the love we have for our Heavenly Father. We cannot claim any credit for this love, but if we can trust ourselves to it we learn that it leads to true freedom.

If we do some good today, if we bear some suffering gladly, then we are becoming a little more like Christ and coming a little bit closer to the glory he promises. If that happens, let us give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit who lifts our soul and makes possible what is beyond the limits of our fallen nature. Knowing that he is at work in us, we realise that there is no place in us for a pride, but every reason for us to be joyful.

A Homily to be Preached on Sunday 19th August 2007

Homily – 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) (Readings)

We have an unsettling Gospel today… Christ’s words are pretty scary. He tells us of a fire that is to come. He warns us that he comes to bring division, rather than peace. He speaks of families divided against each other. It doesn’t really sound like Good News, but these are words that we need to hear if we are to make sense of the Gospel and of the world around us.
The Alternatives
It is a mistake to believe anyone who promises us a quick-fix, enlightenment without effort or pleasure without any strings attached. You’ll find that kind of promise easily enough. The drug-peddler will offer you a high without any ill-effects. Advertisers will try to sell you a life-style where all our problems can be solved by spending money. New age religion pushes guilt-free spiritual highs, whilst brushing the realities of sin, death and the need to love one's neighbour under the carpet.
The Realism of Christ
Christ doesn’t do that. He’s realistic. He brings us the fire of the Holy Spirit to free us from our sins and to transform the unjust world around us, but doesn’t hide the fact that this liberation, this transformation isn’t always going to be an easy process. So great and so urgent was this work of salvation that He underwent the Cross to accomplish it. It should therefore be no surprise that our vocation as Christians, our attempt to welcome this salvation into our lives will lead to struggle and conflict – both with ourselves and with the world around us. Can we really claim to have received the fire of the Holy Spirit if we do not feel the need to struggle with our own sins?
Looking at the World
I’m sure too that many of you look around with confusion and dismay at many of the changes that are happening in Ireland today. Society seems to be becoming more and more hostile to Gospel values. It is therefore clear that being a Christian will increasingly mean standing apart from mainstream opinion. This affects everyone, but we should particularly think about the difficulties that our young people face – for them to follow Christ is to enter into a very clear conflict with the society and values around them.
Not a Reason for Despair
But these struggles are not a reason to lose faith. It is when we become satisfied with ourselves and the society around us that we should become worried that perhaps the fire of the Holy Spirit has been extinguished within us. We will not find perfection in ourselves or in the world around us in this life. However, there is comfort for us in the Letter to the Hebrews. No matter how bleak things look, no matter how much we are tempted to give up the fight, there is always the example and presence of Christ. We are told,

Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to
perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured
the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his
place at the right of God's throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition
from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage.

We are not saved despite the struggles and trials we undergo, but because of them.

A Homily to be Preached on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the BVM

Today we celebrate the Glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast expresses our joy that “the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.” (Pius XII – Munificentissimus Deus) She did not experience death as the rest of the human race does, but has been welcomed, body and soul, into Heaven, where she reigns as Our Queen and intercedes for us as Our Mother. And so, we rejoice because of the great privilege that has been shown to Our Mother Mary, and we also see in this mystery a reason for our own hope.

You see, the Church teaches us that Mary is the perfect example of the Christian life, and in the mysteries and events of her life, we recognise the right path for our own lives.

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. First of all, we recognise Mary as one called and chosen by the Lord. The Lord has great plans for all of us, but just as Mary was addressed by an Angel, and asked to participate in God’s saving plan, so too we must recognise that God does not force Himself into our lives, but humbly invites us to make a home for Him in our hearts.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word. The great response of Mary! A response that we are asked to make our own. Mary is our example of humble obedience. Great things were accomplished through this simple statement. The Glory of God shone out throughout the world, because of the “yes” that Mary made to God’s call. We too are invited to let God’s glory shine out in our lives by being faithful to whatever way of life he has called us to.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt amongst us. Because of Mary’s ‘Yes’, Jesus, the Son of God, walked amongst us. He is Truth and Goodness in person, and the one through whom the universe was made, but His entrance into the world as Man required the co-operation of Mary. We too are called to a similar co-operation. As members of the Church, by our words and actions, we are asked to make Him present to all mankind. This we can only do if we make the effort to listen to His Word and follow him in the great and little events of our lives. St Augustine put it well, when he told people that just as Mary was the physical Mother of God, every faithful soul that does the will of God is spiritually the Mother of God because it makes His image present to the world.

