From a discourse by Pope Benedict XVI. The silence of Saint Joseph is a silence drawn from his contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of complete availability to the divine will.   In other words, Saint Joseph’s silence is not a sign of interior emptiness, but, to the contrary, of the fullness of the faith he carries in his heart, and which guides each of his thoughts and actions.    Through this silence, Joseph, together with Mary, keeps the Word of God made known in the Holy Scriptures, while continually setting these Scriptures against the events in Jesus’ life.   It is a silence woven with constant prayer, adoration of God’s holy will and total trust in his providence.

Let us allow ourselves to be ‘infected’ by Saint Joseph’s silence!   We have such need of it in a world that is often far too noisy, unsupportive of listening in recollection of the voice of God.   At this time, as we prepare for Christmas, let us cultivate an interior recollection, that we may welcome and keep Jesus in our lives. [December 17, 2008]

Hymn:

Peace is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me,
Spreading out into the desert, setting all the captives free.

Love is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me,
Spreading out into the desert, setting all the captives free.

Joy is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me,
Spreading out into the desert, setting all the captives free.

Hope is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me,
Spreading out into the desert, setting all the captives free.

Christ brings peace to all creation, flowing out through you and me,
Love, joy, hope and true salvation, setting all the captives free.

Let us pray.   Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever faithful to your promises and ever close to your Church, the earth rejoices in hope of the Saviour’s coming and looks forward with longing to his return at the end of time.   With the help of Saint Joseph, who served your purposes with a holy silence, prepare our hearts, and remove the sadness that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope which his presence will bestow, for he is Lord for ever and ever, Amen.

PSALM 130.   Response:

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor haughty my eyes,
I have not gone after things too great, nor marvels beyond me.   R.

Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace;
A weaned child on its mother’s breast, even so is my soul.   R.

O Israel hope in the Lord, both now and for ever.   R.

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Jesus said:  “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.   It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.   Truly, I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.

Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?  It will be good for that servants whom the master finds so doing when he returns.   Truly, I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions”.     This is the Gospel of the Lord.    [Luke 12: 35-37, 42-44].

Hymn:

Holy Joseph, Intercessor, to your name God’s children sing;
Be our Patron and Protector, to God’s throne our praises bring.
Faithful Spouse of faithful Virgin, love of God’s purity,
From your worthy place in heaven, pray that we may faithful be.

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, silent guide of God’s own Son,
Guard our hearts and lead us onward to the life that Christ has won.
Humble man in lofty station, on you God has shed his grace,
Pray such grace may lead us upward, to the eternal dwelling place.

Examination of Conscience.

Dear friends, with faith in God’s mercy, and with confidence in Saint Joseph’s prayers, let us lay bare our hearts to the Word, and let it enter us that we may ever be changed by it.

We know Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome.   When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip took Mary as his wife.   When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby.   He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.

Are we grateful for the gift of faith?  Do we protect our faith, by prayer, openness to the Scriptures, by receiving the Sacraments, by Christian living?   Do we encourage others in their faith, or are we exasperated by those who have doubts or show weaknesses in faith?

Joseph, Spouse of the Mother of God:  [all]  PRAY FOR US.

Are we open to the coming of the Holy Spirit in our lives?   Or do we presume to tell God what he must give us?   Do we refuse to accept that God answers us?   Do we resort to superstition instead of faith?

Joseph, foster father of the Son of God:   PRAY FOR US.

Have we been truthful?   Have we spread rumour or gossip, or betrayed secrets?  Have we allowed fantasy to take over our lives, including through what we read or see on television?

Joseph, head of the Holy Family:  PRAY FOR US.

Do we have a sense of wonder at what God has made?   Do we see his hand in creation?   Have we respected our fellow humans, or are we guilty of prejudice, based on race, language, belief or age?   Have we given in to anger or refused to listen?

Joseph, mirror of patience:  PRAY FOR US.

Have we honoured personal relationships, especially between husband and wife?   Have we been ready to listen to those who tell us their troubles?   Do we have sympathy for those in need, for the frail in mind and body?

Joseph, solace of the wretched:  PRAY FOR US.

Have we valued our friends, protecting and persevering in our friendships?   Have we sought reconciliation with those from whom we have become estranged?

Joseph, pillar of families:  PRAY FOR US.

Have we been over-attached to possessions, or over-addicted to work, or to leisure?   Have we lived in a healthy way, or indulged in excess?

Joseph, lover of poverty:  PRAY FOR US.

