New Beacon   Issue 7, Easter 2006 Contents Editorial Easter 2006   Back Copies  Teach au Phobal Dea     Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2006     Yet another beginning…….   A new language of prayer       Ecumenical ministry       Meet the neighbours       Watford Interfaith Association      Transport to church      Deus Caritas Est in a Nutshell, Part 1       Being a catechist      How RCIA helped me       Project Respond       Heart for the city       The Da Vinci Code – an opportunity for evangelism   The day God died       Book review: ‘Enfolded in Love’       A letter to ‘Pa’       Quiz page       Back Page       The front cover depicts Jesus, arms outstretched as if crucified, reaching across a river to join two parts of a landscape. The image is rich in symbolism. Jesus is up to his waist in the river – perhaps referring back to his baptism in the river Jordan (and ultimately our baptism in Christ). The landscape in the upper part of the picture can be seen as an idealised land of soft rolling hill, perhaps Eden? The land being reached by Jesus’ left arm in the lower part of the picture is almost out of sight. It is left to our imagination to decide what this land is like. Is it a less hospitable place?  Is Jesus providing a bridge from the landscape in which we exist, across the troubled waters of earthly existence into Paradise?  Perhaps the landscape is symbolic of the landscape within our hearts – an unseen landscape. A place where there may have been a split or division, somewhere where only Jesus can make a bridge across the rift?   Superimposed on the picture is a faint grid. Is this the ridged grid or framework that governs our lives, time, the social structures, the economic requirements that seem to provide us with some certainties, but which sometimes make us less accepting of people and events that do not coincide with our view of “the norm”? Perhaps Jesus can show us the way to cut through that less accepting aspects of that grid to a more fulfilling existence. You decide. Mariassunta De-Bellis

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Editorial Thoughtfulness and ecumenism seem to be key themes in this issue.  Bishop O’Brien’s piece on spreading the good news sets the thoughtful tone, there is a delightful poem about “The Day God Died”, and very relevant prose on the Passion. Fr Charles takes a few moments out from his busy Easter schedule to gives us his first impressions of the parish and hints as to how he sees the future. Elsewhere, three new ventures of the MSC/lay collaboration are outlined. Ecumenically, we have a description of various experiences in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a story of partnership in ecumenical ministry, and a view from the Abbey of its ecumenical outreach. A vivid account is given of one of our parishioners’ initiative, in combination with the Watford Interfaith Association, for creating a better world for our children. The first of a two-part article on the new pope’s latest encyclical “Deus Caritas Est” brings it alive for those of us of a less theological persuasion!  There is also a book review, with much enthusiasm, of Julian of Norwich’s series of readings entitled “Enfolded in Love”. Adrian Smith writes his last letter to his ‘Pa’, Malcolm. Catechesis and the RCIA are also here, with articles about what being a catechist means, and direct experience of the RCIA programme. A school trip to Zambia (and Botswana for a safari) is lovingly recounted. Inevitably the “Da Vinci Code”, gaining headlines everywhere, makes our magazine as well, this time with some refutations of the main errors in the book. We hope you enjoy our magazine and would be delighted to hear comments and/or letters for publication. With all best wishes for a happy and holy Easter from the New Beacon editorial team. Click here to go back to the top

Teach au Phobal Dea……….House of the people of God Fr Charles Sweeney We managed to grab a few words with Fr Charles in between his building a tomb, saying Mass, and dealing with the countless other demands of Holy Week and his new parishioners. What were your first impressions of the parish of SS Alban & Stephen? It’s big!! Not only geographically but population-wise; there is a huge diversity of groups dealing with every age range from babes to the elderly. I was delighted to see the involvement and enthusiasm of so many people who work voluntarily for the church. How would you like our church to be recognised? I would like it to be seen as a place that is tolerant and welcoming that reaches out to all and recognises all the different threads of spirituality. It should be recognised as the Body of Christ – reflecting the identity of the people who meet there where the values Christ are lived out. I should like to develop the Celtic tradition whereby our Church becomes known as the “Teach au Phobal Dea”…… the “house of the people of God”. How can the people of the parish achieve this goal? So many groups do such wonderful work in the parish but sometimes in isolation – I would like to see more effective dialogue between them as they work in combination, for example in preparation for Liturgical celebrations of all kinds. The laity must take, and be given, responsibility; there must be as many people involved as possible to give us all a sense of belonging. The PPC needs to develop their leadership role linking people together and become co-responsible with the priests for on-going personal and faith development. I like the definition that leadership is “the ability to draw out, draw together and draw upon!” Have you any concerns? I regret that I do not have enough time at present to devote to the needs of our young people in the schools nor visit more of the elderly and sick in their homes. I have had such a great welcome when I do – it’s very humbling. There was a great response to the healing Mass and I am keen to have three of these per year and, in the future, would like to include a social gathering after each one. What would you do if you had chance of a day off? Well I do miss the natural beauty of West Cork – particularly the sea and the mountains – if I had the opportunity I should like to walk and enjoy the local countryside. I would also like to explore London, visit the museums, and catch up with some old friends. I also used to coach volley ball and would like to become involved with a local team – when time permits!!! Click here to go back to the top

