smoothing the way of each day

After landing on Pitt Island this morning, some of the locals met me at the airstrip and drove me to the Church (Our Lady of the Antipodes) to celebrate Mass. There are no real "roads" on Pitt Island, just tracks across the farmland linking the homes of the 30 residents.

Many of these tracks have potholes and rocks that make them almost impassable. A robust 4WD vehicle is needed. It's a couple of years since the grader last leveled the tracks, but today the grader driver arrived on Pitt, and one of the local topics of conversation of the day was the hope of smoother travel. During the celebration of Mass we could hear the grader at work. 

The rough-road image is a powerful one. Life is full of ups and downs. Every day has its share of each. At times the distance between a high and a low is very short. I might be having a great day, but a bad-news phone-call changes everything. There are times too when a day's struggle is relieved by a sign of hope.

If I rely on the events and encounters of each day to provide my stability, then I make myself very vulnerable. I leave myself with no control over my own reaction to the days downs and ups.

Today, when we left the Church after Mass, the work of the grader was noticeable. Our ride along the same route was much more smooth than it had been just an hour earlier. Our vehicle was the same. Same people. Same route. It was Mario's work at the controls of the grader that had smoothed our path.

The one who lives in relationship with Jesus, will not have any difficulty in relating the grader image to the journey of life. 

Christians have the same gifts and struggles as other people. The circumstances of our lives are pretty similar to that our our non-Christian friends and family. The difference is that we don't depend on the events and encounters of each day to provide us with the stability we seek.

The stability in the life of the Christian comes from Jesus. If the day is weighed down by burdens and anxieties, we turn to Jesus.  And when things are going well, the Christian turns to Jesus who does not miss an opportunity to give us all the stability we seek.

Thanks be to God.

note the grader in the centre distance of the picture.

a day on Pitt Island

It is a pleasure and a privilege to serve as Parish Priest of the Chatham Islands. Unfortunately I don't get to spend as much time on the Islands as I would like, so it is especially good to be here this week.

I suspect that the Chathams are about as far as anyone can get from Rome. So it is good to see on every visit that Jesus Christ is alive and well here. Late yesterday afternoon it was good to meet with a number of parishioners on Chatham for Mass.  I spent today on Pitt Island.

Chatham Airfield. Convair today to ChCh and Cessna to Pitt

Pitt Island emerging from the mist

Our Lady of the Antipodes Church is the red dot to the left of the trees

Pitt Island Airport

after Mass at Our Lady of the Antipodes

just after take-off on Pitt

the first part of the inhabited world to see the Sun (North Head) is at the far left of the picture.

This where the bishop of Christchurch celebrated the first Mass of the Third Christian Millennium

and where international TV news crews camped to film the first 2000 sunrise.

The rectangle of trees is the Tommy Solomon Memorial near Owenga on Chatham

about to land back on Chatham

Blog entry from an earlier visit to Chathams at this link.

Rublev's Trinity Icon - in a minute

Anzac Day

On Anzac day in 2008, thirty pilgrims from Our Lady of Victories parish, Christchurch prayed at the NZ Monte Cassino war graves in Italy.

The day had not gone according to plan in many ways. Our bus from the Rome hotel was four hours late. We would not be able to see both Pompeii and Monte Cassino in the one day as planned. 

After a frustrating morning waiting for the bus in Rome, our wonderful tour guide (Paola) took us to lunch (paid for by the bus company). A second bonus was the bus would arrive at 1pm, take us to Monte Cassino, then the following day the bus would also be at our disposal enabling us to have a more relaxed trip to Pompeii.

So there we were at midday, Anzac Day in Rome, eating good free food, drinking very good "Seven Hills" wine (also 'on-the-bus - company), and early afternoon we headed to Monte Cassino.

It was later clear to us that God was in control ensuring that our planned single busy day, would become two relaxed days with time to savour the depth and beauty of all we were to experience.

Benedictine Monastery. Monte Cassino. Photo Peter Fleming

The Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino is on the hill top above the town - a great vantage point. This was part of the reason that a significant battle of WWII was fought there.

After visiting the monastery, founded by Benedict in the sixth century (a blog entry for another day), we bussed back down the hill to the cemeteries.

Polish Graves. Monte Cassino. Photo Peter Fleming

Our first stop was the Polish Cemetery. This was significant for our group since Joseph, originally from Poland was with us. It was deeply moving to see Joe move from grave to grave recognising names and families of compatriots. 

An inscription at these graves reads:

"We Polish soldiers

For our freedom and yours

Have given our souls to God

Our bodies to the soil of Italy

And our hearts to Poland"

Joseph then led us in prayer in his original language.

Then we moved to the New Zealand war graves.

New Zealand Graves. Monte Cassino. Photo: Peter Fleming.

343 New Zealanders died at Monte Cassino. The total casualty count from this four-month battle was over fifty thousand soldiers.

We wandered among these graves, silently, recognising family names and home towns.

Then we gathered and prayed, singing the soldiers sun-down prayer:

Day is done.

Gone the sun.

from the sea, 

from the hills, 

from the sky.

All is well.

Safely rest.

God is nigh.

May all who have died in war, 

rest in God's peace.

and may rulers and governments learn 

that true peace

can never be achieved

through violence of any kind.

i am called - so are you

a reflection for last Sunday, Vocations' Sunday

When did you last encourage someone to consider that God might be calling them to serve as a priest?

This Sunday (“Good Shepherd Sunday”, Fourth Sunday of Easter) is celebrated throughout the Church as Vocations Sunday.

In a real sense, every Sunday of the year is a day of focus on the Christian vocation to live every moment in relationship with Jesus.

There are as many vocational calls as there are human people. The call of God to you is renewed every day.

The call of God is not only given to the young as they discern how they will spend their lives. A vocational call is the call of God given to every person every day. If I am nearing retirement and old age is imminent, I am being called to hear anew (or even for the first time) the call of God.

Whatever age or stage of life I am in, God is calling me to live in response to the divine call: God is gifting me anew a life-purpose that is my vocation.

A vocation is not simply a job or even a career to which I am committed. To work in such a way may be a useful contribution to society. I may find this occupation to be satisfying and earn a salary enabling me to lovingly provide for my family. I may even be aware of God using me in this work to assist others or even to spread the Gospel. None of this makes a vocation.

A starting point for a life of vocation is, as Cardinal Newman prayed, a unique call that God gives to me personally. I am created by God for some specific service. 

The heart of this life is personal intimacy with Jesus. It is this ultimate relationship that give meaning to all human life. In this personal and lived relationship I am freed from all superficial compulsions. I am able to see beyond worldly successes and rewards.

In seeking to live in response to God’s Vocational call to me I experience “life, and have it in abundance.”  John 10:10

I will give you shepherds

Today, Good Shepherd Sunday, there is a particular focus for our vocational reflection. We know that human people cannot live without the Eucharist, and the Eucharist cannot be a reality among us without priests. Today we pray especially for vocations to the priesthood.

We hear much talk about a shortage of priests. While there may be fewer priests in parishes in our diocese than there were forty years ago, there are many more priests today than there were eighty years ago when there was a much greater number of Catholic at Mass every Sunday in the diocese. 

This awareness has prompted pastoral planning to ensure that the Mass and sacraments are available for all the people of the diocese. This process has been a difficult adjustment for both people and priests.

Many people argue that the ‘shortage’ of priests is a sign that the Church needs to change the criteria for ordination to the priesthood. But many other denominations have made these changes and they still face the difficulty of attracting people who are willing to give their lives in ministry. These communities also still struggle with attracting worshippers on Sunday.

Practical solutions are never an adequate response to crises of faith.

The reason that our pastoral plans and practical response cannot resolve the problem of a ‘shortage of priests’, is that we are being invited to consider the deeper issues. 

Thirty years ago when I was considering a vocation to priesthood, the family, parish and school environments saw priesthood as a worthwhile vocation worthy of an entire human life. I am not sure that this environment is still present in our families, parishes and schools.

When did you last encourage a young (or not so young) man, to consider giving his life to God as a priest?

Have you encouraged your sons, grandsons, godsons or nephews to consider priesthood? Have you spoken to single men (even strangers) whom you see at Mass each Sunday suggesting that God might be calling them to priesthood?

When your children and grandchildren and workmates hear you speaking about priests, do they hear you valuing the priestly ministry that God carries out through these men (who remain his imperfect but willing servants)?

building environments of faith

Today, on this vocations Sunday, let us pray for all priests; that they may be faithful servants of Christ the priest. That they may be loving shepherds. Let us also pray for those discerning a call to priesthood in the seminary. We pray especially for the seminarians of our own Christchurch diocese. We also remember those of our diocese who are in seminaries of religious communities around the world.

