15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sea Sunday

Day for Prayer for the Stella Maris Catholic Organisation

On this Seafarers Sunday, the readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time invite us to reflect on God’s faithful presence.  Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word is like the rain that waters the earth and never returns empty, always accomplishing the purpose for which it is sent.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, teaching that God’s Word is scattered generously and can bear abundant fruit in hearts that are open to receive it.  The image of Jesus teaching from the water makes this a particularly fitting Gospel for Seafarers Sunday.  It reminds us that the sea is not beyond God’s reach; it can be a place where people encounter Christ and hear his call.

Today we give thanks for seafarers and all the hard work that the Catholic Organisation of Stella Maris do around the world.  Chaplains who dealing with the many hardships of our Fishers & Seafarers, who work in very challenging conditions, bearing the burden, for our benefit, bringing food and goods into the UK.

There are many reports that crew members are getting only a few hours of sleep per night, due to stress and being overworked.  This is making their safety vulnerable because they are completely exhausted.  Stella Maris, are able to ground ships, allowing the crew to get some much needed rest.  They also provide warm dry clothes and phone cards to many who are feeling homesick.   

The work of Chaplains in our ports provide support in emergencies, and give spiritual and emotional support to Seafarers all around the world. 

May the Lord continue to provide them with the grace and support that they need to carry the ‘yoke’ of their ministries, as they administer to God’s faithful people out at sea.

On this day, I always remember the movie Titanic.  The big sea disaster, about a ship that was said to be unsinkable, hitting an iceberg on its way to America.  In the movie, you may recall, if you’ve seen it, a group of musicians, who sacrificed their lives to bring peace and harmony during the time of the disaster, by playing hymns and classical music, while the Titanic was sinking.

It sank on the 15^th April 1912, and 1,503 souls were lost in the icy waters.  Onboard the Titanic was a 42 year old priest called Fr Thomas Byles, and he is known for his heroic actions during the sinking.  On this 10^th anniversary of his Priesthood, he decided to visit his brother in New York, so he bought a 2^nd class ticket for the Titanic. 

While onboard he would celebrate Mass for the 2^nd and 3^rd class passengers, and during his last sermon on the boat, he explained that the prayers and Sacraments of the Church were our spiritual lifeboats, to use when we are in danger from our spiritual shipwrecks of temptation.

According to eyewitnesses, Fr Thomas was out on deck praying his breviary shortly before midnight, when the ship hit the iceberg. 

When the captain ordered the launching of the lifeboats, Fr Thomas made his way down to help people navigate the stairwells to the upper deck, but many found themselves trapped behind locked iron gates.  Fr Thomas calmly led the third-class passengers to where the lifeboats were located. 

When the ship was going down Fr Thomas was with people from all different religions, resighting the rosary together, while Fr Thomas was praying for the repose of their souls, as he administered the Last Rites, giving them general absolution for their sins. 

Fr Thomas was an extraordinary man, who gave his life for others, and his actions were praised by Pope Pius X. 

So today, may we keep the work of Sea chaplains in our prayers, and the support the Stella Maris Catholic Organisation.  May the Lord watch over all the faithful departed who have been lost at Sea and bring them into eternal life.  Amen. 

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

“Shoulder my yoke and learn from me.  Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.”  As I was reflecting upon the Gospel in preparation to write this homily, this line stood out to me.  Especially, in light of this Saturday morning’s Permanent Diaconate Ordinations at the Cathedral, and also being the month of July where many Priestly Ordinations will happen all around the UK including many priestly anniversaries, mine in only a couple of weeks away. 

Today we hear Jesus saying, ‘my yoke is easy and my burden light’.  However, It is?  I thought to myself.  Since my ordination four years ago, it has been very challenging, and I am sure that all the newly ordained during the coming months will soon see the true extent of the demands upon clergy shoulders. 

However, as seminarians we knew this from the very beginning, that this would be the case.  Every time a priest prepares himself for Mass, he brings to mind the ‘yoke’ that has been given to him.  As I place my vestments on, there are special prayers to be said for each item.  One of these prayers are:

“O Lord, who said: My yoke is sweet and my burden light: grant that I may carry it, so as to obtain your grace.”

