Glimpses of Heaven

Homily at Our Lady of the Valleys for the Easter Sunday, Year B.

I’ve heard a rumour that Christ is Risen!

I’ve heard a rumour that Heaven is Real!

I’ve heard a rumour that the best is still to come!

We live in an age of deepfakes, robocalls and false news. The consumer journalists warn us that if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Stories that would be amazing if true might turn out to be fabrications, or at least embellished. And that’s all before April Fools’ Day tomorrow!

But today, I’ve heard a rumour that Christ is Risen!

It’s Easter Sunday, yet in our portion from St Mark’s Gospel, we do not meet the Risen Jesus. We only hear the message that it’s true, and his friends will see Him soon.

The Colossians, too, are looking forward to what they cannot yet see. They are advised that their life “is hidden with Christ in God” and a future glory is yet to be revealed.

What good to us is the promise of pie in the sky when we die?

It’s worth waiting for, say those who’ve tasted the pie. Simon Peter tasted it. He was one of those witness who could declare “We have eaten and drunk with Jesus after his resurrection from the dead.” But that was a long time ago. Are there any credible witnesses now?

I’ve heard a rumour that Heaven is Real!

An engineer called John Burke was fascinated with the stories of people who’ve been revived after being clinically dead for a few minutes, people who return with the story of some kind of ‘near death experience’. He studied reports from both Western and Asian cultures, to see whether they matched what the Bible would suggest. And what he found was remarkable. Even those who followed another religion, or did not believe in God, tended to report what could best be described as an encounter with Jesus and a vision of heaven.

Burke has interviewed many of these witnesses, and you can find their testimonies online. Take Heidi Barr. She was raised in a family that was culturally Jewish and functionally atheist. The last person she would have expected to meet was Jesus Christ. But when she was 16, she was crushed by her horse in a riding accident. She found herself guided by a being of perfect love that she knew, beyond doubt, was Jesus. She was shown a glimpse of heaven, where – in senses beyond earthly sense – everything was tangibly alive and each blade of grass seemed to be singing God’s praises!

Or take Randy Kay, a medical executive with nothing to gain by insisting on outlandish stories. Yet when he stopped breathing due to septic shock, he too encountered a very similar vibrant vision of heaven. It took 14 years before he felt ready to share his story in public. As a businessman he was used to working with long-term strategies. But when he realised Jesus was going to send him back to this life, because he hadn’t yet ‘fulfilled his purpose’ he understood that he was not going to be given a road map – he would have to learn to follow God’s promptings in each moment.

There are many more stories like this. Can you trust these witnesses and what they say? Next month, there’s a chance to look at some of these stories in depth, but I’ll tell you about that at the end of Mass.

I’ve heard a rumour that the best is still to come!

I have no idea whether the next story really happened… but I read it on the Internet.

It’s about a woman who knew her life was nearing its end, so she met with her parish priest to plan her funeral arrangements. After all the usual discussions about Bible readings and hymns, she had one more request. “Pastor, please would you make sure that before they close the coffin, they put a fork in my hand.”

The priest was puzzled and asked why.

In a very quiet response, the ailing widow replied, “Well you see Pastor, whenever we had a meal in the Church Hall, the ladies from the kitchen would gather up the plates after the main course, but they’d say, ‘Hold onto your fork, the best is still to come!’ Well, you know how much I love lemon meringue pie, and knowing I need a fork for dessert would always put a smile on my face. But I also know this life on earth is just the appetiser, and I’m confident that when I get to Heaven and see my Saviour Jesus Christ, it will be the best dessert ever. So bury me with a fork in my hand, and when people ask why, tell them, the best is still to come.”

I’ve heard a rumour that Christ is Risen!

But like the women at the tomb, we may have to hear without seeing.

We too are god-like beings. If we could see each other as we would be in heaven, we’d be astonished at the divine light carried by each one of us. That’s why Scripture tells us that we too will be revealed in glory. It’s why we should always treat one another with respect, as each one of us is an image of Christ.

I’ve heard a rumour that Heaven is Real!

