Before you read any further, decide that you will take five minutes to reflect on this blog entry. Five minutes of prayer at the end of (or in the midst of) your busy day.
Now that you have done this, and before you read on, ponder what you have read for a minute or two.
...
This morning I celebrated Mass with Dot and Des who celebrate today sixty years of marriage. The readings of the day were a most appropriate encouragement.
I mentioned the word on Sunday, and here it is again as a 'theme'. Relax!
The Word of God among us is powerful. The miracles we long for (but really do not expect...do we!) are just routine activity for God.
It is right that today we congratulate Des and Dot. But even more remarkable is the action of God who created them, who brought them together, who has gifted them with life in every breath.
It is inevitable that we note and notice human achievements. But it is God who gives life and breath, who sends the rains and snows, and who gives us His WORD, Jesus to carry us in every moment.
And in our prayer is inevitable that we use words, many words to pray. At the end of a day we might comment that we have (or have not) prayed, judged in the number of 'prayer' words that we have prayed.
But Jesus leads us back to the heart of all life, the intimate love of the One who knows what you need before you ask.
Take a moment now to relax: to be still and silent. Notice your breathing. Feel your pulse. You are not causing that beat of life: God is gifting you with the greatest miracle of all in every moment. There is no greater miracle than life.
Now relax again in the gaze of the one who knows what you need before you ask.
A few blog-readers have asked about my shift from the city to the country. They seem surprised both at the shift, and also surprised that I am enjoying it.
It is true that the shift was a major one for me. But I also have no doubt that God has led me to North Canterbury. I am very happy to be here.
The people of each of the seven church communities have been very welcoming. It is a privilege to serve as the parish priest of the Hurunui parishes.
On Saturday and Sunday I travelled over 500 kms to celebrate the Masses, and for the first meeting of the Transition Committee, formed to oversee the formation of the present three North Canterbury parishes into one new Hurunui parish.
I am sure that there is no priest in the world who travels through more beautiful scenery to celebrate weekend Masses. You can be the judge:
When I begin by reminding you that today is the first Sunday of Lent, there are probably a few thoughts that jump to your mind.
It's Lent, I should be giving something up
it's all about fasting and penance
Thanks be to God Lent is not as tough as it used to be
How can I kill two birds with the one stone using Lent as an opportunity to lose weight, stop smoking or drink less?
what a great opportunity for some spring-cleaning in my relationship with God
I'm writing this on Saturday morning, before I give this homily, but I guess that my first few suggestions are more on your minds than the last one! That's because these are the thoughts that I have when I think of Lent!
And remember that last one too - that is one of my thoughts as well as the others: 'what a great opportunity for some spring-cleaning in my relationship with God.'
I don't know how many of you mark 'shrove' or 'pancake' Tuesday. This day is more widely known as Mardi Gras (ie fat Tuesday), or 'Carnival' (literally 'goodbye meat'). These celebrations began when the fasting was tough: 40 days without meat or dairy products (hence the binging on pancakes to empty the larder).
"Spring-cleaning". It's probably a task we don't look forward to, but we feel great when it is done. When the cupboard, the room, the house is cleaned and re-ordered I can relax. I know what is there and I know what is not there. I know what I will let in and what I will keep out. My plans for keeping this place in good shape are admirable. There is a deep readiness to move into the future when I have my own house in order.
Interesting that the 'spring-cleaning' thought is so helpful. Bridget lives in England and this morning she 'facebooked': "Spring is in the air and it is GOOD!!" She is in England where it is Spring - the Northern Hemisphere. The leaves are beginning to turn and fall here: it's Autumn for us. 'Lent' as 'spring'? That doesn't sound right.
The word Lent is actually derived from the Old English word meaning 'spring' - as in 'lengthening of the days'.
And this made sense for the people who first celebrated the Christian feasts a couple of thousand years ago. Lent coincided with the season of spring so that Easter would come right at the time when the world of nature was springing into new 'resurrection' life.
The timing of the feasts of the church year is a homily on its own, but you get the idea: North of the Equator the Son of God enters the world (Christmas) when the Sun is at its lowest point (the Winter solstice in Late December). For the people up there, this was another reminder that God is always ready to enter humanity at the lowest point: the place of greatest struggle and suffering...
Anyway, sidetracking here would take too long. Back to Lent in the Southern Hemisphere...