As you may know, a Priest and a Deacon wear the stole in two different ways, the priest wears it around his neck over both shoulders, where the Deacon only wears it over the left shoulder, and fastened together just below the waist. 

It shows that the Priest has to bear the full ‘yoke’ of responsibility to serve Jesus’ flock, while the Deacon only bears half this responsibility.

Perhaps, the key to understanding Our Lord’s words is found in what a yoke actually does.  A yoke is not something that makes work disappear; rather, it helps us to carry the weight.  It distributes the burden and enables the one wearing it to move forward without being crushed beneath the load.

Jesus never promises us a life free from difficulties.  The saints certainly did not experience that.  All of us, in some way will face trials and sacrifices in life. What Jesus promises is that we never carry those burdens alone.  When we accept His yoke, we are joined to Him.  He walks alongside us.  He help bears the weight of our problems.

This is why in the Gospel Jesus first describes Himself as “gentle and humble of heart.”  The Lord who invites us to follow Him is not a harsh taskmaster.

He is the Good Shepherd who knows our weaknesses, understands our difficulties, and patiently leads us forward one step at a time.

We see this same humility reflected in the First Reading from the prophet Zechariah.  The long-awaited king does not arrive on a mighty warhorse surrounded by armies.

Instead, he comes humbly, riding on a donkey. God’s way is very different from the way of the world.  The world admires power, status, and success; however, Christ teaches humility, service, and self-giving love.

St Paul, in our Second Reading, reminds us that we are called to live not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  Left to our own strength, the Christian life can seem impossible.  But with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we receive the grace necessary to live as faithful disciples.

As we pray today for our newly ordained clergy, and for all Priests, Deacons celebrating their anniversaries, and for vocations, let us remember that every vocation is ultimately a sharing in Christ’s own yoke.  It is not always easy, but it is always blessed.  And when Christ is at the centre of our lives, even the heaviest burdens can become light, because they are carried with Him, who is gentle, and humble in heart.  Amen.

Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul

Today we remember two great Apostles, two pillars of the Church, St Peter and St Paul.  At the heart of their stories we hear an encounter with Jesus that changed their lives.  They both received the love that healed them and set them free.

As we know Peter was a very skilled fisherman from Galilee, but we hear in the Gospels, that many times, he tasted the bitterness of frustration, especially when he hadn’t caught anything all night.  He was tempted to pull up his oars and give up.  Nevertheless, Jesus loved Peter and encouraged him not to give up, asking him to lower his nets once more, or maybe joining him to walk on the water, or finding the strength to accept his own frailty, and giving his life for his friends by becoming a ‘shepherd of the flock’.  In this way, Jesus sets Peter free from fear and all worldly concerns.  He gave him the courage to risk everything and the joy of becoming a fisher of men, by coming the first Pope of the Catholic Church.

When Peter denied Jesus three times, in the courtyard at Jesus’ trial, while keeping warm over a charcoal fire, he rejected his relationship with Jesus, by saying: ‘he didn’t know the man.’  After the Resurrection, Jesus gives Peter the opportunity to undo that rejection.  Through Jesus’ great love and mercy he invites Peter to repent and return to him by professing his love for him three times, this act undoes the threefold denial in the courtyard, and so restores the relationship between them both. 

Jesus’ mercy is so complete, that he does not hold anything against Peter, but instead, gives him the honour and the responsibility of serving him as the ‘Shepherd of his people’.

St Paul also experienced the freedom that was brought by Jesus.  He was set free from the slavery of himself.  From Saul he became Paul, and moved away from being a zealous defender of his ancestral traditions, into a zealous defender of the Faith in Jesus Christ.    

He became open to the love of God and was given the mission to evangelise to the Pagans.  The strain of his physical health, the violence and persecution towards him, being shipwrecked several times, the daily pains of hunger and thirst, and finally in his own words: the painful thorn in the flesh, didn’t make him give up. 

St Paul came to realise that God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, and we are able to do all things through Jesus who strengthens us and nourishes us, since nothing can ever separate us from the love of the Father.

The Church looks towards these two giants of faith and sees two Apostles who were set free by their encounter with the Lord.  Jesus did not judge them, instead he shared their life with affection and closeness.  He supported them by his prayers, and at times reproached them to make amends.  To Peter, Jesus said gently ‘I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail.’  And to Paul he said, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

Jesus speaks the same with us, but re-assures us of his closeness through prayer by interceding on our behalf before the Father. 