But God’s plan for most of us is not that we should see heaven right now. Rather, what we’re called to is FAITH. F. A. I. T. H. That’s Future Assured In The Heavenlies. That’s why, even in Easter Sunday’s Gospel, we’re not given sight of the Risen Lord, but only news of the Risen Lord. We’re given a reason to believe there will be pie in the sky when we die. And when we celebrate Mass, we only taste an appetiser of the Heavenly Banquest. Even so, we come, like the women bringing spices to the tomb, to honour Jesus.

I’ve heard a rumour that the best is still to come! For Christ is Risen, Alleluia!

The View from the Cross

Homily at Ss Gabriel & Raphael for the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, 2024.

Good Friday

We’ve heard many words today; now I would like to share with you a picture. This image, by the artist Tissot, takes you to the Cross through the eyes of Christ. Take a moment to take it in.

What did Our Lord see from the Cross?

He saw those who cried for his crucifixion. He saw those who whipped and stripped him. He saw those who had driven in the nails and hoisted his body high.

And he said: “Father, forgive.”

What did Our Lord see from the Cross?

He saw those who loved him. He saw the women who had followed him, supported him, ministered to his needs. He saw John, the Beloved Apostle – but not Judas, who had betrayed him, nor Peter who had denied him, nor the other apostles, who had fled for fear of their lives.

And he said: “Father, forgive.”

What did Our Lord see from the Cross?

He saw His Blessed Mother steadfast at the foot of the Cross. As had been prophesied, a sword had pierced her soul. Was there ever any sorrow like her sorrow? She who had been spared the pains of labour in giving birth to the Christ, Son of God, now chose to share his labour in giving birth to the Church, the Body of Christ. Even as the torment of crucifixion drove the breath from his body, he knew he had to speak.

And he said to the Beloved Disciple: “This is your Mother.”

What did Our Lord see from the Cross?

He saw that his life was ebbing away. And with his last breath he cried out “It is finished!” The same words in Greek can be written on a bill to mean “The debt is paid.” He saw us set free, as he slid captive into death. Yes, he loved us to the end.

And now, here, today, he says: “Do you love me?”

With My Body, I Thee Worship

Homily at St Dyfrig’s for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 2024.

Maundy Thursday

Today I have celebrated two weddings already, and now I welcome you to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Twice today, I have heard a couple promise to honour each other with their bodies. And now the Lord Himself pledges to honour your body with his.

At the Last Supper, Jesus honoured Peter and the other apostles by washing their feet, as a servant would honour his Master. In a few moments I shall honour a few of you, representatives of this whole community.

At the Last Supper, Jesus honoured his followers by giving them his own body, in the form of bread, to be received into theirs. There is no greater intimacy that to become physically part of one another. Tonight, as at every Mass, the Lord will offer us His Own Body to consume, to become nourishment for our bodies and souls.

And what about us? How can we make a return for such love?

Every time we choose to attend Holy Mass, we honour His Body.

Every time we keep the hour’s fast before receiving Holy Communion, we honour His Body.

Every time we genuflect to the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we honour His Body.

By keeping the sanctuary lamp alight, by using incense at Mass, by respecting each church as a holy place, we honour His Body.

By doing each one of these things, we renew our marriage vows to the Lord.

But do we do these things as a slave honours a master, or as a bride honours a groom?

Do we come before the Lord as prodigal sons and daughters, knowing that we deserve nothing but delighting in the prodigious love? Or do we come before the Lord like the elder brother who, despite living in the Father’s house, has not appreciated that all the Father’s bounty is at your disposal?

Love cannot be forced. But if we do not do these things out of love, perhaps it is because we have not yet let ourselves be loved by the Lord.

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” How many of us, like St Peter, protest that we are unworthy of His love? Take care! It is healthy to recognise that we are unworthy, but it is dangerous to refuse His gift of love.

Yes, it is so easy to refuse a gift which seems too precious. Once, when I was attending a World Youth Day in Canada, I met a Canadian family where the Dad offered me a flight in his private plane. It seemed such an extravagant gift that I refused – and ever since, I have regretted it. This man flew for a hobby. He would have burned the fuel whether I was with him or not. And it was only my sense of unworthiness that stopped me from accepting.

To miss out on a joy ride in Canada is but a small misfortune. To miss out on the double gift of salvation and friendship which Jesus offers us would be an eternal tragedy. In the end, St Peter yielded and let Jesus wash his feet. By saying yes to the Lord, we honour his body.