While it might initially seem like a disadvantage for the Liturgical Year of the Church to match the Northern Hemisphere, perhaps it leads us to focus on the heart of the feasts instead of being distracted by the signs in nature?
When we see Lent as an opportunity to 'spring-clean' the life of the soul, wonderful possibilities of new life open up for us.
We realise that in the busy-ness and demands of daily life, we accumulate many thoughts, routines and practices that may not deliver the happiness that they promise.
To the extent that these accretions become habitual, our freedom is limited. Tragically, our happiness is limited to the extent that these habits or compulsions compromise our freedom. To the extent that our freedom is limited, happiness eludes us.
And this is the kind of 'spring-cleaning' that is the purpose and heart of Lent: a letting go of all that limits us, restricts us, and therefore prevents us finding the happiness we seek.
Our tools in this task are the gospels and the teachings of the Church. Our method is the sacraments. Our companion is Jesus. Our goal is God.
The teachings of the Church are therefore not exterial impositions attempting to contort us into alien guises. Instead the Church and the sacraments create an environment of growth for the human person. In this atmosphere our true self is able to emerge.
No longer are we satisfied with the masks and disguises of Mardi Gras, but the reality of our sin being transformed by the risen Jesus who is God-in- love-with-us.
God has a distate for contracts ('I'll do this for you if you do this for me'), and instead has entered into a covenant with us: a covenant that is lived in passionate loved for each of us even and especially when we are not lovely. A covenant is unbreakable, everlasting, and a greenhouse for human growth and abundant life.
This divine covenant is lived in love and with delightful and spectacular reminders: the cry of the newborn baby, the embrace of the friend and the bow of colour in the sky after the storm.
Fr. Robert Barron's TV/ DVD series "Catholicism" has received very good reviews. Some New Zealand parishes and other groups are using this as a Lenten reflection series. You will see in this week's parishes newsletter an invitation to "The Catholicism Project" at Kolbe House, Canterbury University, Christchurch.
The series is well worth purchasing on DVD. You can do this at www.wordonfire.org. The series is also available in book form (hard copy or digital) at the wordonfire link or through Amazon.com.
The wordonfire website offers two brief reflections for the first Sunday of Lent. These are taken from the Catholicism series. You might like to take a few moments to read the scriptures from this Sunday, then to watch these and to reflect on the content.
Twelve months ago today I blogged this piece. Perhaps we are still in need of this reminder. So here it is again (slightly adapted)
pointing to
God
Cathedral spires and towers are built to point people to God. For centuries church bells have tolled a call to prayer and worship.
In these eighteen months of devastation in Christchurch we have witnessed the collapse of many structures. Buildings that now lie in ruins or are marked for demolition, only months ago housed our families and sheltered our work. The two Christchurch Cathedrals have lost spire, towers and bells. They face an uncertain future.
In this modern age we shy away from ancient symbols calling us to ritual worship. Yet our devastated Cathedrals are speaking in these months with a new voice.
So many citizens tell with shock of witnessing the Anglican Cathedral spire fall to the ground. Others struggle to deal with the reality of the collapsed towers of the Catholic Cathedral. All of us are affected by both losses.
In their fallen state, our city Cathedrals are reminding us to look to where they once confidently pointed, rather than to focus on their passing physical beauty. Our Cathedrals pointed us to God.
Yes, both the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and Christ Church Cathedral were magnificent buildings. But there is something more. They were built to lead us to God. And as they lie in part ruin, they remind us again of the fundamental human desire for the full life of God.
Our buildings may now appear destroyed, but our God is alive.
Even for Cantabrians and tourists who might never enter these holy places for prayer, these Churches are vivid symbols of all that is ultimately stable and sacred.
The Cathedral builders founded their lives on the conviction that God was real and tangible in earthly events and personal encounters. Our Christian ancestors knew that God loved them. They constructed their Cathedrals to be physical, visible and audible signs of the beauty of earthly and eternal life with God.
The name “Cathedral” is given to the Church that houses the chair of the Bishop of the diocese. From this chair (‘cathedra’ in Latin) a bishop speaks of the life-giving relationship of love between the human reality and the reality of the life of God. On the day of the February earthquake, the two Christchurch bishops have spoken in expressing this reality.