Week of prayer for Christian Unity 2006 The Rt Rev. James O'Brien During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, SS Alban & Stephen hosted the United Service for Churches Together in St Albans on Monday 23rd January. The Rt. Rev. James O’ Brien gave the following reflection: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.” In a reading from the Book of Exodus (40:34–38) we are reminded of the presence of God to his people in the desert as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire leading them by night. From the Book of Revelation (22:1–5) we learn “that the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city:  His servants will worship Him and they will see Him face to face.” And in the Gospel reading from Matthew (18:15–22) Jesus promised to be with His followers gathered in His name  “for when two or three meet in my name, I am in there among them.” We need to remind ourselves of these promises because they reassure us of God’s love and concern for His people and indeed for the whole of His creation. Believers of all kinds are facing questions about faith, providence, the environment, human dignity and purpose. We need to be reminded that God “saw His creation and found it good”; that he made human beings in His own likeness, destined for eternal glory. We need above all to remember that God so loved this extraordinary world that He sent His Son into it and that the son so loved us that He laid down His life for us. A great deal of modern philosophy is negative and undermining of human purpose. We need to be reminded that God is faithful to his promises .Before He left this earth, Jesus promised us His Holy Spirit to guide and protect us in truth – and He promised His abiding presence among us “behold I am with you all days even to the end of time” and this means not just in the biblical past, not just in the future of eternal glory but in the everyday here and now, in the wonder of creation, in the beauty of humanity, in the reality of human existence with all its contradictions; in the reality of failure and selfishness God is with us. It has never been part of Christian teaching to deny the reality of sin and suffering. In fact, Jesus himself told us that He came to call sinners – the healthy have no need of the physician. No, the Christian is not afraid of reality; he is a realist both in regard to himself and the world around him. So we believe that Jesus is with us today, that His promised Spirit is still guiding us into a deeper knowledge of his truth. What then is this Spirit saying to the churches today? I must obviously speak primarily of the Roman Catholic Church with which I am most familiar. However, I have learned over the years that churches do not exist in isolation from each other. What is good for others is good for me. What is bad for others is bad for me. We are helped or hindered by each others actions for better or for worse. In the last 50 years the Roman Catholic Church has undergone a considerable conversion and thank God for that! I remember Cardinal Heenan saying: “They tell me that the church has gone to the dogs. But then they tell me that society went to the dogs years ago. If that is so, it’s where the church ought to be”.  The church which loses touch with human reality will become progressively moribund – and deserves to be so. The Second Vatican council changed the mindset of the Catholic Church.  From inward looking absorption we realised we were the servants of humanity called to work for the coming of God’s kingdom; that this was the mandate given by Christ to the church – to go and proclaim God’s great good news to every creature, that God may be glorified and His Kingdom come and that this is the meaning and purpose to creation and humanity. This new humility on the part of the Catholic Church required an  acknowledgement of our own past inadequacies when in the course of our long history we lost sight of our purpose and, too often, human weakness  intruded into the things of God. Hence the specific apologies made by Pope John Paul II  in the name of the Church – a veritable cascade over the last few years, to, among others, our Jewish brethren , to science and to the victims of persecution. Hence also the new openness to other Christians and other world faiths to help us learn from each other and work together for the coming of God’s Kingdom. It was John Paul II who appealed to other Christians to help him reconsider the role of the Papacy in the world today. In his encyclical “Ut unum sint’ he appealed directly to other churches to help him interpret the role of the pope to meet the need of today’s world; already several have responded to that appeal. So, from the Catholic point of view there had been a seismic change in our attitudes which I think has already been reciprocated by many other Christians and World Faiths. This is what I like to believe the Spirit is saying to the churches today. It is not a question of denying or abandoning deeply held beliefs, central to God’s revelation – that would be false and hypocritical. It is more a question of each of the churches being renewed in Christ. By drawing closer to Him, both as individuals and as churches, we are inevitably drawn closer to each other in loving respect and acceptance. The better we know each other the more we will understand each other’s riches and learn from each other. In this way the Body of Christ may be built up and the world may learn to believe that Jesus came from the Father as the light and hope of the world - that all humanity is God’s family, made in God’s image, redeemed by Christ and destined for eternity. This is what I believe the Spirit is saying to the churches today. It’s what Jesus himself said to the apostles: “….all authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me.... Go and preach this great good news to every creature – and behold I am with you all days even to the end of time’….Amen. Click here to go back to the top

Yet another beginning…….   I went to the United Service during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity out of a sense of duty. A conscientious type, I’d even located the skeleton service on the net and so was prepared for the usual confession of our failure to respond to the prayer of Jesus that “That they all may be one;’ Jn 17:21 It wasn’t easy for me to go to the Catholic Church; since I came to St. Albans (11 years ago) there had been no compelling reason to do so. I’d been in churches when I worked on the continent and had found all those statues and pictures a block to prayer. Moreover in my professional life I’d come to see the Catholic Church as unresponsive to the needs of women and had a comprehensively dismissive attitude toward what I understood as Catholic teaching on sexual matters. The exposure of the many sexual scandals in recent years saddened me, but did not shock me as it did my Catholic friends. I’ve had friends since university days who were Catholic and whom I frequently teased about their loyalty to Catholicism but whose values and lifestyles I respected. The service itself was imaginative and unforcedly participatory, the service sheets included the words of the familiar hymns; everything was unfussy. So I was already in a good space when the bishop began his reflection. I probably don’t remember the important points but as it went on I experienced my heart open. It began when he quoted another bishop saying that if society had gone to the dogs  then the church ought to be there too (or something like that) and when he spoke about the Church’s acknowledgement of its past inadequacies  I felt the power of truth.  This was no febrile political apology, this was something real and deep.  So when it came to the reflection and sharing on how the individual traditions represented  there that night had contributed to building the Body of Christ in St. Albans I was full of joy and my individual prayer written on a paper vine leaf was that I could allow the Holy Spirit blow away my prejudices. I was too moved to talk afterwards (I wanted to ask why there was a coffin in the church) and took home the service leaflet. Usually I intend to look at these again and nearly always put them out for recycling without another glance, but a week later needing to remind myself of the honesty I experienced that night I picked it up again and found that marvelous gift of the Merton prayer. Since then I’ve located every Thomas Merton book and had them as my companions through Lent, I’ve begun a new journey! Click here to go back to the top