Let us also pray that our own families, schools, parishes and our diocese will be environments of encouragement and support for any parishioner who is being called by God to serve as a priest. 

+++

Links:

Holy Cross Seminary, Auckland, New Zealand

Email Fr. Chris Orr, Vocations Director, Christchurch NZ

temptation - in a minute

If you struggle with temptation you might find this encouragement helpful.

intelligent interview

It is difficult to get car radio reception in most parts of the Good Shepherd Parish. I spend a lot of time driving, so miss many good things on radio.

On Saturday I treated myself to using up some of my phone data by turning in to Kim Hill's interview with John Lennox from Oxford University. I was pleased I caught the interview. It's 50 minutes long so might be ideal to download and listen to driving to work.

  

You can hear it at this link:

MP3 

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/sat/sat-20130420-0815-john_lennox_maths_science_and_god-048.mp3

(other formats available at the Radio New Zealand website)

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday

newsletter (Good Shepherd Sunday)

The weekly newsletter for the Catholic parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui district, is now uploaded at the parish website http://www.catholichurunui.co.nz/newsletter_21_April_2013_%28Good_Shepherd%29.html

a fresh blossoming

A healthy human person, is hungry to hear God. The demands of daily life disguise our awareness of this hunger. As a result we begin to believe that our happiness and health is our own achievement.

Too often I slide down the track of thinking that everything is in my own hands. I begin to believe that I can be whoever (and whatever) I want to be.  Such independence might seem like a positive move along a road of self-actualisation and personal assertiveness. But the end result is always frustration, and even despair.

The simple fact is that I am not my own creation. I am a created creature, gifted with certain abilities and talents by a loving creator. I am not a blank canvas. As Blessed John Henry Newman (d.1890) reminds us, God has created each of us with unique abilities and mission that have not been given to anyone else.

It may be that your response on reading this is to disagree. Such a reaction is understandable since citizens of our secular society pride themselves on not being dependant on anyone or anything. We all fall victim to this attitude, even those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ. 

One sign of this is that in our prayer every now and then we call on God to ‘give us a hand’ with a particular problem. The under-lying presumption is that we do pretty good on our own most days, but occasionally we need some divine assistance.  Of course the reality is that every breath is a gift of the one who created us and who (with every breath) is creating us.

As I am jotting down this reflection an image comes to mind.

I was at the local Rest Home for Mass this morning. A few of the residents have mobility scooters with a battery that charges when connected to electricity. The mobility scooters look great. But if they are not regularly plugged in to the power, they become useless. They may survive on battery power alone for a brief trip or two, but the intention of their designer is that they need power. This dependence is not a design flaw. Instead it is the inventor’s intention. Any mobility scooter owner who decides that they want their scooter to be independent of external power is foolish.  You get the point?

Which brings us to today’s gospel where Jesus appears (after his resurrection) to the disciples on the shore of the lake. They had been fishing all night and caught nothing. You can imagine them heading out the evening before, ready to fish. They would have had nets and bait, and a clear plan for which part of the lake to fish. While they might have had high hopes, they would have know from their past experience that some nights were good for fishing and on other nights their nets remained empty.

It’s a bit like us in the Hurunui. We are small and hopeful communities of faith. But even in the heart of this year of faith, we tire of living and sharing our faith. We have seen our numbers decline in recent decades. No longer are our churches full. At times we get a bit desperate and grasp at programmes and plans. We want full nets. We nostalgically look back to a time when young people flooded our sacramental programmes and when there were several baptisms most weeks.

We are now at the beginning of a new era of Catholic life in the Hurunui. The area between the Ashley and Conway rivers is once again one parish with one priest. (a return to the structure and staffing that was present a century ago when the faith grew vibrantly here).  

The newly formed Parish Council meets for the first time this week. What do we expect of them? What do we expect of each other as parishioners of the Good Shepherd?  What do we expect of the parish priest?

Many of you might be tiring of hearing me say that it is not about the numbers.  I keep on saying it because I know that you don’t believe me!  You might think that I am trying to be positive about a challenging situation.  But am not given to that kind of desperate positivism.