Have we been fearful of what is strange or new, or given to pessimism or despair?   Have we been over-nostalgic about the past?   Do we express hope for each new day, and thanks when the day is done?

Joseph, terror of demons:  PRAY FOR US.

Are we prepared to wait?  Are we patient, not least on the roads?  Are we grateful to those who serve us?   Do we have a sense of obedience to legitimate authority, and a readiness to accept our duties as citizens of our country?

Joseph, protector of Holy Church:  PRAY FOR US.

Let us now bow our heads and pray:  I confess to Almighty God …

Opportunity for Individual Confession.

Please stand before the priest and, without the usual preamble [“Bless me…” etc.], state the main areas of sinfulness which you have recognised.  The priest will receive your confession with gladness and thank you for it, but will not necessarily comment on it.  He will give you Absolution.  Please then return to your place so that all may share the conclusion of the Liturgy together.

An Act of Contrition [to be said together].

Lord, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, for you are goodness itself.  I wish to flee from sin and to follow your path of truth and life.  Strengthen me this day for your service, and help me to be what you want me to be.

Our Father (this constitutes the Penance associated with the Confession made and Absolution given)

Exchange of the Sign of Peace

Hymn:

Put peace into each other’s hands, and like a treasure hold it,
Protect it like a candle-flame;   with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands with loving expectation,
Choose gentle words and gentle ways;  thus honour God’s creation.

Put Christ into each other’s hands;  he is love’s deepest measure,
To peace add love, to love add joy, and share them like a treasure.

Closing Prayer, Blessing and Dismissal

[said together] Gracious and loving God, you show us mercy and make us a  new creation in the image of your Son.
Make us, in imitation of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph,
living signs of your love to all those we meet as we go forth now from this place where you dwell;
we ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

May God bless you and keep you, Amen;
may God smile upon you and be gracious to you, Amen;
may God look kindly upon you, and give you peace, Amen. May Almighty God bless you …

Hymn:

Long ago, prophet knew Christ would come, born a Jew.
Come to make all things new;
Bear his People’s burden, freely love and pardon.

Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!  Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
When he comes, when he comes, who will make him welcome?

God in time, God in man, this is God’s timeless plan:
He will come, as a man,
Born himself of woman, God divinely human.   Ring …

Mary, hail!  Though afraid, she believed, she obeyed,
In her womb God is laid;
Till the time expected, nurtured and protected.   Ring …

Journey ends!  Where afar Bethlem shines, like a star,
Stable door stands ajar,
Unborn Son of Mary, Saviour, do not tarry!

Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!  Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!

Jesus comes!  Jesus comes! We will make him welcome!

“I only beg, for the love of God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and they will see by experience what great advantages come from commending oneself to this glorious patriarch Saint Joseph, and having devotion to him.   Those who practise prayer should have a special affection for him always.  I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to Saint Joseph for the way he helped them.   If anyone cannot find a master to teach them how to pray, let them take this glorious saint as their master, and they will not go astray.”        [St. Teresa of Avila

Today’s Gospel invites us to ‘Stay awake … to stand with confidence before the Lord’. We ‘stay awake’ by paying attention to the many ways in which God is present and active in our lives and the lives of others, and we are able to ‘to stand with confidence’ if we respond in faith to that presence and action of God. Our diocesan Pastoral Plan, ‘Go Out and Bear Fruit’, is one of the ways in which we are trying to ‘stay awake’ and ‘stand with confidence before the Lord’. We all have a duty to build on the rich heritage of faith we have received so that the faith, which is so precious to us, can be handed on to the generations who come after us.

One of the key strands of the Plan is the reorganisation of the diocese into twenty four Pastoral Areas. The development of Pastoral Areas is central to the implementation of the Pastoral Plan. They enable us to be more effective in deploying and making best use of the resources God has given us. They have the potential to enhance our Communion and strengthen our sense of Mission.

At the beginning of Advent last year, I announced that during 2009 I would be making a series of visits to the leadership groups of all the Pastoral Areas. Those visits took place between January and July and have proved to be one of the most worthwhile tasks that I have undertaken during my time as Bishop. Each visit gave me information as to how the various parish communities in each Pastoral Areas were making progress towards uniting with neighbours and thus becoming more interdependent. We have to work together collaboratively and generously for the achievement of the Communion and Mission to which Christ has called us.

The days when parishes could afford to be fiercely independent have gone. To my great satisfaction, the visits revealed immense commitment and enthusiasm from the lay members of the pastoral groups. This is a key factor for the future flourishing of the diocese.

