Table fellowship

Is 58:9-14 ; Ps 85:1-6 ; Lk 5:27-32

Our Lord's choice of person to share table fellowship with, scandalises the Pharisees and their scribes. The reason they are disturbed is because "sinners and tax collectors" are unclean. Yet the extending of mercy to outcasts is a sign of the Kingdom of God. Christ has come not only to heal the sick of body, but also those who are sinners. Christ's mission is the forgiveness of sin, for which He was willing to die. Christ invites sinners to conversion. Without conversion no one can enter the Kingdom of God. Christ discriminates against the self-righteous who think they have no need of God. Christ does not welcome the proud, until they humble themselves to repent. God's mercy is endless and there is indeed more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents because unrepentant sinners cannot enter into the Kingdom of God!

We might consider that the problem with the Pharisees was that they were caught up in their own interpretation and development of the Law. Many Christians accuse Catholics of something similar: of building up "traditions" that are human interpretations of the Scriptures - whereas, of course, they believe they have a pure faith based upon Scripture alone (sola Scriptura). The opposite is actually the case. Holy Tradition is in fact the guidance by the Holy Spirit leading the Church into all the truth, something which our Lord promised would happen (for He didn't have the time to teach His disciples everything they needed). Catholics submit themselves to the Sacred Tradition given through the Holy Spirit and guaranteed by the Magisterium (teaching authority). They do not interpret Holy Scripture with the first thought that enters their head. Rather they listen to the Holy Scriptures within the Church, within the guidance of the Holy Spirit that is the Holy Tradition. Personal thoughts are just that, personal thoughts! Personal thoughts do not save! Just because we think we are nice Christians and feel close to God does not mean our thoughts reveal God's Word! 

So this Lent let us discipline our reading of Holy Scripture and submit ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit through Sacred Tradition, not through personal interpretation. One very easy way we can do this is to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and look up the citations of Holy Scripture. When we are reading a passage from Scripture look it up in the citations and find the paragraphs in the Catechism that refer to it. Then we shall know what it is the Holy Spirit has revealed to the Church about those particular verses in Scripture.

Fr Ian

Expecting favours from God?

Isaiah 58:1-9 ; Psalm 50 ; Matthew 9:14-15

"Why should we fast if you never see it, why do penance if you never notice?" (Is 58v3)

The people of Judah fasted so that God would hear their public petitions - possibly so that there might be rain for their crops. They are concerned by the perceived silence of God. Had they committed some sin without knowing it? Or did God like to humiliate people who asked for favours? And so the people lie in sackcloth and ashes. But God pointed out through His prophet, that there was an inconsistency - why should He answer their prayers when at the same time their business practices were unjust?

This situation of the people of Judah is a warning for us too. It is the condition when we are content with a certain level of religious observance. We can think that by a certain level of observance we can expect certain favours from God: for things to go our way, and for some sufferings to be avoided. We say to ourselves, "I have observed what is required of me, I deserve a reward." But God may well be silent, and suffering and adversity may visit us.

The Lord is clear that He is concerned not just with those who observe the precepts of religion; He is concerned with all people. There is a profound inconsistency in practicing religious precepts and also practicing unjust labour laws, of oppressing our employees or perpetuating any injustice we have some control over.

God does not want disciples who merely observe certain religious precepts and the rest of their lives be inconsistent with their profession of faith. When the disciples of John complained that Jesus' disciples were not fasting (Mt 9:14-15), Jesus challenged them to re-think why they were fasting.

To be grumpy and complaining about our fasting is to misunderstand its purpose. Fasting is an expression of inner conversion. We are bringing our bodily appetites into good order and under our control so that we can turn to Christ our Saviour, the Bridegroom, more completely.

The season of Lent, the season of penitence, the season of inner conversion, is not therefore a gloomy season of the Church's year. Yes it is a season of restraint and sobriety, but in order that we can focus more deeply on the things that truly matter : our relationship with Jesus Christ who by His grace draws us into the divine life of perfect love. And if our relationship with Christ is on the right footing, so will our relationships be with our neighbour.

Surely that is something to be joyful about and not grumpy?

Fr Ian

Is it life or death that you want?

A fruit-bearing tree - an image of Christ's cross

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ; Psalm 1 ; Luke 9:22-25

I love the bluntness of the reading today from Deuteronomy (30:15-20):

“See today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster.”

When put like that of course there is no choice! Who would choose death and disaster? But actually that is what we do choose when we do not follow God’s way. When we go our own way we are in truth opting for the way of death and disaster. When we go the way Christ has led then we are opting for life and prosperity. The bluntness of Deuteronomy helps to remind us of this basic Christian truth.

