St Mary Mother of God

Eighteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

On Monday morning, there was a lot of activity just after seven o'clock. Garry and David were moving machinery on to the school field to start work on the building of the new school library; a very generous donation by the two families in our parish. In the afternoon, I returned to the site and peered down into the trenches which had been dug for the foundations. They were so deep you could have erected a block of flats on them. "Why so deep"? I enquired. "Building regulations", they said. The L.A. Inspector insisted on them being that deep. As I peered down into the abyss, I saw some ready-mix lorries backing across the field. I stayed to see the first pouring of the concrete. There is no doubt the new library is built on firm foundations.

There is a traditional hymn we sing from time to time which begins, "The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is his new creation by Water and the Word". Jesus often talked about our lives in terms of building our house on firm foundations. In the gospels of Matthew (7, 24) and Luke (6, 47) Jesus said that anyone who hears his words and heeds them is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock. That house could not be shaken because it was well built.

The problem with the ground where we are putting the new library is the roots of trees, especially where the soil is a mixture of clay and sand. The roots are necessary for the trees but in this case they are like the evil influences all around us. In some instances in Essex tree roots have undermined buildings. Great cracks have appeared in the walls and in extreme cases the buildings have had to be underpinned or demolished and rebuilt from scratch. So it is with our lives if we allow the evil influences of this world to undermine them. Always remember, the Church's sure foundation is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Neglect Him and our house is in peril. A thought for August. Have a good break.

Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

I still have a little statue of Pope John XXIII, now Blessed John, on my mantelpiece. Bishop Wall gave it to me in 1965. He bought it in Rome at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. I treasure it because Pope John gave me a completely new vision of the Church. He followed Pope Pius XII who was a good man. He tried to be correct in everything he did. He presented a very austere image of the successor of St. Peter. In some ways he tried to move the Church in liturgy by introducing the Dialogue Mass so that the people could make the responses instead of an altar server or two. He looked as if he was unapproachable. He was very respected but not loved very much.

John couldn't have been more different. His humour and humanity circulated around the globe. The beaky Roman curia officials didn't know what to make of him. They said, "He doesn't know how to behave as a pope!". He ate lunch sometimes with the gardeners and when asked how many people work in the Vatican, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "About half of them". It wasn't just among Catholics he was popular. Everyone loved him. It is reported that every night before he retired Blessed John XXIII used to lie down on the chapel floor and pray, "Lord, I have done my best. But at the end of the day it's your Church".

I believe that being human is a very large part of being holy. Surely that is what the Incarnation is all about. Did not the Son of God become truly human when He took flesh of the Virgin Mary and became man? St. Thomas Aquinas, writing about the Body of Christ for Corpus Christi, said that the Son of God in taking our nature turned men into gods. In the Eucharist Christ shares his life with us and we with Him. And John XXIII was truly trying to imitate his master. And Jesus also had a great sense of humour. He had nicknames on his Apostles. I suppose today he would be accused of political incorrectness! But his humanity shone through everything he did. And he was loved. When St. John the evangelist was dying his last words were, "Little children, love one another".

Sixteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

I know the Lord said, "Ask and you shall receive" but I'm one of those reluctant people when it comes to asking for two reasons, firstly I might well be asking the Lord for something that possibly isn't good for me without realising the consequences if I got it and secondly He knows what I need before I ask Him. So I'm more content cultivating the virtue of acceptance of what comes my way for I know the Lord is looking after me and He has me in his mind at all times, as He has you.

But I must confess I have been enquiring why the Lord has not sent us more rain. The last weekend the forecast was for rain for Monday, my day off. I did say to the Lord, "You have a funny sense of humour". But I went to play golf just the same. While I was playing in really ideal conditions, there was a cloudburst at St. Mary's. When I got back they asked, "Did you get soaked?" But I never felt a drop in Chigwell. I did say thanks to the Lord.

We tend to fret about so many things in life but very little of it is worth the trouble. We even fret about the church and I have to admit I do too. But I was reminded this week through the Prophet Isaiah that the church is Christ and all its members. The prophet wrote when Jerusalem was under siege, "Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear and do not let your heart sink...". And when Jesus visited Martha and Mary, Martha was beside herself trying to cater for Jesus and his friends. She was doing a great job. There was no need to criticise Mary. She was doing an even better job listening to the Word which Jesus pointed out. So do what you are good at and leave other people to the Lord.

Fifteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

I have often heard it said when something dreadful befalls a person, "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time". It may have been said when a gunman ran amok recently killing a lot of innocent people.

I have read as well of someone who grew rich on oil condemning the vast majority of his people for not working harder to improve their standard of living. Yet if they were to work hard for a lifetime, they wouldn't earn as much as that person earns in a day! My brother once said to me, "The needy may have enough in our own country but the greedy never have enough." In these days of comparative cost cutting, there will always be people with so much money that their social calendar is exhausting.

So what do we say about the needy? The most important thing is how we treat the needy. Accept them as they are, not as we think they ought to be, nor as we want them to be. Never demean them but treat them with dignity.