We in our turn are called to be servants of one another. We give our bodies to the Lord by spending our time in service to those in need. In the coming weeks, I will invite us to come to an Open Listening evening to ask how we can do this in our community. Can we be more effective at visiting the poor? Might we start a bereavement support group? How can we minister more effectively to the University students who come and go in our midst? Those questions are not for tonight, but to prepare for them, ask the Lord to open your heart. Each day in Eastertide, ask the Lord anew: “How are you calling me to wash the feet of your friends?”

A Jewish bride would undergo a ritual bath before her wedding night. The Lord washed the Apostles’ feet before they received their First Holy Communion and were commissioned as priests of the New Covenant. They were humble. They were cleansed. They were honoured.

We, the people of the New Covenant, have honoured Jesus by coming to this place tonight. Jesus now honours us with the sign of humble service and the sacrament of His Body and Blood. Blessed are those who called to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Lord I am not worthy that you should come under my roof – but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.

A Donkey for a Lamb

Homily at Our Lady of the Valleys for Palm Sunday 2024.

Consider the humble donkey.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem, we are told, on a colt – a young male donkey which no-one had ever ridden. And this donkey is important – so much so that St Mark stresses how it was brought because the Master needed it. Just as Our Lord’s mission began in the wilderness, with the ‘wild beasts’ so here it concludes with an untamed donkey.

This is not the first donkey we’ve met this Lent. When Abraham took Isaac to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah, he rode on a donkey – but the first-born son was saved by the sacrifice of the ram provided by God.

Donkeys themselves were unique in Jewish law. They were not considered “clean” animals so they could not be eaten or offered in sacrifice. Yet if a donkey bore a colt, the owner was obliged to redeem it by offering a lamb in sacrifice.

The prophet Zechariah declared that Jerusalem’s King would come in humility, not riding on a great war horse like other kings, but on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

And so Christ comes, riding on a donkey. He accepts the crowds shouting “Hosanna!” for yes, he is the true King, entering Jerusalem. But he enters in humility, riding a donkey. And when the crowd tuns against him, and shouts “Crucify Him!” he submits. He does not resist.

Any Jewish farmer with a newborn colt must make a decision. Which is worth more to him – the donkey, or one of his lambs? For the Jewish Law required that he must either redeem the donkey by offering a lamb at the temple, or else destroy the donkey.

Our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of sacrifice. And the donkey that must be redeemed? The donkey which is not, of itself, clean and yet is precious to God? That donkey which is worth the blood of the most precious of Lambs? That donkey is you.

He did it for you.

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In a longer reflection, I might have noted that a donkey can be redeemed not only with a lamb, but also with a goat. Yet the offering of a goat might itself remind us of the scapegoat, loaded with all the people’s sins and sent outside the city to die.

Matthew tells us Jesus rode on a (she)-donkey and on its colt. Obviously you cannot ride both at the same time, so he may have used the older donkey for part of his journey and then ridden the smaller colt only for the trumphal entrance. This gives us the image of the “mother and son” sharing a mission, which echoes in a small way Mary’s presence at the foot of the Cross.

Inspiration acknowledged from van Popta and Nally.

What has science established about the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

The Catholic Church venerates an image of Our Lady on simple cloth, preserved in Mexico City. The legend claims that a native American, Juan Diego, experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin. When he conveyed her requests to the local bishop, carrying out-of-season roses miraculously growing at the apparition site, the image appeared on his cloak, or tilma.

An oft-repeated claim circulating online is that the image was examined by NASA. At best, I can find indications that the image was examined by two people who had connections with NASA. A certain Philip Serna Callahan, conducted studies of the image using infra-red imaging and published his findings in a booklet in 1981. The text of this is not available online, but key findings are summarised in this 1997 article (from a believing standpoint).

Callahan was an entomologist (insect specialist), a recognised member of the Florida Entomological Society and apparently a Professor at the University of Florida – he was, at least in 1963, a faculty member at the Louisiana State University. His expertise on infrared radiation comes from studies of how insects sense the world around them. Many sources mention that Callahan was a consultant to NASA. There is one bibliography that identifies Callahan as the author of a one-page article in a NASA journal. The article itself (“Nature provides clues for solar energy conversion” on page 9) has no named author but does deal with insects being able to sense infrared radiation.

