Finding Your Treasure

Homily at the Pastorate of Our Lady of the Valleys for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

The Kingdom of Earth is like a museum full of beads.

Some of them are nothing more than common marbles, glass beads with a swirl of plastic to please the eye.

Others are made of fine crystal, crafted with beauty, to delight the soul.

Among the treasures are synthetic pearls, channelling the finery of these gems but lacking authenticity.

And for those who have the wisdom to pick them out, true pearls lie waiting to be found.

The true pearls represent the knowledge that God-our-Father loves us, that Jesus died so we could go to heaven, and the Holy Spirit connects us to the Divine Trinity so that we can know their love here on Earth.

Some of us go through life knowing we have a “God shaped hole” within us, like the merchant looking for fine pearls.

Others among us – and this is my story when I was a teenager – we go through life perfectly content with our earthly existence until we stumble over the treasure which is the existence of God. It was because I prayed the first serious prayer of my life, when I was 11, that I discovered Jesus was a living person I could connect to. That discovery changed the whole course of my life, from pursuing the study of science to serving Christ as his priest and pastor.

I wonder how many of us here truly know, from our lived experience, that as Catholics we have been entrusted with God’s greatest treasures – the forgiveness of our sins and communion with Jesus through the Blessed Sacrament?

If we grow up as Catholics, we can be surrounded by the finest pearls without taking time to examine them and realise how precious they are. The Discovering Christ course we’ll be running in the autumn gives us a chance to stop and take a fresh look. If you cannot put your hand on your heart today and readily declare that your faith is your greatest treasure, I strongly encourage you to come and see.

Now, the Kingdom of Earth contains many lesser treasures.

The fine crystal beads are the world’s other religions. The Catholic Church acknowledges that the light of truth shines through other religions. But that doesn’t mean that everything these religions teach is true. They are not all equally valid paths to God. Jesus said “I am the Way – no one can come to the Father except through me”. If another religion does lead someone to God it’s because enough of God’s light shines through, that its followers can see something of Jesus, though they may not recognise who he is. But why settle for crystal when you can possess the pearl of great price itself?

The artificial pearls represent man-made cults and sects, founded by leaders who choose to use religion to manipulate people. Maybe a member of our family has been drawn into one of these – it’s useful to know there are organisations which help members who wish to leave these cults and support groups run by other ex-members.

And the marbles with their plastic swirls? The superficial pleasures of our connected world, giving passing entertainment to people who are either unaware there’s something deeper or who are unwilling to make the search.

King Solomon knew that it was worth searching.

When God asked him to choose a gift, he chose the wisdom which would lead him to the heart of God. But wisdom alone is not enough; we must choose to act rightly. Later in life, King Solomon betrayed God by marrying wives who followed imperfect religions, and so his kingdom became divided.

St Paul assures us today that God turns all things to the good for those who receive his love and co-operate with him. That’s not a blanket promise that God will bless the world at large. It’s a promise of protection for those of us who have discovered the pearl of great price, who know we have been called and chosen for communion with Jesus Christ. God’s message is not a bland “Everything’s going to be OK.” Rather, “I have called you to become an image of Jesus, and if you respond to my call, you will know glory.”

Just as true pearls come in many shapes and hues, so there are many ways of being a follower of Jesus. Franciscans might find God in nature or in the service of the poor, Dominicans through deep study of Scripture, and Jesuits through praying with a vivid imagination. All forms of prayer which are rooted in Jesus are strands of the one safe Way. But this is not true of some kinds of meditation outside the Christian tradition. We cannot find salvation by the power of own thoughts – only by turning to Jesus and crying out for help.

Do you have a discerning heart when it comes to God’s treasure?

The wisdom of this world says “It’s all good.”

The wisdom of the Church says: “Test everything and hold on to what is good.”

The Kingdom of Earth is like a museum full of beads. There are false treasures laid before us, but hidden pearls we may already possess without knowing their true value.

God has given us treasure from heaven.

If you know you’re looking for something more but have not yet found it, pick up your Catholic faith and ask Jesus to speak to you.

If you know you’ve stumbled over a hidden treasure, you may have work to do to prise it from the soil and make it yours.