So what do we make of this well known story of The Good Samaritan? One thing he didn't say was, "Why did this man go down a road he must have known to be dangerous?" Nor when he was beaten up by thieves did he pass by the man who was half dead. He ministered to him on the spot and then paid for him to be looked after. We are spoilt, at least most of us are. For example when a woman passed out during Mass last Sunday, and I hasten to add it had nothing to do with my homily, I stopped Mass, gave her the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and waited for the paramedics to arrive and depart. They were there within about five minutes - incredible! I think I am correct in believing that under the old Tridentine Rite, in which I was ordained, I would not have interrupted the Mass but finished the Mass first and then attended the woman. By that time the paramedics would have whisked her away! Of course we were very priestly in those days but maybe a little removed from the attitude of the Good Samaritan.

Fourteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

I hate to admit I have seen very little of the World Cup matches in South Africa. The first couple of matches I watched were a complete bore. The teams were more interested in not being beaten than winning matches. So I concentrated on looking at the highlights to see if there were any decent goals scored. I'm delighted the French are out. They never deserved to be there in the first place. I'm sure there was rejoicing in Dublin. As for the England performances, the less said the better. They were even worse against the Germans than the Portuguese against the Spanish. The plain truth is they just were not good enough. At club level they are surrounded by first class foreign players. When on their own their lack of class was all too evident to see. I am sure I'd be lynched if I said, "After all, it's is only a game!".

Getting things in perspective is always difficult especially if we are passionate about something. Seeing the big picture is not always possible. Take the gospel for today, "The harvest is rich but the labourers are few". I listened to a sermon on those very words in St. Mary's in 1953. I felt the Lord was addressing them to me. So I signed up for the priesthood. In those days everyone felt those words were addressed to those aspiring to be priests or religious. And in a very narrow sense, they are. But the big picture is something much greater. The church has taught us that, all the baptised share in the priesthood of Christ. If we apply this to the situation in Havering we see about a dozen men we call priests who have a specific function in the parish community. Most of them are elderly and feeble. One day soon the institution we call the church will either have to leave people without the sacraments or find another solution. One possible solution would be to ordain suitable married men to serve as priests in their parishes. Wait a minute you might say, that is embarking on something new. But it isn't. We have them already in our own diocese and in other parts of the world. And that is the big picture!

Thirteenth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

Every spring a large group of walkers set out from Upminster on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. I wish I were young enough to be one of them but I am past that. I do however enjoy meeting them in Canterbury as they enter the cathedral grounds singing, "To be a pilgrim". The pain endured by the walkers is immediately evident, sore feet and aching limbs. But there is also the expression of extreme satisfaction at their achievement, none more so than at the mass celebrated in the cathedral crypt. Apart from the immediate benefits of such a pilgrimage, like group support and lasting friendships, there is also the long term message that the whole of life is a pilgrimage. We encounter the highs and the lows during the years until at last we reach the 'New Jerusalem'.

St. Luke's gospel is looking at the life of Jesus as if it were a pilgrimage. I'm sure Jesus made many visits to Jerusalem in his life but St. Luke's gospel differs slightly from the other synoptics, that is Matthew and Mark, in that he sees Jesus making just the one journey to Jerusalem. It starts with his birth and ends with his death at Calvary. But of course that is not the end for him but only the beginning as the pilgrim disciples found out when they encountered him on the road to Emmaus.

In our gospel reading for this Sunday St. Luke writes, "As the time drew near for him to be taken up into heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road to Jerusalem". As they travelled along we see different aspects of the character of Jesus. When, for instance, the disciples James and John wanted Jesus to call down fire on the Samaritans who would not accept Jesus because he was making for Jerusalem, Jesus rebuked them. At the same time the standards Jesus set for his disciples were very demanding. There is no doubting his message: Jesus must come first in our lives. It reflects the first commandment, "I am the Lord your God, you shall not have strange gods before me" and "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also".

Twelfth Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

We have just finished the 'Year of the Priest', not that many have actually noticed it. We have been encouraged to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, by that we mean recruiting young men and women to the celibate life. There is no denying the value of the celibate priest. I can speak with some authority on this because I have been a celibate priest for forty seven years. One advantage is we can go at a moment's notice to anywhere the Bishop wants us to serve. There is also the unique relationship with our people where we have no conflict of interest; we are at the service of the people. The downside of that is it can be a bit stifling and can lead to all sorts of jealousies on the part of parishioners. Don't get me wrong this happens in every parish because parishioners feel we belong to them and for the time we are in the parish I'd like to think they are to a large extent right. It is a very fulfilling life and at its most basic level brings a lot of job satisfaction. There is no escaping the variety of our work from preaching, saying mass, administering the sacraments, praying with people, to mending the church roof or sitting endlessly on committees. Variety, they say, is the spice of life. It certainly exists in the priesthood. Never a dull moment!

There is one aspect of priesthood today that is deeply disturbing and I draw attention to what has happened in our diocese in the last year, the year of the priest. Three very active priests have left the priesthood, to marry as far as I know. Although it only causes a slight ripple among people these days and the element of scandal has virtually disappeared, we must ask the question, "Why is it happening?" and "Is there anything we can do about it?" We can ill afford such losses especially as the average age of the clergy is rising rapidly. To lose one priest, as Lady Bracknell would say, is a misfortune. To lose three in a year looks like carelessness; especially as we clearly have a married clergy. People find it hard to understand why in this day and age a man who is married can be ordained priest but a man who is a priest is not allowed to marry and continue in the priesthood. I must say it leaves me a bit bewildered too.