Various sources claim that Callahan recommended further studies but the only one permitted at the time was by imaging expert Don Lynn, who did work for NASA (at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and who also imaged the Turin Shroud and worked with art experts on other projects. I can find no independent source for Lynn having worked on the tilma, but the sources which claim he did also claim he found nothing unusual. So the only warranted headline would be “NASA scientist finds nothing unusual in image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Lynn was said to have performed spectrophotometry, which would mean measuring the light reflected by the image and its breakdown by colour, which contains information about its chemical composition.

In 1983, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) published an interim report on studies on the tilma, noting (pages 42-43) that three remarkable features are commonly claimed: the rough cloth of Maguey fibres ‘should have’ decayed by now; the pigments and colours display unusual preservation; and the eyes of the Virgin seem to contain unusual levels of detail for such an image. Callahan – who, it should be noted, is not an art expert – offers opinions based on his infrared imaging that some features were added by a later artist (tassels and the moon under the Virgin’s feet) but admits that the nature of the pigments used might not be settled without taking physical samples.

Callahan’s work was re-examined in 1985 by two skeptics with experience in forensic art. They point out that Callahan failed to identify artist’s sketch lines not only in the parts of the image he deemed ‘original’ (and therefore divinely created) but also lacking in the areas he found to be retouched; the skeptics note that in other cases infrared imaging can fail to show sketch lines revealed by other techniques. They also suggest that features Callahan dismissed as ‘probably not’ sketch lines probably were. But the lack of certainty may say more about the biases of Callahan and the skeptics than the quality of the imaging. The skeptics also question studies of alleged reflections in the Virgin’s eyes as being wishful interpretation of blurry shapes.

The claims for the eyes are tentative at best. Dr Jose Aste-Tonsmann (whose doctorate is in computer programming) employed image enhancement techniques and applied false colour to draw out an image suggesting 13 individuals could be seen reflected in the Virgin’s eyes. But such image enhancement techniques do run the risk of creating meaningful shapes where there were none to begin with.

It appears that another scientific investigation of the tilma took place in 1982 at the initiative of its custodian, Abbot Guillermo Schulenburg. This was never officially published but was leaked by the left-wing Mexican journal, Proceso. The journal claimed that the investigation – headed by a former director of the National Center for Registration and Conservation of Movable Works – was conclusive: the fabric of the Guadalupe image is a combination of linen and hemp (not of cotton or henequen, as the legend states), that is, an ordinary canvas, normal among the painters of the 16th century. The fabric was prepared with a few strokes of white paint and the image was made with various colours obtained from the soot of ocote smoke, calcium sulfate, copper and iron oxides, a compound of sulfur and mercury, as well as from the Mexican cochineal; the expert José Sol Rosales concluded that the image was “a Byzantine-style tempera painting.” More details from Rosales are included in a paper published in 2002 (see pages 573-577) from the Academy of American Franciscan History, setting out quite comprehensively the materials used to create the image.

Abbot Schulenberg later caused controversy in 1999 by expressing the view that St Juan Diego was not a historical person, but merely a symbol, and shortly after was forced to resign from his position as custodian of the shrine. The previous year the Vatican had established a commission to consider the historicity of Diego’s existence, and this reached the conclusion that traditional native American narratives were trustworthy, leading to Pope John Paul II canonizing him in 2002.

The postulator of the cause for St Juan Diego’s canonisation has himself addressed some of the wilder claims made about the image, explicitly denying that it stays at the same temperature as a human body, or that the pupils of the eyes dilate under strong light. But he does maintain that the image shows no sign of brush strokes and was ‘imprinted’ on to the cloth.

To this day, Catholic commentators such as the Jesuit Revd Dr Robert Spitzer SJ (a noted commentator on faith-and-science issues) maintain (2022) that the tilma has numerous ‘inexplicable’ properties hinting at a miraculous origin for the part of the image which is the Virgin herself: it resists decay; appears to have no brush strokes or artist’s sketch lines; and has remarkable details in the reflections in the eyes. Other sources such as the hoax-debunking Snopes website come down hard on this stance, giving great weight to the skeptics’ suggestions that sketch lines might be present.