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. And here, perhaps, we encounter the great meaning of today’s feast. Mary is present, body and soul, in heaven praying for us. But what is she praying? She is praying that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. What are those promises? Why, they are nothing less than the total victory over sin and death. By her Immaculate Conception and her sinless life, Mary teaches us that the power of Christ has defeated sin. By her being taken body and soul into heaven, she shows us that Christ has defeated death. The preface of today’s Mass describes her as the beginning and the pattern of the Church in its perfection, and a sign of hope and comfort for your people on their pilgrim way. As Mary is now, body and soul, in heaven, so we hope to be one day. After all the stuggles and difficulties of the Church on Earth, when the Resurrection of the Dead comes, we will be like her. Just as her life of perfection is the model for all believers, so her heavenly glory today is sign of Christ’s victory and a promise of the glories of the world to come.

Pray for us, o Holy Mother of God, that like you, we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

A Homily to be Preached on Sunday 12th August 2007

Homily – 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Distorted Perspectives on Faith
The accusation is frequently made against people of faith that they are small-minded and mean-spirited. Newspaper columnists and commentators rarely seem to miss the opportunity to dismiss faith as being an ignorant and irrational narrowing of horizons, a force that does more harm than good. But, in reality, this is not so. Today’s readings provide a very different picture of what Christian faith really is. After all, the evidence is all around us. Faith builds Cathedrals and churches, hospitals and schools. Faith leads people to leave their native countries and devote their lives to helping the less well off. Faith raises up men and women of the calibre of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, St Charles of Mount Argus, Pope John Paul II, and countless others. Our sinful human nature may lead us to be small-minded and mean-spirited, but our faith always calls us to be big-hearted and generous in spirit.
You see, faith is not just about believing the right things. It also involves trusting in the promises of God. This is why the Letter to the Hebrews sets Abraham before us as our model of faith. The Lord promised a great inheritance for him and his descendents, and so, despite his age and childlessness, he set away from the security of his homeland and lived as a stranger in the Promised Land. There’s nothing small-minded or mean-spirited about taking what seemed to be such a gamble, but Abraham understood the power of the Promise of God. His example shows us that living by faith means understanding that we are not restricted to survival based on our own resources and strength. Trying to do that really is a recipe for living a grasping and narrow existence. However, if we trust ourselves to the promises of the God who is ever-faithful, we will have the courage to live a life of true generosity and open-heartedness.

The Challenge of Faith
This is why Christ challenges us in this Sunday’s Gospel. He tells us that there is no need to be afraid because God has promised us His kingdom. If we are willing to accept that, then we need have no fears about being generous. If we believe in His Word, then we can find reserves of calm in an increasingly difficult and turbulent world. If we trust in Him, and keep our eyes fixed on His Kingdom, only then can we understand the true value of the things of this world. Above all, living according to faith is, in a very real way, the beginning of eternal life. How can we entrust ourselves to the love of God in the next life, if we did not try to trust and love Him in this life?

The Call to Watchfulness
So, Christ invites us to watchfulness in order that we are ready for the Master’s arrival and do not miss out on the great promises that God has made to us. True, we are told what will happen to the servants who become complacent because they do not expect the Master to come. But this watchfulness is not about dodging a God who is determined to catch us out for not living by the rules. Instead, we know He tries to lead us in love into that kind of life which is the beginning of eternal joy. The Master who is to come, after all, feeds us in the Eucharist and offers us His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance. He gives Himself to us as our strength and is the very reason that we can live the kind of life that He rejoices in. In short, He challenges us to live in His friendship. The concrete details of how this is done will vary from person to person – but, if we live a life of faith and truly believe in His promises, we will have the strength to do this.
Perhaps we’re being called to faithfulness in marriage and to raise a family. Perhaps there are signs in our life that we are being called to priesthood or religious life. Perhaps we are realising the need to forgive someone or to find the courage to ask forgiveness. Maybe we are being called to break free from some particular sin. Maybe we are too concerned with money or pleasure or entertainment and have realised that there is something hollow about the life we are leading. Whatever it is, we are all being called by God – and He promises us that following that call will lead us to eternal life. Accepting that challenge and trusting in His promises is not small-minded or mean-spirited. Indeed, it is the only way that we can possibly live a truly free and human life.
In the words of Pope John Paul II: “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life.”

