The Pope’s Easter Message

Resurrexi, et adhuc tecum sum. Alleluia! I have risen, I am still with you. Alleluia! Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus, crucified and risen, repeats this joyful proclamation to us today: the Easter proclamation. Let us welcome it with deep wonder and gratitude!

Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum — I have risen, I am still with you, for ever. These words, taken from an ancient version of Psalm 138 (v. 18b), were sung at the beginning of today’s Mass. In them, at the risi ng of the Easter sun, the Church recognizes the voice of Jesus himself who, on rising from death, turns to the Father filled with gladness and love, and exclaims: My Father, here I am! I have risen, I am still with you, and so I shall be for ever; your Spirit never abandoned me.

In this way we can also come to a new understanding of other passages from the psalm: “If I climb the heavens, you are there; if I descend into the underworld, you are there … Even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as clear as day; for you, darkness is like light” (Ps 138:8,12). It is true: in the solemn Easter vigil, darkness becomes light, night gives way to the day that knows no sunset. The death and resurrection of the Word of God incarnate is an event of invincible love, it is the victory of that Love which has delivered us from the slavery of sin and death. It has changed the course of history, giving to human life an indestructible and renewed meaning and valu e.

“I have risen and I am still with you, for ever.” These words invite us to contemplate the risen Christ, letting his voice resound in our heart. With his redeeming sacrifice, Jesus of Nazareth has made us adopted children of God, so that we too can now take our place in the mysterious dialogue between him and the Father. We are reminded of what he once said to those who were listening: “All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Mt 11:27).

In this perspective, we note that the words addressed by the risen Jesus to the Father on this day — “I am still with you, forever” — apply indirectly to us as well, “children of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (cf. Rom 8:17). Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we too rise to new life today, and uniting our voice with his, we proclaim that we wish to remain forever with God, our infinitely good and merciful Father.

In this way we enter the depths of the Paschal mystery. The astonishing event of the resurrection of Jesus is essentially an event of love: the Father’s love in handing over his Son for the salvation of the world; the Son’s love in abandoning himself to the Father’s will for us all; the Spirit’s love in raising Jesus from the dead in his transfigured body. And there is more: the Father’s love which “newly embraces” the Son, enfolding him in glory; the Son’s love returning to the Father in the power of the Spirit, robed in our transfigured humanity. From today’s solemnity, in which we relive the absolute, once-and-for-all experience of Jesus’s resurrection, we receive an appeal to be converted to Love; we receive an invitation to live by rejecting hatred and selfishness, and to follow with docility in the footsteps of the Lamb that was slain for our salvation, to imitate the Redeemer who is “gentle and lowly in heart”, who is “rest for our souls” (cf. Mt 11:29).

Dear Christian brothers and sisters in every part of the world, dear men and women whose spirit is sincerely open to the truth, let no heart be closed to the omnipotence of this redeeming love! Jesus Christ died and rose for all; he is our hope — true hope for every human being. Today, just as he did with his disciples in Galilee before returning to the Father, the risen Jesus now sends us everywhere as witnesses of his hope, and he reassures us: I am with you always, all days, until the end of the world (cf. Mt 28:20). Fixing the gaze of our spirit on the glorious wounds of his transfigured body, we can understand the meaning and value of suffering, we can tend the many wounds that continue to disfigure humanity in our own day.

In his glorious wounds we recogn ize the indestructible signs of the infinite mercy of the God of whom the prophet says: it is he who heals the wounds of broken hearts, who defends the weak and proclaims the freedom of slaves, who consoles all the afflicted and bestows upon them the oil of gladness instead of a mourning robe, a song of praise instead of a sorrowful heart (cf. Is 61:1,2,3). If with humble trust we draw near to him, we encounter in his gaze the response to the deepest longings of our heart: to know God and to establish with him a living relationship in an authentic communion of love, which can fill our lives, our interpersonal and social relations with that same love. For this reason, humanity needs Christ: in him, our hope, “we have been saved” (cf. Rom 8:24).

How often relations between individuals, between groups and between peoples are marked not by love but by selfishness, injustice, hatred and violence! These are the scourges of humanity, open and festering in every corner o f the planet, although they are often ignored and sometimes deliberately concealed; wounds that torture the souls and bodies of countless of our brothers and sisters. They are waiting to be tended and healed by the glorious wounds of our Risen Lord (cf. 1 Pet 2:24-25) and by the solidarity of people who, following in his footsteps, perform deeds of charity in his name, make an active commitment to justice, and spread luminous signs of hope in areas bloodied by conflict and wherever the dignity of the human person continues to be scorned and trampled. It is hoped that these are precisely the places where gestures of moderation and forgiveness will increase!