But, in this Year of the Priest, I cannot emphasise too strongly that our priests and deacons are always going to be crucial to the life of the diocese and never more so than now, as we set about the implementation of the Pastoral Plan. Their dedicated pastoral ministry ensures that Communion and Mission are at the heart of all we do. Priests and deacons are vital to the development of the life of the Pastoral Areas. The effective functioning of Pastoral Areas also ensures that the pastoral ministry of clergy does not always have to be weighed down, and  even overburdened, by the demands of “office.”

This increasing involvement and collaboration between priests, deacons and laity is a salutary reminder of that long standing tradition that the Church can never be simply a clerical preserve. The whole body of the faithful – bishop, priests, deacons and the laity – together form the baptised community which constitutes the Church today. We now have a clearer and shared vision of what the Church is
– the Body of Christ, in which everyone has a unique part to play.

Bearing in mind that relationships should come before structures, the continuing implementation of the Pastoral Plan needs us to work hard at those relationships that already exist or are emerging. They are the key to the new structures, which will evolve gradually. We need to continue to build them up within and beyond our Pastoral Areas through the sharing of resources, working and praying together and actually loving and caring for each other. We may have to be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel, for example, being challenged to give up or share something dear to our own community for the greater good of the whole Pastoral Area.

My pastoral visits in 2009 were designed to encourage the implementation of the Pastoral Plan. They were also occasions of great encouragement for me personally, and I will be repeating them between mid-February and the end of June 2010.

I wish you all every joy at the start of this Advent season and, in the words of today’s Gospel, I pray “we should stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.” (Lk 21:36)
I wish you all every blessing and happiness at this time. May the Lord be with you all.

+Crispian

Fr Thomas Byrne

Father Thomas Byrne

Father Thomas Byrne, priest at St Boniface, wrote in the Catholic Magazine several pieces for the Catholic community at St Boniface, Foundry Lane, Southampton for Advent.

“Christ came unto his own and His own received him not. People now don’t want Him. He is not wanted in Parliament; in society there is no room for him, for Society has discovered it can get on better without Him and His religion which is out of date and dull. The four friends who are intimately associated with Jesus are Humility, Poverty, Purity and Chastity”

“During Advent we prepare for Christmas. The Church’s Advent message to us is the message preached to the Jews by our Lord’s predecessor: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his path; do penance. Penance is the necessary preparation for his coming at Christmas. The Catholic who consciously remains during Christmas tide in a state of mortal sin cannot possibly have a happy Christmas.”

“Advent was formerly observed like a second Lent and there are still a few fasting days left during Advent. Pope St Gregory the Great appears to have made this observance a universal law for the whole church at the end of the 6th century although Advent was already at the time kept in various places”

“ALONG THE WAY” by J Buckham

There are so many helpful things to do along life’s way
(Helps to the Helper, if we but knew) from day to day!

So many troubled hearts to soothe,
So many pathways rough to smooth,
So many comforting words to say
To hearts that falter along the way.

Here is a lamp of hope gone out along the way.
Someone stumbled and fell, no doubt- But brother, stay!
Out of thy store of oil refill;
Kindle the courage that smoulders still;

Think what Jesus would do, today,
For one who had fallen beside the way.

How many lifted hands still plead, along life’s way!
The old sad story of human need reads on for aye.
But let us follow the Saviour’s plan-
Love unstinted to every man!

Content if, at most, the world should say:
“He helped his brother along the way”.

The new hymnbook

On September 1st 1910 the Bishops of England and Wales decreed that the only hymns to be sung in Catholic Churches were to be from the agreed list. This was followed soon by the version complete with the melody (tune) parts and was called “The Westminster Hymnal”

Copies were only given to the choir; the congregation could buy their own but at 6d not many people could afford one.

Christmas 1910 was the test of this new hymn book. Christmas carols were known by heart by the people so when the hymn “Angels we have heard on high” was announced, the words had been changed in several places in the new hymnbook. The result was that the choir sang the new version while the people sang the words of their old favourite!

Thanks to the helpers

Interior of Shirley tin church from May 1911's edition of 'Southampton & Woolston Catholic Magazine and Sacred Heart Messenger'

Mrs Sarah Wosikowski (the church caretaker) made new vestments and renewed the felt covering of the sanctuary.

Many parishioners were thanked for providing the evergreens and plants and palm trees used to decorate the church!

