Lent Retreat - Week 4, Saturday

Readings: Jeremiah 11:18-20; John 7:40-52

'Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee': so today's gospel reading ends. Another translation puts it this way: 'go into the matter, and see for yourself; prophets do not come out of Galilee'. So that's that then. Here are people who know where God is allowed to show Himself and where He is not allowed to show Himself.

Of the different levels of conversion to which we are called intellectual conversion is perhaps the most difficult. The Greek term for conversion is metanoia which means 'change of mind'. It is not unknown for people to change their minds but if they have committed themselves to some position, and invested heavily in its being correct, then it can be very difficult for them to do so. It is like trying to move a mountain. Many intellectual convictions become so ingrained and precious to people that it becomes difficult to distinguish such convictions from prejudices, judgments that will not give a hearing to anything new. Donald Nicholl wrote of how Aquinas associates the beatitude of mourning with the gift of knowledge: it is the beatitude for intellectuals according to Aquinas. This is, says Nicholl, because

... whenever our minds yearn towards some new truth then we become afflicted with pain, because our whole being wishes to protect the balance of inertia and comfort which we have established for ourselves; and the pain is a symptom of our distress at its disturbance. Moreover, we experience a sort of bereavement when those formulations, images and symbols through which we had in the past appropriated truth have now to be abandoned. For those formulations, images and symbols have over the years become part of us. To lose them feels like losing part of ourselves. And we mourn that loss as we would the loss of a limb (The Tablet, 26 May 1990, p.662).

Lent offers us the possibility of thinking again about the new thing God has done through the prophet from a town in Galilee (where we do not expect God to reveal Himself) called Nazareth (can anything good come from there?!). It calls us to think again about our cherished convictions that may now be nothing more than prejudices protecting our balance of inertia and comfort.

Lenten Retreat - Week Four, Feast Of St. Joseph

It's interesting that St. Joseph is a saint to whom many have a great devotion, but little is know about him. It's true that there are many saints about whom history is largely silent, but this silence is all the more strange in Joseph's case, because of his special role as Jesus' foster father. However, it would be a great mistake to equate this silence with dullness or weakness of character on Joseph's part. Indeed it is quite the opposite. It is the silence of a man who had to listen to God to discover his vocation. And his vocation was very special indeed. Firstly, he had to accept the vocation of Mary, who was to bear the Son of God. Then he had to accept the task to form and protect Jesus, his most precious charge. And it was the silence that allowed Joseph to care for Jesus and help him to flourish.

In current times the world is so information dependent, and we are bombarded from every side by words and noise. Yet we rarely have the time or the space - or even the silence - inwardly to digest all that is thrown at us. And this of course is just as true in a religious setting such as the local Church or a religious community. St Joseph reminds us of the need for silence to make sense of the world, to make sense of God. And the silence of St Joseph is a silence of strength, and of virtue. It is often easy to keep God at arm's length by a barrage of noise, but it is more difficult to remove the sources of noise and stay silent and still. Nevertheless, we need to be silent from time to time so that we can learn something from God, to discover something new, something that might change us and help us to grow.

Lent Retreat - Week 4, Thursday

Readings: Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 106; John 5:31-47

God is the source of all being, and so all creation is good because he made it and continually holds all things in being. So creation testifies to God’s goodness and, when it is properly ordered, it points to God’s beauty, truth and goodness. However, every good thing can be misused, misdirected and abused. Worse still, we can become so enamoured by created things that we love them for their own sake and fail to acknowledge and love the creator of all that is good.

The idolatry of the Israelites in today’s First Reading is not an isolated past event, but the lure of idolatry is ever present whenever we turn from God and place our hope in created goods, whatever they may be. During Lent, we forsake certain goods by fasting, alms-giving and prayer so as to focus our attention on the greatest good, God himself. And we give up certain things - whether it is chocolate, or alcohol, or money, or sex, or work, or the internet, and so on - not because they are bad in themselves, but precisely because they are good gifts from God, and the pleasure they bring us should not be an end in itself but should stir love and gratitude in us for God himself. The aim of Lenten penance and abstinence is to liberate us from our enslavement to the pleasure of created goods, so that we can properly use them to redirect our hearts to God alone, who is the source of all good.

So, in today’s Gospel, the Lord reminds us that even such great goods as the study of Scripture, or the testimony of his cousin, the Baptizer, or the law of Moses, are subordinated to the greatest good and point to him. Thus, we are called to move beyond all the good things given us by God, and to put our faith in Christ who alone can satisfy our deepest desires and who is infinitely good.

Pope Benedict in Great Britain

The details of the Holy Father's state visit have been published and are available here.

In preparation for the event the Bishops' Conferences of England and Scotland have composed a prayer.

There have been many attacks on the Pope's visit in the mainstream media and it is to be expected that they will intensify as his arrival draws nearer.

We would encourage everyone to pray for the Pope and for the success of his visit.

PRAYER OF PREPARATION

God of truth and love,

your Son, Jesus Christ, stands as the light

to all who seek you with a sincere heart.

