Dear brothers and sisters
I wish you the peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, and I pray that it will guard our hearts and our thoughts, in Christ Jesus. Read More
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is time for us to turn our minds to the topic of “Vocations”. This year the Holy Father has chosen as his theme for Good Shepherd Sunday: Vocations at the service of the Church on mission. Each one of us is called to bear witness and to announce the Gospel, but this missionary dimension is associated in a special way with the priestly vocation. In his letter on vocations Pope Benedict says: Among those totally dedicated to the service of the Gospel, are priests, called to preach the word of God, administer the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, committed to helping the lowly, the sick, the suffering, the poor, and those who experience hardship in areas of the world where there are, at times, many who still have not had a real encounter with Jesus Christ.
We often think of “mission” and “missionaries” in terms of other countries and other people. A Church without a missionary dimension is no Church at all. If our Church in the Diocese of Middlesbrough is to be genuinely the Church of Jesus Christ, then it has to have missionary outreach both at home and further afield.
Every priest, just as every Christian, has to be a missionary, whether he is working in Middlesbrough, Hull, York or even Africa, the Far East or South America. However, these vocations do not appear out of thin air. We have been told that we must ‘pray to the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into his harvest’ ((Mt. 9:38). We must also do all we can to create favourable conditions for vocations to grow and develop. ‘Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life can only flourish in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated. Christian communities that live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church in a profound way will never be inward looking.’ (The Pope’s Letter for Vocation Sunday)
Since the last letter on vocations we have celebrated the funeral of Bishop Augustine Harris, emeritus bishop of our diocese. Also Mgr Pat Lannen and Fr Tony Storey have gone to God. May the Lord grant them eternal rest.
At the moment we have four students studying for the priesthood, two in Rome and two at Ushaw. Please keep them in your prayers. Remember all those who are trying to discern their vocation and those who help them.
Like everything in our world, the cost of training men for the priesthood continues to rise. Please be as generous as you can in contributing to the priests’ training fund, and perhaps there are some who might consider this particular cause when making a will.
Yours in joyful hope
+Terence Patrick
Bishop of Middlesbrough
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
With cheap flights so easily available nowadays, most of us feel duty-bound to make use of them. People think nothing of jetting off to Dublin or Paris for a weekend. What was once considered exotic is now common-place – Thailand, The Gambia, Australia, New Zealand, New York – people hardly think twice about travelling to these far-flung destinations.
However, it still demands a lot of preparation. You have to search the internet for best value, the most convenient, ensuring that you have read all the fine print to get exactly what you require. Having done all this study and searching, just click and your trip to paradise is ready and waiting for you.
Of course, modern travel is easier and can be cheaper than in former times, but it still comes at a price. You have to have the money to pay for it. In other words, you have to work, scrimp and save in order to get what you want. Quite a bit of self discipline and sacrifice are demanded for the journey. The same is often true about the actual journey. Many of these cheaper flights tend to go at rather inconvenient times. Often people are leaving their homes in the small hours of the morning to be at the airport in time to travel to their desired resort. Despite the lack of sleep, most of us are happy to make this further sacrifice in order to arrive safely and in-pocket at our destination.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is often described in terms of a “journey” or a “way”. Where does it lead and who is going? Hopefully it is all of us gathered here today listening to this letter who are travelling together on this Lenten Way, this Lenten Journey. Where are we going? – we should be hastening towards Easter with the eagerness of faith and love (Opening Prayer of 4th Sunday of Lent).
Like any journey that we make nowadays, it will demand good solid preparation, some study, a bit of searching and a good deal of reflecting on the information in order to come to a decision. All this should, with any luck, bring us closer on our journey to the real paradise which is ready and waiting for us – prepared for us by the Lord from all eternity, not just for a weekend or ten days.
Just like our trips to New York, Thailand or wherever, our Lenten Journey is going to cost. We have to have the wherewithal to pursue it. This demands discipline and sacrifice. We will have to decide on our priorities and stick to them. At times, this might prove inconvenient, but, like leaving for the airport in the small hours of the morning, if we want to safely reach our Lenten destination, then we will eagerly do what is necessary to ensure we reach Easter safely and spiritually in-pocket.
So, preparation, study, searching, planning, prioritising, self-discipline, sacrifice are all part and parcel of any journey we make. Some of us appear to be quite good at it and it comes easy, some of us find it harder and we have to work at it. Nevertheless it is something we have to do if we are to travel to that paradise of our dreams and desire.
As I said, today is the first Sunday of Lent – the Journey, the Way has already begun. So far, how much preparation, study, searching, planning, prioritising, self-discipline, sacrifice have we put it? How far have we got? Have we even begun to think of where we are going?
In order to get us well on Lenten Way, the Church has always recommended that we employ her well tried and tested tools for successfully reaching our Easter destination:
Father, you have taught us to overcome our sins
by prayer, fasting and works of mercy.
When we are discouraged by our weakness
give us confidence in your love.
(Opening prayer 3rd Sunday of Lent)
On this particular journey we need study, searching, planning, prioritising, self-discipline, sacrifice – in other words prayer and fasting. However, we also have to employ works of mercy - we need to take others with us, we can’t go on our own. We journey as a group, as a people. This particular holiday is a pilgrimage. There will be times when other will support us on the way and we will be called upon to support them when required. In fact the Lenten Way and our Journey towards Easter give us a clear indication of what our life-long journey is about and to where it is leading.
Brothers and sisters, this is my first Lent with you as your bishop. So many people have been asking me what are you going to do as a bishop, what is your plan, where are you going to lead your people? I don’t know the answer to all these questions at this moment. However, what I do want to say is simply: let’s journey on through Lent together, let’s hasten towards Easter with the eagerness of faith and love. As we all gather together on Palm Sunday and you hear your priest speaking to you, also hear me saying with him:
Dear friends in Christ, for five weeks of Lent we have been preparing by works of charity and self-sacrifice for the celebration of our Lord’s paschal mystery. Let us remember with devotion his entry into Jerusalem which began his saving work and follow him with a lively faith. United with him in his sufferings, may we share his resurrection and new life.
(Opening address on Palm Sunday – adapted)
I pray that this may be so for each one of us
God bless you and have a happy, joyful and fruitful Lenten Journey.
+ Terence Patrick Drainey
Bishop of Middlesbrough
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