Dear brothers and sisters! Let us allow the light that streams forth from this solemn day to enlighten us; let us open ourselves in sincere trust to the risen Christ, so that his victory over evil and death may also triumph in each one of us, in our families, in our cities and in our nations. Let it shine forth in ever y part of the world. In particular, how can we fail to remember certain African regions, such as Dafur and Somalia, the tormented Middle East, especially the Holy Land, Iraq, Lebanon, and finally Tibet, all of whom I encourage to seek solutions that will safeguard peace and the common good! Let us invoke the fullness of his Paschal gifts, through the intercession of Mary who, after sharing the sufferings of the passion and crucifixion of her innocent Son, also experienced the inexpressible joy of his resurrection. Sharing in the glory of Christ, may she be the one to protect us and guide us along the path of fraternal solidarity and peace. These are my Easter greetings, which I address to all who are present here, and to men and women of every nation and continent united with us through radio and television. Happy Easter!

[Translation distributed by the Holy See]

© Copyright 2008 — Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Easter Message from Jerusalem

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Christ is risen. Indeed He is risen!

I wish you all a Happy Easter full of God’s grace. This will be my last Easter with you as I reach the age of 75 and retire. Yet, and as I have said in my last pastoral letter, I shall remain with you in my prayers and shall continue to accompany you in your happy moments and grievances. I shall work with every seeker of justice and peace until all the inhabitants of this land will live in security and tranquility, in t he presence of God Almighty, merciful and full of love to all his creatures. For the sake of all our faithful in our Churches of Jerusalem, and all believers from all religions in this land, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Baha’is, I shall pray, and extend my love to all.

Christ is risen. Indeed he is risen! I pray and ask God to fill your hearts with the joy and hope of the Resurrection. We all live in a holy Land, the land of Revelation, Redemption and reconciliation between the peoples and reconciliation with God, the compassionate and forgiving. Unfortunately, this land remains a land of bloodshed, ignoring its own vocation and incapable of accepting it.

We have witnessed in the past few weeks the tragedy of over one million people in Gaza Strip and over one hundred martyrs who fell there; we also witnessed the victims of the Jewish religious school in Jerusalem; and we still witness every day Israeli incursions in the Palestinian cities and the killing of many Palestinians despite agreements with the Palestinian Authority. We can still hear the voices of anger following the killing of the four young men in their homes in Bethlehem a few days ago. All of these incidents form a chain of inhumane and futile violence, regardless of the party behind it. Facts on the ground prove that violence has failed to achieve the desired security. It remains an inhumane violence and an aggression against the human dignity of the one who is killed and the one who kills.

Of course, this is not the new life that we celebrate with every Easter. The states, the individuals, Israelis and Palestinians, after more than one century of conflict must understand that armies don’t protect their peoples anymore, but expose them to more violence, fear and insecurity, because the weak and the oppressed have also their power that challenges the strong of this world. It is high time to learn the lessons of history and engage in the p ath of God; it is high time for every people and individual to accept the vocation entrusted by God to them, which is to build societies and not demolish them. Violence destroys and never builds. We are all capable of building because God granted us part of his goodness and power so we can uphold human societies that respect individuals and in which they must vi3ew each other as brothers and as God’s creatures, equal in dignity, rights and duties. Violence can never be a way towards this. God created us and urged us to be perfect and holy as He is perfect and Holy. (cf Mt 5:48).

Despite this, there are hundreds of thousands in both the Palestinian and Israeli societies who send an outcry: peace… peace. And they are ready to make ‘peace now’. But we see also extremists on both sides who are prisoners of their own ideologies and call in the name of God to kill their brothers, while God tells them all: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. We are in need of leaders who can make peace because this is the sole path to put an end to extremism and to start the true way towards security and tranquility. To say that peace is a risk that we cannot take means to keep all of us in the cycle of death and violence. The leaders have to choose between two paths: either peace or increasing extremism and insecurity. We need leaders who are ready to offer their lives for the sake of peace not leaders who issue orders to kill and assassinate and send others to kill or to get killed.