And if neither of these ideas make sense to you, dare to ask God for wisdom! May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of your hearts, that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of glory given to his saints! Happy hunting!

Enter the Kingdom

Homily at the Pastorate of Our Lady of the Valleys for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

Welcome to the kingdom!

From now until the end of August, our Sunday Gospels are exploring the idea of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom. What’s that all about?

After 70 years of having Queen Elizabeth as our head of state, Britain – the United Kingdom – once again has a King. But what difference does it make to us, being a kingdom? We still get to elect our politicians, but we have no say in who represents our country – the laws of heredity determine that. We can ignore the King most of the time, but will use his image on our stamps, coins and banknotes. We can’t affirm our national identity without declaring “God Save the King!”

As British subjects, we acknowledge the Kingdom when we choose to sing our national anthem or toast the King at a formal gathering. Our choice is to honour the King – or not.

As God’s subjects, we are members of a heavenly kingdom present here on earth. We acknowledge God’s Kingdom when we take a moment to pray or to seek God’s guidance. With God, too, our choice is to honour the King – or not.

As British subjects, we have a King who has made clear his personal concern for the state of the environment, and the future of our planet.

But in our democratic society, we can choose between politicians who lean into these values or politicians who sit lightly to them. It’s not always easy to tell what policies will be truly effective in helping our planet, just as it can be hard to tell weed from wheat until it sprouts.

The Mayor of London had an idea about how we could reduce emissions and clean up the air in central London. If there’s a charge on petrol and diesel engines driving in a certain part of London, we’ll give a financial incentive to people to either trade up to a greener vehicle or price them out of driving in London altogether. It’s better for the planet not to drive those old cars.

But voters in London showed this week that they don’t like that policy.

This is a perfect example of how weeds and wheat can grow together.

We want to do our bit to save the planet. That good instinct is our wheat.

But we don’t want to price ourselves out of driving in London – or anywhere else – when the cost of living already stretches our budgets. We choose to allow ourselves to carry on doing what we know harms the planet and makes our air worse. That’s the weeds in our soul.

Each one of us has a good instinct within us to live as saints. A saint is simply a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven spending a lifetime on planet Earth. If we didn’t want to live as saints we wouldn’t bother being here in church.

But each one of us also suffers from weeds. Yes, Jesus said the weeds represented people who wouldn’t be with us in Heaven after Judgment Day. But he also said the weeds represented ‘bad things’ as well as people.

There are weeds within our being which say: Let’s be selfish. Let’s not sacrifice things for the good of others or of our global home. Let’s indulge in treats which are bad for us. Let’s look on the internet for images to satisfy the desires of our flesh. Let’s try and make things better for ourselves even when doing this has a negative impact on others – even the people we love!

God has left us free to choose to live by the values of his Kingdom, or not. He invites us to serve him. He offers us rewards – not to be recognised as a Knight or Dame on earth but a saint in heaven. God does not pull out our weeds quickly – even when we pray for divine help – because rapid uprooting would damage who we are. But that doesn’t mean every weed is doomed to be with us until we take our last breath. Slowly, painstakingly, God can work with us to tackle one weed at a time, with precision gardening.

Little by little, God can work with me to change who I am for the better.

Little by little, we can choose to limit our own freedoms to live in a way which is more sustainable for the planet we live on.

But this calls for patience.

Aren’t you glad when there’s a really patient driver in the car behind you?

But how glad are you when there’s a patient, careful driver in the car in front of you?

Welcome to my kingdom! A place where I aspire to be the best version of myself. A realm where I bless others for the good I see in them. A realm where patience reigns!

Today’s Gospel contains another message about the Kingdom, too. Although those who honour God as King may be small in number, their influence will reach to the ends of the earth. Like the yeast or the mustard seed, we are called to be influencers. It only takes one TikTokker to start a viral trend!

We are called to use our influence to invite many more people to enter the Kingdom of God. As I said last week, we will do this by running our Discovering Christ course every term – and I’ll say more about this at the end of Mass.

So welcome to the Kingdom! A realm where God invites us to live by a different standard, but where he will not enforce his will, nor do violence to us as we seek to improve ourselves. A world of patience, which will come in its own time. Long live the King!