May we continue to mould ourselves closer to the Lord’s Love, making us holier in his sight, by the receiving of the Most Holy Eucharist.  When times are tough, may we never give up, asking the Lord for strength and guidance. 

We are the Children of God, united together in the ‘Body of Christ’ within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, with St Peter as our Rock and St Paul as our zealous defender of love and faith. 

May we call on their intercession today, to encounter the Lord in our own lives bringing us joy, happiness and peace.

St Peter & St Paul – pray for us.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A

In today’s Gospel message we have two important lessons ‘to take courage’ and ‘to be on your guard.’  If we do not, then we might be tempted to stop preaching the gospel, or maybe even soften the message, in order to make things easier not to offend anybody. 

We read that Jesus entrusts the full Gospel message to his disciples, saying, ‘even though people will persecute you, do not be afraid.  What you have learnt from the Master you must speak in the light of truth and proclaim it from the housetops.  The worst thing that your enemies can do, is to kill the body.  They can never kill the soul.’

In our first reading from Jeremiah, we hear his despair in times of persecution.  We have to bear in mind that Jeremiah never wanted to become a prophet, he did his best to run away from any responsibility of being God’s spokesperson.  However, finally he placed his trust in the Lord, and his confidence did not waver throughout his persecutions.    

We should be encouraged, after hearing today’s readings.  Like Jeremiah and Jesus’ disciples, they placed their trust fully in the Lord, even in the sight of Martyrdom. 

In the secular world today, we all fear the anxiety not to offend others.  The ‘News’ is full of people disputing on one thing or another.  Things that we might personally agree with or maybe disagree with.  If we raise our voices, then a lot of hurt and distress might come in our direction.  What should we do?

This very question was on my mind during Seminary college.  Knowing that after my ordination, I will be classed as a public figure, and people will be looking towards me for guidance in the faith within the Catholic Church teachings. 

Is my knowledge sound and true?  Hopefully it is.  (just about).  Am I prepared to announce it from the housetops?  Well, I prefer to announce it from the Pulpit, in a much safer environment in church.  Would I debate the Catholic faith on National TV, against a well-known scientist or campaigner?  Probably not.  There is a line that I would be very fearful or afraid to cross.  Unfortunately, Jesus wants us to go that extra mile, to push ourselves and to go into the unknown.

When I was in my earlier years at Seminary, the thought of preaching in church was very daunting.  I wasn’t looking forward to the experience or learning how to do it.  Obviously, I knew as a priest this was something I needed to learn and overcome.  Nevertheless, it was a frighting prospect.  People come up to me now, saying how do you find preaching in a church full of parishioners.  My answer is straightforward.  Once you have preached in front of your year group at college, and you have had your homily ripped apart from your peers, you can accomplish anything. 

The most difficult group of people to preach to is a bunch of ‘know it all’ seminarians who think they are smarter than anyone else. 

So, preaching in a church environment is less stressful and enjoyable.  

During those years at seminary, I was pushed, tested, and stretched, in so many different ways, making me the priest I am today.  Through God’s love and grace, I hope that my knowledge and limited priestly experience will grow and be fruitful for the benefit of all, for the parishioners here in this parish community.

So, whatever happens, let us ask God to be in control of our lives.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, guiding our thoughts, words, and actions.  So, when we have completed our earthly journey, after being tested and proved by fire, professing the Good News, we will know that we have finished the race to the best of our ability, completed the Mission that Our Lord Jesus has given us, and able to relax in the treasures that we have built up in Heaven, through our works of Faith, Hope and Charity here on earth.

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

Today we hear Jesus summoning His twelve disciples and sending them out on their first mission.  He gives them authority over unclean spirits and the power to cure sickness and disease.  He tells them to go first to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and to proclaim the Good News: “that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.

At the heart of this Gospel is a striking truth, Jesus gives the disciples His own authority.  They are not acting on their own strength, but in His name and with His power.  Through this, they witness the presence of God at work within them: demons flee, the sick are healed, and lives are transformed.  All of this points clearly to who Jesus is, the Son of God, with divine authority and power.