If Rosales’ analysis is correct in saying that the tilma is made of typical linen canvas material for its time, we should not be too surprised at its preservation. Even if this is wrong and the tilma truly is made of maguey fibre, it is not unheard of for such cloth to survive. Seven codices written on maguey cloth are listed in a paper which describes them as rare, but no miracle is invoked to account for why these artefacts from the 1500s and 1600s have survived.

As far as I can tell, then, we do know what material the Gudalupe image was created with; the evidence is inconclusive of whether there were brush-strokes, guidelines or underlying images; the reflections in the eyes are subject to the possible misinterpretation which always accompanies image enhancement; and the lack of decay is not impossible given the seven codices. There is no proof that the image was created by a human artist – but there is not particularly strong evidence that it was not.

The Courage of the White Flag

Homily at Our Lady of the Valleys for the 5th Sunday of Lent, Year B.

It’s time to raise the white flag of surrender.

Last weekend, Pope Francis made headlines by suggesting that Ukraine might need to show the “courage of the white flag”. I don’t know how that sounds in Ukrainian or Italian, but in English, a white flag is often a sign of being a coward. The white flag Pope Francis speaks of is quite different – it’s a surrender that requires courage.

Now when it comes to Ukraine, I’m sure, in our hearts most of us want to see them win an unlikely victory. This plucky little country, the underdog, has done remarkable things resisting great Russia’s invasion. They have drawn a line in the sand and said “this far and no further.” But for the last year we’ve seen a stalemate of trench warfare, with so many lives lost for very little gain.

And then the Pope Francis steps in, and says, “Raise the white flag!”

There’s something in most of us which will cry out, “No! That’s not how the story is meant to end!” We’re so used to watching movies and reading books where a righteous hero, against all the odds, triumphs over the big bad bully. But we are followers of Jesus and his story climaxes not with a remarkable victory, but with an apparent defeat. We are in the same position as the apostles, when they heard Our Lord prophecy that he would be taken and executed. “Surely not, Lord!” Yet Jesus is indeed nailed to the Cross and dies. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, we are told, it cannot bear fruit.

Catholic teaching on when a war is just suggests that Ukraine did right to defend its borders, but should think carefully about the human cost of continuing to fight when it cannot make gains. Would negotiating now be rewarding aggressive behaviour? As Christians, there are times we need to have the courage to say “I choose to let you win” – because the consequences of continuing to fight are worse.

It’s not your role, or mine, to solve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Pope Francis has made his view clear; we can each come to our own view of when the case for fighting is no longer moral. But the white flag of surrender is not only needed in conflicts between nations – it’s also needed in our relationship with God.

Jeremiah’s message today sounds beautiful until you realise the cost. “Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts.” But if the Lord is to write His will upon your heart, you must first surrender your own ambitions, hopes and plans. Jesus is not asking something of us he was not willing to give. Our second reading reminds us that Our Lord “humbly submitted” to the Father. Today’s Gospel gives us a kind of sneak preview of Our Lord’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Shall I say: Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this very reason that I have come!”

There was once a priest in Naples, Italy, who understood this very well.

You may not have heard of Don Dolindo Ruotolo, but he was well known among the saints. A group of pilgrims from Naples once visited St Pio of Pietrelcina, the famous Padre Pio, only to be told: “Why do you come here, you have Don Dolindo in Naples? Go to him; he is a Saint.” Well, this priest, who died in 1970, has not yet been canonized, but he was recognised in his day as a worker of miracles and bearer of the wounds of Christ.

There’s a very famous prayer which Don Dolindo believed Jesus himself had revealed to him, called the Surrender Novena. It consists of praying, ten times, for nine days, the words: “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!” Alongside these words, Don Dolindo believed the Lord had given him a reflection for each day. I will not read them all, but here is the reflection for Day 5:

When I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.

It’s only natural that when we feel threatened, we want to fight to rescue ourselves. Just as Pope Francis is suggesting that instinct may no longer be for the best in Ukraine, so today’s Gospel reminds us it may not be the best for us, either. The reason for surrendering is that Jesus cannot take control of a situation if we are trying to remain in charge.