A Homily to be Preached on Sunday 29th July 2007

Homily – 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) Luke 11:1-13
28th July 2007

Have you ever wondered about the smirk on a camel’s face? Well, the Arabs have a story to explain it. You see, Muslims speak about the 99 Names of God. They talk about God the Merciful, God the Creator, God the All-knowing, God the Wise and so on. But, they say, these 99 names are not enough and that He has a hundredth name which men don’t know. However, the camel does know, and that is why he has a smug self-satisfied look on his face.
However, despite having 99 Names for God – speaking of His Power, His Mercy and His Goodness, nowhere amongst them is found the name Father. Maybe this is a surprise to us, because we’re so used to calling Him Father, but it is something uniquely Christian. Indeed, for the Christian, Father is the most important name we use when we talk about God, and when we talk to God. It says more about Him and our relationship with Him than any other name we can give Him.

God the Father - A Uniquely Christian Doctrine
It is from Christ Himself that we learned to call God Father. We read in the Gospels that God the Son invites us to share in His Sonship, and make our relationship with God the Father the centre of our lives. We read today that the disciples were fascinated by Christ’s prayer. They must have seen Him spend many hours in conversation with the Heavenly Father, and finally worked up the courage to ask Him to teach them to pray.
Being taught how to pray is no small thing. The disciples are asking Jesus what to say to God one-to-one. In prayer before God, there is no room for pretence or falsehood, and so the prayer that Jesus gives us tells us who God really is, and what kind of people He wants us to be.
And so, He tells us to call God “Our Father.” What a revelation this is! It’s one thing believing that God created us and the entire universe; that He is Good and All-Powerful. It is quite another to learn that He wants us to call Him Father. He wants us to know that He has a Father’s love for us, and that we should not be frightened to consider ourselves His sons and daughters.

Growing as a Child of God - The Centrality of Trust
In the words of the Our Father, there is a whole course in Christian living. Whole books have been written about this prayer, but perhaps one of the most important things that the Our Father teaches us is the great virtue of trusting in God the Father. After all, the relationship between parent and child is marked by the fact that a child flourishes by trusting his parents. A child thrives and grows into a well-balanced adult by knowing that his parents want the best for him, and that whatever goes wrong, home is a place where they can return for comfort and even forgiveness.
If this is true of earthly parents, how much more is it true of Our Heavenly Father. By inviting us to call Him Father, He is reassuring us that we can trust Him and rely on Him. He asks us to trust Him for our daily bread, and to know that He is a God of forgiveness. Like the father of the prodigal Son, we are reassured that He will be quick with His forgiveness if we stray.
As a Father, we can also trust that God wants us, His children, to grow; and so He gives us a way of life. We are called to imitate Him in our forgiveness of others and in our concern that His Kingdom should prevail on Earth, as well as in Heaven. This, however, is only possible if we learn to trust Him first. We can only have the courage to put our own interests aside and be forgiving, if we know that we too are forgiven when we fall. We can only live a life of Christian love, if we first realise that God loves us first.

The Adult Faith of a Child of God
We must also have an adult understanding of what it means to be a father. I’m sure that the parents here know that being a good father or a good mother means sometimes saying ‘no’ to their children, and that to grow, sometimes children have to learn some difficult lessons. So, as God’s children we will face trials that seem to make no sense to us and may even cause us to doubt the existence of a loving God. This is why we need to cultivate a keen awareness of God as Our Father. We can only face the genuine difficulties, and struggles and sorrows and set-backs of life, if we know that God is our loving Father, and that whatever happens to us will be for the best and will lead us to the happiness of His Kingdom. He does not give us scorpions instead of eggs.
This trust is not always easy, but the Father has made known His goodness in many ways. Above all, He has sent us His Only Begotten Son to show us the path of Sonship and to encourage and strengthen us, and has poured God the Holy Spirit into our hearts to guide us along that path, and to fill us with the Divine Love that makes it possible to grow as His sons and daughters.

Blessed be the name of the Lord – Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

A Homily Preached at a Cemetery Mass

As we gather here for this graveyard Mass, it is well for us to remember what it is we are doing when we gather in a cemetery and when we care for a graveyard. The monuments and crosses scattered about us remind us that this is a place of memories. Indeed, many of them bear the inscription In Loving Memory. Buried all around us are our departed ancestors, relations and friends. From them we have received so much and it is only right and just that we continue to be grateful to them and show our respect by caring for their graves. Rememberance of the dead is a mark of basic human decency.
Maybe we honour parents or grandparents who did so much for us when we were young, passing on their wisdom, their values and their faith. Perhaps we remember the kindness of departed friends and relations. Perhaps we’re here as a mark of respect to ancestors that we have no personal memory of, but about whom we’ve heard from our elders. We should also remember the many unknown and forgotten people here in this graveyard, many of whom lived lives of hardship and struggle that we today cannot fully understand. Our remembrance of the dead bears witness to the fact that a person’s good deeds and the memories of a life well-lived are of lasting value.