For the disciples, this was essential.  Their faith needed to grow and deepen, because a time would come when Jesus would no longer be physically present with them.  They would then have to rely on that faith to carry on His mission.

However, this mission is rooted in prayer.  Jesus does not send them out carelessly or unprepared.  Instead, He calls them to pray to the Lord of the harvest.  Prayer grounds their mission. It reminds them that they are not alone, that they are chosen, and that it is God who works through them.  As we know, prayer remains central in our lives too.  It opens our hearts to God’s grace and strengthens us to live out our calling as His children.

Jesus also desires that His disciples become shepherds, caring for people who were lost, weary, and searching.  In time, these apostles became the first bishops of the Church, with St Peter as the first Pope.

Through the laying on of hands, this apostolic ministry has continued. Bishops, priests, and deacons have been ordained throughout the life of the Church to carry on Christ’s saving work, teaching the faith, guiding the faithful, and celebrating the sacraments.

Today, the need for prayer is just as urgent as it was 2,000 years ago. We are all aware that vocations to the priesthood and religious life are declining.  We must pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send good and holy labourers into His vineyard.

Our young people are the future of the Church, the next generation of witnesses, teachers, and ministers.  We need to encourage them, listen to them, and support them as they begin to discern their path in life. When the time comes, we must help them to recognise and respond to God’s call.

For some, like myself, that call unfolds slowly, over many years, often with obstacles along the way.  But it is always worth it.  There is a deep joy in knowing that you have responded to the Lord as best you can.  And that joy grows when you see lives changed, when people find hope, direction, and peace in Christ where once there was confusion or despair.

Last Sunday, the Cathedral celebrated their First Holy Communion, (and here at St Bernadette’s we look forward to ours in a few weeks’ time.)  These children have dedicated themselves to their preparation, learning about the Mass, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the Eucharist.

Let us pray for them, that they will continue to come to Mass, to grow in faith, and to remain close to the Lord.  With the support of their families and our parish community, may they discover the joy, love, and peace that brings Christ together.

May the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen them, helping them to grow and mature throughout their lives in the grace and love of the Sacraments.

Corpus Christi

Today we celebrate one of the greatest treasures of our Catholic faith: the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  This feast invites us not simply to remember Jesus, but to encounter Him, living, loving, and truly present among us.  In every Mass, Heaven touches the earth, and Christ gives Himself completely to us as the Bread of Life.

All of us are pilgrims on a journey through life.  Along the way, we experience many kinds of hunger: hunger for peace, for purpose, for love, and for hope.  Yet beneath all these is the deepest hunger of all — the hunger for God.  So many people search for the meaning in success or possessions, yet the human heart is only truly satisfied in Christ.

This is why the Eucharist matters so much.  Jesus does not leave us to battle alone.  He feeds us with Himself.  He becomes food for our souls, strength for our weakness, and light for our path.  As the Church teaches, the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.”  Here we encounter not a symbol, but the true presence of Christ:  His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.

The Eucharist not only unites us to Christ, it also unites us to one another.  Henri de Lubac famously said, “The Eucharist makes the Church.” If the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church, then the Eucharist is surely its beating heart, sending the life of Christ through every member of His Body.

Every time we come forward to receive Holy Communion, something profound happens.  We are drawn into a deeper communion with Jesus Himself.  Through Baptism we became members of His Body, and in the Eucharist that bond is strengthened and renewed.  Christ pours His grace into our hearts, healing what is wounded, strengthening what is weak, and filling us again with joy and hope.

Pope Urban IV (4^th) beautifully described the Eucharist when he said:

“In this sacrament we celebrate in thanksgiving the memory of our Saviour; we are drawn away from evil, strengthened in goodness, and grow in virtue and grace.”

What incredible love lies behind this gift!  On the night before He died, Jesus gave us the Eucharist so that He could remain with us always.  Every Mass makes present the saving sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.  Every altar becomes a place where Divine Love is poured out once again for the life of the world.

The Eucharist is not only nourishment for today; it is also a promise of eternity.  It sustains us on our earthly pilgrimage and points us toward the joy of Heaven.  It becomes, as the Saints often called it, “food for the journey”, strength for weary souls and medicine for sinner, so we can all strive to become saints in Heaven.