The story we will tell afresh in Holy Week is the story of a man who resists temptation to flee and carries his Cross all the way to the Hill of Shame. It is the story of a woman who knows that a sword will pierce her own soul, yet she stands faithfully at the feet of her dying son. It is the story of followers of Jesus who are not yet ready to say yes, but will find that courage on the Day of Pentecost.

“Unless a grain of wheat should fall upon the ground and die, it remains but a single grain, with no life.” This requires great trust. The greatest challenge for anyone who claims to be a Christian is surrendering to Jesus. Those who embrace the priesthood or religious life will often tell you the story of a great struggle to say yes to Jesus before they could follow that call. We are not all called to be priests or join religious orders – but we are called to be followers of Jesus. Each one of us will face a decision time in our lives where we can choose to do things our way, or do things God’s way. We cannot experience God’s faithfulness unless we risk surrendering to Him – and once he has been faithful in some small matter, he will ask us to risk something greater. So ask yourself: what is Jesus asking me to surrender to Him today?

It’s time to raise the white flag of surrender. “O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!”

The Centre Line

Homily at Our Lady of the Valleys for the 4th Sunday of Lent, Year B.

You’re beautiful. You’re worth it. You’re loved.

This weekend, sons and daughters throughout Britain will be showering mothers, godmothers and grandmothers with cards, flowers and expensive meals. By a longstanding tradition, the Fourth Sunday of Lent is Mothering Sunday. A hundred years ago, the focus of this Sunday was going back to visit the church building where you were baptised – symbolically, where the Church herself became your mother. Thanks to American influence, this observance became instead a day for honouring mothers. Mother’s Day gives us a reason to say affirming things we might otherwise not get round to putting into words.

But I don’t want to talk about how you might honour your mother today. Rather, I invite you to focus on how God is honouring you. God’s message to you in today’s Scripture is this: You’re beautiful. You’re worth it. You’re loved. You are God’s work of art!

God loves us, but God’s love does not extend to coercive control. This is why it was possible for the people and even the priests of ancient Israel to behave unfaithfully. It took a foreign emperor, Cyrus, to send the Jews back to Israel and restore proper worship in the Jerusalem Temple. God leaves it up to us to speak out when our community is failing Him in some way.

If you were at the Station Mass with Archbishop Mark last month, you’d have heard him tell a story about meeting an Irish girl, raised Catholic, who joined a Hindu community. Why? In her words, having grown up in Ireland, “there was nothing spiritual in the Catholic Church.” Such a story might cause us to draw a sharp intake of breath; it might also cause us to offer a prayer of lamentation. Yes, we have been so ineffective at passing on our faith and our spirituality to our children and the wider world. But we are called to do more than regret and lament. We are called to live the good life that God intended for us, and share it with others.

So I ask you: does your Catholic faith give you spiritual security?

Or to put it another way, if you were to unexpectedly die tonight, how confident are you that you would go to Heaven?

I know where I would go. And that’s not because I’m a priest. That gives me no advantage – indeed, Scripture warns that those who set out to teach others will be judged more severely. I know that I will go to heaven, because Jesus is the way to heaven, and I have committed my life to Him. I go to confession to a priest from time to time, so I know all my serious sins have been forgiven; and I know that the simple act of receiving Holy Communion wipes out my lesser sins. I’m not claiming I’m going to bypass Purgatory getting there; what matters is the final destination.

Do you have any doubts in your mind that you, too, would end up in Heaven?

If those doubts are because there is sin in your life, sin that you have not yet dealt with, I encourage you not to delay but repent this Lent.

But if the doubts are because you’re not sure God could love someone like you, think again! It’s not about you. As a wise saint once said: “Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to Him.”

You’re beautiful. You’re worth it. You’re loved. And God has prepared for you a place in heaven. All you have to do is accept it, by surrendering your life to Jesus.

We can’t be complacent. They did get it wrong in ancient Israel. The danger is we only hear the message that God loves us, and we think: “Great! God’s love will get everyone to heaven.” But the God who loves us has also sent us instructions. If we follow them, we will get to heaven. If we share them with other people, they will get there too. These instructions are about baptism, repentance and Holy Communion.

