Pastoral Letters
Some of you may have seen on the diocesan website a photograph of Pope Benedict and myself in which I am pointing out to the Holy Father the size of our diocese. I was telling the Pope that our diocese is a mixture of urban and rural areas with a growing population, where we are welcoming an increasing number of Catholics from other countries, who are enriching the life of our parishes and contributing to the wellbeing of the wider community.
This coming week, with the other Bishops of England and Wales, I shall be taking part in the Ad Limina visit to Rome.
I would like to wish you, your family and friends the joy and peace of Christmas. I hope this season is a time for renewing and strengthening family life and friendships. As I do so I am mindful of the people in Cumbria whose homes were damaged and destroyed by the recent floods. For them this Christmas is not what they would have planned or wanted. I also remember families and friends who have lost people close to them during this past year, especially through the conflict in Afghanistan. Please remember them all in your prayers as well as those who have been injured in war.
I knew a man who had a remarkable memory for names. It was one of his gifts and one which people often commented about because in remembering names he made people feel as if they mattered. To know a person’s name, in a sense, is to know the person.
Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday when as a community we enter the season of Lent. As the prophet Joel proclaims it is a time to call the people together, to summon the community to turn to God who is rich in tenderness and compassion. As St Paul says this is “a favourable time”, a time of opportunity.
At this time of year families, who are often living in all parts of the country and even spread throughout the world, try to get together to celebrate Christmas. Family life is celebrated and love between family members is renewed and deepened. Despite the tensions and arguments that sometimes arise we know family life to be precious and important. A recent opinion poll carried out for the BBC, showed that 96% of those questioned said that their family life was important to them. Just under 75% said they felt happiest when they were at home.
In his book “Jesus of Nazareth” Pope Benedict asks the question “What difference does Jesus make?” He then goes on to ask: ‘If the coming of Christ has not brought peace and prosperity then what exactly does Christ bring? He answers his question by saying that Christ brings us hope. And hope the Pope says, is a gift that our western society needs very much.
Today we celebrate belonging to the Church. Celebration brings us together, strengthens our identity and increases our commitment to be the Body of Christ for our world today. As in every generation, the Church is called to proclaim, celebrate and live the Gospel in all the different languages and cultures of our time. The love of God, coming to heal and give hope to people, is not for the few but for everyone.
Why would anyone want to become a Catholic today? In many of our parishes there is an opportunity to find out answers to that question this Easter. There is a large number of people preparing to be baptised or to be received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil and to celebrate with us the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. Why they have chosen to do this will be a personal choice for each one of them but whatever their reason, each person will be expressing something of their relationship with Christ. They have chosen to continue and develop their relationship with God in and with the Catholic community.
You may have seen a survey carried out just before Christmas showing that a number of people were uncertain concerning the details of the Christmas story. Some people didn’t know where Jesus was born. Others were unsure as to where Joseph took Mary and Jesus when they fled from Bethlehem. For many people, Christmas is not so much a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus as a time for families to gather and for presents to be exchanged.
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