If we remain close to Him, His life flows through us.  Faith, hope, and charity begin to grow within us.  The more we centre our lives on the Eucharist, the more Christ Himself becomes the centre of everything we are.

If we truly receive Christ worthily, we cannot remain unchanged.  The Eucharist must shape us, by the way we speak, the way we forgive, the way we treat others.  Having received the love of Christ, we are called to become His disciples in the world, focusing especially on the lonely, the suffering, and the forgotten.

St Teresa of Calcutta once said:

“If we truly understand the Eucharist; if we make the Eucharist the centre of our lives, we will not find it difficult to discover Christ and love Him in the poor.”

Those words will challenge us today.  Our prayer before the altar must become love in action.  The Eucharist sends us out to be Christ’s hands, Christ’s voice, and Christ’s compassion in a wounded world.

So let us today, open our hearts again to this great mystery of faith. Let us approach the altar with gratitude and reverence.  May the Body and Blood of Christ transform us more and more into the people He calls us to be: a healing presence, a helping hand, a voice of kindness and encouragement for those most in need.

For in the end, we become what we receive:  Jesus Christ Himself.

The Most Holy Trinity

Today, we come face to face with the inner mystery of God as a family of three persons.  Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.  A complete harmony of love. 

When you hear the word ‘God’ who do you immediately think of?  How do you visualise God?  Do you automatically think of the Trinity, or just one person in the Trinity?  I remember one of my interview questions for the priesthood was: ‘Who do you pray to?’  That was an interesting question, a question that caught me off guard, something I had to ponder upon.  Who do I pray to?  For me, in my private prayers, it will be probably be to Jesus Christ, however, in other areas in my priestly ministry, it will be a mixture of praying to God the Father especially in the Liturgy of the Mass, and also to the Holy Spirit often during Confessions.  

The word ‘God’ is the most used and also abused word in the human language.  The challenge for us, is to always speak rightly about God and his Holy Name, with honour, praise and worship, being extremely careful not to be disrespectful by using the Lord God’s name in vain, in anyway shape or form.

The Trinity is central to the Liturgy of the Mass, even by our first action entering the church we make the ‘sign of the cross’ with Holy Water, as we remember the Trinity, through our Baptism of the Faith.  

Then the Trinity pops up again at the general greeting by the Priest, using this formular of words:  ‘The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’

The central part in the Mass where the Trinity is recalled is during the Eucharistic Prayer.  With the priest being ‘in persona Christi’ – the ‘person of Christ’, Jesus offers up the gifts of bread and wine to God the Father, and calling down the Holy Spirit upon them, during the laying on of hands over the gifts, which is called the ‘Epiclesis’.  Through the words of Christ in the Eucharistic Prayer, the gifts are changed in substance into the Body and Blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

So, you can see the three persons of the Trinity at work here.  Jesus is offering the gifts to the Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit is changing them into our Eucharistic food.    

In our daily lives we also need to remember how important the Trinity is to us.  We are children of God, a Father who cares for us, and in Jesus Christ we have a brother, who died for us.  In the Holy Spirit we possess a friend and a comforter, who strengthens and protects us. 

The Trinity is our personal invitation to discover and deepen our relationship with God.  We are made in the image and likeness of God, and so we should strive to become like him as much as humanly possible.  Since our destiny from this life, is to be with God, eternally in Heaven, where we will see our Creator face to face.

The Trinity is so important in the faith of the Church.  We are Baptised in the Name of the Trinity.  We profess the Trinity in the Creed each Sunday:

‘I believe in one God, the Father Almighty …’. 

‘I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, only begotten Son of God…’ 

‘I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life…’ 

To embrace the Creed, we enter into communion with the Holy Trinity and also with the whole Church.  The Creed is our spiritual seal, our hearts meditation, and a treasure for our souls, allowing us even more, to come closer to God the Almighty. 

So, let our Christian lives mirror the life of the Trinity today, allowing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit, to govern our words, actions, and deeds, thus, enabling us to enter into eternal life. 

Pentecost

We are here on this wonderful occasion, a birthday celebration of the Church.  I feel we should have party poppers to mark the celebration, but I feel the church cleaning team, will never forgive me. 