As we strive with your grace

to be faithful in word and deed,

may we reflect the kindly light of Christ

and offer a witness of hope and peace to all.

We pray for Pope Benedict

and look forward with joy

to his forthcoming visit to our countries.

May he be a witness to the unity and hope

which is your will for all people.

We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

___

Our Lady, Mother of the Church — pray for us.

St Andrew — pray for us.

St George — pray for us.

St David — pray for us.

Lent Retreat - Week 4, Wednesday, St Patrick's Day

Readings: 1 Peter 4:7-11; Psalm 95:1-3. 7-8; Luke 5:1-11

The Gospel from Luke for this St Patrick’s Day places before us the call of Jesus to his first disciples. After preaching from the boat of Simon Peter, Jesus offers the fishermen a daring invitation that will call them to far greater horizons than they could ever imagine. “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Christian discipleship is indeed a journey into deep water. Like Simon Peter, Jesus calls each of us to move beyond the shallow waters of life to explore the immeasurable depths of God’s love and mercy, to journey deep within ourselves to discover the truth of what God has done in us by calling us into existence, by shaping us to be the unique and wonderful people each of us is and to discover and celebrate this same dignity and wonder in each other.

If we seek to discover the mystery of God and the boundless ocean of his love then we must begin with looking within ourselves. In coming to know and love ourselves as God created us to be, we also discover the loving presence of God who dwells in our depths and speaks to our hearts. As Saint Augustine said, “God is closer to us than we are to ourselves”. Only when we have taken this risk and begun to find God in the deep water of our inner life can we be truly convincing disciples of Christ and bring him to others in the world who seek this perfect love of God so much.

St Patrick discovered this in his life. Afraid and enslaved, it was while herding sheep on a lonely Irish mountain that he turned to prayer and discovered the inner strength that comes from that deep relationship with God. It was this relationship that spurred him on to preach and teach the Christian faith for the rest of his life and to convert an island nation. This Lent we can begin to take more time aside each day in silence and prayer so that we too might discover in the deep waters of our own being this God who loves us and speaks to us in the very depths of our being. “O unchanging God, let me know myself; let me know you. That is my prayer” (St Augustine).

Lent Retreat - Week 4, Tuesday

Readings: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Ps. 45; John 5:1-3, 5-16

'Do you want to be well again?' This is the question that Jesus asks the sick man at the Sheep Pool in today's Gospel. We might think at first that the answer to this question is fairly obvious – 'yes, of course.' So it is slightly surprising that the sick man in today's Gospel doesn't answer yes. Instead the man makes an excuse: no one is there to put him into the pool. At this point, especially if you know the rest of the story, it's tempting to be rather judgmental of this man. Maybe he was just wallowing in self-pity, perhaps he was frightened of the responsibilities health might bring, or perhaps he was just lazy, one of the undeserving poor. I think it would be wrong to come to such conclusions too quickly. Jesus was not averse to telling people what he thought, yet he didn't give this man a ticking off. Instead he healed him.

The story of this sick man can teach us some valuable lessons. The man is aware that he couldn't come to health just by his own efforts. In a spiritual sense, this is true for all of us. To live the fullness of life which God intends for us is not possible by our own means – it is only possible through Jesus Christ. Yet Jesus doesn't wait patiently on the side lines waiting for us to invoke His name. He can come into our lives uninvited, healing us even before we have the chance to ask. Whatever our background, whatever sins we have committed, Christ gives us sufficient help to make us holy. But even in a state of holiness, we can still be tempted to sin. The warning Jesus gives to the man when He sees him later on in the Temple suggests this. We still have to cooperate with Him. But once Christ has sanctified us our dignity is raised: we do not become less free, but more free.

Lent Retreat - Week 4, Monday

Readings Is. 65:17-21, Ps. 30, Jn. 4:43-54

The readings today teach us to trust in the Lord and his power to transform both the whole of creation and our lives. Sometimes we may wonder if God really cares about the little things and even the big things that happen in our lives, we can feel as if our actions, and even our very existence, is insignificant in a world that is so vast. Whenever we feel like this we should look to the Cross, the place where we will always find reassurance and consolation. God cares for us so much that he is to die for us on Good Friday, to pour out his life on the Cross for our salvation. The readings ask us to place our faith in him as the God who can create a new heavens and a new earth, both definitively at the end of time and also in our individual lives, with their cares and concerns, joys and sorrows. If we have faith to believe in the power of God to change our lives, then we can trust in his merciful love to guide us into all truth. Just a word from God is enough to change everything, to lead us from the darkness into the light, to use our broken and sinful lives as a means to do something beautiful and glorious. This way our lives become signs, like the sign in the Gospel, beacons of hope to those who have no hope, light to those in darkness.

Lent Retreat - FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

Readings: Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

In today’s Gospel from Luke we hear the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the last of a trilogy, following the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin. All are intended to teach of God’s infinite love and mercy, and serve to rebuke Jesus’ critics and defend his actions.