This same point is reinforced in the psalm at mass today (Ps 1). The man who places his trust in the Lord is like a tree planted beside flowing waters that yields its fruit in due season. Following the divine path results in the bearing of fruit – again it is a life-giving path to follow. The result of making our decisions according to God’s ways, is life.

In the gospel today our Lord reveals the secret of bearing fruit. It is paradoxical. The more we cling on and grasp onto life, the more we lose it. When we are anxious and afraid we tend to try to grasp and to cling in desperation. But clinging on desperately and grasping in fear do not lead to a solution to our problems. Rather it is trusting in the Lord, trusting in Jesus Christ, that will lead us to the greatest of fruit-bearing trees: His fruit-bearing and salvific cross.

This is the path we are to follow in our keeping of Lent: in self-denial, in prayer and in almsgiving.

Fr Ian

Remember that you are dust

On Ash Wednesday ashes are “imposed” in a solemn ritual at masses across the world. The ceremony is unlike any liturgical action performed throughout the rest of the Church’s year.

The ashes are made from the palm crosses that were blessed and handed out the previous Palm Sunday. They are collected and burned and the remains are ground up into powder. I make my own each year.

During the Mass the ashes are blessed by the priest before they are “imposed”. In a procession people step forward and the priest puts the ashes on the forehead in the shape of a cross, saying, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” This is taken from Genesis 3 v 19.

What does the ash symbolise?

1. Death:  We are reminded of our mortality, for when we die our bodies decompose, or “they return to dust”. So we hear Abraham say to God “I am but dust and ashes” in Genesis 18:27. Whether death is just around the corner or many years hence, one thing is certain, we are going to die! So on Ash Wednesday we are asked to face our mortality, but not in a morbid and hopeless way, but in the faith of Christ crucified – which is why the ashes are imposed with a cross. Christ has died and redeemed us so that we have real hope. Yes we will die, but by the grace of Christ we can live beyond this death.

And indeed is death is coming we need to be prepared for it. Let death not catch any of us unprepared! Let us be prepared by living God’s ways.

2. Repentance: When the prophet Jonah warned the Ninevites that God was going to visit judgement upon them for their wickedness (their depravity and corruption) the people of Ninevah covered themselves with sackcloth and ashes as a sign of their repentance – they showed visibly that they were turning away from their evil ways.

So ashes are a plea to God for mercy, pardon and forgiveness. And they are also a public confession of our sin. Other people can see that we admit out sinfulness publicly, but also crucially that we bring them to the cross of Christ. We are sorry for our sins but we know they can only be forgiven through the cross of Christ, the grace He won for us once for all.

(Tip: If someone comments on your ashes, use the opportunity to explain to them something of your faith and why you do it.)

So we begin Lent by publicly saying sorry for our sins, and that we want to use Lent to correct our faults, purify our hearts and control our desires – and thus to grow in holiness, and be better prepared to celebrate Easter with joy filling our hearts.

Fr Ian  16^th February 2015

Keeping a good and fruitful Lent - part 6

"confession" from the door of sacraments in St Peter's Basilica

Let us not forget that Lent is also about overcoming sin through grace. If you like we not only encourage new growth (virtue and fruits) but also need to prune back (confess).

All the things I have suggested so far in this guide are about encouraging virtuous exercises in our daily/weekly lives. Fasting should help us increase our self-mastery. But we also need to seek grace through confession. And there are two aspects to this I would recommend:

Sorry Lord, I did it again!

1. Daily examination:  we need to have a frank assessment of our day. If you do it only once a week you'll forget lots of things. Ask our Lord for light and then role through the day in your mind. Identify your sins and ask God for forgiveness. This should not take more than a few minutes. Over a number of days you will notice some sins repeat - make a note of them. Finally say sorry to God and ask for the grace to amend your life.

St 'Padre' Pio in the confessional

2. Sacrament of confession: During Lent go to confession more regularly. Why not try weekly? If you really want to conquer sin in your life you need grace, and the special grace for this is found through this sacrament. Even if you have not committed a mortal sin, you still need grace to overcome sinful habits. Of course you must confess grave sins but you would benefit from confessing your worst venial sins too, especially those you keep repeating. There might be a particular sin you want to overcome in grace? Well keep a tally of how many times you commit it. This can help you assess whether you are getting better before you've managed to overcome it entirely. Habits of sin can take time to deal with, so keeping a tally can be an encouragement.

I know we are only obliged to go to confession once over the paschal period, but let us not settle for the minimum, with regard to confessing let us strive for the best this Lent!

Lenten counsel no 6 - Take sin seriously! Don't just try to forget it. Our Lord wants us to not sin at all. While that seems understandably a far off goal, we do need to take steps towards it. We won't if we forget our sin. So a daily examination is most essential. Say sorry and ask for grace. And then go to the sacrament of confession for the grace to really change your life. It really does work - the Saints have proven it!

[For those in Plymouth I am opening Christ the King every Thursday evening (7-9pm) for adoration and I'll be available to hear confessions. We also hear confessions before and after mass at 12noon Mon - Fri and on Sunday morning, 11.30]

Fr Ian

Keeping a good and fruitful Lent - part 5

The third traditional expression of penance or conversion is called "almsgiving". This is not simply making sure we put a coin in a charity tin (although there is nothing wrong in doing this of course). It is important that we use our financial resources to the glory of God. Lent can be a time for us to assess how we use those resources. The reason for this is that the way we spend our money can reveal something about our priorities in life. One very good exercise is to look at a bank statement or two and go through the items reflecting on how it might say something about our priorities. As all our wealth is ultimately God's, and we have it as custodians, we need to remind ourselves that we need to justify our use of His resources and say sorry when we misuse them. We also need to ask ourselves on a regular basis, "what does my Lord want me to do with His resources that I have?" Of course He wants us to have a good and healthy life, and He is not against us enjoying ourselves. But have we been too lavish in spending on selfish things? And too frugal in spending on others? We also need to remember we need to give realistically to the Church so that its mission and purpose can be fulfilled in the world.

More generally we can also usefully reflect on our lives by how we spend the time we have been given. And I think there is nothing better than the Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy (above) if we are ever at a loss as to what to do for the Lord.

Lenten counsel no 5 - have a little spiritual audit of how you are spending your money, asking how much is selfish and how much benefits others. Remember it is not actually your bank account but the Lord's! He will ask you one day to give an account! Also think about your use of time - and perhaps think of a Work of Mercy to do each day.

Fr Ian

Keeping a good and fruitful Lent - part 4

On prayer - disciplines to do with our relationship to God

Prayer is the second traditional expression of inner penance or conversion. And as with fasting it is easy to overstretch ourselves at the beginning of Lent. I would suggest that first we consider how often we pray during the day, rather than the quantity of solid prayer, which can then come naturally.

Imagine a rolling landscape with electricity pylons carrying high tension cables. The pylons have to be spaced taking into consideration the shape of the land. If they are too far apart the cable will droop to the ground and the power fail. Now consider your daily life, and the pylons as times to pray and connect with God. What I suggest is that we need times of prayer throughout the day according to the landscape of the day, i.e. what sort of thing we are doing.

When we rise in the morning we could pray an acclamation of praise (e.g. "Glory to you; glory to you, O Lord.") And then offer God the day to come for His glory. You could also ask for His help in things that you are concerned about.

At meal times we thank God for the gift of our food and ask Him to bless the food.

Whenever we walk we can pray a suitable repeated prayer. I use the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I might sometimes offer the prayer for someone I pass by in the street.

Around 9am 'ish we could pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit, as 9am (the third hour) was the time the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples on Pentecost. We might know a tradional prayer to the Holy Spirit and pray it.

At midday we might recall that our Lord was nailed to the cross and was lifted up. We might offer to God a prayer of adoration and praise for our redemption in Christ. E.g. "We adore you O Christ, and we bless you, here and in all the churches throughout the world, for by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world."

Similarly we might remember Our Lord's death (at 3pm) and give thanks that He died for love of our love. We could pray for the needs of others, and say a Hail Mary for them.

At any time we have 20 minutes free we could pray the Rosary.

At any time we could open a Bible/Missal and reflect on God's word most especially something from the Mass readings of the day. (These can be found on universalis.com and elsewhere online). You could visit this blog where there will be a short reflection on the readings of the day.

One or more times a week we could visit the Blessed Sacrament in a Catholic Church near by. This can be a little pilgrimage. A time to adore our Saviour Jesus Christ in the most holy sacrament of the altar.

Attending Mass is of course the summit of prayer, where we bring the sufferings and prayers of our daily life and offer them to Christ in His sacrifice on the Cross, where He transforms them, and offers Himself to us in the Blessed Sacrament.

Lenten counsel no 4: With discipline in prayer, do not try to do too much all at once. Don't set yourself up to fail. Build things up gradually and sustainably. Spread prayer throughout the day in a way that you can manage and which means you keep in touch with the Lord of your life.

Fr Ian