As we have heard in our scripture readings, that the early disciples of Christ who were around 120 men and women were all gathered in prayer in the upper room.  Now the mission of Jesus, to be the light for the Gentiles and the glory for God’s people, is now to be given to his followers, by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 

This powerful roaring wind, rushing through the windows and doors of the upper room, must have been terrifying to behold.  However, the Holy Spirit gave these timid and frightened followers the courage to rush out into the streets and fearlessly preach the ‘Word of God’ to friends and foe alike, about the Passion, Death, Resurrection & Ascension of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

At that time, Jerusalem was packed with visiting people, because it was the Jewish Feast of Weeks, that was celebrated 50 days after Passover.  It was a commemoration of God giving them the covenant and the law on Mount Sinai.  For us Christians, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost fulfils this. 

The Lord’s gift of the law on Mount Sinai, now embraces the giving of the New Law in the Holy Spirit, that is firmly written in our hearts being Baptised Children of God. 

The visible sign of ‘tongues of fire’, should also help us recall the words in scripture from the lips of John the Baptist’s prophecy about the One who is to come: ‘He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’ 

Now, with the visitors in Jerusalem, out in the streets, they were all astounded, and couldn’t understand what was happening.  The countries that were mentioned in the Act of the Apostles covered most of the world that was known to first century Palestine.  This symbolises the fact that the Christian Church will embrace the whole world, transcending all barriers of race, class, and nation.  They include the regions of Israel’s historic enemies like Mesopotamia which was the centre of the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.  This is to fulfil God’s promise, that Israel’s enemies would one day turn and acknowledge the God of Israel as the true and only God.

We as Christians, who are grounded firmly by the Holy Spirit, can see how indispensable the Spirit is to us, in faith and salvation.  The indwelling of the Spirit bestows on us the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, from which all other Christian virtues and actions follow.  The Holy Spirit produces a particular kind of fruit within us, that fruit being the character and person of Jesus Christ Himself.

The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost transformed the first disciples, who had previously hidden away in fear and unable to understand God’s plan for the crucified Messiah. 

After receiving of the Spirit, they understood God’s saving plan and were bold enough to preach the Good News, even at the cost of beatings, imprisonment, and martyrdom. 

The disciples were filled with joy and praise, so, let us also be joyfully today, empowered and recharged by God’s gracious gift of the Holy Spirit.  May we become fruitful in our lives by bringing God’s message to the world with no fear or hesitation.

We are God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, formed 1,993 years ago, and we are still going strong with around 2.6 billion Christians worldwide.  So, let us praise the Lord for his promise to Abraham, our Father in Faith, as he said:  “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and grains of sand on the seashore.”  

7th Sunday of Easter – Year A

“Jesus raised his eyes to heaven.” This line today caught my eye when I was preparing my homily and reflecting on the scripture readings.  ‘Jesus raised his eyes to heaven.’  Have you done the same recently?  Maybe when you’re walking outside, the sun shining brightly with a beautiful blue sky, or interesting cloud formation.  Or maybe watching the sunset over the sea, and you find yourself looking upwards towards heaven and saying a prayer of thanksgiving.  Sometimes when I walk along the coast, I start singing the words from the hymn ‘I the Lord of sea and sky’. Then for the next 10mins or so, I end up humming the tune to myself, since I cannot get it out of my head. 

Today the scriptures shows us the importance of prayer.  In the first reading the Apostles, with Mary, and the other disciples were praying in the upper room, waiting for the Holy Spirit to come down upon them.  Which we will celebrate next week at Pentecost.  St Luke shows us in his writings the persistent of communal prayer in the early Church.  We should be wise and imitate them in our own lives.  Our Christian way of life should be rooted deeply in Christ Jesus, and the only way we can to talk to him for guidance is through prayer. 

We are encouraged by the Church to prayer often.  Priests and Religious make a promise to the Bishop to pray the Liturgy of Hours (which is also called) the Divine Office, five times a day for the intentions for the whole world. 

May we as God’s people, imitate the Apostles and increase our devotion to Christ the Lord, spending quality time in prayer.  Prayer doesn’t have to be long, you could say: ‘Lord, help me’, and you will be given the grace you need to carry or resolve the burden.  This is also good advice for students at this time who are facing pressures of revision and examinations at this time.  ‘Lord, help me in my exam.’ 

