In a major lecture reflecting on his ministry as Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor set out his vision of the Catholic Church in Britain today. The lecture “Gaudium et Spes: Joy and Hope. The Shape of the Church : Past, Present and to Come” looked at how the Church has responded to the various challenges since the restoration of the Hierarchy 150 years ago.
The Cardinal said that it is through understanding the dignity and destiny of every person before God and their infinite value in His eyes that the Church’s first word is always a “yes” to the fundamental calling and dignity of life.
The Cardinal went on to warn against a false pessimism within the Church:
“The greatest danger for us at the moment is to let ourselves believe what secular culture wants us to believe about ourselves, namely, that we are becoming less and less influential and in decline. There are certainly challenges and there is much work to do. But on the contrary I believe that the Church has a vigorous life, and a crucial role to play in our society – more important than at any other time in our recent history.”
The Cardinal also said that focusing primarily on what is wrong leads to an unbalanced negativity in any analysis about our culture.
“It is tempting and certainly headline making simply to list what is wrong. One could say, for instance, that we now live not in a liberal but a libertine society in which all moral and ethical boundaries seem to have gone out of the window. But that ignores the fact that there are very many people trying their best, deeply concerned about the future and alive to the humanly destructive power of so many forces at large. The truth is that to be human is to be deeply tempted to be good. What is needed is a renewed sensitivity to the moral and ethical dimensions of living which very many want to see more firmly embraced… We need to encourage and affirm the good in each person, rather than simply naming the bad. It is only if the joys and hopes of humanity are shared first that true and lasting change is possible.”
The argument that most people agree with the Cardinal’s view that religion does and should play a significant role in society is backed by a survey this week. The Cardinal pointed out that in the BBC survey two thirds of those questioned in this country said the law should respect and be influenced by UK religious values and two thirds also argue that religion has an important role to play in public life. He argued that the Church “has a perspective and a wisdom which society cannot afford to exclude or silence.”
Day for Life – the day in the Church’s year dedicated to celebrating the dignity of life from conception to natural death – will this year focus on the theme of suicide. The main emphasis of Day for Life in 2009 will be on the pastoral dimensions of this difficult and sensitive subject.
The ancient rite of ashes which takes place in our churches in every part of the world this day marks the beginning of the season of Lent. The imposition or sprinkling with ashes has always been recognised as an act of sorrow for our sins and misdeeds, and at the same time a plea for God’s mercy and forgiveness. The willingness with which we have ashes placed on our foreheads would suggest a deep acknowledgement on our part of our fragile human condition before God, allied to the awareness that He alone can heal and restore.
A.P.F:
Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue has written his last pastoral letter to the people of the Diocese of Lancaster which can be found here. The Pastoral Letter contains the Bishops decisions for Fit For Mission?
As we approach the season of Lent, there is something particularly timely about this Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word. The thrust of the first reading from the prophet Isaiah and the gospel passage from Mark is the forgiveness of sins and a new beginning before God. Speaking through the prophet, almighty God declares that the past is indeed past, and with their sins graciously forgiven, a new future opens up for his people. God overlooks their waywardness and wrongdoing and does not hold their sins against them. The words of Isaiah prepare us for the remarkable story of Jesus and the paralytic man in the gospel when, in response to faith, mercy and healing are immediately offered. We are presented here with a picture of the divine compassion in action.
The Holy Father Benedict XVI has chosen the themes for the next three
The themes are:
24th World Youth Day (2009): We Have Set Our Hope on the Living
25th World Youth Day (2010): Good Teacher, What Must I do to
26th World Youth Day (2011): Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ,
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
At the beginning of Lent, which constitutes an itinerary of more intense spiritual training, the Liturgy sets before us again three penitential practices that are very dear to the biblical and Christian tradition – prayer, almsgiving, fasting – to prepare us to better celebrate Easter and thus experience God’s power that, as we shall hear in the Paschal Vigil, “dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace and humbles earthly pride” (Paschal Præconium). For this year’s Lenten Message, I wish to focus my reflections especially on the value and meaning of fasting. Indeed, Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord’s fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry. We read in the Gospel: “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry” (Mt 4,1-2). Like Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law (cf. Ex 34,28) and Elijah’s fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1 Kings 19,8), Jesus, too, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious battle with the tempter.
We might wonder what value and meaning there is for us Christians in depriving ourselves of something that in itself is good and useful for our bodily sustenance. The Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian tradition teach that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that leads to it. For this reason, the history of salvation is replete with occasions that invite fasting. In the very first pages of Sacred Scripture, the Lord commands man to abstain from partaking of the prohibited fruit: “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gn 2, 16-17). Commenting on the divine injunction, Saint Basil observes that “fasting was ordained in Paradise,” and “the first commandment in this sense was delivered to Adam.” He thus concludes: “ ‘You shall not eat’ is a law of fasting and abstinence” (cf. Sermo de jejunio: PG 31, 163, 98). Since all of us are weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as an instrument to restore friendship with God. Such was the case with Ezra, who, in preparation for the journey from exile back to the Promised Land, calls upon the assembled people to fast so that “we might humble ourselves before our God” (8,21). The Almighty heard their prayer and assured them of His favor and protection. In the same way, the people of Nineveh, responding to Jonah’s call to repentance, proclaimed a fast, as a sign of their sincerity, saying: “Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” (3,9). In this instance, too, God saw their works and spared them.
In the New Testament, Jesus brings to light the profound motive for fasting, condemning the attitude of the Pharisees, who scrupulously observed the prescriptions of the law, but whose hearts were far from God. True fasting, as the divine Master repeats elsewhere, is rather to do the will of the Heavenly Father, who “sees in secret, and will reward you” (Mt 6,18). He Himself sets the example, answering Satan, at the end of the forty days spent in the desert that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mt 4,4). The true fast is thus directed to eating the “true food,” which is to do the Father’s will (cf. Jn 4,34). If, therefore, Adam disobeyed the Lord’s command “of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,” the believer, through fasting, intends to submit himself humbly to God, trusting in His goodness and mercy.
The practice of fasting is very present in the first Christian community (cf. Acts 13,3; 14,22; 27,21; 2 Cor 6,5). The Church Fathers, too, speak of the force of fasting to bridle sin, especially the lusts of the “old Adam,” and open in the heart of the believer a path to God. Moreover, fasting is a practice that is encountered frequently and recommended by the saints of every age. Saint Peter Chrysologus writes: “Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself” (Sermo 43: PL 52, 320. 322). 
In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one’s body. Fasting certainly bring benefits to physical well-being, but for believers, it is, in the first place, a “therapy” to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God. In the Apostolic Constitution Pænitemini of 1966, the Servant of God Paul VI saw the need to present fasting within the call of every Christian to “no longer live for himself, but for Him who loves him and gave himself for him … he will also have to live for his brethren“ (cf. Ch. I). Lent could be a propitious time to present again the norms contained in the Apostolic Constitution, so that the authentic and perennial significance of this long held practice may be rediscovered, and thus assist us to mortify our egoism and open our heart to love of God and neighbor, the first and greatest Commandment of the new Law and compendium of the entire Gospel (cf. Mt 22, 34-40).
The faithful practice of fasting contributes, moreover, to conferring unity to the whole person, body and soul, helping to avoid sin and grow in intimacy with the Lord. Saint Augustine, who knew all too well his own negative impulses, defining them as “twisted and tangled knottiness” (Confessions, II, 10.18), writes: “I will certainly impose privation, but it is so that he will forgive me, to be pleasing in his eyes, that I may enjoy his delightfulness” (Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL 40, 708). Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word. Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.
At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. In his First Letter, Saint John admonishes: “If anyone has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him – how does the love of God abide in him?” (3,17). Voluntary fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes to the help of his suffering brother (cf. Encyclical Deus caritas est, 15). By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and almsgiving. From the beginning, this has been the hallmark of the Christian community, in which special collections were taken up (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27), the faithful being invited to give to the poor what had been set aside from their fast (Didascalia Ap., V, 20,18). This practice needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day, especially during the liturgical season of Lent.
From what I have said thus far, it seems abundantly clear that fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person. Quite opportunely, an ancient hymn of the Lenten liturgy exhorts: “Utamur ergo parcius, / verbis cibis et potibus, / somno, iocis et arctius / perstemus in custodia – Let us use sparingly words, food and drink, sleep and amusements. May we be more alert in the custody of our senses.”
Dear brothers and sisters, it is good to see how the ultimate goal of fasting is to hel
p each one of us, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul II wrote, to make the complete gift of self to God (cf. Encyclical Veritatis splendor, 21). May every family and Christian community use well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that distracts the spirit and grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor. I am thinking especially of a greater commitment to prayer, lectio divina, recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and active participation in the Eucharist, especially the Holy Sunday Mass. With this interior disposition, let us enter the penitential spirit of Lent. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Causa nostrae laetitiae, accompany and support us in the effort to free our heart from slavery to sin, making it evermore a “living tabernacle of God.” With these wishes, while assuring every believer and ecclesial community of my prayer for a fruitful Lenten journey, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
Mr Brown will talk to Pope Benedict XVI about the global financial crisis and the worldwide response to the economic meltdown. It was an open secret that Tony Blair planned to convert to Catholicism and his trips to Rome were often seen as personal. But Mr Brown will be anxious for his trip to be seen as an important visit highlighting the threats that the world faces from the recession. While he was Chancellor Mr Brown met Pope Benedict to talk about medical aid to the developing world. During the meeting Mr Brown gave the Pope a book of sermons written by his father who was a Church of Scotland minister.
Mr Brown has a close relationship with Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the senior Roman Catholic priest in England and Wales. Over Christmas last year he defended Mr Brown from criticism by Anglican bishops who had accused Labour of being "morally corrupt" and "beguiled by money". Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor also interviewed the Prime Minister when he guest-edited BBC Radio's Today Programme.
However, Mr Brown has had to face down a rebellion from Catholic Labour MPs and ministers during his time as Prime Minister. Many objected to the Government's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which will see hybrid embryos used for medical research. Several Cabinet ministers raised concerns over the Bill, including Des Browne, the then Defence Secretary, Paul Murphy, the Welsh Secretary and Ruth Kelly, the then Transport Secretary. Miss Kelly, a member Catholic group Opus Dei, resigned from the Cabinet in September citing personal reasons.
The Pope's decision to pardon a British bishop who denies the Holocaust was recently criticised by a Government minister. Sadiq Khan, a junior Communities Minister, said that he found the move to lift the excommunication of Richard Williamson "highly unsavoury" and of "great concern".
It's a year today since it was announced that Fr Michael Campbell OSA was to be the coadjutor Bishop of Lancaster. Since then he's had quite a year, moving into the Diocese in Holy Week, being ordained Bishop on 31st March, leading the Diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes and making many parish visitations. He ordained some deacons in Rome in June, and has confirmed many young people around the Diocese. Bishop Campbell will formally take charge of the Diocese in a few weeks time, becoming the sixth Bishop of Lancaster at a Diocesan Mass on the early evening of 1st May. The occasion will also be our diocesan farewell to Bishop O'Donoghue. Entry to the Mass will be restricted due to high demand and limited space.
Preparations for the 2009 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes under the leadership of Bishop Michael Campbell OSA is well under way. The dates for the pilgrimage are 17th – 24th July 2009 and the pastoral theme for all pilgrimages to Lourdes this year is ‘The Way of Bernadette’. This theme concentrates particularly on the life of St Bernadette after the apparitions. We are reminded that Bernadette became a saint not only because Our Lady chose to appear to her but also because of the way she lived her life before and after that wonderful time. We are blessed in this Diocese with a wonderful group of people who travel each year to Lourdes and a great team who organise the Pilgrimage. However new faces, new life, and new targets are essential each year if the Pilgrimage is to continue and grow in the longer term, and if it is to be representative of the Diocese as a whole.
No book in the Bible captures the drama of the human condition as powerfully and eloquently as the book of Job, from which our first reading is taken today. The sacred writer, with searing honesty, addresses the boredom and routine which can form such a large part of our lives. He speaks of the dissatisfaction and restlessness which so often assail us, especially in the face of unmerited and innocent suffering which Job himself is enduring. Job laments his unlooked-for lot, and in so doing becomes a spokesman for every human person. Thanks to the mass media, we are privy to so much of the pain and suffering in our world and are at a loss to provide satisfactory explanations. Further, the problems which have gripped the economies of the hitherto prosperous nations and the threat to our personal wellbeing and that of those closest to us, prompt deeper musings and questions within us. Where are security and deliverance to be found? It is reassuring to know that long before the time of Christ believers were asking much the same questions, as the story of Job attests. The mosaic of little incidents from the public ministry of Christ set before us in the gospel might appear, at first sight, far removed from the dilemma and heart-searching of Job. Yet what we have here is God’s answer to the pain and suffering of the human spirit. The healing of the sick and curing of the distressed depict the profound sympathy of the Son of God for afflicted humanity. The reaction and awareness of the evil spirits show that a greater and more powerful force in the person of Jesus Christ has come into the world. The stranglehold which alien forces exercised over humanity was in the process of being broken. Saint Augustine notes that “Christ became infirm to heal our infirmity, and became weak to restore our strength.” This is the good news which the Evangelist Mark proclaims to us today. It is news which remains fresh and continues to surprise us because the risen Lord, through his own passion and death, has destroyed the powers which oppress us.
It is this conviction of the startling truth of the Christian gospel which places an all-embracing obligation on the apostle Paul. He will go to any lengths to tell the world the story of Jesus Christ and his significance for every human being. The story of Job poses the profoundest of questions to which the incarnation of the Son of God provides the answer.
+Michael Campbell OSA
Coadjutor Bishop of Lancaster
National Marriage Week is 7-14 February. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Commitment,” focusing on the way that many couples see marriage, and the need for society at large to continue to celebrate the stability that married families bring to society. Bishop John Hine, Chair of the Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Marriage and Family Life, issued the following statement in advance of National Marriage Week:
"While recognising that the history of marriage is more complex than we sometimes think, there is no doubt that a supportive culture is enormously important for married couples. Among like-minded couples, there is an unspoken air of moral support which is invaluable in times of difficulty.
“This sort of implicit support is much less available to married couples today as fewer choose to declare their commitment to each other publicly in marriage. As a Church our response to this situation is not to denounce or criticise, but to work harder to provide the encouragement and the missing support so urgently needed. The recent report of the Good Childhood Inquiry identifies that the relationship, and particularly the communication between parents, is the most significant factor leading to good outcomes for their children. There are organisations within our church, such as Teams of Our Lady, Marriage Encounter and other similar groups, only too ready to help in these areas. I invite everyone to use the opportunity provided by National Marriage Week to publicise and recommend these organisations in our parishes, and get involved, wherever possible and appropriate, with this important work. The example and witness of a healthy marriage is a sign of joy and hope for us all.”
A few words from the Parish Secretary:
It is with sad hearts that today we bid a fond farewell to Fr. David Burns. He has been with us for only a short time, yet in this time he has shown such love and care for all here at St. Edmund’s. We wish him health and happiness at his new parish in Milnthorpe.
Please continue to pray for Fr.David & Lesley, that with God's Grace they may find happiness in there new Parish in Milnthorpe.
Goodbye Fr. David you will be missed!