The Anglican Bishop Victoria Matthews wrote: “People are suffering terrible anxiety. There are still many people who have been unable to make contact with members of their family and with their closest friends.”
Catholic Bishop Barry Jones promised his “prayer for those who have been killed and injured, and also for those closest to them who never imagined when they last saw them that anything like this would happen.”
Without the usual central city spires towers and bells calling us to live in love of God and neighbour, what signs and symbols do we have to direct us to what is essential?
Fortunately, the painful hours and months following the quake were marked by outpouring of love and support. Locally, neighbours reached out to strangers. From the ends of the earth practical support and assurances of good-will came to our suffering region. These actions speak powerfully of the love of God.
In these days we are seeing anew what is essential. The new plasma screen and fashion clothes are forgotten as we realize that we are created for love of neighbour, stranger and even the enemy. We are created for love of God. Where there is love, there is God.
On Wednesday evening, just 30 hours after the devastating quake, Bishop Jones led parishioners of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch in the celebration of the Mass at Our Lady of Victories Church Sockburn. Without the central city Cathedral reminders pointing us to God in prayer, we still gathered as people of faith. At this celebration of the Mass we prayed from the ancient ritual:
God our Father
you set the earth on its foundation
Keep us safe from the danger of earthquakes
and let us always feel the presence of your love
May we be secure in your protection
and serve you with grateful hearts.
Now, twelve months on, Bishop Barry Jones concluded the 'two-minute' silence at the (Ash Wednesday) Hagley Park memorial service, by leading our city in prayer, praying:
O God whose mercies are without number,
and whose treasure and goodness is infinite,
graciously increase the faith of your people
that all may grasp and rightly understand
by whose love they have been created.
Your Son Jesus has taught us
to open our hearts to you in sincere prayer,
today after one year,
we commend to your love and mercy
all those whose lives have been changed forever
by the earthquake of 22 February 2011.
We commend to your mercy
those who lost their lives in that terrible time.
We remember too,
those who were evacuated in great stress
from city rest homes
and who have since departed this life
Grieving and distraught families, friends and workmates
entered thereby into a time of sadness,
loneliness and heartbreak.
Have mercy on them all O God.
We commend also to you those living survivors
who bear wounds and scars and injuries
both visible and invisible
from the earthquakes which have continued to oppress us.
Homily preached at Mass celebrated to mark the seventh anniversary
of the death of Fr. Luigi Giussani.
Holy Name Church
Ashburton
New Zealand
Fr. John O'Connor
Twelve months ago, on this
anniversary of the arrival of Fr. Luigi Giussani at the “door of the Father’s
house”, we gathered in this chapel to offer Mass for the happy respose of his
soul.
We gathered in faith and in
friendship. Later we dispersed to our homes and workplaces. Within a few hours
everything had changed in Canterbury as the earthquake struck causing tragic
loss of life and destruction.
Now, twelve months on, the
aftershocks continue in every form. The
circumstances of our lives have changed drastically. Some of us, and many of our families and
friends are still without homes and workplaces.
How appropriate today in
marking this seventh anniversary of the death of Fr. Giussani, that we will
pray in the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer: “For your faithful people Lord,
Life is changed, not ended.”
So often change does look
like ending. In these weeks we notice the first hint of autumn as green leaves
begin to turn. Are the trees dying? No, our experience of past winters turning
to spring has taught us well. We have nothing to fear. Winter is nothing more
than the journey to the new life of spring.
The ashes of this Ash Wednesday look like death, but for us who are marked with the ash sign of the cross, life is changed, not ended.
The greater challenge is to
know this truth in the pattern of human experience: the stuff of our own lives.
The forward of our text for
this year “At the Origin of the Christian Claim”, opens quoting Pope John Paul
II: “the basic human drama is the failure to perceive the meaning of life, to
live without a meaning.”
And this fact is at the
heart of the gift that the memory of Luigi Giussani continues to give to the
Church and to humanity: the meaning of human life is not an optional addition
to human existence that is found in ‘something other’.
Instead the purpose of
human life is planted in the life-blood, breath and body of every human person.
The desire and longing that seems to point to what we lack, instead reveals in reality He whom we already have: Jesus Christ who
is our life.