“If you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood,” said Jesus, “You do not have eternal life within you.” But we who gather for Mass each Sunday renew our bond with eternal life. And we must call others to join us here, because Holy Mass is the high road to heaven. Just as Mothering Sunday invites us to pause each year and turn to our mothers and remind them that we are loved, so every Sunday causes us to pause and turn to our heavenly Father and thank him for his love.

Choosing the right Mother’s Day gift can be a headache. We do not need to agonise over what gift we should give to our heavenly Father; the most pleasing and perfect gift is the sacrifice of the Mass. When each of us comes to this place and joins, as best we can, in the prayers of the priest at the altar we are saying this: “Heavenly Father, I love you! Jesus my brother and my bridegroom, I thank you for dying on the cross! You have opened the gates of heaven so that I may join you there.”

Do you know in your heart that you are deeply loved by God? If not, ask Him to show you. You’re beautiful. You’re worth it. You’re loved.

Do you truly believe that the sacraments of the Catholic Church are the secure road to heaven? If not, ask yourself what you do believe and where that belief comes from. Jesus Christ is the only road to heaven, and the line that marks the centre of that road is punctuated by the sacraments of the Catholic Church. If we keep on that straight and narrow path, we will have no fear of missing the entrance of heaven. If you do believe this, first give thanks for the mother church where you were baptised. Then, ask yourself how you can invite others to join you here at the altar.

The Woman of Faith

Homily at St Dyfrig’s for the 3rd Sunday of Lent, Year A.

A woman met Jesus and came to believe in Him.

Because of this, today we hear the story of how another woman met Jesus and came to believe in Him.

Whenever an adult is to be baptised at Easter, the whole congregation prepares with them. Heather has listened to the words of those who follow Jesus and after a time of reflection, has decided that she wishes to follow his call to be baptised.

Each one of us is on a lifetime’s journey of getting to know Jesus better, and the story of this woman, who comes to faith in a few hours, illustrates well the steps of how we grow in faith. Each one of us is invited to reflect and ask: “Where am I on this journey?”

Every good relationship begins with trust. Jesus humbles himself to ask this woman for a drink. Never mind that he was a Jew and she a lowly Samaritan. Never mind that he was a man and she was – pardon the expression – “only” a woman. Never mind that only a disreputable woman would come to a well in the noonday sun. Or on the contrary, do mind all of these things in order to see what a step Our Lord was willing to take to win her trust. Do you believe that Jesus could humble himself to win your trust? His love for you is what fixed him to that Cross.

Next, Our Lord stirs up her curiosity. He offers her something which only he can give – the Water of Life. He speaks in a mysterious image, water springing up inside a person. It’s not unusual for Our Lord to use parables, to get us thinking without giving us a simple answer. I wonder what question you would ask him, if you got the chance to interview Him?

The woman is apprehensive. We are not given her name in the Gospel, but an ancient tradition calls her Photina, the bearer of light. Yet at this moment she is filled with darkness. She has divorced multiple times, and is now “living in sin” with a man who is not even her husband. Does this not put her far beyond the love of God? But the God who loves her does not shame her; rather, his gentle and knowing request to “call your husband” allows her to name her sin and shame. She discovers in that moment that the all-knowing God, who is well aware of all her moral failings, has nevertheless chosen to reach to her and personally offer her the water of life.

Do you ever feel unworthy? Do you think God could not love, could not use, could not call a person like you? But you would not be here today unless at some level you sensed his call stirring in your heart. Let yourself be loved. Yes, you are a wretched sinner. But it was you whom Christ loved so much that he wore a crown of thorns and bore a Cross of Wood. Do not insult his gift by rejecting his love. Yes, you are unworthy. We are all unworthy, But the same Lord who chose Photina chooses you. Do not break his heart anew by putting your sin in the way of your salvation.

Photina has now realised that the man who stands before her speaks with the voice of God, She has questions. On which mountain does God expect us to worship? Fortunately for us, who live a long way from the Middle East, we are not commanded to go to a particular place, but rather to worship God in spirit and in truth.

The woman is satisfied. And the Lord reveals himself to her. The Christ you are expecting? I am he.