Instead I know that if the goal of our new parish council is to fill every one of our churches every Sunday, then that mission is easily achieved. We could use a little of our savings to bring in Mumford & Sons to play at each Mass.  Or we could have ‘spot-pew-prizes’...turn up, sit in the lucky spot and win a plasma screen TV or an ipad.  Without a doubt word would get around and our churches would be full. But thanks be to God our goal is not to be big. Our mission is to be faithful to living in personal and communal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is this relationship that enables a human to not just cope and survive life, but to truly LIVE. 

Pope Benedict spoke about this a few years ago. He said:

“The church will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes . . . she will lose many of her social privileges. . . As a small society, [the Church] will make much bigger demands on the initiative of her individual members….It will be hard-going for the Church, for the process of crystallization and clarification will cost her much valuable energy. It will make her poor and cause her to become the Church of the meek . . .”

Then he concluded by saying:

“But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult, which is dead already, but the Church of faith. She may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but she will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as humanity’s home, where people will find life and hope beyond death.”

"Faith and the Future"

Cardinal Ratzinger

This was precisely the challenge faced by the first disciples of Jesus. Now, after their experience of their own personal failure and weakness (at the time of Jesus suffering and death), Jesus returns, seeking to fill their nothingness with the abundance of God. They wanted fish, but their own angling efforts led to nothing. When they dependantly brought their need to Jesus, he overwhelmed them with  the catch of their lives.

It is not the task of our new parish to be big or to be seen as successful. Our model for mission is the method of Jesus and his disciples. We cannot build the church or even a parish. We might be able to get our numbers up for a few years, but this is no sign of real success.

The only true hope for our parish is to be aware of our total dependance on Jesus. Like the disciples, let us together seek nothing apart from life with Jesus, the one who answers every human need, and who brings every true success. 

newsletter (Easter III)

The weekly newsletter for the Catholic parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui, is now uploaded to the parish website

 http://www.catholichurunui.co.nz/newsletter_14_April_2013.html

American Bible Challenge

The American Bible Challenge (on US TV) attracts people who know the Bible. Bible knowledge is a field in which many protestant denominations excel.  A friend sent me these links about the participation of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist. Enjoy!

merciful inspiration

Last Sunday Pope Francis 'took possession' of his Cathedral, St. John Lateran.  While he lives at the larger St. Peter's Basilica, his Cathedral church as Bishop of Rome is John Lateran. You can take a 'virtual reality' tour of the Cathedral at this link.

I was going to pick a few inspiring quotes from the homily to offer you a bit of mid-week encouragement, but I found I couldn't pick and choose. It is all good. It is all encouraging.

I used to struggle to read Pope John Paul. He was always worth reading, but his writing and speaking style was dense. He was often difficult to understand on first reading.  John Paul needed to be read with a theological dictionary handy.

The best way to read Pope Francis is the same way as reading Pope Benedict: set some time for silent reflection. No dictionary is necessary. The language is direct and unambiguous. There is always a mix of inspiration and challenge.

So here is the full text of the pope's "Divine Mercy Sunday" homily.

Homily of Pope Francis

Basilica of Saint John Lateran

Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday, 7 April 2013

It is with joy that I am celebrating the Eucharist for the first time in this Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with great affection: my very dear Cardinal Vicar, the auxiliary bishops, the diocesan presbyterate, the deacons, the men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I also greet the Mayor, his wife and all the authorities present. Together let us walk in the light of the risen Lord. 

Today we are celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as "Divine Mercy Sunday". What a beautiful truth of faith this is for our lives: the mercy of God! God’s love for us is so great, so deep; it is an unfailing love, one which always takes us by the hand and supports us, lifts us up and leads us on. 

In today’s Gospel, the Apostle Thomas personally experiences this mercy of God, which has a concrete face, the face of Jesus, the risen Jesus. Thomas does not believe it when the other Apostles tell him: "We have seen the Lord". It isn’t enough for him that Jesus had foretold it, promised it: "On the third day I will rise". He wants to see, he wants to put his hand in the place of the nails and in Jesus’ side. And how does Jesus react? With patience: Jesus does not abandon Thomas in his stubborn unbelief; he gives him a week’s time, he does not close the door, he waits. And Thomas acknowledges his own poverty, his little faith. "My Lord and my God!": with this simple yet faith-filled invocation, he responds to Jesus’ patience. He lets himself be enveloped by divine mercy; he sees it before his eyes, in the wounds of Christ’s hands and feet and in his open side, and he discovers trust: he is a new man, no longer an unbeliever, but a believer. 