Christ is risen. Indeed he is risen! Amidst the difficult conditions which are worsening every day in our land and in the region, – we remember the death of the Archbishop of Mosul in Iraq and the lives of all Iraqis who have been living a daily tragedy since the declaration of war on Iraq. Amidst these difficult times, we celebrate Easter in Jerusalem and we tell you, brothers and sisters and all of you, men and women of good will: don’t fee l weak in front of the death forces working within our ranks. Saint Paul said: “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear” (Romans 15:8), but you received the spirit of God to be strong, with the same strength of God and His love.

We celebrate the feast of the glorious Resurrection, which is the triumph of Jesus Christ over death and sin. God grants this power to every human being so that he can prevail over evil within his soul and the evil surrounding him. He grants us all the power to transform hatred and death into trust and love and life that was gifted to us through the Resurrection.

We believe in God and we believe that God is good and His goodness will one day defeat the evil of people who claim that they want to build and maintain security, while their actions transform security into a mirage. It is high time to take new security measures that respect the human being and bring him closer to peace rather than death.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is my last Easter Message as a Patriarch of the Holy Land. I have said earlier and I repeat: I shall continue to pray and walk with you on the difficult path of peace and justice, and on the path of sanctity that God requires from anyone who wants to live and rule this land. I wish everyone a Happy and Holy Easter and a new life full of the spirit and grace of God.

Christ is risen. Indeed He is risen!

+ Michel Sabbah, Patriarch

Jerusalem – March 17, 2008

Parish Group profiles

There is a new section on our site under the Get Involved area called Parish Groups. Here we profile each parish group and give information about what they do, when they meet, how to join etc. The first profile is on the CWG – Catholic Women’s Group

If you are involved in a group and would like to be included please email the office@johnthebaptistpurley.org.uk

Stations of the Cross

There will be Stations of the Cross on the following dates at 7:30PM

• 29/2/2008 – Fr Gregory
• 7/3/2008 – St Gerards
• 14/3/2008 – CWG
• 21/3/2008 8:00PM - Paulette Coldham (Meditation around the Cross)

2nd Sunday of Lent

Last week I was in Lourdes for the 150th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady to Bernadette in Lourdes.  It was a fantastic celebration with nearly thirty Bishops , a 1000 Priests and the best part of a million people out on the Prairie opposite the Grotto.  Bishop of Lourdes, Jacque Perier, said the object of the Jubilee should serve to announce the Gospel at the outset of the third millennium.  It was a call to conversion and prayer: the Immaculate Conception, the Eucharist and the sick.  One new aspect for the Jubilee was a new mosaic covering the front of the Basilica, depicting the new Rosary Mysteries of Light promulgated by the late Pope John Paul II. 
 
There in the middle of the new mosaic was one depicting the Transfiguration showing the Transfigured Christ with Moses and Elijah with the stunned disciples Peter, James and his brother John, as spoken of in the Gospel today.  The main point of the Gospel is that if we are to be true disciples of Christ, completing the work of Moses and Elijah, then we too must be prepared to change and be “transfigured”.  Our change through Lenten penance of  almsgiving, repentance and suffering must not be skin deep.  We hear a lot about cosmetic change today through diet and exercise, but that is only superficial.  Our change must be spiritual, opening us up to the grace of God so that we become more like Christ through the aid of his grace.
 

Holy Fathers Message for Lent 2008

“Christ made Himself poor for you” (2 Cor 8,9)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

1. Each year, Lent offers us a providential opportunity to deepen the meaning and value of our Christian lives, and it stimulates us to rediscover the mercy of God so that we, in turn, become more merciful toward our brothers and sisters. In the Lenten period, the Church makes it her duty to propose some specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal: these are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For this year’s Lenten Message, I wish to spend some time reflecting on the practice of almsgiving, which represents a specific way to assist those in need and, at the same time, an exercise in self-denial to free us from attachment to worldly goods. The force of attraction to material riches and just how categorical our decision must be not to make of them an idol, Jesus confirms in a resolute way: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Lk 16,13). Almsgiving helps us to overcome this constant temptation, teaching us to respond to our neighbor’s needs and to share with others whatever we possess through divine goodness. This is the aim of the special collections in favor of the poor, which are promoted during Lent in many parts of the world. In this way, inward cleansing is accompanied by a gesture of ecclesial communion, mirroring what already took place in the early Church. In his Letters, Saint Paul speaks of this in regard to the collection for the Jerusalem community (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27).