A New Language of Prayer Thomas Merton Shortly before his accidental death in Bangkok, the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, spoke of the prayer of love which unites all people. What follows is from the introduction to his presentation at the inter-faith monastic conference at which he was the key speaker: We are going to have to create a new language of prayer. And this new language of prayer has to come out of something which transcends all our traditions, and comes out of the immediacy of love…the things that are on the surface are nothing, what is deep is the Real. We are creatures of love. Let us therefore join hands. I ask you to concentrate on the love that is in you, that is in us all. I have no idea what I am going to say. I am going to be silent a minute, and then I will say something. Oh God, we are one with You. You have made us one with You. You have taught us that is we are open to one another, You dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts. Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection. Oh God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept You, and we thank You, and we adore You, and we love You with our whole being, because our being is in Your being, our spirit is rooted in Your spirit. Fill us then with love, and let us be bound together with love as we go on our diverse ways, united in this one spirit which makes You present in the world, and which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love. Love has overcome. Love is victorious. Amen. Click here to go back to the top

Ecumenical Ministry Rev. Brian Woodcock Brian Woodcock is Minister at the Trinity United Reform Church and former convenor of Churches Together in St Albans. Some ministers hate ecumenical complications.  I love them.  The breadth and freedom of a bigger world.  New friends, different ideas, fresh ways of worshipping.  The sense of being on a journey together, breaking new ground.  Churches that work together have stories to tell, which their parent bodies need to hear. I have been in joint partnerships nearly all my ministry.  Sheila and I hardly know anything else.  The highlight was undoubtedly Iona, where people came from every church and none, ready to suspend their assumptions and try anything. We came from there to here.  To our own United Reformed Church tradition.  We had not been in a single denomination for thirty years.  It felt like solitary confinement.  I was surprised.  The URC combines three traditions, and has a mission to encourage unity.  And Trinity is an adventurous church.  But the timing of our arrival might have had something to do with this narrower world we were experiencing.  September 11th 2001.  The date the shutters started going up. Still, I was full of hope.  The Abbey had an ecumenical reputation.  And Hertfordshire had more inter-church partnerships than any other county.  But then I discovered that none of these partnerships were in St Albans.  It was as if the Abbey was doing ecumenism for the rest of us!  Like an innocent from the country, gasping for ecumenical air, I allowed myself to be lured into CTSA convenorship – almost before I knew these were the initial letters of Churches Together in St Albans!  I struggled to make sense of the job.  So many churches, all busy with their own agendas!  I found enthusiasm amongst the laity, but getting ministers to support anything other than their own bi-monthly breakfast meeting wasn’t easy.  The most effective work was where CTSA had encouraged organisations to go off and do their own thing: Open Door, One World, Credit Union.  And local groupings: Marshalswick, South St. Albans and along the Hatfield Road.  Meanwhile the umbrella CTSA sailed on like a huge ocean liner – somewhat at sea and slow to change course.   Great for information-sharing, networking and city-wide events.  Perhaps that’s what it is for. In which case maybe we should stop fiddling with its constitution and discussing its purpose, allow it to be the public face of Christian Unity, and look for other ways of connecting locally.  Despite its limitations it is dispensable.  It is vital that the churches of the town support and participate in it fully.  It is all we have got.  I decided, however, that it needed someone at the helm with the time and imagination to steer it somewhere.  So after two years I stepped down, and offered to help my successor move it forward.  I’m still on the Enabling Group, which has doubled in size and effectiveness since I stopped chairing it!  But there’s still no successor.  And after September there will be no me.  Not in St. Albans, anyway. I now know how I might have better used my ecumenical energy these five years.  Not citywide but locally.  Very locally.  I could have thrown my lot into helping Trinity work with SS Alban & Stephen.  The will is there on both sides.  A year ago, when Trinity members were discussing possible changes to their building, someone suggested a tunnel under Beaconsfield Road.  If we can’t make official connections, create hidden links!  They weren’t completely joking.  And there are already a few such informal links. Not just our two churches.  The Quakers as well.  Maybe Marlborough Road Methodist.  But no wider.  It would have been nice to have involved an Anglican church, with there being so many in the city, but there isn’t one near.  That’s our trouble at Trinity.  We consider ourselves a town centre church, that should be relating to all the other town centre churches, Abbey included.  So nothing happens.  A foursome might just work. It’s too late for me now.  But not for you.  Nor Trinity.  Worth thinking about, anyway. St Albans Spirituality Network Day  Organized by Churches Together in St Albans 20th May 2006 at St Stephen’s Church 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. cost £5, please bring a packed lunch.  Applications to: Joanna Field, CTSA, 33 Pemberton Close, St Albans, AL1 2JS. Tel 01727 763205. Click here to go back to the top