Let us also remember Peter: three times he denied Jesus, precisely when he should have been closest to him; and when he hits bottom he meets the gaze of Jesus who patiently, wordlessly, says to him: "Peter, don’t be afraid of your weakness, trust in me". Peter understands, he feels the loving gaze of Jesus, and he weeps. How beautiful is this gaze of Jesus – how much tenderness is there! Brothers and sisters, let us never lose trust in the patience and mercy of God! 

Let us think too of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus: their sad faces, their barren journey, their despair. But Jesus does not abandon them: he walks beside them, and not only that! Patiently he explains the Scriptures which spoke of him, and he stays to share a meal with them. This is God’s way of doing things: he is not impatient like us, who often want everything all at once, even in our dealings with other people. God is patient with us because he loves us, and those who love are able to understand, to hope, to inspire confidence; they do not give up, they do not burn bridges, they are able to forgive. Let us remember this in our lives as Christians: God always waits for us, even when we have left him behind! He is never far from us, and if we return to him, he is ready to embrace us. 

I am always struck when I reread the parable of the merciful Father; it impresses me because it always gives me great hope. Think of that younger son who was in the Father’s house, who was loved; and yet he wants his part of the inheritance; he goes off, spends everything, hits rock bottom, where he could not be more distant from the Father, yet when he is at his lowest, he misses the warmth of the Father’s house and he goes back. 

And the Father? Had he forgotten the son? No, never. He is there, he sees the son from afar, he was waiting for him every hour of every day, the son was always in his father’s heart, even though he had left him, even though he had squandered his whole inheritance, his freedom. The Father, with patience, love, hope and mercy, had never for a second stopped thinking about him, and as soon as he sees him still far off, he runs out to meet him and embraces him with tenderness, the tenderness of God, without a word of reproach: he has returned! 

And that is the joy of the Father. In that embrace for his son is all this joy: he has returned! God is always waiting for us, he never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence, hope – always! 

A great German theologian, Romano Guardini, said that God responds to our weakness by his patience, and this is the reason for our confidence, our hope (cf. Glaubenserkenntnis, Würzburg, 1949, p. 28). It is like a dialogue between our weakness and the patience of God, it is a dialogue that, if we do it, will grant us hope. 

I would like to emphasize one other thing: God’s patience has to call forth in us the courage to return to him, however many mistakes and sins there may be in our life. Jesus tells Thomas to put his hand in the wounds of his hands and his feet, and in his side. We too can enter into the wounds of Jesus, we can actually touch him. This happens every time that we receive the sacraments with faith. Saint Bernard, in a fine homily, says: "Through the wounds of Jesus I can suck honey from the rock and oil from the flinty rock (cf. Deut 32:13), I can taste and see the goodness of the Lord" (On the Song of Songs, 61:4). It is there, in the wounds of Jesus, that we are truly secure; there we encounter the boundless love of his heart. 

Thomas understood this. Saint Bernard goes on to ask: But what can I count on? My own merits? No, "My merit is God’s mercy. I am by no means lacking merits as long as he is rich in mercy. If the mercies of the Lord are manifold, I too will abound in merits" (ibid., 5). This is important: the courage to trust in Jesus’ mercy, to trust in his patience, to seek refuge always in the wounds of his love. Saint Bernard even states: "So what if my conscience gnaws at me for my many sins? ‘Where sin has abounded, there grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20)" (ibid.). 

Maybe someone among us here is thinking: my sin is so great, I am as far from God as the younger son in the parable, my unbelief is like that of Thomas; I don’t have the courage to go back, to believe that God can welcome me and that he is waiting for me, of all people. But God is indeed waiting for you; he asks of you only the courage to go to him. How many times in my pastoral ministry have I heard it said: "Father, I have many sins"; and I have always pleaded: "Don’t be afraid, go to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything". We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God’s offer instead: his is a caress of love. For God, we are not numbers, we are important, indeed we are the most important thing to him; even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart. 