2. According to the teaching of the Gospel, we are not owners but rather administrators of the goods we possess: these, then, are not to be considered as our exclusive possession, but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of His providence for our neighbor. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, material goods bear a social value, according to the principle of their universal destination (cf. n. 2404)

In the Gospel, Jesus explicitly admonishes the one who possesses and uses earthly riches only for self. In the face of the multitudes, who, lacking everything, suffer hunger, the words of Saint John acquire the tone of a ringing rebuke: “How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help?” (1 Jn 3,17). In those countries whose population is majority Christian, the call to share is even more urgent, since their responsibility toward the many who suffer poverty and abandonment is even greater. To come to their aid is a duty of justice even prior to being an act of charity.

3. The Gospel highlights a typical feature of Christian almsgiving: it must be hidden: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,” Jesus asserts, “so that your alms may be done in secret” (Mt 6,3-4). Just a short while before, He said not to boast of one’s own good works so as not to risk being deprived of the heavenly reward (cf. Mt 6,1-2). The disciple is to be concerned with God’s greater glory. Jesus warns: “In this way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5,16). Everything, then, must be done for God’s glory and not our own. This understanding, dear brothers and sisters, must accompany every gesture of help to our neighbor, avoiding that it becomes a means to make ourselves the center of attention. If, in accomplishing a good deed, we do not have as our goal God’s glory and the real well being of our brothers and sisters, looking rather for a return of personal interest or simply of applause, we place ourselves outside of the Gospel vision. In today’s world of images, attentive vigilance is required, since this temptation is great. Almsgiving, according to the Gospel, is not mere philanthropy: rather it is a concrete expression of charity, a theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and neighbor, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who, dying on the cross, gave His entire self for us. How could we not thank God for the many people who silently, far from the gaze of the media world, fulfill, with this spirit, generous actions in support of one’s neighbor in difficulty? There is little use in giving one’s personal goods to others if it leads to a heart puffed up in vainglory: for this reason, the one, who knows that God “sees in secret” and in secret will reward, does not seek human recognition for works of mercy.

4. In inviting us to consider almsgiving with a more profound gaze that transcends the purely material dimension, Scripture teaches us that there is more joy in giving than in receiving (cf. Acts 20,35). When we do things out of love, we express the truth of our being; indeed, we have been created not for ourselves but for God and our brothers and sisters (cf. 2 Cor 5,15). Every time when, for love of God, we share our goods with our neighbor in need, we discover that the fullness of life comes from love and all is returned to us as a blessing in the form of peace, inner satisfaction and joy. Our Father in heaven rewards our almsgiving with His joy. What is more: Saint Peter includes among the spiritual fruits of almsgiving the forgiveness of sins: “Charity,” he writes, “covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pt 4,8). As the Lenten liturgy frequently repeats, God offers to us sinners the possibility of being forgiven. The fact of sharing with the poor what we possess disposes us to receive such a gift. In this moment, my thought turns to those who realize the weight of the evil they have committed and, precisely for this reason, feel far from God, fearful and almost incapable of turning to Him. By drawing close to others through almsgiving, we draw close to God; it can become an instrument for authentic conversion and reconciliation with Him and our brothers.

5. Almsgiving teaches us the generosity of love. Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo forthrightly recommends: “Never keep an account of the coins you give, since this is what I always say: if, in giving alms, the left hand is not to know what the right hand is doing, then the right hand, too, should not know what it does itself” (Detti e pensieri, Edilibri, n. 201). In this regard, all the more significant is the Gospel story of the widow who, out of her poverty, cast into the Temple treasury “all she had to live on” (Mk 12,44). Her tiny and insignificant coin becomes an eloquent symbol: this widow gives to God not out of her abundance, not so much what she has, but what she is. Her entire self.

We find this moving passage inserted in the description of the days that immediately precede Jesus’ passion and death, who, as Saint Paul writes, made Himself poor to enrich us out of His poverty (cf. 2 Cor 8,9); He gave His entire self for us. Lent, also through the practice of almsgiving, inspires us to follow His example. In His school, we can learn to make of our lives a total gift; imitating Him, we are able to make ourselves available, not so much in giving a part of what we possess, but our very selves. Cannot the entire Gospel be summarized perhaps in the one commandment of love? The Lenten practice of almsgiving thus becomes a means to deepen our Christian vocation. In gratuitously offering himself, the Christian bears witness that it is love and not material richness that determines the laws of his existence. Love, then, gives almsgiving its value; it inspires various forms of giving, according to the possibilities and conditions of each person.

