Dear friends in Christ
The liturgy of this Sunday in which we begin Ordinary Time, reminds us that our calling to the Christian life, is a call to follow Jesus unconditionally. That call is prefigured in the calling of the Prophet Samuel by the Priest Eli and it is echoed and made clear in the calling of the Apostles by Jesus. Like St John the Baptist, we are asked by God to point-out the Lamb of God, the One who is in our midst, who has come to redeem the world. As Saint John says: He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus has come to save us from our sins, to purify the world of evil and bring us into the Kingdom of Heaven. At every Mass we hear those same words of the Baptist when the Priest raises the Sacred Host as we prepare for Holy Communion. If we are to follow Christ with integrity of life, we need to cultivate both the human and supernatural virtues.
Perhaps the one most required for us to remain committed is the virtue of courage or fortitude. Today, anyone who lives and proclaims the faith of the Church is, on many points, out of step with the mindset of the world. Today’s prevalent agnosticism has its own dogmas and is extremely intolerant of anything that dares to challenge it. Courage is needed to contradict the prevailing mindset, and this courage is not about aggression or forcefulness, but rather in being clear and firm in the face of negativity. It is the courage demanded of those whom the Lord sends out like sheep among wolves. And the ultimate test is, to be like the Disciples who—in the Acts of the Apostles—after having been hauled in before the Sanhedrin, reprimanded and flogged for speaking about Jesus, left the Council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the name of Christ. May our strength of faith following Our Lord, keep us always close to Him, whatever suffering we can encounter for His sake.
With evangelisation in mind, and thinking ahead: next year is both a Jubilee Year in the Church throughout the world (there is one every twenty-five years) and it will also be the Centenary of the opening of our Church here. The Pope has chosen the theme for the Holy Year: Pilgrims of Hope and it will be a year of grace for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of a pandemic and the ecological crisis we face. The Pope has asked that we use this year of preparation by looking again at the Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council for guidance and direction. It will also be a significant year here in our Parish as we celebrate the centenary of the Church building. These two milestones together remind us that as the living stones of the Church, we have to keep building-up the Kingdom of God on earth. To this end—and God willing—I am proposing a Parish Mission during Lent 2025. This will be an opportunity to both renew our Faith in Christ and His Church, and also a moment to reach-out to those who do not yet know Jesus well or His Church. As we progress through this year I will give more details of how the Mission might unfold and ask for your help as together we might prepare for this time of Mission.
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale