Quote:

 

I have lived long enough to know that things never remain quite the same for very long. One of the things that has not changed all that much for me is the celebration of Christmas. It remains a time when I try to put aside the anxieties of the moment and remember that Christ was born to bring peace and tolerance to a troubled world.

The birth of Jesus naturally turns our thoughts to all new-born children and what the future holds for them. The birth of a baby brings great happiness - but then the business of growing up begins. It is a process that starts within the protection and care of parents and other members of the family - including the older generation. As with any team, there is strength in combination: what grandparent has not wished for the best possible upbringing for their grandchildren or felt an enormous sense of pride at their achievements?

But the pressures of modern life sometimes seem to be weakening the links which have traditionally kept us together as families and communities. As children grow up and develop their own sense of confidence and independence in the ever-changing technological environment, there is always the danger of a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding.

It is worth bearing in mind that all of our faith communities encourage the bridging of that divide.  The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly. Christ himself told his disciples to let the children come to him, and Saint Paul reminded parents to be gentle with their children, and children to appreciate their parents. The scriptures and traditions of the other faiths enshrine the same fundamental guidance. It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens.

And there is another cause for hope that we can do better in the future at bridging the generation gap. As older people remain more active for longer, the opportunities to look for new ways to bring young and old together are multiplying.       

As I look back on these past twelve months, marked in particular for me by the very generous response to my eightieth birthday, I especially value the opportunities I have had to meet young people.  I am impressed by their energy and vitality, and by their ambition to learn and to travel.

It makes me wonder what contribution  older people can make to help them realise their ambitions.  I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little grand-daughter the other day  "Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?"  Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable. Such advice and comfort are probably needed more often than younger people admit or older people recognise. I hope that this is something that all of us, young or old, can reflect on at this special time of year.

For Christians, Christmas marks the birth of our Saviour, but it is also a wonderful occasion to bring the generations together in a shared festival of peace, tolerance and goodwill.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas together.

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI}

 

"'They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.' This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favourable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to Him Who on the Cross, consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of His life. With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified Who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the Encyclical 'Deus caritas est,' I dwelt upon this theme of love, highlighting its two fundamental forms: 'agape' and 'eros.'

"The term 'agape', which appears many times in the New Testament, indicates the self-giving love of one who looks exclusively for the good of the other. The word 'eros,' on the other hand, denotes the love of one who desires to possess what one lacks and yearns for union with the beloved. The love with which God surrounds us is undoubtedly 'agape.' Indeed, can man give to God some good that He does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It is the creature then, who is in need of God in everything. But God's love is also 'eros.' In the Old Testament, the Creator of the universe manifests toward the people whom He has chosen as His own a predilection that transcends every human motivation. The prophet Hosea expresses this divine passion with daring images such as the love of a man for an adulterous woman. For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God's relationship with the people of Israel, is not afraid to use strong and passionate language. These biblical texts indicate that 'eros' is part of God's very heart: the Almighty awaits the 'yes' of His creatures as a young bridegroom that of his bride. Unfortunately, from its very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the Evil One, rejected God's love in the illusion of a self-sufficiency that is impossible. Turning in on himself, Adam withdrew from that source of life Who is God Himself, and became the first of 'those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.' God, however, did not give up. On the contrary, man's 'no' was the decisive impulse that moved Him to manifest His love in all of its redeeming strength.

"It is in the mystery of the Cross that the uncontainable power of the heavenly Father's mercy is revealed in all of its fullness. In order to win back the love of His creature, He accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of His only begotten Son. Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam. One could very well assert, therefore, together with Saint Maximus the Confessor, that Christ 'died, if one could say so, divinely, because He died freely.' On the Cross, God's 'eros' for us is made manifest. 'Eros' is indeed - as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it - that force 'that does not allow the lover to remain in himself but moves him to become one with the beloved'. Is there a more 'mad eros' than that which led the Son of God to make Himself one with us even to the point of suffering as His own the consequences of our offences?

"Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God's love, a love in which 'eros' and 'agape,' far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the Cross, it is God Himself Who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as 'Lord and God' when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God's 'eros' toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His 'agape.' In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the greatest of sacrifices. Jesus said: 'When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself.' The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and dedicate ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ 'draws me to Himself' in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.

"'They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.' Let us look with trust at the pierced side of Jesus from which flow 'blood and water'! The Fathers of the Church considered these elements as symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Through the water of Baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are given access to the intimacy of Trinitarian love. In the Lenten journey, memorial of our Baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves, in trustful abandonment, to the merciful embrace of the Father. Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the Eucharistic mystery: 'The Eucharist draws us into Jesus' act of self-oblation ... we enter into the very dynamic of His self-giving.' Let us live Lent then, as a 'Eucharistic' time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating 'Him whom they have pierced' will move us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it will move us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God's love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must 'regive' to our neighbor, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way shall we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you, a special Apostolic Blessing."

Source: VIS

Bishop Hollis of Portsmouth

 

One of my most enduring memories of Ash Wednesday takes me back to a visit I made to a parish in our sister diocese of Bamenda in Cameroon in the early 90s. The first Mass for Ash Wednesday was celebrated at 6.30 in the morning and I was woken at 5am by the sounds of subdued conversation and the shuffling of many feet. When I emerged from my room, I found the compound of the parish filled, literally, with hundreds of people who had come for the Mass at 6.30. Many of them had walked for 10 or 15 kilometres through the night to be at the Mass and receive the Ashes. They take Lent very seriously there.

I've never forgotten that experience and I share it with you all to encourage you to find in your hearts the courage and the commitment to take this coming season of Lent very seriously and to be generous in what you undertake for the Lord.

For centuries, our Lenten observance has had as its mainstay those three actions which are so strongly highlighted in Ash Wednesday's Gospel. Jesus says: "When you give alms when you pray when you fast." Note that He doesn't use the word "if" but "when." Lent is a time for generous giving and sharing; it,s a time for discipline and asceticism and it,s a time for prayer this is what the season means for us. As Catholics, this is, as they say, what we do.

But it's not just a journey into self-perfection. This is about moving towards that great celebration, which is Easter, and towards a deeper and deeper commitment of our lives to Christ because we are the community of his witnesses and his disciples.

What we undertake in the way of almsgiving, fasting and prayer is a personal decision for each one of us but whatever we do, we do together. We celebrate this time in community. Together, we seek to become a generous, disciplined and prayerful people because we want to be able to celebrate Easter with as much joy and love as we can. We do it together and we do it for love of the Lord, for love of one another and for love of the good and beautiful world in which we live.

This year, CAFOD and other Catholic agencies are encouraging us all to live more simply. 'livesimply' is the slogan and it challenges us to live with an emphasis much less on our own needs and with a much greater emphasis on the needs of others and on the needs of the environment. No longer are we to focus narrowly on ourselves and on what we want. We are called to reach out to the whole human family, and to the world in which we live in solidarity and love. It means not only that we 'live simply' but that we 'simply live' in the fullness of all that is meant by those words.

The'livesimply' network offers a prayer - and it's one that I shall be using in the next 6 weeks. I offer it to you in the hope that it will help you to focus on the generosity, discipline and prayer to which Lent challenges us.

'Compassionate and loving God,

you created the world for us all to share,

a world of beauty and plenty.

Create in us a desire to live simply,

so that our lives may reflect your generosity.

Creator God,

you gave us responsibility for the earth,

a world of riches and delight.

Create in us a desire to live sustainably,

so that those who follow after us

may enjoy the fruits of your creation.

God of peace and justice,

you give us the capacity to change,

to bring about a world that mirrors your wisdom.

Create in us a desire to act in solidarity,

so that the pillars of injustice crumble

and those now crushed are set free."


When - and not if - we give generously to those in need at this time;

when - and not if - we discipline our appetites with fasting and share what we have with others;

when - and not if - we pray with renewed faith and fervour in these days,

then, we do all these things in the simplicity of spirit which recognises that God is at the heart of everyone and everything.

We recognise that the good and beautiful world, which is God,s gift to us, isn't just for us but for everyone. We care for its riches so that they are there for everybody, and especially for generations coming after us. We recognise and welcome all with whom we share our world as brothers and sisters because Christ is brother to us all.

If we can do these things, then our Lenten journey will be a true journey of faith. We will come to Easter, not just with a sigh of relief that the penance is over, but with true happiness, with joy and with thanksgiving. Alleluia really will be our song.

Live simply, and the world and the whole human family can be saved. Live simply, and with faith, and we - and our world - will be transformed. Renewed and healed, with hearts that have been changed, we will rise with Christ to new life and new hope.

May God bless you all

Independent Catholic News

 

GLASGOW - 13 March 2007 - 210 words

Scottish bishop says Labour has created 'a morality devoid of any Christian principle'

Dan Bergin

A Scottish bishop on Sunday declared that the Labour government in the UK has created "a morality devoid of any Christian principle" and warned that it should not rely on receiving the traditional working class vote in Scotland.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Sunday Programme, the Bishop of Motherwell, the Rt Rev Joseph Devine, said: "For generations, including myself, Catholics in their droves tended to vote consistently for the Labour Party. But over the past few months it has been very noticeable, in conversations I've had with all manner of people, that that allegiance has been severely tested to the point, I think, of being broken."

Bishop Devine expressed particular concern over Labour's family policies, and its support for civil partnerships and gay adoption.

Scottish Catholic Church leaders complained earlier this year that they felt betrayed when it became clear that assurances given by Scottish ministers that faith-based adoption agencies could opt out of dealing with gay couples would be overruled by new equality legislation.

The Catholic Church in Scotland has also been critical of the government on other issues. Cardinal Keith O'Brien has lead a campaign, together with leaders from other churches, against the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system due to be voted on in Westminster tomorrow.

Rt Rev Joseph Devine

 

"For generations, including myself, Catholics in their droves tended to vote consistently for the Labour Party. But over the past few months it has been very noticeable, in conversations I've had with all manner of people, that that allegiance has been severely tested to the point, I think, of being broken."

Rose of York

Dec 24 2006, 12:12 AM

From time to time Church and State leaders address their people.

If any members wish to post any such addresses on here, please do. This includes, of course, leaders of churches and faiths other than the Catholic Church and nations other than the United Kingdom.

Feel free to discuss the messages.