6. Dear brothers and sisters, Lent invites us to “train ourselves” spiritually, also through the practice of almsgiving, in order to grow in charity and recognize in the poor Christ Himself. In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that the Apostle Peter said to the cripple who was begging alms at the Temple gate: “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk” (Acts 3,6). In giving alms, we offer something material, a sign of the greater gift that we can impart to others through the announcement and witness of Christ, in whose name is found true life. Let this time, then, be marked by a personal and community effort of attachment to Christ in order that we may be witnesses of His love. May Mary, Mother and faithful Servant of the Lord, help believers to enter the “spiritual battle” of Lent, armed with prayer, fasting and the practice of almsgiving, so as to arrive at the celebration of the Easter Feasts, renewed in spirit. With these wishes, I willingly impart to all my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 30 October 2007
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
© Copyright 2007 – Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Our Lenten Journey begins today!

Our Lenten Journey begins Lent is a season of renewal.  The word comes from an old English word for spring, and throughout the season of Lent we are called to open ouirselves to grace, conversion and the renewal of our commitment to Christ in his Church.  In Lent we, like the prodigal son come to our senses.  We come to our moral senses through repentance and we sharpen our senses by conversion.
 
When we celebrate the liturgy we wear the colour purple.  Purple is the colour of mourning and anticipates the pain of crucifixion.  It is the colour of royalty and reminds us that we are a priestly people called to worship.  It is the colour of protest against the values of the world.
 
During Lent there are no flowers in Church, the music is more solemn and sombre, so that we can focus more clearly on the inner journey that we make in our hearts.
 
The Gospel of Ash Wednesday, about not letting your right hand know what your left hand is doing, helps us to focus on the three traditional practices of Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  Take time this Lent to reflect on how you will intensify your prayer this Lent, how you will open yourself more fully to God’s Spirit by fasting or giving up something that draws you away from God, how you will make a acontribution to the poor, the sick and the needy of the world.

For the Fourth Sunday of the Year

The readings for the day tell us of the qualities we need if we are to follow Christ in our lives today.  Christ, in his sermon on the Mount reflects Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the commandments from God. 

Like any sermon, he develops the commandments to make them fit the current situation of his day.  We have to develop the commands of God for our current situation of today.  We do not take the bible literally, we follow tradition as we apply the commandments of God to our own everyday lives.

John Fisher School Chapel Consecration

On January the 24th,  fifty years after it was built, Archbishop Kevin MacDonald consecrated the Chapel of the John Fisher School.  The school was opened by the Diocese in 1935 and staffed by Diocesan Priests until fifteen years ago.  Fr Fawssett, who taught in the school for fifty years, was the last Priest on the teaching staff.  He finally retired two years ago.  The school has always had a chapel, during the war it was a converted army nissan hut, and an historic link with the past was made at the end of the ceremony, when Bishop Tripp, an old boy of the school, blessed a picture of John Fisher that used to hand in the old chapel.  Keith Ockenden, who has been Sacristan at the Chapel for fifty years also received a Papal Blessing in recognition of his service.

The Archbishop in his homily paid tribute to the school for providing forty seven Priests for the Diocese from its former students.  He said that Consecration was the dedication of the building for the service of God just as the students learn to dedicate their lives to the service of God through the Church.  The relics of St Edward the Confessor, King of England, St Thomas a Beckett and St Edmund, Archbishops of Canterbury, were placed in the altar.

The service was conducted before a full congregation  with the Mayor of Croydon, Councillor Millward, and the Director of the Diocesan Schools Commission, Dilys Wadman, in atterndance together with a full compliment of Staff, Students, Governors, and Old Boys .

The Spider Sets Out His Web

Last Saturday everything was set fair for the parish to make a lot of money towards the cost of the refurbished benches in St John the Baptist’s. The weather was great, the children were on half term holiday and lots of toys and bottles had come in for our annual Michaelmas Fayre. We were blessed with a large crowd before 11.30 all eager to sample Fr Andrew’s Curry Lunch. Again he made over seven hundred pounds on his stall which goes to show how his good name is spreading over the web! The day would not have been complete without face-painting, and even the Parish Priest got caught up in the fun(after £50 sponship!). It took a lot of soap and muscle to get it off before the Evening Mass. In the end we had a great day bonding within the Community Web and we even made over £4000 towards the church benches – mind you the benches cost £500 each to refurbish and there are fifty benches!