Time to Sow

Homily at the Pastorate of Our Lady of the Valleys for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

Another sower went out to sow. But they saw that some of the seed fell on rock, some fell among thorns, and some fell in shallow ground. It seemed so hopeless that this sower decided not to bother sowing at all.

What did this sower manage to grow?

NOTHING!

What happens when you grow no food?

You starve!

Friends, do you know what the Catholic Church is really good at in this country?

We are good at losing old people slowly and young people quickly!

We know from experience that most of the children who grow up in Catholic families don’t take an interest in the faith by the time they are teenagers, and stop going to church when they gain their independence.

It doesn’t have to be that way, but we need to be smarter about the way we sow our faith into our children. This is why we now have our “Seekers’ Group” for children who completed First Communion and in the autumn we will launch a new approach to preparing young people for Confirmation, showing that our faith is a lifestyle, not a short course to graduate from. These changes will take time, and will bear fruit – but the Church was not founded on only bringing in our own children as new members. No! The Church is for everyone, and we are meant to sow the good news of Jesus everywhere!

Today is a new start for our parishes. We are not going to remember today as the day we took a step backwards and continued to decline. No! Today is the day when we start sowing and start growing in this soil.

We now know exactly what our mission field is in this town. Our Mass is celebrated at this time and in this place. This is where we gather to support one another. This is the soil within which we sow faith for the people around us.

Now I know many of us don’t find it easy, speaking about our faith with other people or inviting them to come to church. But take courage! The majority of people in Britain expect that Christians will want to speak about their faith and even invite their friends to church. There are three million people in Britain who have said they would come to church if only one of their friends invited them. A survey in 2018 shows that one in five people were interested in learning more when a friend spoke to them about Jesus.

Friends, the future of this church as a worshipping community depends on how well we can sow. If we can introduce our friends to Jesus and, in time, inviote them to become members of this church, our future will be secure. But if we carry on hiding our faith and relying only on our children to run the church we will soon reach the point where we can’t run this building at all.

That’s the choice we face today. We sow, or we starve.

Of course, there are better reasons for spreading the Gospel than protecting our own future. The Gospel is life-giving. It prepares our friends for heaven! It brings them Christ’s help on earth. And it fulfils his command to make disciples of all nations. So the question today is not “Should I sow?” – it’s “How do I sow?”

The good news is, we don’t have to do this alone. In the autumn, we are going to launch a course called “Discovering Christ”. We are going to run this course somewhere in the Pastorate every term from now on, so we will always have the opportunity to say “Would you like to explore the deep questions of life? There’s a talk in a few weeks. And you even get a good meal with the talk!”

Discovering Christ is a series of seven sessions and a retreat day. Ever session starts with a meal, so it can be run at lunchtime or teatime. You can decide whether you would invite your friend to the course, or just to the first session as a taster, when the session will finish with an invitation: “If you’ve enjoyed this, why not come back fro the next few weeks?”

I’d like to invite everyone who comes to Mass here to take part in Discovering Christ. And for three reasons. First, we need helpers to run the course. Second, if you invite a friend, you can come with them. And third, even if you know the basics of the Catholic faith, being part of a course like this helps you become more comfortable with speaking about what you believe to other people. That’s a skill we could all practice.

What is the committment involved in being on the team to run one cycle of Discovering Christ? We ask team members to be available for 10 weekly sessions and two days. The first day is the team training day, which will take place on Saturday 9 September. The second day is the retreat day, which happens after the fifth public talk. When will the sessions happen? That depends on you. We could run the sessions on Tuesday evenings, or around lunch after Mass on Sundays. We might have them in the farm shop on Monday afternoons! We’ll make those decisions by the end of July – but first we need to know who is on our team.

So on the pew near you, you will find a volunteer form. How could you help run Discovering Christ? If not this term, then maybe after Christmas. On the same form there are a few opportunities to offer help with other ministries. Please take a moment now to complete the form. This is your seed. You will be able to plant it in the collection basket. The choice is very simple. We sow, or we starve. Let’s choose to sow, and remember today as the day our church began to grow. We have an amazing future ahead, but we need to plant. Let’s do it!

Shoulder Your Yoke

Homily for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A – at the Masses which will not continue beyond this weekend.

Whatever you’re going to do next, do it with Jesus.