This story contains much behaviour that is scandalous, perhaps more than we may think at first glance. We are told of a younger brother who claims his inheritance early and who then goes off into the world, no doubt full of great expectations! This may not seem to us entirely normal behaviour but it does not register as being the great scandal it was in Jesus’ time. To claim one's inheritance in this manner was practically unheard of and can be seen as akin to wishing one’s father dead, and so the ingratitude of such an action cannot be overstated. For the family too, it meant shame and disgrace, a loss of their honour among fellow citizens. Both father and elder brother are seen to fail in their duty to reconcile the younger son.

Upon this initial disgrace is heaped further ignominy, the son squanders all his inheritance and has to take a lowly job tending unclean animals. Such a fall was, perhaps, to be expected in one so reckless, but the social implications for him and his family are disastrous. To lose one’s inheritance to the Gentiles meant that returning to one’s own community was almost impossible. One would have to bear the shame of the kezazah ceremony in which such a man is disowned by his community until he can repay all that he has lost. Sick of hunger and disease but without any display of real repentance this is what the son does, he returns home intent on pleading to become one of his fathers ‘hired workers.’

On seeing him the father runs to meet him, another scandalous act in itself, for a man of wealth and position. The son, on seeing such a display of fatherly love, finally comes to complete repentance – ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ He recognises he has been truly lost but has now been found. The father then bestows upon him all the trappings of an honourable and worthy man, a man worthy to be called his son – the robe, the ring, the sandals, and orders a rare feast in his honour. Such complete and unquestioning forgiveness is seldom seen. The elder son is understandably stunned but must ultimately reconcile himself to the fact that this is not a display of favouritism, or a reward for wayward behaviour, but an act of complete and selfless love and mercy. ‘Your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’

In this parable we see a powerful argument against self sufficiency, of trying to live a life detached from God and our neighbour, a life which rejects the inestimable grace of God. Our Father’s arms are always open to greet us, he is always willing to run to meet us no matter what sins and misdeeds have led us away from Him, and so this parable is, at once, a sign of the enduring love our Father has for us, and of the daring invitation for us to emulate such forgiveness and mercy in our own lives, not just this Lent but always.

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Lent Retreat-Week 3, Saturday

Readings: Hosea 6:1-6; Luke 18:9-14

The American saying "we all have to put our trousers on one leg at a time" is almost a cliché but nevertheless it is full of truth. Despite the differences between people, all of humanity is equally in need of the mercy of God and the salvation found in the Cross. The two prayers in today's Gospel remind us of this important point. The prayer of the Pharisee, if we strip away for a moment its uncharitable tone, seems to be a reasonable prayer. He is not an extortionist, and gives thanks to God for this fact. He keeps justice, for which he again offers thanks. Nor is he an adulterer, nor a tax collector, the latter group being one known for fraud, deception and theft, especially of the poor and misfortunate. He keeps the fasts. He offers of his wealth in tithes to the temple. He seems in every way 'religious'.

The mistake of the Pharisee is to declare himself "not like other men". He has said too much and unintentionally revealed a sad truth about himself. He has turned the elements of his religious life into objects. He has twisted prayer into a divisive act that rends men apart. However we must be careful not to judge the Pharisee.

We must not hear the words of the Gospel and inwardly cry, 'Thank God, that I do not pray as the Pharisee!' As with all of Our Lord's parables, we find that this story is our story. It is not only the tax collector and the Pharisee, two long distant and removed figures, who go to the temple to pray, but we ourselves who approach God's great mercy. It is we who stand and proclaim, whether in our moments of prayer or in the activities of our daily lives, that 'we are not like other men; we are just; we are not adulterers; we fast; we tithe; we are faithful'. And it is to us that the loving Lord Jesus proclaims: 'everyone who exalts himself will be humbled'.

Lent Retreat - Week 3, Friday

Readings: Hosea 14:2-10; Mark 12:28-34

Lent is a time for re-orienting and refocussing our lives on the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, which we prepare to celebrate at the culmination of this season. We do this through our penitential practices which, through our “giving something up for Lent”, remind us of how easily our lives can become unbalanced, giving too much attention, for example, to eating or watching television or whatever it may be. As we recognise our failings, the Church in our Lenten readings points us towards the solution: we must return to the Lord, who alone can save us (Hosea 14:4), and who only asks that we turn to him, and he will heal our disloyalty (Hosea 14:5).

At the same time, today’s Gospel reading presents us with that principle which will give balance to our lives, and by which we are to return to the Lord, namely love. If it is love of God and of neighbour which motivates our actions, then we will be living in accordance with God’s will. In this way, too, we draw near to the Paschal Mystery, for it is here above all that we see, in Christ, a human life lived out in perfect love (for, as Jesus reminded his disciples at the Last Supper, ‘greater love has no man that this, that he should die for his friends,’ John 15:13) .

So, then, let us allow ourselves this Lent to be drawn more profoundly into the great mysteries of Holy Week and Easter, both by recalling our need for the salvation won by them, and also by allowing our lives to be conformed more closely, through God’s saving grace, to the model of love presented to us in them.