A message from the Bishops of England & Wales

We invite every member of the Catholic community in England and Wales to pray for, participate in and support the work of evangelisation – our task of deepening, sharing and proclaiming our faith, sensitively and confidently, wherever we may be.
In July a national conference took place in Birmingham at which representatives of every Diocese looked at this task of spreading the Gospel message. At Proclaim ’15 many practical ideas were explored and exchanged. These are now available for your consideration. Our hope is that every parish will look at these suggestions and take up one or two of them, chosen according to your own circumstances. Our initiative has this theme: building missionary parishes. This is so important as the challenges to faith today are many and deep-rooted.

Pope Francis shows us that the true heart of faith is hugely attractive. He shows us how to let our faith be seen. He does this by making clear the great mercy of God, the mercy that he has received and that he shows to all. The mercy of God is God’s love in action, reaching out to every person, to each one of us in our weakness… As we understand this… then we are freed to offer the same mercy to those around us. In doing so, we show forth the best of our faith. Our response to Pope Francis is to make the task of proclaiming God’s mercy the priority in our own efforts. This we will strive to do most especially during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, established by Pope Francis, beginning this December… So we ask your help. Together let us Proclaim God’s Mercy.

The key, then, to showing our faith in the way we live is to be ready to live constantly in the presence of God, knowing that God never takes his eyes off us, not to catch us out, but because he loves us so much. When we are constantly aware of that loving gaze which is upon us, and of the mercy and encouragement that flows our way, then we are enabled to look on others in the same way.

These are the foundations of evangelisation. On them, other steps can be built: the opportunity to speak about our faith; the expression of that love in programmes of action towards those most in need; a loving care for those who have been hurt by life and hurt within the Church, for whom any return to the practice of their faith is particularly difficult. In this effort for evangelisation we seek out ways of accompanying others, through friendship, through prayer, through conversation, so that they sense in us the welcome that God most certainly extends to them. Our efforts need not be complicated or heroic. As Our Blessed Lady reminds us, through our humble efforts the Lord can do great things!

We celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew this week on September 21. Happy feast to all Matthews especially to our Parish Priest! St. Matthew was one of Jesus’ 12 apostles and also one of the four Evangelists, according to the Bible. Prior to preaching the word of God, he worked as a tax collector in Capernaum and called Levi.

One of the things that St. Matthew is most famous for is his call by Jesus. Once he was called by Jesus, Matthew left everything and followed Him, not even stopped to close the till or shut down the computer. Matthew was transformed by his encounter with Jesus. He wanted to think, talk, and act like Jesus. Of course he was not always perfect in thinking, talking and acting like Jesus, but he really did his best.

When Jesus dined at Matthew’s house later that day, Jesus was happy to sit and eat with other tax collectors and “sinners”. Jesus welcomed them as well; something he does throughout the gospels. To see a deeper understanding of the great celebration Matthew held at his house, we must realise that he not only gave a banquet for the Lord at his earthly residence, but far more pleasing was the banquet set in his own heart which he provided through faith and love.

What about us? Have we allowed our encounter with Jesus to transform our lives or simply doing merely the external duties of living the Christian life? What do we have to leave behind to truly follow Jesus? Pride? Anger? Hurt? Resentment? May be there are people in our families whom we are embarrassed by because of the way they live their lives. Do we just ignore them, or do we invite them to meet Jesus, to experience His mercy?

Fr Tomy

Saint David’s College, 10.30am to 3.30pm, Saturday 17 October

‘Proclaimers of the Word’, organised by the Archdiocesan Liturgy Commission, is a day for Readers, and all who minister the Word of God. We will begin with an introduction to the Gospel of Luke by Fr Nicholas James, to set the scene for the Cycle C ‘Year of Luke’ beginning this Advent. There will then be the opportunity to attend any two workshops from the list below:

New Readers – introduction for young and new readers
New Readers – practical for young and new readers
Experienced Readers – two sessions
Children’s Liturgy – the role of the scriptures
Lectio Divina – prayerful reading of scripture
Common Psalms – what are they? How can we use them?
Singing the psalms – practical for new and experienced cantors
Writing the Prayers of the Faithful
Planning music for Sundays and Sacraments

For new and experienced readers alike, and all who work with the Word of God in Parishes, this day should be a useful preparation for the Commissioning of Ministers of the Word which Archbishop George Stack suggests should take place in parishes on the First Sunday of Advent this year. It is also a wonderful opportunity for any parishioner to deepen their understanding of scripture and its celebration in liturgy.

Parish musicians may be interested to work with Martin Barry, Director of Music at Saint John’s Cathedral, Salford and explore psalms for Advent. He will look in particular at the Common Psalms listed in the Lectionary which can be used in place of the psalm of the day – a useful way into psalm-singing if the psalm is not always sung in the parish. A range of styles will be explored and resources discussed.

Fr John Kelly (ed. Fr Matthew)