Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Dear friends,
As I said at the beginning of this Mass, I am very pleased to be here today, in the Church of the Most Sacred Heart, Ruislip, to celebrate the Eucharist with you and for you, as we celebrate, slightly belatedly, your patronal feast. I thank Father Michael for his kind invitation to be with you today. As the representative of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, it is for me always a joy to visit different Parish Communities and to feel at home during each visit as we celebrate the Eucharist. It is a clear sign of God's love for us.
The love, which God has for us, is something that we experience in many ways and sometimes, words are simply not enough to express the reality of love. This is why we use signs and symbols. In the secular world, probably the most popular celebration of love is the feast of Saint Valentine in February. The postal system is filled with envelopes, usually red in colour and with cards, very often showing a heart. That image of the heart, filled with love, speaks very naturally to us. In fact, from ancient times, all humanity has thought of the heart as the seat of the emotions, particularly love, and symbolically the centre of the individuals’ personality.
In our own human relationships we do not just speak of love, important though that is. To show our sincerity, we need to do more. We show our love for other persons, not just by what we say but also by what we do. That is why the reading from Saint Luke's Gospel, which we have just listened to, is so appropriate today.
Our Blessed Lord's host, Simon the Pharisee had invited him to a meal but failed to treat him with appropriate respect. This woman, standing quietly in the background, shows her love for Our Lord in a symbolic, but also in a very practical way.
Most of us, I suspect, tend to fall somewhere between Simon the Pharisee, who speaks, but does not show his love for our Lord in action, and the woman, who does not speak, but shows her love for Him in a very concrete way. As was the case with both of them, Our Lord accepts us, as we are, yet He calls us on to more. He asks us to be His followers, not only through the words we speak, but in deeds too.
We have been chosen and commanded to bring His values to a world where, certainly at this time in the west, material prosperity seems to be increasing, but joy and contentment for many persons, seem almost unobtainable. He loves us enough to expect us to be responsible, generous and loving. Willing to show our love by putting other persons first. It is salutary for us to remember that our actions and our way of living, here and now, will also have consequences, not only for our world, our society, but for each one of us personally into eternity.
Today, looking around this Church I am happy to see a number of families. Perhaps you are not always aware of how important your life and witness, your love for one another, is to those in the world around. I ask you, dear parents, very particularly to pray for good, fruitful and generous Catholic families. Pray for family life and strive, especially within your own homes, to allow the living and loving presence of Our Lord to shine through to your children.
Please ensure that they are always conscious of God's love, personified in Jesus Christ and his Sacred Heart, overflowing with love for you and for them. Occasionally bring them into Church with you, as you pass by for a few moments of quiet adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Teach them too, that we show our love for Our Lord by a little penance in our lives, so as to make reparation for the hurts that Our Lord Jesus had to endure in His Passion and death, and continues to endure in our godless world of today. Deeds as well as words
We need also to pray together and be families of faith, for it is in our families that we have the opportunity to hear the Lord's call, whether to marriage, to religious life, to the priesthood or to the single life. Just as families and the Church needs good priests and religious, so also, good priests and religious are usually born of good families and need their continuing support and prayers. Please also pray for and give as much practical support to families, perhaps known to you personally, who may be experiencing difficulties at this time.
Do also please encourage your children to listen for God's gentle
call to them. I will finish with my personal experience in this regard. I am the second one of ten children and when I finished my University studies I went to my father, slightly apprehensive, because I felt called to try my vocation at the Seminary. I was worried because I thought he might need my help raising my many younger brothers and sisters. He told me not to worry.
He said: "God has always taken care of our family and I am sure that He will continue to do so." He then said that I should go to the Seminary with confidence. He added that he and my Mother, every day of their married life, had prayed that one of their sons should be a priest. They had never told us of this! I stand here today as the fruit of their prayer!
At the end of this Mass, I will cordially impart to you, to your families and those persons you love, especially those who are sick or suffering, the Apostolic Blessing of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI as a sign of heavenly favours and the eternal life to which we all aspire.
May God bless you and keep you.
©2007 Church of the Most Sacred Heart Ruislip. Middlesex HA4 8NN