As Christians, however, a place like this is not simply about memories. It is not only about remembering with affection those who have gone before us. We also remember them with hope. Christ promises us that those the Father has given Him will be raised up on the last day. At every Sunday Mass we finish the Creed by saying We believe in the Resurrection of the dead, and life everlasting, Amen. We remember the Risen Christ appearing to His disciples in His glorified flesh and we believe that His victory over death is such that not only do our souls survive but that at the end of time, both body and soul will be re-united and restored in an extraordinary way that we cannot comprehend on this side of the grave. However, the respect we show to the remains of the deceased and out visits to the graves of our departed loved ones is a very concrete way of expressing our faith in this mysterious resurrection of the body. By coming to the very place where a loved one’s mortal remains were laid to rest, we are saying that we trust that some day both body and soul will be glorified, and the relationships which have been interrupted by death, will be restored in the paradise that Christ Himself has promised to those who die in His peace.

Finally, we remember the words of scripture that it is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they might be released from their sins. Above all, an occasion like this is an opportunity to pray for our dead, and assist them in their final purification. Perhaps we don’t hear enough about purgatory and the importance of praying for the dead any more. Perhaps we make the mistake of thinking of the idea of purgatory as being a gloomy kind of idea. It is no such thing. It is one of the most merciful doctrines in the Catechism. To those who die in a state of grace, but have some residual imperfection or some outstanding reparation for a sin is given the chance of a final purification, so that they are totally happy when they meet their Maker in His glory. Were they not to receive this time of preparation, their joy in the presence of God would be marred by their shame at their imperfection and unworthiness. They would be like guests who found themselves at a wedding wearing the dirty old clothes they use for work about the farm. Purgatory is like the chance to clean up and get changed, so that they are ready for the great wedding-feast of heaven. Lord knows, we might all be grateful for the opportunity. I remember once hearing of a distinguished theologian who told his students that the Holy Souls are happy souls. They know that they are on the threshold of seeing God face-to-face, and it is a great mercy to speed them through this last period of preparation, so that they can worthily and joyfully see God face-to-face.

We therefore pray here for our dead – not in sorrow, but in anticipation. We also pray that this cemetery will continue to be a worthy place of remembrance and a place of prayer. Whether we are going to end up buried here or somewhere else, let us also ask the Lord to bless those who care for graveyards and ask Him that future generations will not neglect to care for our resting places and will not forget to assist us with their prayers for the dead when will have need of them.

Homily - First Mass of Thanksgiving (9th July 2007)

The word Eucharist means thanksgiving and this is, for me, a particularly special moment of thanksgiving for all the goodness the Lord has shown to me, especially in the support and goodness of so many of His servants as I prepared for ordination. And, whilst we give praise and thanks to God in every Mass for all the many gifts he has given us, this Mass of Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest, gives particular thanksgiving to God the Father for the great mystery of His sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our one and only Eternal High Priest.

We hear in this evening’s Gospel of the piercing of Christ’s heart. This heart should be very dear to us. This heart is a human heart that burns with divine love for each and every one of us. And from the Gospels we learn that Jesus Christ, is the Son of God who became man for us and who lived a life of perfect love. Because of the love that burned within that Sacred Heart, Christ’s earthly life was a life of perpetual worship, a life of transparent love for God the Father and for all mankind. His heart was moved by compassion by the suffering of those around him. His heart knew moments of rejoicing and sorrow. But above all, His heart loved.

May we never forget that the Sacred Heart is the heart of the Son of God who became man for our salvation. And how was that salvation accomplished? The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, became a helpless child, grew up, lived a fully and perfectly human life and finally, offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins on the Cross. The whole life of Jesus Christ was one of sacrifice and obedience to God the Father. His whole life was lived for the reconciliation of God and man. As perfect God and perfect man, and He was the only One who could offer a life of perfect sacrifice to God the Father for our sake. With his death on the Cross this life of self-emptying reached its consummation and fulfilment. The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is the completion of the only perfect act of human worship, and is the greatest revelation of God’s love for us.