Meet the Neighbours Guy Marshall, St Andrew’s Bookshop “Mr Dean, this is Marshall, the new Marshal'”. This was how I was presented to Peter Moore, the then Dean of St Albans, when I first performed the duty of a 'Marshal' at the Abbey. These are the people who wear blue gowns at the 9.30am service, count the congregation in and help with leading people to take Holy Communion, as we call it. The 9.30 Sunday morning service is the 'principal' one of the day, as it is attended by the greatest number of people, between 300 – and 400 each week. It is when the Sunday Club for the children takes place in the Refectory during the first part of the service, then they come back into the Nave before the Lord's Prayer is said, to join their parents when taking Communion. The Protestant tradition is for each communicant to consume a wafer of bread and take a sip of wine, as a reminder that Christ gave His life and died for each one of us on the Cross. The clergy and priests are kept busy on a Sunday morning, with a Eucharist at 8.00am, Matins at 11.15am and another Eucharist at 12.15pm. The Cathedral Choir of boys and men take it in turns with the Girl's Choir to sing at Matins and Evensong. At the 9.30 there is a regular non-robed group of adult singers who are supplemented once a month by one of the Cathedral Choirs. There is also a music group which plays once a month, on the Sunday when there is a church parade of the Guides and Brownies and all the children stay in for a 'family' service. One of the first major services I attended at the Abbey, when I first lived in St Albans, was for the burial of the bones of the Abbots, which had been excavated from the Chapter House and were re-buried in the Presbytery. The service was attended by many important dignitaries from the Roman Catholic and Benedictine communities. I was much impressed by the ceremony and solemnity of the occasion. This was a reminder that before the Reformation the monks who lived at the Abbey followed the Roman Catholic faith. The links still remain with a Mass being said every Friday. The ecumenical outreach of the Abbey extends to the Ecumenical Chaplains for Roman Catholics, Lutherans and Free Churches, sponsoring the North Transept Justice and Peace Group, being a member of Churches Together in St Albans – with a representative on the Enabling Group and hosting many ecumenical services including the Unity at the Cross on Good Friday evening and the Youth Pilgrimage on Easter Monday. Visitors come to the Abbey from far and wide, from all over the UK and from overseas, very often from churches who share a dedication to Alban, as does SS Alban and StephenStpehen. The Abbey congregation are all looking forward to the partonal festival on 24th June this year, when the Passio procession will go through Verulamium Verulaimium Park from St Michael's to the Abbey, followed by a service in the Cathedral attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Passio involves a lot of people taking part, especially children, who will have helped make the costumes to be worn and other decorations being used. Click here to go back to the top

Watford Interfaith Association supports Parish Vision Judith Bruni Judith Bruni – Secretary of Watford Interfaith Association – describes this recent event. We are extremely grateful to WIFA for their support – their members spread word of the event through their network, put up posters in the surrounding areas, supported the event, provided audiovisual equipment, helped with the setup and sent a multicultural 39-strong community choir to perform. Greg Peachey’s FREdome initiative for creating a better world for our children, which he works with St Michael’s Catholic High School to realise, produced a hugely entertaining programme at the Hilton Hotel. He works with the three levels of your being, Fantasy, the world of the arts and entertainment, Reality, the social and commercial world, and Eternity, the world of beliefs and faith, if this is done positively and creatively then our world would be a much brighter, happier and more wholesome place. The idea of fantasy was illustrated through Carly, a young singer whose songs introduced the theme of the evening, and a concept illusionist, Christopher Howell, who through various tricks showed us that we act according to our expectations: if we expect to fail, we will. If we open up our minds to other possibilities, tricks, or lateral thinking, then we may succeed in dramatic ways that our closed minds were incapable of doing. Two short films followed from Nic Askew. One showed commuters crossing a London bridge on the way to work. The captions were simply questioning: Who were these people were? Why they were doing this?were they aware of what they were doing? Or were they trapped in old habits? The second was of a severely disabled woman who refused to believe her disabilities were going to stop her enjoying and living her life to the full. She was told she could not walk, yet she set about proving the doctors wrong. You could see from the light in her eyes that she was much more that the limitations of her body. Nic produces a film every Monday on the internet, www.monday9am.tv. Greg then showed how the internet was such a valuable tool for communication, and for working together to make the world a more enjoyable, fair, prosperous and safe place for children to inherit. This was followed by a presentation of a business project that brings health and well-being to people with magnetic bracelets etc., run by Marijah Butcher and Dorothy Burton. Marijah then read some of her own poems, and one of a friend’s, about the death of her son and what he had given her, and “cages”, the ones we tend to live in, all of them very thought-provoking. The spiritual, eternal realms were introduced by Francoise Murphy talking about her work with the Women’s Federation for World Peace, and the Watford Bridge of Peace initiative between Muslim and Christian ladies, how it was uniting these communities and breaking down barriers through sisterly love. The evening rounded on the uplifting singing of the Com.Unity Choir directed by Chel Revens. This choir is formed from people who just want to sing, anyone can join, and Chel has shown how without any special gifts, and some encouragement and training from her, people can delight with their singing. The members come from all walks of life, all faiths, and all physical abilities. They sang five songs and we joined in some of them for a rousing end to the evening. Greg’s hopes for the near future are that FREdome, along with WIFA and all the Celebration! participants and members of the Watford community can present a day of variety and spirituality in the Colosseum later in the year. Beyond that, he maintains his vision of a better world and asks for any ideas you might have to this end. These can be sent to ideas@FREdome.org, or you can look on the internet at www.FREdome.org to see what else is happening. The FREdome initiative is being launched by a fellow-parishioner for the sake of our children. If you would like to find out more or offer support, please use above internet contact addresses or ring Greg Peachey, 01727 823450. Click here to go back to the top