The charism that is at the heart of the gift of Luigi Giussani for the Church, is the vibrant and vivid challenge of knowing that
the Christian faith is not a guide-book or a belief system. Instead faith is a
life that is encountered in the living person of Jesus, God-with-us. Christian
faith is a lively, all-pervading and passionate relationship with Jesus. In this relationship life has meaning:
Again with Pope John Paul: “the basic human drama is the failure to perceive the
meaning of life...”
As Cardinal Ratzinger
reflected at the funeral of Don Luigi Giussani (two months before his own
election as Benedict XVI): “He
[Giussani] always kept the eyes of his life and of his heart fixed on Christ.
In this way, he understood that Christianity is not an intellectual system, a
packet of dogmas, a moralism, Christianity is rather an encounter, a love
story; it is an event.
As Pope Benedict concluded
his homily at Fr. Giussani’s funeral: “Now your dear friend Fr
Giussani has reached the other world, and we are convinced that the door of the
Father’s house has opened, we are convinced that now this word is fully
realized: they rejoiced to see Jesus. He is rejoicing with a joy that no one
can take from him. In this moment we wish to thank the Lord for the great gift
of this priest, of this faithful servant of the Gospel, of this father. We
entrust his soul to the goodness of his Lord and ours.”
speaking about Giussani and Communion and Liberation:
At today's Mass remember Giussani in Milan it was announced that the cause for the canonisation of Luigi Giussani has begun. Tap this link for more information.
Prayer of Bishop Barry Jones concluding
the ‘two-minute silence’ at today’s (Ash Wednesday) memorial service in Hagley Park today on
this first anniversary of last year’s tragic earthquake.
O God whose
mercies are without number,
and whose
treasure and goodness is infinite,
graciously
increase the faith of your people
that all may
grasp and rightly understand
by whose love
they have been created.
Your Son Jesus
has taught us
to open our
hearts to you in sincere prayer,
today after one
year,
we commend to your love and mercy
all those whose
lives have been changed forever
by the earthquake
of 22 February 2011.
We commend to
your mercy
those who lost
their lives in that terrible time.
We remember too,
those who were
evacuated in great stress
from city rest homes
and who have
since departed this life
Grieving and
distraught families, friends and workmates
entered thereby
into a time of sadness,
loneliness and heartbreak.
Have mercy on
them all O God.
We commend also
to you those living survivors
who bear wounds
and scars and injuries
both visible and invisible
from the
earthquakes which have continued to oppress us.
Tonight I celebrated a Vigil Mass for Ash Wednesday at Hanmer Springs. Our parishes continue this journey into Lent tomorrow with Masses and Services at Cheviot Rest Home, Waiau, Culverden, Amberley and Cheviot. You can view the full timetable on the newsletter at this link.
Fr. Robert Barron (who preached the retreat for the priests of the Christchurch diocese in November of last year) gives a good introduction to the season of Lent in the youtube clip below.
And a prayer from the Preface II of Lent from the Third Edition of the Roman Missal:
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you have given your children a sacred time
for the renewing and purifying of their hearts,
that, freed from disordered affections,
that may so deal with the things of this passing world
as to hold rather to the things that eternally endure.
During the week the priests of our diocese met in regional groups. We do this a few times each year. I am now part of the Christchurch North region including the priests of the parishes of Burnside, Papanui, Bryndwyr, Kaiapoi and Rangiora, and myself from the Hurunui parishes of Cheviot, Hawarden and Hanmer Springs.
The meetings begin with prayer and continue with reflection and discussion of matters concerning the parishes, the regions and the diocese. In a couple of weeks one priest from each region will meet with the bishop at the Council of Priests meeting.
Half of the priests at our meeting (including myself) are new to the 'northern' region due to changing parishes in the last few weeks. Most are affected directly by parish amalgamations. Several priests and their parishes are dealing with the loss of their churches due to the effects of earthquakes. All of us spend time every day with people who suffer loss of family members, homes or businesses in the earthquakes.
As we approach the first anniversary of the most tragic February 22nd quake, we are deeply aware of those who suffer the complex effects and the tragic losses of the earthquakes. We pray especially this week for those who lost their lives twelve months ago. May they rest in peace. We pray too for those who are most burdened by the losses and anxieties of these months. May they know God's love and our support.
In the midst of all of this turmoil and transition, the scriptures of today speak strongly. Listen again:
One of the passages we reflected on at our meetings was from Pope Benedict's introduction to "YOUCAT" (the youth catechism). You will get a sense of the power and practical attractiveness of this re-presentation of the Catholic faith at this link.