Adam, after his sin, experiences shame, he feels naked, he senses the weight of what he has done; and yet God does not abandon him: if that moment of sin marks the beginning of his exile from God, there is already a promise of return, a possibility of return. God immediately asks: "Adam, where are you?" He seeks him out. Jesus took on our nakedness, he took upon himself the shame of Adam, the nakedness of his sin, in order to wash away our sin: by his wounds we have been healed. Remember what Saint Paul says: "What shall I boast of, if not my weakness, my poverty? Precisely in feeling my sinfulness, in looking at my sins, I can see and encounter God’s mercy, his love, and go to him to receive forgiveness. 

In my own life, I have so often seen God’s merciful countenance, his patience; I have also seen so many people find the courage to enter the wounds of Jesus by saying to him: Lord, I am here, accept my poverty, hide my sin in your wounds, wash it away with your blood. And I have always seen that God did just this – he accepted them, consoled them, cleansed them, loved them. 

Dear brothers and sisters, let us be enveloped by the mercy of God; let us trust in his patience, which always gives us more time. Let us find the courage to return to his house, to dwell in his loving wounds, allowing ourselves be loved by him and to encounter his mercy in the sacraments. We will feel his wonderful tenderness, we will feel his embrace, and we too will become more capable of mercy, patience, forgiveness and love.

Regina Caeli

While many Catholics are familiar with the Angelus prayer, fewer know the Easter Anthem Regina Caeli. This prayer replaces the Angelus for the Easter Season, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. 

While it can be recited in English, this is one of the few remaining prayers that is still commonly sung around the world in Latin. It is simple to learn. You can pick it up easily with the help of this clip:

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia: 

For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, 

Has risen, as He said, alleluia. 

Pray for us to God, alleluia.

parish newsletter

The weekly newsletter for the Catholic parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui, is now uploaded at the parish website www.catholichurunui.co.nz.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Last Sunday I reflected on the significance of Easter Sunday morning for the future worship of Christians. These disciples could have chosen Thursday evening (the time of the Last Supper), Friday afternoon at three (the moment of the death of the Lord), or Saturday (the Jewish sabbath) as their worship day. 

Instead they chose Sunday. Christians were a new people who instead of worshipping at the end of the old creation (sabbath day of rest after the creation), worshipped now at the dawn of a new era. 

The resurrection of Jesus heralded a new beginning. A new day. A new creation. 

The first Christians knew that the Easter Sunday morning rising of the sun was a cosmic sign of the rising of the Son of God from death. Sunday was now not only the first day of the new week, but the first day of the rest of their lives. 

The event of the resurrection of Jesus transforms not only every human life, but renews the whole of creation. 

In his Easter homily 2011, Pope Benedict emphasised this point: 

“The Jewish people were the people of the sabbath, the seventh day, the day on which God rested after the work of creation. Jesus has given us a new beginning, a new day: “As the day of the liturgical assembly, it is the day for encounter with God through Jesus Christ who as the Risen Lord encountered his followers on the first day, Sunday, after they had found the tomb empty. The structure of the week is overturned. No longer does it point towards the seventh day, as the time to participate in God’s rest. It sets out from the first day ans the day of encounter with the Risen Lord. This encounter happens afresh at every celebration of the Eucharist, when the Lord enters anew into the midst of his disciples” 

Today’s Gospel reading finds the disciples together “in the evening of that same day [the day of the resurrection], the first day of the week”. 

It is impossible to imagine the diverse and mixed emotions of this little gathering. We know they were fearful since “the doors were closed…for fear of the Jews”. But they would have had other reasons to be fearful as well. 

This group included Peter (the one who denied the Lord), the three who fell asleep when Jesus needed their company and prayer, and the group who ran for cover instead of remaining alongside their suffering Lord. Now the women had come from the tomb with the news that he was alive. 

Certainly this news was all they could have hoped for. But they would also have felt deep shame and guilt at their lack of fidelity. The return of Jesus would surely highlight their failures. And so in fear and embarrassment they gathered. The doors were closed. But despite this physical barrier of the door, and their personal obstacles of sin, Jesus now stood among them. Because of the triumph of God over death, there are now no insurmountable obstacles to the presence and mercy of God. The risen Jesus is now with us. 

Jesus spoke. His word broke through their doors of shame and guilt. His words melted the armour of sin surrounding their hearts. The one they had abandoned said to them: “peace be with you”. And then, as if they might have missed the mercy and love in his greeting, he said to them again “peace be with you”. 