Transport to Church Helen Bassill When my mum was 89 and unable to get around too well, I desperately tried to arrange transport for her to attend Mass on Sundays.  I lived in Redbourn and she sometimes came to Mass with me there, and another friend often took her to London Colney. However, SS Alban & Stephen was Mum’s parish – she was married here, my sister and I were baptised, had our First Communion and Confirmation here, and were married here too. Mum’s friends came to our church and she wanted to attend Mass here, as she always used to when she could bring herself.  Despite several requests made through the bulletin I never found anyone who could help, and two years later she died. I realise now that I went about things the wrong way. Many parishioners already have commitments on Sundays and cannot offer help whilst others already give lifts to those unable to bring themselves to Mass. Instead of expecting one person to come forward I should have asked for several and could then have formed a rota. It is much easier to offer help once a month than to be committed to every week. Now I am back in St Albans at my “old” parish, I have taken on the role of “Transport Organiser” and I will try to arrange rotas for anyone who has difficulty getting to Mass on Sundays. If you know of anyone needing a lift OR if you would like to put your name on my rota to offer lifts please do contact me.  Please help me to ensure that all those wishing to attend Sunday Mass at our Church are able to do so.  Call me on 01727 852250 Click here to go back to the top

Deus Caritas Est in a Nutshell, Part 1 Peter Berners-Lee We’ve been spoilt with two wonderful popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI: great theologians writing wonderful encyclicals.  But these works are a bit too scholarly for the average layman like me.  I need them dumbed down a bit, and here is my meagre attempt.  It’s no substitute for the real thing, which you can download from the Vatican website, (www.vatican.va) but I hope it gives the gist. Being a Christian isn’t so much about moral decisions or a lofty philosophy as being about a personal encounter with God.  It’s about a relationship of love based not on our love for God, but God’s love for us.  Loving God and neighbour isn’t about obeying a command so much as responding to God’s love for us. Love is an often misused word, but one of its vital meanings is the passionate love between a man and a woman, what the Greeks called eros. This has not had a very good press in the Church and a lot of people think the Church reckons eros is a vice.  But this isn’t the true Christian understanding at all.  Of course, when it is reduced to sex it becomes a mere commodity, something to be bought and sold.  But the Christian view is that eros isn’t simply about submitting to our instincts, but letting it mature into something which is deeply spiritual as well as physical. The Song of Songs in the Bible portrays eros as love which goes beyond self-seeking to looking out for the good of the beloved.  It’s a love that is faithful and ever-lasting.  It is ecstatic, but this ecstasy is caught up not in hedonistic self-seeking but a self-giving in which we discover something of the divine.  Human love isn’t one-sidedly about either giving or receiving: we need both.  Human love and spiritual love are a single reality.   In the Bible, God’s love for his people has a romantic, passionate dimension.  But it is also unmerited, totally gratuitous and forgiving.  The combination is explosive.  His people are unfaithful – he calls the adulterous, yet he calls out to them with great passion:  “How can I give you up, O Ephraim!”  Yes, he passionately desires us and seeks us out.  But this is totally selfless as it leads him to become man, and even to die so that justice and love are reconciled.  God’s love is totally reasonable and totally passionate at the same time!  The Song of Songs is ultimately about a perfect marriage with God.  It’s a union in which two become one and yet remain fully themselves.  The Bible tells us a lot about God, but it also tells us a lot about ourselves as human beings.  For one thing, it tells us that it is in communion with the opposite sex that we become complete: eros is in our nature, drawing us toward marriage.  Monogamous marriage corresponds to monotheism: fidelity to only one partner, fidelity to only one God. Love isn’t just a feeling, though it is certainly that.  It has to mature.  It has to engage our minds and our wills.  This isn’t all about a battle of wills though: our will and God’s will increasingly coincide.  God can become more present to us than we are to ourselves.  With this comes self abandonment and true joy. It is with Jesus that we really see what love is all about, when we look at him on the cross, his side pierced for us.  Because we receive Jesus in the Mass and connect with his sacrifice on Calvary we have a wonderful way of being fed with this amazing love.  Not only that, but because Mass is communal, it connects us with loving our neighbour.  Eucharistic communion involves being loved by God and loving others in return.  Loving God and loving our neighbour become one.   On the one hand, we cannot love God if we don’t love our neighbour.  Loving our neighbour sets us on a path that leads us to loving God.   On the other hand, God loved us first.  It’s always His initiative as he sets out to woo us.  If I have no contact with God, how can I see my neighbour as in the image of God?   Blessed Mother Teresa and other saints renewed their ability to love their neighbour by feeding on God’s love in the Eucharist.   They demonstrated in their lives that loving God and loving neighbour are merged into one commandment.  Love makes us one with God and one with our neighbour. Next Issue: Part 2: The Church as a community of Love. Click here to go back to the top

Being a catechist Nick Yates An elbow nudged my arm at Mass one Sunday. “Uh, what” I said (note the usual male conversation opener to one’s spouse). “What’s a catechist?” she said (having spotted a call for catechists in the bulletin). “I dunno” I said “something Greek probably, maybe you get it with chips”. The following year I became a catechist for confirmation. Four years later I’m still at it! Usually, each year around autumn, I get asked if I’m up for it again next year. Each time I pause briefly. That pause is important. It’s the time that for a brief second what flashes across my mind is the effort it takes, the time commitment, the preparation, do I know enough about (a) God, (b) religion, (c) myself, can I make what I say real and relevant to our young candidates. Before my head can respond in the negative, my heart over rules it and I say “yes”.  Once again, the Holy Spirit urges me out of my comfort zone of inactivity and we begin again, around February, with the confirmation programme. Is it hard work – maybe (though I can think of harder) Are the young people difficult to deal with – (40 teenagers aged 14/15 will always be a challenge, especially when talking about God) Do I make a difference to their lives – (not for me to know) What do I get out of it: a)    work with other inspiring catechists b)    meet inspiring young people c)    renewed passion for God d)    learn more about God and my religion e)    learn more about myself f)    renewed commitment to my faith g)    happy that I am trying to do something good What is a catechist? – check out the dictionary – as the lottery slogan goes – “It could be you” Click here to go back to the top

