Pentecost 2008

10 May 2008

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ

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.

People have sometimes asked me what is the purpose of the Church. Today’s Feast of Pentecost tells us. We are like a Body, St Paul says, made up of many parts all needing one another and brought together by the Holy Spirit. We are enlivened to be the Church. We are a communion of people, in union with one another and with God. But we do not exist for ourselves. In the Gospel, Jesus says “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you”. We are a Church that is “sent” into the world. We have a mission to do what Jesus did. We can do so by the gift of the Spirit.

Sometimes we are afraid to be the Church. We can hide behind locked doors, even Church doors, because in being “sent” we put ourselves at risk. Jesus showed his disciples his wounds. We too will be wounded but if we are willing to take the risk, then we will experience a new depth to our living, a new quality of life which comes to us from God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Each one of us is called to belong to the Church for a good purpose. Every one of us has a good reason for living. We have a vocation. In some ways our life is like a journey in which we discover what is our vocation and live it.  In living it, we discover more about what it entails. The Spirit of God helps us to know and live that vocation. We live it both for the good of ourselves and for others. There are many vocations but in all of them God is at work.

On a recent Parish visitation, the Parish Priest told me that he often says to people, that though he may not be the most important person in the parish, he is essential to the life of the parish. And he is right.

To live in communion and to know what is our mission, we need the ministry of the ordained priesthood. We need priests to teach us the Word of God, to lead us in celebrating the presence of God in the Eucharist and the other Sacraments and to ensure that the Eucharistic community gives expression to its faith in a concrete expression of love. As Pope Benedict reminds us “a Eucharist which does not pass over into concrete practices of love is intrinsically fragmented”.

The ordained priesthood is a ministry of service to the community of the Church so that all may discover their particular vocations as members of the Body of Christ.

As we look to our future, not every parish will have a resident priest but each parish community will have the ministry of a priest. Please continue to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consider whether God is calling you to the ministry of priesthood.

We are a people of Hope not because of ourselves but because the Holy Spirit gifts us to be the Church. Though we may be tempted to hide behind doors, we can open them or rather allow God to open them for us. Throughout this Paschal season we have proclaimed that we are an Easter People and “Alleluia” is our song. May we continue to be so and live in such a way that our lives give hope to others, who may often be frightened and be looking for a deeper reason to live. 

With my best wishes and prayers
Bishop of Clifton

To be read and / or made available in all Churches and Chapels in the Clifton Diocese on Pentecost Sunday 10 and 11 May 2008