Father Philip Writes...

March

The time has come,” Jesus said, “and the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1 v 15)
​Jesus calls us all to repent, and we think especially of this during Lent. Real repentance means that a person has come not only to be sorry for the consequences of his or her sin, but to hate the sin itself. Jesus tells us to believe the Good News – that we take him at his word. 

Repentance involves getting rid of what is unclean and prevents Jesus from entering our lives, such as hatred for others, lack of forgiveness, grudges, jealousy, greed for material objects and obsession with money.
We need to open our hearts to all people and not be exclusive. Above all we need to acknowledge Jesus is the real Lord and Master of our lives.

The Kingdom of God is not something that can be seen, for God rules over people’s hearts. An unknown poet wrote the words:

“How I wish there was some wonderful place called ‘The Land of Beginning Again’, where all our mistakes and all our headaches… could be dropped like a shaggy coat at the door and never be put on again."

​There IS such a place – in God’s heart, as revealed in Jesus Christ. What convinces me most that God isn’t interested in what I was, but in what I can become; not in what I was, but in what I am becoming?
 Alexander Pope wrote:

Teach me to feel another’s woe
To hide the fault I see;
That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.”            (The Universal Prayer)
​

​It is a real discipline to allow yourself to be forgiven. To believe that God wants to wipe out all your guilt and give you a new heart and a new spirit is a challenge. It means you give up being in control and respond by saying: “Yes, Lord, I need your help.” 

The more you discover God’s light and forgiveness, the more you discover that part of you that you keep hidden to yourself.

​A patient was surprised to see a Bible on a psychiatrist’s desk. He asked, “Do you, a psychiatrist, need the Bible?” He replied, “I not only read it; I study it!”
He then added: “If people would absorb its message, a lot of us psychiatrists would close our offices and go fishing.” ​

To clarify this point, he said that if patients plagued by guilt feelings took the heart of the prodigal son (Luke 15 v 11-31) they would be healed overnight. God’s forgiveness is infinitely greater than any mistakes we can make. …. Remember the lovely quotation from St Isaac the Syrian:

"Our sins are but a handful of dust
thrown into
​the ocean of God’s love."

This Lent, please ask yourself:
“What is the one thing I find hard to forgive myself?”
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is here to help you find that peace that our Heavenly Father wishes to give.

April

"We have eaten and drunk with Him after His Resurrection… He has ordered us to proclaim this to His people and to tell them….” (Acts 10 v 41&42)

'Goosey, Goosey Gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my Lady’s chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn’t say his prayers.
So I took him by the left leg
And threw him down the stairs'

Many people have become like ‘Goosey Gander’ in their religious convictions. They believe Christianity is a ‘DO IT YOURSELF KIT’ e.g.

1. Lead a decent life;
2. Don’t harm anyone;
3. Say your prayers;
4. Read the Bible … and all will be well.

Such a man-centred religion will inevitably tend to despise those who do not come up to those standards. The Jewish religion had fallen into similar snares and Jesus clashed with it and was crucified.
So what is different about the Christian religion?
The essence of Christianity lies in total commitment to Jesus, who will make us new creatures through his risen life.

 Peter and the ‘Beloved Disciple’ (John) emerged from the empty tomb as changed men – not just because of the physical evidence of Christ’s resurrection but because their minds were opened by the power of God in Christ. The religion of the early apostles was God-centred; it was one of new life in Jesus and not revenge and punishment.

Today we are called to proclaim Jesus is alive and promises that same power to his Church. We all want an effective church but all too often it is man-centred: dominated by money, ‘keeping the show on the road’ instead of outreach and mission. We can give the impression that it is important to look terribly busy, to be seen to be doing something which brings the approval of other people. 

The Apostles were filled with the power of the Risen Lord and proclaimed His kingdom by word and sign. This is how St Mark’s Gospel ends: “The disciples went and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and proved their preaching was true by the miracles that were performed.” (Mark 16 v 20)
What does Easter mean to you? 

 Of course it is a historical fact that Jesus rose from the dead, but even more important is what follows on logically from that: the fact that Jesus is alive today.He calls us to respond to Him and does not condemn us if we refuse his love. 

He is not like ‘Goosey Gander’ in the nursery rhyme who will throw someone down the stairs.
​We all need the new life that can only come from Christ. We continually need to ask Christ to make us new people. We need to live the Gospel and proclaim his kingdom at Mass. We need to live with a greater sense of expectancy in the work of healing.

When this happens Easter is more than just a historic occasion but becomes a feast for today. The Church is you and me. Together let us respond to the Risen Christ!
Happy Easter!

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