How RCIA helped me Morwenna Fussell  Although I am already a Catholic, I hadn’t yet made my confirmation and wished to do so.  I got in touch with Fr. Manus and he pointed me in the direction of Steve Pickard, the RCIA representative.  I have been attending the RCIA meetings for about three months now, and have found them both refreshing and educational.  Despite attending a Catholic school, it’s amazing how much passes you by from age four to 17.  As a 27 year old I am now able to identify with bible stories that ten years ago seemed no more than just that, stories.  The sessions have enabled me to explore areas that I didn’t understand, in an environment that encourages fresh thoughts and perspectives. The time spent with RCIA has been valuable in both my religious development, but also as a way of integrating me in the SS Alban & Stephen parish.  I am very much looking forward to making my confirmation and continuing this journey with my new-found friends. Real response means Live Action! Click here to go back to the top

 

Project Respond Matthew Doran Eight Sixth Form boys and three teachers from St. Columba’s College in St. Albans spent three weeks in the summer of 2005 working as volunteers at their sister school in Zambia and enjoying a safari in Botswana  and a trip to the Victoria Falls before returning home. In a year in which the Live 8 concert and the G8 Summit dominated the media, a party from St. Columba’s College under the title of Project Respond undertook to contribute  in a very practical way. The College’s commitment to St. Francis High School in Malole, Zambia is now in its tenth year and has recently been expanded to include a supportive link in the Prep School with Robert Shitma School in Kabare. This year the group made the arduous 36 hour journey from  London over 10,000 km via Johannesburg and Lusaka and culminating in a 14 hour drive on what Matthew Doran, 17,  described as “roads” which were pockmarked with what appeared to be “gigantic asteroid craters large enough to swallow a truck”. On arrival at St. Francis College the party was treated to a welcome celebration, being entertained by a choir and orchestra and an impressive acrobatic display. Then it was down to the task in hand and some very hard work! In the past restoration work has included building concrete beds (that could not this time be stolen), building walls and equipping classrooms for the eager students. This year the task was to build two security walls, to paint the classrooms and to install a computer terminal – then to teach the Zambian adults how to use the internet, no mean feat given that they were used to technical items no more complex than a toaster. There is no doubt that St. Columba’s students gained more from the experience than they gave to it. Matthew describes the visit as “the single most influential three weeks” of his 17  years  and that what had started out as a curiosity several months before in England ended with a feeling of “immense personal satisfaction”. Nick Fulton, also 17, echoed the feeling of the whole party.  “Despite the lack of wealth of the Zambians, we were struck, and somewhat humbled, by their enthusiasm, kindness, community spirit and loyalty to one another. Last October, the Head Teacher of St. Columba’s College accompanied by the Dean visited Zambia to see the impact of the work undertaken last year. The first stop was Robert Shitma School to present a banner made by all the boys of the Prep and they were able to visit the site of the new school which is on schedule to be completed by April 2006.  They were pleased, and and somewhat relieved, to find that the large containers of equipment, clothes and toys collected by St. Columba’s College and Prep School had arrived intact and been handed over to two orphanages to enrich the lives of the children there. There is still much to do and the plans are already under way for next year’s project.     They will continue to respond. Click here to go back to the top

Heart for the City The MSC At the end of September 2005 three members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart gathered in England to begin preparation for a new, joint, urban ministry project. Mark Van Beeumen from Belgium (left), Ton Zwart from the Netherlands (centre) and  Carl Tranter from England (right), all Catholic priests, have been missioned by the  eight European Provinces of the MSCs to find a new way of being present and bringing fresh heart to some of the realities of multicultural, secular, inner-city life in Europe. At present Birmingham is the top city on their list. Why are they doing it? As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, they live our faith in the Father's love revealed in the Heart of Christ. They want to be like Jesus who loved with a human heart; they want to love through him and with him and to proclaim his love to the world (MSC Constitutions, 10).  What is the project about? What are its aims? To be present as a small international Christian community in the heart of a contemporary European city as a concrete witness to the transforming love, compassion and solidarity of Jesus Christ. The dream for it emerged at a meeting of MSCs in Europe in 2002. But much has happened since then, including the development of a more precise Statement of Purpose – a clear and focused vision to guide the life of the community and give direction to the decisions that will necessarily follow. For further information see their web site www.msceurope.co.uk or e-mail: community@msceurope.co.uk or write to MSC European Community, Gardener's Cottage, Princethorpe College, Leamington Road, Princethorpe, Nr Rugby, Warwickshire,CV23 9PX A Day of Reflection on Spirituality   A day of reflection on Spirituality of the Heart will take place on 17th June 2006 at Princethorpe. It will be led by Sr Gerardine OLSH who is a member of the Cor Novum team at Issodun. MSC and Laity from all the MSC parishes in England will gather together for this day of reflection and discussion.  The spiritual and practical aspects of being part of the MSC mission, as well as the way forward, will be discussed. Please give you name and phone number to the presbytery, as soon as possible, if you would like to attend. The day will cost £10 which includes lunch and other refreshments.   Spiritual Accompaniment A Two Year Training Course in Spiritual Accompaniment begins in Autumn 2006 at Princethorpe Retreat Centre.  The course consists of seven weekends each year. The aim is to enable participants to minister compassionately and effectively as Spiritual Accompaniers under supervision. It will be particularly useful for people who want to provide accompanying or supportive roles such as counselors and chaplains. The Princethorpe Retreat team work in combination with The Heart Network – an initiative of the team at Grace Dieu Retreat Centre, Waterford which is administered by the MSCs. This course will be conducted by John Bennett MSC and Sue Kimberley. Year One:   Personal spiritual development of the participant Year Two:   The process of accompaniment with another person For further information and an application form please contact; Sue Kimberley: 01564 776398     Mobile: 07771 850083 or email heartnetwork@eircom.net or download from website http://homepage.eircom.net/~heartnetwork Click here to go back to the top