“I am he!” You will hear those words again on Good Friday. They echo God revealing Himself to Moses, “I am who am”. They have a hint of divinity. Jesus is not only the long-expected Chosen One, He is God incarnate, Son of the Father. To this woman, Jesus makes no secret of who he is. The time has come. It is a great contrast to the readings we’ve heard on recent Sundays where the Lord forbids others to speak of his identity.

“The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people.” When someone truly understands who Jesus is and why he matters, that person – like anyone who has fallen in love – will have no hesitation in proclaiming this to the world.

If we are reluctant to speak of Jesus to others, it is a sign we have not yet travelled as far as Photina in our journey of faith.

Do we have questions about details? We live in an information age, where the answers can be found on the right websites. Beware of those pushing an agenda to skew the church’s teaching to the left or to the right, but you can trust websites like Catholic Answers which show that they have their bishops’ approval.

Do we have fears about whether God will accept us? The whole of the New Testament cries out that “what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners”.

Do we have worries about what will happen to us if we say yes to God? Are you afraid that your life will change? It will most certainly change – and for the better! You will experience a new security which comes from the knowledge that we are walking with God. You may not win approval from friends who are more worldly in their outlook. But “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Rather place your soul in the care of the one who died that you may have eternal life.

Heather has asked many questions and has reached the point of deciding that she wishes to make a public commitment to Jesus Christ. Before she is baptised at Easter, we must pray for her to rise above the temptations of this Godless world. So now let Heather, with her godparent, come forwards.

To follow Jesus in Wales

Homily at All Hallows for St David’s Day.

I rejoice in my God, who has clothed me in the garments of salvation!

St David surely wore the garments of salvation. His simple monastic robe was a sign that he had chosen to start living the life of heaven right here on earth – somewhere by here in Wales.

Yes, he would have worn the vestments of a priest to celebrate Mass or of a bishop when acting with authority. But these are not the garments of salvation. No, salvation comes from submitting to Christ. Monks and nuns do this in a radical way, to encourage all of us to do so in at least an everyday way.

What does it mean to be clothed with the garments of salvation, here in Wales?

The very name “Wales” means “land of the foreigner”. I think there is something very healthy in a name which reminds us that we have been gathered together from other nations. In 2019, the Welsh Government declared that Wales aspired to be a “Nation of Sanctuary” where foreigners, asylum seekers and refugees would be welcome. Of course a Government decree does not automatically change hearts and minds. When it comes to welcoming the stranger we are called to put on the gentleness and love of Christ.

In 2008, Wales declared itself to be a FairTrade Nation, promoting initiatives to ensure that producers in the developing world were paid a just wage for their efforts. As the years have gone on, I have found it easier to buy rainforest-friendly or sustainable timber goods than those with a FairTrade mark. Yes, we must protect our environment too – but we have made a national commitment to support the income of farmers and producers across the world. It’s challenging to commit to pay the extra for FairTrade in a cost of living crunch – but if we feel the pinch, how much more the poorest in the world? If you can no longer find FairTrade goods in your regular supermarket, do approach a manager or write to Customer Services.

More recently, Wales has adopted the 20 mph speed limit. I share the frustration that many of us experience at ‘going nowhere fast’ but I also recognize there is a good motive behind it. Perhaps 150 people worship regularly in this church. Out of 150 people, over a span of 30 years, one of us will be involved in a life-changing road accident. The consequences scar both the driver and the victim. The new law is meant to shift the accident record from fatal or near-fatal consequences to bruises and injured pride. This law is a kind of ‘garment of salvation’, and like it or loathe it we are called to wear it well.

St David was a great opponent of the heresy called Pelagianism. Pelagius claimed we could weave our own garment of salvation out of our good works. St David know that salvation was only and always a gift from God. We take hold of salvation by accepting the gifts of baptism and confession, but to ‘wear’ salvation well we must act with Christian integrity.

So on this St David’s Day, let’s remember those Christian values we have been asked to embrace as a nation – welcome for the stranger, a just wage for our providers, and a meek acceptance of driving rules whose impact we will never notice, because that fatal accident will now not happen in the next 30 years. Above all, let us be faithful in the little things, be joyful, and keep the faith.