This divine greeting healed their sin. Their guilt and embarrassment, their shame, was now transformed into joy by the healing power of His presence and His greeting. 

And this is the reason Christians continue to gather on ‘the first day’ of every week. The New Zealand bishop’s wrote to us some years ago on the centrality of Sunday worship. They entitled their letter” The First Day. 

Every time we gather to celebrate the Mass we gather in shame and guilt. We are sinners. At the start of every Mass we 'acknowledge our sins'. We do not do this to make ourselves feel bad, to 'beat ourselves up' or to undermine our self-esteem. Instead our purpose in acknowledging our sins is that we might prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries: yes we are sinners, but God's love and mercy is more powerful than any sin. 

True personal self-esteem is never a human achievement. The esteem we seek is always God's gift. I am not lovable because I do loving things, or act and speak in certain attractive ways. I am lovable simply because God loves me. This awareness is the ultimate experience of mercy. This is real love. This is true freedom. 

In the Jubilee year 2000, Pope John Paul initiated this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, as Divine Mercy Sunday. In his homily on that first Divine Mercy Sunday, as he canonised a Polish nun Faustina Kowalska as a saint of the Church, he proclaimed: 

"It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church will be called "Divine Mercy Sunday". In the various readings, the liturgy seems to indicate the path of mercy which, while re-establishing the relationship of each person with God, also creates new relations of fraternal solidarity among human beings."

Helen Kowalska was born in Poland in 1905. She died as Sister Faustina in 1938. In 1931 she was living as a religious in the convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Cracow, Poland. In February of that year she had a powerful and very real experience of Jesus calling her to spread the word of his overwhelming mercy for every human person. In response to this experience she painted a picture of a gentle Jesus reaching out in love to all who carry the burden of sin. 

During the pontificate of fellow Pole, Pope John Paul II, the life of this quiet nun and her mission was made known by the pope to the world. The first words of John Paul to the world, immediately after his election as pope were "do not be afraid". Fear exists in any person who is not experiencing the mercy of God in any moment. It is significant that on this day in 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Benedict named John Paul as "Blessed". This beatification marks the most significant step towards Pope John Paul being named as a saint of the Church. 

Some Catholics responded to news of the life of Sister Faustina and her response to God with scepticism. Others embraced fully her message and spread word of her image of the merciful Jesus and her trust in him. 

It is easy to be sceptical about an individual’s experience of Jesus. Perhaps this is because we do not trust our own personal experience of the power of God made known to us. Maybe we feel as though such personal experience of Jesus no longer happens? 

I would suggest that anyone who speaks about the love and mercy of Jesus is on sound ground. This message is as necessary today as ever. If we are honest with ourselves we are very aware of our own sin and need for God’s forgiveness. 

St Faustina wrote beautifully of the mercy of God as a fountain of love gushing over all who acknowledge their frailty and need for God. This fountain of forgiveness cleanses all who turn back to God. 

This is the Easter life of Baptism. In the waters of baptism, and in the Sacraments of the Church where these waters continue to flow, God continues to deliver us from all that entombs us. 

The Sacrament of Reconciliation celebrated regularly gives us a most personal experience of the mercy of God. 

It may be that you have not celebrated this sacrament for many years. This is not a problem for God. Simply turn up at any church at the advertised times and tell the priest that you have not been to confession for many years. Being there is enough. The priest will guide you.

retreat

Please pray for me, especially this week as I am on retreat. It is a great week for a retreat. The Church gives us eight days of Easter Day - the Easter Octave.

So there will be no updates on this blog during this week.  You might take the chance to use the 'search' button to look back over almost 1000 entries on the foodforfaith blog. (including the Sabbatical and Holy Land Pilgrimage reflections)

I am grateful for the positive feedback and comment to so mnay of the reflections. Few people use the 'comment' facility on the blog, but you are welcome to send your comments and feedback by email. Always welcome.

There has been a good response to the 'in a minute' video clips. Many of you help the circulation of these videos and blog entries by sharing them via your facebook / twitter and email connections. Thank you for spreading this word!

Again, please pray for me especially during my retreat week. I will remember all blog readers in my prayer over these Easter days.

sunrise over the Sea of Galilee