The Da Vinci Code An opportunity for evangelism This best-selling book soon to be a film cleverly blends some facts, some claimed facts and much fiction into a popular thriller.  The mix of fact and fiction is a dangerous and subtle way of undermining basic Christian beliefs. Whether or not you have read the book the arrival of the film this summer will mean that it is again likely to come up in conversations at work or amongst friends.  Even if you have not read the book these conversations are opportunities to explain some basic facts of Christianity to those around you. So what are some of the misrepresentations and challenges to Christianity made in the book? Jesus did not die on the cross but eloped with Mary Magdalene, The basis of the book is that Jesus did not die on Calvary but married Mary Magdalene, moved to France and had a daughter called Sarah. There is no evidence to support this theory.  Mary Magdalene is only chosen as one of the few single females mentioned in the Gospels.  There is multiple evidence in the New Testament and other historical documents that Jesus was unmarried and did die on the cross.  An additional suggestion is that Mary Magdalene was more important than any of the Apostles and was Jesus’ most trusted disciple.  Once again there is no evidence from any historical documents to support this theory The Roman Emperor Constantine rewrote the Bible in 325 AD To explain the contradictions between these theories and the Bible it is suggested that the Gospels and New Testament were corrected by Constantine to show Jesus as God and to expunge any reference to the marriage of Jesus and minimise the role of Mary Magdalene. There are many extracts of the New Testament which pre-date 325AD, these are consistent with the text we use.  There was no change from these texts to reduce the role of Mary Magdalene. There was a movement in the 4th century which claimed that Jesus was man not God (the Arians) and Constantine did preside over the First Council of Nicaea which confirmed that Jesus was God.  However, this council did not change any gospel texts.  Indeed, Christians had been persecuted for their beliefs for 250 years; it is unlikely that they would have meekly accepted any change to the gospel texts by the first Christian Roman Emperor. There is a secret organisation called the Priory of Sion The book claims that this organisation has protected the secret of Jesus’ marriage for 2000 years.  In fact the organisation was set up in 1956 by four friends in St Julien, France, and named after a local mountain.  One of them, a convicted fraudster, then went on to make claims about the antiquity of the organisation, these claims were denied by other members of the group. The basis of the book is that Leonardo da Vinci was a member of this non-existent group and used his painting of the Last Supper to convey the “secret” of Mary Magdalene.  In fact it was quite normal in the 16th century to paint St John as a young, immature man with long hair. Opus Dei is a Catholic Sect which tries to assassinate anyone who uncovers this secret Opus Dei is a catholic organisation for lay people founded in 1928.  It is now viewed as “traditional” and is seen as part of the Church establishment.  However, pre Vatican II its philosophy of sainthood for ordinary people through ordinary work was seen as threatening by many senior Churchmen. There are many inaccuracies about Opus Dei in the book including the casting of the chief villain as an Opus Dei monk.  There are no monks in Opus Dei, 95% of it members are lay people like you and me, and the rest are ordained priests. Hopefully these few facts will enable you to enter conversations about the Da Vinci Code and leave your colleagues better informed about Christianity. This article is a summary of a pamphlet published by the Catholic Truth Society, “Cracking the Da Vinci Code”.  Other useful books on the subject include “The Da Vinci Hoax, Exposing the Errors in the Da Vinci Code” by Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel and “Fact and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code” by Steven Kellmeyer.  More information about Opus Dei can be found from its website www.opusdei.org and numerous books on the organization. Click here to go back to the top

The Day God Died Nick Yates Well God drank down his medicine And slowly closed his eyes He lay back his head, these words he said Between murmurs, coughs and sighs. “It’s time for me to go now folks You never thought I would But I’m tired and I’m dyin’ And it’s time I think I should.” He lay upon a plumped up cloud Arms folded on his chest The Good Book fell from in his hands Pages open came to rest The prophesies and miracles, instructions to be good Spirit filled and sanctified He’d sent his flesh and blood Some people wept, some people moaned And a shudder crossed the land And all eyes turned to Jesus Christ Who stood at God’s right hand. “Don’t look at me now for something new With your worries, doubts and fears My message is the same as for the last 2000 years.” So Jesus said goodbye to dad And turned around to go The spirit flapped it’s wings and said “Well folks I told you so The answer lies in you my friends Where I gladly dwell Look at the Good Book for advice Drink at the holy well.” The devil appeared by God’s bedside A tear rolled down his cheek “Golly gee dear people what a shame, I can hardly speak. God played a hard game all these years And some of it was fun But now he’s gone and left the field I think my time has come. Now all you people that are good, You’re the ones I need Let’s feast on sin and gluttony Let’s spread a little greed. I’ll help you with the marketing And cast a little spell. With me as chief executive I’ll promote you down to hell.” Then up jumped gentle Johnny Ladd Who turned to face the throng “Don’t listen folks to the forked tailed guy his mission statement’s wrong. I heard God say before he passed away About actions and not words So follow me and God’s Good Book The trinity, one God, thirds.” Up jumped Johnny onto to the cloud And gave God CPR C’mon Lord we need you still Though I know how ill you are.” The Lord he opened up one eye And said “do you mean that son?” “Of course I do said Johnny Ladd You know you’re the only one.” So God got up and apologised “I’m sorry I had to test, Let’s straighten out this Satan guy I think it’s for the best. We don’t need garlic, crosses or stakes Cos’ when it comes to push and shove The big gun in my arsenal Is a great whole heap of love.” Now Satan he looked horrified And backed away in fear “Hey God, y’know  it was just a joke, You saw I shed a tear” God gave Satan such a look And said “It ain’t no good” Come over here you foul Old Nick And give us all a hug.” On hearing this Beelzebub Uttered his devilish wail Turned on his cloven hooves and fled Straight back down to hell He’s seen no more upon the earth, Or in heaven above And if you think he may be near Offer him some holy love. So that’s the tale of what happened when The day the dear Lord died A message goes to all of those Who wept and moaned and cried. The answers are our actions And the love that lies within Just pass it on and hug someone And that’s how we’ll all win. Click here to go back to the top

Book Review: ‘Enfolded in Love’: Daily readings with Julian of Norwich. Edited by Robert Llewelyn Martin Foster I first came upon this little treasure when I was eighteen years old and studying for a degree at the University of East Anglia in Norwich in 1986.  I had visited the Julian Shrine, a small side room built on to the main chapel of the Julian Church with the university’s Catholic chaplaincy and had been given a tour of the chapel and its history, where the anchoress Julian had lived in the 14th century, by the reverend Robert Llewelyn himself, then the present director of the shrine.  One for books and rather fascinated by this remarkable women I visited the books for sale rack and popped it into my pocket and put it on the bookshelf where it was to travel with me for the next two and half years unread.  Only in my final year with everything tumbling out of control and  in the pits of despair, crying out to God in my need, did I then find this book again and find a message that I desperately needed to hear. Julian of Norwich, as she was later to be called at the age of 30 years and on death’s door had a series of visions of God’s love which she was later to meditate on an write a book about called the ‘Revelations of Divine Love’.  Here in this book she talked about a God in whom there is no wrath; no anger;  One who looks on us with pity and not with blame; and who could say that ‘all will be well’. ‘Enfolded in Love’ is a small pocket size book set out in a format of readings that can be read on a daily basis or read through in several sittings, as a devotional aid. They are a selection of Julian’s writings from her book the ‘Revelations of Divine Love’.  At the age of twenty one I read in this book a story, as portrayed by Julian of a Lord and his servant.  This servant in his eagerness to do his lords will falls and tumbles and finds himself alone and in great pain, unable to pick himself up.  What was the lord’s attitude to this servant? One of great pity.  Was it not the servant’s eagerness that caused him to stumble; wasn’t his will good?  And not only that, the Lord wanted to reward this faithful servant in a way that he wouldn’t be rewarded if he hadn’t fallen.  This was a God of love that I needed to hear about.  Not only that, but he wasn’t angry with me either.  Conditioned by a God of anger and wrath as I had read about in the Old Testament and as had understood God to be until then, this was a new message for me.  I had to be ready for Julian; but her writings convey with such warmth and compassion a loving God, who could be called Mother as well as Father, that one is at least challenged to think differently, even if not in a place of ‘need’ at the time.  Here in this book I got the answer to my pleas for help.  I remember well shouting a resonant ‘Yes!’ to the message I had read.  Simply put here one can find an introduction to one of Christianity’s outstanding icons of spirituality and theology.  [Her original writings are the first record of a woman’s writings in English, and from that point alone deserve interest] It is a book one can return to time and time again.  I thoroughly recommend it.      Click here to go back to the top

A Letter to "PA" {from Adrian to Malcolm Smith} Dearest Pa, Do you remember that a few weeks ago we spoke about this day? You said that there would be an opportunity at your funeral, if I wanted to speak, to say a few words. Pa – there is so much I want to say that I wouldn't know where to start. And I don't know if I'd have the peace of mind to be able to stand up in front of everyone and speak about you. So I hope that 'a few words' for your friends to read – and offered on behalf of all your family – will do as well. I remember how once you told me that, as a schoolboy, one of your teachers had said that each year every person will pass the anniversary date of his or her death. And I remember that you said this thought had filled your schoolboy's mind with a sudden sense of dread. But what a comfort it would have been to you at that time if you had known what a long and full life you would go on to lead. Everyone here today has come to join in this celebration of your life. We recall the passion and enthusiasm with which you approached life. Your many years of commitment to the Marriage Encounter movement, your work within the local church community here in St Albans, your many friendships built up over the years both at home and abroad, your lifelong devotion to cricket - as we reflect today on these and so many other memories, how can we not feel what a bright and vital flame your presence was to us? And the world seems a little bit colder and darker now that you are gone. For those of us who are your family, we will remember and cherish your deep and unshakeable devotion to each of us, a devotion that proved itself time after time throughout the many years of our family life together. To say that we'll miss you doesn't begin to express our sense of loss but today, in the company of others who loved you too, we are here to celebrate what you mean to us. It is entirely characteristic of you that in the last weeks of your life you would push yourself, despite dwindling strength, to select readings and music for today's service. So when you hear us speaking the words you chose and listen to our voices singing your favourite hymns I hope you'll know what I mean when I say that our love for you is 'as invisible as music but positive as sound'. Goodbye, Pa. Go on your way in peace. From the one who has the unique blessing to call himself Your son, Adrian Click here to go back to the top