Second Week of Advent – Time is short

John the Baptist was the Messiah’s precursor, the one who announced the Kingdom of God to Israel and the world. John announced Jesus’ coming in the first century. He also warns Christians today that the Kingdom is near. We must get ready; time is getting short. We need to wake up, repent and “bear good fruit.” This week, think about John’s warning and how it might apply to yourday-to-day life.

Monday: The healing of our spirits

Is 35:1-10; Lk 5:17-26
The Kingdom of God means restoration: The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame leap. True healing begins internally, with the healing of the spirit.

In what ways has Jesus healed your inner soul so that your life has been less “paralysed”?

Tuesday: Comfort my people

Is 40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14
The Good Shepherd is concerned about each and every one of us and does not allow any to be lost without searching for and finding us.

How can you seek out those who are lost and bring them back to God?

Wednesday: Weary and burdened

Is 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
Our duties and problems become “light and easy” as Jesus helps us carry the load.

Are you weary and carrying heavy burdens, especially at this time of year? How can you take Jesus’ “yoke” and find rest?

Thursday: Water in the wilderness

Is 41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15
Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Kingdom promises flowing waters in the dry desert, enough for everyone to drink.

In what ways are you “thirsty and dry” today?

Friday: Being watched

Is 48:17-19; Mt 11:16-19
John the Baptist was criticised for being too austere; Jesus for not being austere enough. As members of the Kingdom, we are being watched by those who have not yet come to faith.

How do you convince others that the Kingdom is real?

Saturday: The new Elijah

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11; Mt 17:9a, 10-13
John the Baptist was the “Elijah” who was to be the Messiah’s herald. We can fulfill the role of Elijah today by showing Jesus to those around us.

How can you be the “salt” that makes people thirsty for Jesus, the “light” in darkness?

In these weeks before Christmas, Jesus’ advice is especially fitting. Life is hectic. We are overloaded, frantic to get everything done before Christmas. Advent is the Lord’s call to us to “come away by yourself and rest a while.”

Advent is a time for waiting, a time for quiet contemplation, a time to sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” instead of Christmas carols. We wait and remember Israel’s wait for Jesus’ birth into the world. We wait for Jesus’ coming into our hearts. We wait for his coming at the end of time. We wait.

First Week of Advent – The coming Kingdom

This week’s readings are about the promised Kingdom. Jesus’ coming in his birth was the “first installment” of the Kingdom. The ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies will happen when Jesus returns at the end of time. This is what we wait for all our lives here on earth. This week, during your quiet time, think about Isaiah’s graphic descriptions of the Kingdom, and imagine seeing all of it with your own eyes.

Monday: All are welcome

Is 2:1-5; Mt 8:5-11
Although Jesus’ coming as Messiah was first to the nation of Israel, he is given for all of us, all nations, all people. Death, war and violence will not exist in the Kingdom.

How can you work to remove conflict from your life?

Tuesday: Redeemed nature

Is 11:1-10; Lk 10:21-24
In the coming Kingdom, even nature is to be saved. The animals will not fight or bite or eat one another. “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

How can you make your life peaceful?

Wednesday: The feast of God

Is 25:6-10a; Mt 15:29-37
Isaiah describes a great feast that will take place when Jesus returns. Jesus gave people a preview of that feast when he fed the four thousand. Feeding people is a sign of love and care.

What are your favorite dishes? Do you make best use of food, or do you use too much?

Thursday: Building on the rock

Is 26:1-6; Mt 7:21, 24-27
We members of the Kingdom build our lives on the rock of Christ instead of the “sands” of the world’s values. Thus, we are able to withstand trouble and tragedy.

In what ways has Jesus, the Rock, steadied you through the storms of life?

Friday: The most important miracle

Is 29:17-24; Mt 9:27-31
In the Kingdom, all will come to know God’s wisdom. Even those who “err in spirit” and “grumble” will accept God’s teaching, Isaiah says.

In your life, how has God taught you true wisdom, and how can you share your insights with others?

Saturday: Personal guidance

Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Mt 9:35—10:1, 5a, 6-8
Isaiah writes, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Each of us has the ability to hear God’s word and receive his guidance when we are quiet enough to listen.

How often do you make time to be still, to allow God to speak to you?

As part of my celebration of this year of St Paul, I have been spending some extra time re-reading and studying the pastoral letters he wrote to the communities to whom he had preached the Gospel. It is striking that he almost always begins his letters with words of love and affirmation. Today’s excerpt from the letter to the Corinthians is no exception. He writes:

“I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ … You have been enriched in so many ways … the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you.”