Here is the paragraph we pondered:
"This supplement to the catechism does not
flatter you; it does not offer easy solutions; it demands a new life on your
part; it presents you with the message of the Gospel like the "pearl of
great price" (Matthew 13:45) for which everything must be given. And so I
ask you: study the catechism with passion and perseverance! Sacrifice your time
for this! Study it in the silence of your room, read it with someone else, if
you are friends, form groups and study networks, exchange ideas on the
internet. In whatever way, remain in dialogue on your faith!
"You must know what you believe; you must
know your faith with the same precision with which a programming specialist
knows the operating system of a computer; you must know it like a musician
knows his piece. Yes, you must be much more deeply rooted in the faith than the
generation of your parents, in order to be able to resist forcefully and
decisively against the temptations of this time.
"You need divine help, if your faith does
not want to dry up like a drop of dew in the sun, if you do not want to succumb
to the temptations of consumerism, if you do not want your love to drown in
pornography, if you do not want to betray the weak and the victims of abuse and
violence.
Pope Benedict is passionate in his encouragement for the church to enter a phase of "New Evangelisation". The primary goal of this event is to re-present the Catholic faith to those who may have already heard the good news, but have grown weary, lax or even forgotten the beauty of life with Jesus within the Church.
Many people today, both within and outside the church, see the Catholic Church as a "no" religion. Somehow they have picked up the idea that being Catholic is about saying no to everything that is fun and truly good. The reality is that Catholicism is a "YES" faith: a saying YES to all that meets the deepest desires of the human heart.
And this is the heart of the life of our own parishes: how to present anew the life of faith to those who, while still feeling some connection with the Church, have lost something of the passion and vibrancy of life in Christ.
This is the situation we find ourselves in, in the parishes of our diocese: the effects of the earthquakes, the demolition of churches, homes and businesses, the suffering of loss of life and uncertainty about the future, all of these sufferings can have the effect of dulling our vision. We focus on what we have lost and what is past. Yet the scriptures encourage us: "Behold I am doing a new thing, says the Lord, even now it comes to light, can you not see it."
The new evangelisation of Pope Benedict challenges us to think in a new way. To think laterally.
You may have heard the story of the large lorry that was trapped under a bridge. Not trapped by much...the truck was just a millimeter or so too tall for the underpass. It could not be moved forward or backward.
The engineers came and considered the possibility of using hydraulics to lift the bridge a bit. The excavators examined digging out a track in front of or behind the truck. After several hours a young boy skateboarded onto the scene with the most obvious and effective solution: "why don't they just let a bit of air out of the tires..."
There is another great example of this 'lateral' or 'creative' 'new' thinking in today's gospel - we all know the story, they bring the paralysed man to Jesus on a stretcher. They know that Jesus has the power to heal. But when they get to the house, there are so many people that they cannot get the paralytic man inside. What are they to do? Perhaps they could go in and drag Jesus out through the crowd. maybe they could shout "fire, fire" to quickly disperse the crowd and make room. Not a good idea. What to do...?
Then a lateral thinker comes up with a remarkable suggestion. Get onto the roof, remove a few tiles, and lower the stretcher down in front of Jesus. Wow! A new thing, a creative mind, a lateral thinker wins the day. "They were all astounded and glorified God, saying: 'we have never seen anything like this.'"
But this is a tough call isn't it. So much of what we experience in life, particularly through this traumatic year of Christchurch suffering, is instability in all its manifestations. How impossible it is in the dead of winter, to see the blossom and leaves of the spring and summer.
Imagine the evergreen trees in the garden of Eden looking at the deciduous trees in the autumn. Imagine their 'conversation': "look over there at ash and oak, not looking too good, a bit sick, on the way out..."
Then in the heart of winter the conversation might continue: "poor old alder and robinia - used to look so good, stunning even, but clearly it is all over and they are just a few dead branches."
But then a miracle happens, and with the spring the buds of new life appear. Even that which looks deadly and death-like is not in fact death. There is always hope.
Friends, too often our openness to the future action of God is limited by our experiences of the past: 'it has never happened before so it won't happen now.'
Now, more than ever, we, as people of faith, are challenged to open our eyes to see our personal situations, our families, parish, the church and the world, with a new gaze: a vision of faith:
