Gathering clouds

Today's picture is one that I took on holiday this summer. I visited the Belgian city of Ghent, where I saw these beautiful old houses alongside what was the town quay. It was a very pretty sight - until suddenly some very dark clouds appeared and slowly covered the sky.

The liturgy of these three weekdays of Holy Week is full of such dark clouds hovering over the beauty that was the person and ministry of Jesus. A sense of foreboding grows as we draw closer to Thursday and Friday. 

In the photo even the dark clouds on the left cannot completely block out the blue sky which is peeping through on the right. Even Good Friday is enlightened by Easter. We are to bring Easter wherever we meet Good Friday. 

Palm Sunday

I had an idea to observe the days of Holy Week by sharing a picture each day from the last year, especially perhaps from September's pilgrimage. So here is Palm Sunday's picture. It's the pilgrims at the Carceri or Hermitage outside Assisi, but it reminds me of the happy crowd greeting Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. We were so happy to be there and started to clap as we sang a song. When have you been happy these last twelve months? When have you welcomed Jesus as he passes by?

Young feet

Pope Francis continues to challenge us in different ways. Today I read that he is going to celebrate the Maundy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord's Supper in a youth detention centre at Casal del Marmo in Rome (picture left). It was his custom in Buenos Aires to do so every year at a prison, hospital, clinic or similar. Usually this Mass has been celebrated in the Pope's cathedral in Rome, St John Lateran, so this is another departure from previous practice.

The Mass of the Lord's Supper centres on three themes - the Eucharist, priesthood and the call to service. Its central images are bread and wine and the washing of the apostles' feet. So Francis will take his priesthood and the Eucharist to the young prisoners of Rome, and there wash their feet. 

I am coming to the conclusion that Pope Francis will challenge us bot so much in our image of what a Pope is like, but rather in what we should be like. And that is a much, much bigger challenge indeed...

No cufflinks!!

People are enjoying spotting all the many indications that Pope Francis is sailing into new waters. I enjoyed watching some of his Sunday Mass at St Anne's, the Vatican City's parish church. Well he is a parishioner! His homily on the Woman Taken in Adultery was beautiful, and, like the one in the Sistine Chapel with the Cardinals, I think delivered without notes, sending the media people wild.  Then he greeted every emerging parishioner on the church steps and went out through the gates to greet the crowd outside the Vatican boundary. 

Here is one of my favourite photos so far.

So what, you may say. Well look closely - no cufflinks! Oh, my goodness...

Look below his cumerbund thing - you can see his white shirt isn't tucked in very well....

Francis, our Pope

Well, if we didn't see Benedict's departure coming, we certainly didn't see Francis's arrival either.

"Habemus Papam" - those famous words led to a look of surprise on the faces of most of the crowd when the name was announced. I suppose in retrospect we should have at least thought it possible, a sit is believed he was "runner-up" in 2005. The reason he hasn't been on most people's radar is his age - 76. But it makes sense - he's from the developing world, from the continent with the largest proportion of Catholics. 

He's a Jesuit - a first, but he's taken the name Francis, when the Jesuits and Franciscans have been traditional rivals. Watch the detail too. He appeared on the balcony with just the plain white cassock - no mozzetta, the little red and ermine cape. Word is he sold the archbishop's residence in Buenos Aires, and that he used public transport to get around the city.

Rocco Palmo has written this evening in his blog that with these factors Pope Francis "has signaled three things: his desire to be a force of unity in a polarized fold, a heart for the poor, and his intent to "repair God's house, which has fallen into ruin"... that is, to rebuild the church. These are the words that St Francis of Assisi heard from the Crucifix at San Damiano in Assisi. What better way to describe a new pope's ministry...

 

Statue of St Francis at prayer, San Damiano, Assisi

Shots in the dark

I've just been watching the beginning of the Conclave to elect a new Pope in the Sistine Chapel. When I switched on, the Cardinals were just taking their oath of secrecy, and so you were able to see each of them approach the Bible, one by one. 

A few folks have asked if I have any hot tips. No!  I tell you what, some of the names being mentioned looked pretty severe to me. Anyway, just to throw out a few, keep an eye open for Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila in the Philippines (left). 
An American Pope has always been discounted in the past. This time Cardinal Dolan of New York was being mentioned, but seems to have been overtaken by Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston. I've always been aware of him, not least because he keeps a very interesting blog. Admittedly, it's mostly about him - but I like its tone. You can find it here.

Of the Italians, Cardinal Ravasi has just given the Lenten reflections in the Vatican, and went down well. He manged to mention St Thomas Aquinas and Amy Winehouse in the same talk, which can't be bad (above right).

Someone missing...

So Tuesday sees the beginning of the Conclave to elect a new Pope. In the morning the Cardinals will celebrate the Mass "For the Election of the Pope" in St Peter's Basilica. In the afternoon, they will process from the Pauline Chapel (a private Chapel of the Popes) through to the Sistine Chapel. After some preliminaries the traditional proclamation of "Extra Omnes" (Everybody out) will be made, and the doors shut. The Cardinals will then probably proceed to a first vote, carried out in silence, in an almost liturgical style. There is no discussion in the Sistine - that takes place before and between the voting sessions. On the following days there can be four votes, two each morning and two each afternoon. The Cardinals eat and sleep in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican, cut off from the outside world. 

The voting continues until there is a two-thirds plus one majority (this time around 76 or 77). Then the individual is asked if he accepts the vote (he can say no, I suppose!), and on his acceptance, the white smoke goes up and the bells start to ring out. The new Pope retires to a side room to be fitted with one of three prepared white cassocks, and is then led out to the balcony over the door of St Peter's. "Habemus Papam" (We have a Pope) a senior cardinal proclaims, and then lets the world know who it is. And so we take off on another phase of the Church's journey through time. 

About 50 years ago, far beneath the great dome of St Peter's the bones were found of a shortish stocky man in his 60s or 70s. The election of a Pope puts us directly in touch with Simon Peter and his calling by the Sea of Galilee. We belong to the Church of this weak, strong, sinful, faithful, denying and affirming man. And through him of course, we are in profound and mystical unity with Jesus, the Light of the World. 

We are not just all one as Catholics across the world because we believe the same things (hopefully) or live the same way (even more hopefully). Our bonds are very concrete, through the unity we have with our Bishop, and the unity he has with all the other Bishops, gathered around the Bishop of Rome. So whoever the next one of those is, the next Pope, I will have a lump in my throat as the smoke goes up. Without someone occupying the See of Peter there is something missing, like a dad away at sea. We will have a new Father, and somehow the family will be complete again,

Mothers and malaria

When I got home yesterday evening after giving a talk, I switched on the TV while having some supper, to find "Mary and Martha". I had read a little about a Rednose Day film about two mothers whose sons died of malaria, and nearly switched over, fearing it might be too heavy or slushy or both. I was very wrong. 

Immediately the brilliant acting of Hilary Swank, mother of a young boy, and Brenda Blethyn, mother of an older son in his early twenties, drew me into this great drama. Locations in Africa and America were beautifully filmed, music is used very appropriately, but it was the humanity of grieving mothers that grabbed me, particularly that of Hilary Swank in the hospital in Mozambique. 
Slowly we learn of the enormous scale of children's deaths from malaria. The two mothers bond together, marital difficulties are encountered, and in the end together they make a difference. Blethyn ends their pleas to the Senate Committee, with photos of children victims of theh disease laid out,: "Would you like us to make an appointment to come back next year. and bring another half million photographs?" 
We can make changes in our lives and in our world. Fr M approves bigtime. Catch this excellent film on iPlayer here

Benedict wakes us up

Well, there we were, all wending our way through life, when Pope Benedict suddenly dropped a bombshell. When I heard the news I'm afraid my first thoughts were back to my Canon Law studies in the 80s (how sad is that?), when the obscure canon (law) was dismissed with a flick of the hand "Well, that would just cause too many problems..." The offending rule in the Book of Rules states "Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone." (c.332/2 Code of Canon Law 1983).

Nevertheless, here we are. On Thursday evening Joseph Ratzinger will cease to be Bishop of Rome, and therefore Pope. And so we enter relatively uncharted waters... Their eminences will gather and eventually enter conclave (Latin = "with a key") and stay there until they have it in the bag. and the white smoke can float out into the Roman air.

Many people have as it were sympathised with him - he is 85, after all, and it has caused some of us to ponder how difficult it must have been for him to assume the mantle at 78 in the first place...  

Their Eminences now have a task which can truly be called awesome. Will they look to Africa, perhaps to Cardinal Turkson from Ghana, or maybe to North America, to Canada's Cardinal Ouellet (one of Fr M's Tips), or will they kick for papal touch and go back to Italy, perhaps to Cardinal Scola of Milan. The Pope is Bishop of Rome, don't forget. Maybe they will be a little more adventurous and go Filipino and younger - to Cardinal Tagle of Manila? In a word, who knows... It just amazes me that the whole thing is hoped to be concluded in time for the Holy Week liturgy, from resignation to installation in about six weeks... For a church which thinks in centuries, we can sure move when we want to! I hope they don't pick the one in this photo... (but  PS see comment below!)

Let us pray for Benedict, for the cardinals and for "X"!

PPS When i Googled "cardinals" the first image of their Eminences was only after 240 pics of birds and American sportsmen... good for their humility!

A nice cappuccino

Fr T and I often go out for a pub lunch on a Saturday. I'm afraid neither of us is much cop in the kitchen, so the Three Arches, the Ty-Glas, the Ffynnon Wen and the Nine Giants regularly profit from us. We are experts in the various 2-for-1 or 2-for £10 deals around. In the ones that don't do these deals, the meals are cheaper anyway - oh, yes, you can't fool the clergy on matters combining food and money! Last Saturday we helped out in a neighbouring parish at their First Reconciliation and popped into the local Harvesters, where we were told that we could expect at least 20 minutes' wait, so we tried another local that hadn't welcomed us before, only to find a mere handful of people in what I would have to describe as rather drab surroundings. My steak and ale pie was fair enough, but it would have been nice to have a pastry top nicely browned instead of sickly yellow... I won't embarrass anyone by naming the hostelry - partly because I was from time to time seen in there in my pre-priesthood days when it was buzzing. Nostalgia can excuse a lot.

Now, Fr M has been seen also from time to time in coffee shops, and I got round this week to trying a post-Mass cappuccino with some parishioners at Coffee Plus in Rhyd-y-penau Road. And very pleasant it was too. It's been well converted from its previous incarnation as a store. My coffee was good, toasted tea-cake good (but not as nice as Sainsbury's), and things went swimmingly once we had established that the boss's family came from one of my previous parishes. We were there at 10.20ish, and by the time we left it was packed. Good sign, good place. Fr M approves.

Today's Gospel for 2013

Doing the Dusting

As I place ashes on the head of people on Ash Wednesday, the Church gives me a choice of two sets of words. I can say “Repent, and believe the Gospel” – which is indeed a concise summary of what Lent is about. Or I can use the traditional formula “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” That’s the one I usually choose.

I love the down-to-earthness of our religion. Jesus told us to use things like bread, wine, oil and water in our faith lives. He would fill these mundane things with spiritual power, and even with his own Presence. Yet sometimes in our worship we recoil from using language that is seen to be too earthy.

“Remember you are dust…” The words come from Genesis 3:19, and the ceremony of ashes finds its roots in the ancient tradition in the Middle East of the throwing of ashes over our heads to signify repentance before God. I like the idea of reminding ourselves of our humble origins and dependence on God. Ashes bring us down to earth.

The ashes are put on in the form of a Cross, and so we are launched on the way of Lent. This way will lead us to Calvary, and there we leave ourselves at the foot of the Cross of Jesus. In his dying breaths he cries out over us, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do” – and we hope that the “they” includes you and me…

And because it does include us, we will then journey on past Calvary through an empty tomb in a garden. The Father lifts up His Son, and on his shirt-tails, as it were, we hope we can hang. New life, new hope, are possible for the sinner - and life eternal beckons.

Eventually we will arrive at the Fire of Pentecost, when we once again remember that the same God who made us and redeemed us, also wants to literally fire us up. We are whipped into new liveliness by the winds of God. We are reconstructed by the fire of the Holy Spirit.  And so the journey that will start this Wednesday in ashes, symbol of ending, of finality and destruction, will lead us to bathe once more in the warming, inspiring and purifying flames of the love of God.

Crossroads of the past

Well, I admit it, a few years ago I joined Facebook. There, I've said it!

Now, one of my favourite things on there is "Remember Old Cardiff". This was just started by some chap putting some pics of Cardiff past on there - and now it's followed by thousands, and you can just send him your own pics.

Well I was taken aback a few days ago when I saw a picture of somewhere very close to where I grew up. In the old days - yeah, even before Eastern Avenue was built in 1971 - there was a crossroads at the top of Penylan Hill, where Penylan Road met Cyncoed Road, Waterloo Road and Llwynygrant Road. When the new A48 was built, the crossroads disappeared, to be replaced by a bridge joining Penylan Road to Cyncoed Road. The pic shows this, with houses in Cyncoed Road ready for demolition.

I suppose I haven't seen this view for over forty years, and it took me back in a flash. Just another crossroads to most - but such a familiar sight to me...

The Child Who Was Never Born

I recently came across this striking and powerful image of a sculpture called "The Child Who Was Never Born". It was commissioned by a group of young mothers in Slovakia. The mother, in stone, weeps while the child, in crystal, gently lays a hand on her head. It was inaugurated in the presence of the Slovak Minister of Health. Take a few moments to sit with it...
Memorial For Unborn Children, 2010, Martin Hudáček, Slovakia

New Year videos

A while ago I posted a video from "Outside da Box", a company working in collaboration with the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in America.   Turns out they do a lot, and so here are two more.

The first one is called "Evidence". It has caused a stir in some quarters in the US. It develops the well-known saying, "If you were arrested for being Catholic, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  I think it's very good - challenging and well-made, like all the company's videos.  You can find it here.
The second one is food for thought as we pull away from the Christmas season. It also asks some questions - a bit cheesy, especially the end maybe, but the quizzical look on the boy's face I enjoyed. Here is the second video "Joy Story".  
The company have loads more, so why not have a browse?

Pondering

So Christmas went well in our 3 Churches - I think!  I managed to get away for a few nights to see my family, which was great.   And now a new year - St Luke tells us that Mary was pondering everything in her heart after the shepherds left. 
Maybe she was not the only one.... Here is the meditation I wrote for our Carol Service.

NATIVITY

Take your rest now, my beloved Mary, take your rest.

I will hold your baby – our baby – safe in my arms here  

in the dark of the night.

It only seems yesterday

that you told me your news back home in Nazareth

How can I tell you how sorry I am that I...?

I will never ever leave you again.      

I will look after you

both

until my dying day

I promise you, Mary

Why has God done this, my darling?

Why has he chosen us?   

I know why you...

but why me?

Look at Him, cradled in my arms.

So beautiful, so wonderful.  

So innocent.

How can it be that this little one is so...   

How can Emmanu-el  

God-with-us

Be...

with...

us?

I’m sorry that this had to happen far from Nazareth

It’s my fault, I know. 

My ancestor David -

maybe it’s his fault really.

I’m so sorry that we couldn’t find a room

and the little one arrived here of all places,

with the animals.  

Look at the stars,

oh light of my life,

shining on us tonight.

Can it be that this little fellow

had something to do with all

this? 

Look at that big star in the east.

I’ve never noticed that before

so beautiful...

And everything is still, nothing to disturb you

except a few voices far away.

Listen, Mary,

I think it’s some of the shepherds from the hillsides.

What can they be doing in the village at this time of night?

Can it be, my Mary, that

here

tonight

God has come to us

has come among us

OUR baby? 

Have the heavens up there met the earth below

Has the Lord come to meet His people

our baby? 