After nearly 21 years in the diocese, I feel that I can write to you in a similar vein. It has been a privilege and a joy for me to be your Bishop and every day I thank God for His gifts to you and for the generous support and faithful response you have always given me as we have tried to explore the Gospel together.

In recent years, we have been trying to tease out how we can become even more faithful to the Lord in our witnessing to our Christian faith, both as individuals and as a community. As a result of extensive consultation, we now have our own diocesan Pastoral Plan. It is the implementation of that plan which particuarly concerns us now and some of its implications have far-reaching consequences for how we see and structure the diocese. Those consequences deeply challenge us.

Not the least among the challenges has been the establishment of 24 Pastoral Areas. Our aim and hope in setting them up is that they will help us to make us more effective in deploying and making best use of the resources with which God has gifted us for our work of enhancing our Communion and strengthening our sense of Mission.

Although the diocese may look like a loose community of disparate and individual parishes, I make no secret of the fact that the long term aim of the emphasis on Pastoral Areas in the Pastoral Plan is that each Area should eventually become a parish. Contrary to the fears expressed by some, this does not entail the wholesale closing of churches but it does mean developing the collaboration and communion between the various communities in each Pastoral Area so that we can be both more united as a diocesan family and more effective in our witness to the Gospel.

Already three Areas have become canonically established parishes and, whilst I am very aware that, for very good reasons, different parts of the diocese develop at different speeds, it is my wish – and the intention of our Pastoral Plan – that this should be the eventual pastoral structure of our diocese: 24 parishes with priests and people working even more closely together for the spread of the Kingdom.

With this in mind, I will be visiting the leadership groups of all the Pastoral Areas in the course of the coming year to see where they are in terms of that long-term vision. These will be visits of encouragement for the future journey and of commendation and affirmation for the considerable steps that have already been taken. Great progress has been made and I thank God for your generous committment and fidelity to the Lord and his Word, which leads us into His way.

It helps us to experience anew the truth of Isaiah’s words that the Lord is our Father; that He is the potter, we are the clay and we are all the work of His hand.

For these visits to the Areas, I will be accompanied by the appropriate Vicar General and by a member of the Department for Pastoral Formation. As well as dealing with questions about Pastoral Areas, I will be reminding you all of the centrality and importance of the Eucharist, without which we cannot be truly Catholic. In the light of that priority, I will also be affirming and emphasising the crucial role that has been played, and which continues to be played, by our priests and deacons, for, as St Paul reminds us, we are

“truly enriched by our teachers and preachers”

Priests are indispensable to the success of the Pastoral Plan because without Eucharist, Word and Sacrament, celebrated and preached, we cannot flourish. Never stop praying for your priests and deacons; treasure and value them as I do and implore the Lord unceasingly that He will continue to give us all the vocations to priesthood, to the diaconate and to the religious life that we need.

Today, we enter the great season of Advent with its wonderful sense of expectation and joy. As we begin to prepare, not only for Christmas, but for a renewed and enriched experience of the presence of the Lord among us now, listen to the Lord as He exhorts us to

“stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming … he must not find you asleep. I say to you: stay awake!”

I wish you every joy and happiness at this time and may God bless you all.

+Crispian

And in this time of Advent,
we join our voices with those throughout history
who have spoken of a different kind of world
and a different kind of saviour –
the prophets the wise ones the peace-makers.
Wait with them.

Imagine what the prophets’ words might be
to the extraordinary world that surrounds us today
this world that breathes both chaos and beauty
despair and delight
poverty and peace,
A world that, with every heartbeat,
is evidence of love’s resilience and fragility
Imagine how they would rewrite the headlines
just like Mary did once before…

God has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
God has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty…

One day, God says.
Just wait…
Still your heartbeat for a moment.
Find the place within you
where you can escape from the shopping lists
from the diaries, queues and expectations
from time that won’t stand still
from tensions that won’t be resolved
find the place where God’s hope can hold hands with your stress
and wait…

When the Christ Child was born,
the story tells us nothing was ready for him
no cradle
no pram
no freshly painted nursery
no 000 sized clothing (in both pink and blue, just in case)
just some cloth to wrap him in.

…In spite of all that will go wrong
in spite of the frustration and stress
in spite of the mess of the world and our lives
in spite of there being nowhere for him to fit
the Christ Child will be born.

Just wait.

Cheryl Lawrie