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The Bishops and the Election

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The Bishops of England and Wales have written a letter to help us regarding the Election. The full document is in a leaflet that should be in our churches this weekend, or may be seen online at http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk/Home/Featured/General-Election-2015/Election-Letter

Here are some extracts from the introduction:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

The Gospel is radical and challenging. It is the saving message of Jesus Christ. It is a way of life. It teaches us to value each person… As Catholics, we are called to work for a world shaped by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel proclaims the mercy of God and invites us steadfastly to love God and our neighbour. Our relationship with God leads to the desire to build a world in which respect, dignity, equality, justice, and peace are our primary concerns.

Pope Francis tells us that we are ‘missionary disciples’ who witness to the mercy of Christ through the faithfulness of our lives and the world we wish to build. In the light of the Gospel we can be messengers of hope as we challenge the political candidates about the policies they wish to implement and the reasons why.

At this General Election we are asked to think about the kind of society we want here at home and abroad. Whom you vote for is a matter for you alone. Our aim is to suggest how you might approach this important question in May 2015 and to suggest some key issues for your reflection as you make your own decision.

Voting in a general election should seldom, if ever, be based on a single issue. Elections involve a whole range of issues, some without doubt more central than others, particularly those concerned with the dignity and value of human life and human flourishing. In this letter, we highlight some important issues – but not the only ones. In each case we suggest a question which you may wish to bear in mind.

The long view

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24th March 1980 Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. On 23rd May this year he will be beatified in that same city. Bishop Untener of Saginaw, Michigan composed this meditation/poem in the spirit of the Archbishop, although it is often attributed to the Archbishop himself…

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No programme accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about: We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

A blessed Holy week and happy Easter to all our parishioners and friends, from Fr Matthew

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Lord Jesus Christ,
You have accompanied me on my journey through Lent;
be with me still in this most holy of weeks -
when we come again to the foot of the Cross, when all seemed lost,
and move through the emptiness
towards the new dawn of Easter.
As I share the moments of your Passion,
help me to embrace the glory and the joy of the cross
through which you redeemed each one of us.
Instill in me a desire to draw closer to you;
to follow you more closely in my daily life
and show Your love to those I meet.
Amen