This year, we’re reading through Matthew’s Gospel on Sundays – but we’re missing some bits out.

Last week we heard Jesus proclaiming a reward both for people who followed him, and for those who blessed his followers. But Our Lord also warned us that anyone who does not carry their Cross and put their faith ahead of family relationships was “not worthy of Him”. That’s a timely reminder for us as we need to rebalance our faith commitments and our family duties for future weekends.

Unlike the many people in our society who have no faith, we have the great advantage of knowing the One who will admit us to heaven when we take our last breath. But knowing Jesus comes with a price: we have a greater opportunity to let him down, because we know what he asks of us. He is not our Lord, and we are not his followers, unless he has the first claim on our time.

If you read on in Chapter 11, you’ll hear Jesus pronounce great calamities upon towns which reject him. Today’s Gospel picks up in a place where it seems that the “clever” people have shrugged off Jesus, crying “Who do you think you are?” But the children, the people of simple faith, were willing to be guided by Jesus.

So today Our Lord offers us a yoke. That’s a wooden bar across our shoulders, used to pull a burden behind us. With a yoke, you’re not on your own: Jesus is pulling with you. And when he says the yoke is “easy” he means it’s specially designed to fit comfortably on your shoulders. Make no mistake – to bear his yoke is to carry his Cross – with the consolation that you’re not doing so alone.

There was once a Christian who complained bitterly in her prayers that her life was too hard, so in a dream, Jesus took to her to the warehouse where all the Crosses for souls were fashioned. She walked around and tried on some of the crosses. A few were too rough and chafed her skin. Others were too long and dragged on the floor. Some were hewn of cold metal and chilled her hands and her shoulders. At length, she despaired of finding any cross which was suitable, until she spotted one leaning against the wall behind a door.

She picked it up and tested the weight – not as bad as the others. This one was wood and didn’t feel cold to the touch. And it wasn’t as long as the others; she could carry it without dragging it. “OK, Jesus,” she said, “if I can’t avoid living life without a Cross, I choose this one.”

“Very good,” said Jesus. “That’s the one you left at the door when you came in.”

Each of us bears our own burdens, not alone but with Christ. One burden we all share in this congregation today is the knowledge that we cannot go on as we are. After this week, no priest is available to come to this place at this time.

Don’t be surprised that Jesus offers you this burden. If you had been one of his 12 Apostles, you would be constantly on the move. This month in Syria. Next month camping beyond the River Jordan. In some ways, monks and nuns have it easier than us, because they organise their whole life around when and where they are going to pray. For us, living in the world while not being of the world, we have to make that choice to reconnect with Jesus each weekend.

Beware of temptation! Beware of that little voice which will say to you that you don’t have to bother with Mass because your preferred Mass is being taken away from you. Beware of the trap which says Jesus is kind and understanding so we don’t have to try too hard. Yes, Jesus forgives faults and failings – but he does not offer us permission to stop trying.

This is exactly what St Paul is warning us about when he says that we don’t have to: “…obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.” Yes, the Holy Spirit is given to help you do good. So when temptation comes your way, pray: “Come, Holy Spirit, renew my strength!”

Of course, being yoked to Jesus is not just about making sure we make time to worship every Sunday. It’s also about the way we treat other people and the world in which we live. Do we love our enemies? Do we always forgive those who offend us? Do we go the extra mile to help people when it’s inconvenient? Do we do our bit to look after our planet when it’s not convenient to sort out our recycling or choose public transport? These are the burdens which Jesus wants to help us to bear.

They say when the going gets tough, the tough get praying. So what does it mean to “find rest for your souls” in Jesus? It means speaking with him, as one friend speaks to another, about the things that are weighing you down this week. “Prayer” doesn’t have to be as formal as Mass or the repetitions of the rosary. It can also be a simple conversation of one friend to another. When did you last simply talk to Jesus about the joys and sorrows of your everyday life? He is always listening, and this is also prayer.

Next week, each of us will make a decision about when and how to access Mass. If that is outside the four churches entrusted to me, go with my blessing. All I ask is that whatever you’re going to do next, do it with Jesus. His yoke is easy, and what he asks of you, you can surely do. Peace be with you.

Starwards! A New Hope!

Homily to members of Sion Community for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A.

“Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive for God in Christ Jesus.”

Consider this: what does it mean to consider?

Scripture invites us to think differently: “Be transformed by renewing of your mind!”

We are also counselled to consider other people to be “better” than ourselves.

Does that mean they are better than us? No, for they are counselled to consider us the better person. But it creates a respectful attitude of mind.

Good consideration is the antidote to false identity. Because as followers of Jesus, members of his body living in this fallen world, each one of us must hold together two truths. 

I have sinned!

and… 

In Christ I am dead to sin!

We may suffer temptation to spin our identity out of the worst thing we ever did

I once told a lie. So I am a liar!

I once stole a pencil. So I am a thief!

Saul approved of the death of Stephen so Saul is a murderer.

It’s clear that St Paul himself grappled with these questions of identity. He famously gives a long list of people identified by their defining sin in I Cor 6:9:

“Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers… will not inherit the kingdom of God!”

And only a few verses after his message today about considering oneself to be dead to sin, he will cry out: “I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. … Nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.”

What does it mean for sin within us? In part, that’s about an affliction which comes from the outside, which is why deliverance ministries like Unboundhave their place in the church. But in part it’s about the struggle we all face to tame the instincts of our fallen flesh. What’s important is that I am what I choose, not what I desire.

Your sin is not your identity!

No !

The devil is the accuser.

He will take your worst failing and offer it back to you as the defining feature of your very being! 

He is a liar! 

It’s different for him. Being a Liar is his identity! Being an angel, the choice he made to turn from God did radically corrupt his nature forever. He is a liar through and through.

Not so for us! We are creatures of spirit and flesh, and as long as there is breath in our body we have the opportunity to turn to Christ and repent. What Jesus says to us is this. “I will take your sin. I will add it to my burden that I bore on the cross for all mankind. In return. I give you my Grace and a share in my identity. You are a member of my body. Choose Life. Choose me. Choose my desires for you, not the desires of your fallen flesh.”

So here is a paradox. Scripture tells us that even the just man sins seven times a day … we know that in all likelihood we will commit more sins before we end up in heaven. Yet  each time we go to confession we are invited to say the same form of words which goes something like this. “Lord, by the help of your grace I will not sin again.”

Once, as a fairly new Catholic, and trying to be honest with my Confessor, I said, say “With the help with your grace, I will try not to sin again.” The Confessor corrected me: “You know, he said, You must believe that with God’s help, with God’s grace, it is possible to live a life without sin. This is what you’re putting your hope in God for.”

Now I’m going to let you into a secret. I only saw the film Star Wars for the first time a few years ago if I’d seen it when I was much younger, I would probably at that point remembered Yoda’s words to Luke: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” And Luke did.

This doesn’t mean that Jesus is inviting us to a kind of wishful thinking, which is not grounded in reality. When it comes to identity, we do need to hold up a mirror to reality. It is good to see the gifts and talents which we have been given, and they do form part of who we are. For those of us taking part in Called and Gifted we will find positive things that we can build into a sense of who we are.

But when it comes to sin, take a moment to remember who God is. The God, who loves you is your Saviour. He has not rejected you. There He goes, lifting your load. Again.

In this life, he will always forgive your sins, when you come to him with a contrite heart. So when you know you have sinned, you are not a sinner. You are a saint in the making, struggling to overcome the sin which dwells within you. But while your feet are on earth, raise your head to the heavens. Consider yourself to be dead to sin, and live in Jesus Christ. This is the future reality of which we can be certain, and those future truths which we are certain of are what we call hope.

If we are to be purified and become the best version of ourselves, then our true identity is the person we will be when we are dead to sin.

Good news people! The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this! Word!

Right now, it’s quite hard being dead to sin. I still seem to be trying to die to sin every day, but that doesn’t make me a sinner. I am a saint in progress, reaching out my hands and trusting the fullness of who I am will be completed by the grace of Jesus on the day he calls me to himself.

Until then I will cast my eyes to heaven, and not to the mirror, to tell me who I am.

Consider yourselves dead to sin.

The very word “consider” possibly comes from a root meaning “with the stars”. So look to heaven! Look starwards, and hold on to this new hope! Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Jesus Christ because that is who you are!

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.