Eleventh Sunday of the Year

From Fr. John:

Last week I read in a Catholic paper that Fr. David Buckley from Drogheda in County Louth imposed a ban in order to combat a growing trend among First Holy Communion parents who transport their children to the celebration in outlandish limos or horse drawn carriages. He failed miserably. Several children arrived in stretch limos. There was one pink limo and a glass, princess, horse drawn carriage which caused a traffic jam even in Drogheda.

I bring this to your notice for two reasons. Firstly we have spent all year on the First Holy Communion programme emphasising the importance of putting Christ in the Eucharist at the very centre and heart of this wonderful day. So we must be careful not to take our eye off the ball and allow the children to be distracted by limos, extravagant parties, which only give adults the opportunity to over indulge. Call me an old 'fuddy duddy' if you like but the majority of older people can get upset by such behaviour on the part of young parents.

Secondly, in receiving the Eucharist we are trying to become more like Christ. He has given us the supreme example of simplicity. Celebrate the day by all means but don't go over the top so that your child thinks of little else but the material trappings and loses sight of the very aspect that makes it a day of celebration in the first place.

May I take this opportunity to thank Jane and Theresa and their wonderful team of catechists for the devoted work they have put in all year. My plea to parents is don't spoil all that hard work for a slice of mammon!

The Feast of Corpus Christi

From Fr. John:

School journey for Year 6 to the Isle of Wight is no picnic; in fact it is extremely demanding but very satisfying and fulfilling. When we have washed the sleep from our eyes, the day always started with the celebration of Mass. The object of that celebration was total involvement of children and staff. Although attendance was voluntary everyone turned up. Some of the staff felt the Mass was the spiritual nourishment they needed for the day. For me it was a truly religious experience, a cherished memory for which I have the children to thank. They were marvellous. In a few days we became a real community and I sorely missed them when I came home.

In a couple of weeks, on two Saturdays, over seventy children will be making their First Holy Communion in our parish. In spite of all the materialism that surrounds young people these days, the children will be touched by the wonderful mystery of their relationship with Jesus. And that relationship in the Eucharist draws us into close communion with Jesus and with one another.

This great mystery of Christ being really and truly present in a wonderful way in the bread and wine, which becomes the Body and Blood of Christ, has its roots way back, perhaps the best part of four thousand years to a man with a strange name called Melchizedech. He was King of Salem, meaning peace, probably Jerusalem, and he came with an offering of bread and wine as he bestowed God's blessing on Abram. He even gets an honourable mention in Eucharistic prayer 1 at Mass. Bread and wine is also at the centre of the Passover meal when the Israelites celebrated their liberation from slavery. They still do it to this day. But for Christian people the Eucharist is about Jesus' presence among us, just as he celebrated the first Eucharist in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. He took the bread and wine and changed it into his own Body and Blood and commanded us to do this in His memory. That is why every Sunday we come together to celebrate the Mass, a simple celebration of bread and wine, remembering that Jesus comes into our hearts and He is at the heart of our parish family.

The Most Holy Trinity

From Fr. Patrick:

Friends, today we celebrate a mystery that lies at the heart of our faith, the Trinity. You know how difficult it is to understand this. Sometimes it is easy just to believe it and get on with being Catholic. But it makes great sense, it has profound meaning and will blow your mind away. Here is a simple insight the Lord put in my spirit and I hope you will be blessed through it.

The simple meaning of the Trinity is Love. God the Father, from the beginning of time, thinks of me. He says, "Before I formed you, I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5). He foresaw the whole of my history, so in love He became human and He is the Jesus we talk about. That is why Jesus himself says to Phillip, "To see me is to see the Father." For all my sins and weaknesses, He went to the cross and paid the price. I can walk away rest assured of mercy, because the Father looks on me with pity and does not treat me according to my sins. Wow! In Matthew 27:50, he cried and groaned, gave up His Spirit, this same Spirit of His comes to dwell inside us. The Spirit is the Father's breath, His belly, His love and passion. This is really amazing. Because love spells intimacy, God the Father in Jesus comes to dwell in us as Spirit. Julian of Norwich says, His meaning is love. This is as real as it can get.

Can I warmly encourage you to open your hearts to Jesus even more. Let Him in. You have nothing to lose. There is so much to gain - so much incredible love and security, deep, deep peace in the storm, a feeling of being specially loved. Most dear friends, offer Jesus the gift of a pure heart, a clean conscience. Meet Him constantly in the Blessed Sacrament, never neglect the Sacrament of Reconciliation, pray the rosary every day, do not be scared of Jesus. Gravitate towards him. Though I have been through terrible storms, pain, hurt which I have openly shared with you and though I have shed so many tears, His love and peace never leave - true. And I pray the rivers of love from the Trinity fill you and bless you in every way today. Love and regards.