How can the Lord who needs nothing

now rest in my calloused carpenter’s hands

and need my poor love and care?

Rest now, Mary,

because we don’t know what lies ahead.

But I’ll get you home as soon as I can,

you and the baby.

Let me sit down here beside you,

put my arm around you,

and together we will look after this new little life.

Take your rest, my darling wife

take your rest my two precious loves.

I am here

I will look after you

both.

Pics n vids

Just flicking through Facebook and had a laugh at this.

Looked further and I found 2 Youtubes of our 3 Churches Carol Service on Wednesday. Done on a phone or camera, the quality is as expected, but I hope you can get a sense of the evening at St Paul's regarding the involvement of young people. This is one of our pastoral priorities at the moment, and more about it later. I will also post the meditation I wrote for the Service.

Meanwhile, find the videos here  (Angels we have heard on high) and here (the Virgin Mary had a baby boy).

With thanks to Sara and Bernardine

Little scenes

I popped in town this morning to do my (minimal) Christmas shopping. My brother and sister's Christmas just would not be the same without their Thorntons box. Well, so they tell me! Did a few other bits n pieces, including the CTS next to our Cathedral.Coffee time, and Debenhams seemed the closest, so I ascended to the 2nd floor. Cafe had had a facelift, and I joined the queue of busy busy shoppers. I was very very impressed by the lady who was doing the lattes, capuccinos etc etc at superfast speed and with consummate efficiency, taking the next order as she was completing the previous one. So when she handed me my mug I said "Thank you - you're doing very well!" Her face lit up as she broke into a lovely smile at an unexpected little compliment. It made my day, and maybe hers too! 

When I sat down, i was joined at the next table by a young mum, and her little boy in a buggy. Te little lad semed anxious to have a nap, but mum's schedule said it was tiem to feed him. So each time his little eyes drooped, he sensed a spoon at his lips and his mouth automatically opened. Eventually he lapsed into a blissful doze, mum finished her coffee and off they went, both contented.

Just a couple of human moments from the cafe at Debenhams - and reminders that Christmas is about God joining us, not just in our big dramas, but also in our little scenes too. How many lives did he light up with a smile or a word? And what an amazing thought that people must have watched another baby being fed by his mother - little realising that here was God being nourished by his own creation.

Many thanks to Marie for sending me this link to a brilliant adaptation of Queen's famous song :"Bethlehemian Rhapsody"   Fr M fully approves. (pics are from the video)

Advent in 2 minutes

Last year folks seemed to like the very good little video "Advent in 2 Minutes", so to see it click here.

God-who-comes

I've been taking a bit of a break from the old blog. Lot of work on at the moment, run-up to Christmas etc. Anyway a few folks said nice things about my homilies these 2 Sundays of Advent, so I thought I'd try to put something about them on here.

Advent is a particularly Christian concept - the God-who-comes. At Christmas we are celebrating, looking back to the First Coming of Jesus, his first Advent. But the liturgy of the First Sunday of Advent also points us to His second coming - at the end of time, that mysterious point to which we are all headed. So we are caught between the "already" and the "not yet", suspended as it were on the tightrope of the present.

As we journey from the one to the other, God's graciousness enables us to experience many "mini-Advents" - to keep us going, as it were.  When the Word of God takes flesh in our hearts and lives - that is Advent. When we commune with the Lord in our quiet moments - if we can find them in this busy season - his coming to us is a mini-Advent. Of course, in the Eucharist we are particularly close to the One-who-comes. At the altar steps we reach out for the one Jesus, our Holy Communion is a sublime personal Adventing of the Lord to us.

But we can also experience Jesus coming to us through other people. That unexpected smile or good deed, that unsolicited phone call from a friend or love done. That apparently random caring gesture from a  complete stranger - these are surely often telling us of the presence of Jesus in and through other people.

This brings us to a question, or maybe a challenge for Advent. If others can bring Advent to me... to whom can I bring Advent this year? Advent, like Christmas, is really about giving as well as receiving. So, into whose life do I have the possibility of bringing the presence of Jesus? For whom can I be Advent?