In the Gospel we hear Jesus’ ‘High Priestly Prayer’ offered to the Father for the intentions of his disciples, just before he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane and the start of His Passion.  Jesus is showing himself as the ‘High Priest’ performing his priestly roles of intercessor and mediator.  Through this prayer for unity, Jesus provides us with a glimpse into the communion between the Father and the Son, into which he invites all of humanity to enter. 

Jesus begins his prayer with a customary Jewish gesture: ‘He raised his eyes to heaven’.  The Father has already given Jesus authority over all people, and now Jesus is asking the Father to glorify him, so that when he has been crucified, resurrected, and exalted into glory, he may give eternal life to all peoples ‘in time’, whom the Father has given to him. ‘In time’ meaning throughout the generations, who are God’s faithful people.

How closely to we follow the words in the celebration of the Mass?  Especially during the words in the Eucharistic Prayers.  A prayer of ‘thanksgiving’ to God the Father.  This Jewish gesture is repeated again by the priest. 

In Eucharistic prayer 1, the priest says:

“On the day before he was to suffer, he took bread in his holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven to you, O God, his almighty Father, giving you thanks, he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples.”  

In the Missal, there is even an instruction in red, (which is part of the rubrics) telling the priest to physically raise his eyes to heaven during these words. 

This can be very challenging to do when learning how to celebrate the Mass, during my seminary days.  So, during the Eucharist prayer today, watch out for this, as we partake together praising the Father for the whole work of salvation, that we may be worthy to receive the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nature … God’s creation, is so wonderful, it is nice just to stop and pause, take a breath and ponder.  Especially in the Lake District or on the coast, just to take in the beauty of the sea and sky, to ponder on what we are seeing.  To reflect on the awesomeness of God’s gift and the love for each of us.  He has created all of us, because he loves us.  So, the next time you’re walking outside, raise your eyes to heaven and say thank you for the precious gift of life itself.

The Ascension of the Lord

By virtue of our calling as Christians through our Baptism, we are meant to be an optimistic people, full of hope and rooted in confidence about our future and death in Christ Jesus.  The Ascension proclaims that Jesus, who spent his life in Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside of Galilee, has achieved the work he was sent to do, and now in Heaven seated at the Right hand of God the Father, the highest honour that is assigned for a King, since He is enthroned as King and Lord of the Universe.  His Resurrection has now been fully revealed showing His Divine Sovereignty, fulfilling the prophecy that was said to the Sanhedrin during Jesus’ trial.

‘Are you the Messiah the son of the Blessed one? The High Priest asked him.  Jesus answered, ‘I am’ and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’

Jesus’ enthronement in Heaven however, does not imply that his absence here on earth will cease.  No, because Jesus is no longer bound by the limits of space and time, and therefore he can be present to His disciples in an infinitely and more intimate way, through the Holy Spirit than he could ever have been before while on earth.  Jesus is not only with us, but also in us.  Where Christ has gone, we hope to follow, once our earthly journey has ended. 

The Ascension speaks of a new era.  For the Apostles their period of training is over, and the time has arrived for the beginning of their mission, ‘to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.’  At the Lord’s departure the disciples stood motionless, transfixed by what had happened.  However, their mission is not to stand around looking upwards all day, waiting for something to happen.  In Christ’s absence they were to be his messengers. 

The Ascension gives us a glimpse of the great future to which we have been called to, by becoming His Saints in Heaven.  Like the Apostles, Christ commands us to be his witnesses in preaching the Good News.  As you know, this is a daunting task, but through the Holy Spirit we can all do it, by witnessing to our faith each day, and allowing the Spirit to talk through us. 

Life is often called a pilgrimage and we are travellers on that rocky road, through life’s many up’s and down’s.  We can be weakened by the many trails that come our way, our sufferings and disappointments.  However, the Ascension assures us that there is a purpose to life, a plan, that our journeying, however difficult, will take us back to the Father one day. 

We all live in hope, in the expectation for the Lord’s return on the last day.  May our hearts be ready, as we await for the Bridegroom’s return, as we take his Words to heart:  ‘I am with you always, yes, to the end of the age.’