And so we read in the Gospel according to St John that having completed His sacrifice, and giving up His spirit, the side of Christ is pierced and out flowed blood and water. It is as if this heart of Christ, having spent itself totally in compassion for sinful man, has one last treasure to give in death. This is the final act, the completion of Christ’s total gift to us and to the Father.

The Fathers of the Church saw a great mystical significance in this. They saw that just as Eve came forth from the side of Adam, so the Church was born out of the side of Christ on the Cross. But what does this mean? They saw the Blood and Water as symbolising the Sacraments – Eucharist and Baptism in particular. By Baptism we become part of the One Body of Christ, and in the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ Himself and his great sacrificial priestly action. Because of the Cross and because of the Sacraments, we are granted salvation, made into God’s own chosen people and allowed to share in Christ’s divine life.

The Letter to the Hebrews teaches us that Christ is the One Eternal High Priest, who has offered this saving sacrifice for us, and who continues to plead for us at the right hand of the Father. And from all of this – His Incarnation, His sacrifice and His Eternal life with the Father – we have the great mystery of Christ’s priesthood. This priesthood is something that Christ alone accomplished. Only he could and did offer the reconciling sacrifice that enables man to overcome his sins and live in harmony with God.

And, not only does He win our salvation, but He also shows us God’s love. His love for us is God’s love for us and by his example we are shown how to respond to this love. What is more, by the grace he continues to grant, we have the strength to follow this example. He offers each and every Christian a share in His Priesthood.

His saving sacrifice is more than just a dead example for us. It is not something trapped in the past or between the pages of a book. The Lord of History does not allow the distance in time and space to cut us off from his redeeming work. His great priesthood does not leave us untouched. As St Augustine teaches, the God who made us without our help does not save us without our cooperation. Christ offers us a share in his saving priesthood. He is our example of humble obedience. He is our assurance of God’s love. And He is the way in which we can find the strength to follow the example of His loving heart. He offers us the chance to be transformed, if we are willing to welcome his sacrifice and his example into our lives. This is especially true when we consider the Eucharist.

The night before he died, Christ instituted the Eucharist. This is my body given up for you, this is my blood poured out for you he told his disciples, reassuring him that what would happen on Good Friday was not some brutal accident of history, but was the Lord of Heaven freely giving His life for His brothers and sisters. Do this as a memorial of me he told them. In the celebration of the Eucharist, His example and His strength, His very presence would be present to the Church until the end of time. By learning from the Eucharist and receiving Christ’s Body and Blood, we are transformed. God himself teaches us how to love as He does, and how to make all the joys and sorrows a form of worship.

Remember! The whole life of Christ was a priestly offering – and that life had moments of joy, sorrow, laughter, tears, frustration, success, and disappointment. And so, everything that happens in our life can be offered to the Father. Our joys, our sorrows, our laughter, our tears, our successes and our disappointments – they can all be offered to the Father in union with Christ. The One High Priest shares his priesthood with the whole Church and gives each and every one of us the possibility of living our ordinary lives in the extraordinary way of Christian love and sacrifice.

This was made very clear to me just 5 weeks ago. On Trinity Sunday, Fr Ragheed Ganni was celebrating evening Mass for his parishioners in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul. Extremists has already bombed his Church and injured his sister. He had been threatened by sectarian terrorists, narrowly escaped kidnapping and had seen his church attacked on several occasions. As he left the Church, he and his subdeacons were stopped by Muslim extremists. Separating them from a number of women who were travelling with them, these men killed Fr Ganni and Companions out of hatred for the Christian faith.
Fr Ganni was studying in the Irish College when I started there in 2001. In 2003, he returned to Iraq despite the dangers. How was such a decision possible? He continued to minister to his people despite receiving several threats. Where could he find the strength to do that? He knew his life was in danger, but he continued to do his duty despite his fears. How can this be explained? He answered this question himself in 2005:

“There are days when I feel frail and full of fear. But when, holding the Eucharist, I say ‘Behold the Lamb of God Behold, who takes away the sin of the world’, I feel His strength in me. When I hold the Host in my hands, it is really He who is holding me and all of us, challenging the terrorists and keeping us united in His boundless love.”

This is the power of the priesthood of Christ – something we all share in by our baptism, and which is renewed in us each time we participate in the Eucharist.

And so we give thanks for the priesthood of Christ. In offering Himself to the Father he offers Himself to us. He invites us to join in His offering of love and gives us the strength to follow Him. He shows us God’s love by His priesthood and asks us to unite our sacrifices, and all we have to Him.

May Jesus Christ the Eternal High Priest be praised, now and forever.