St Edmund of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church Online Newsletter

The Newsletter for 16/05/2010

I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS

One of the great themes of the Easter season is simply the Church – the community of the risen Christ, the growing body of men and women fired by his resurrection which we see coming to birth in our daily readings from the book of Acts. The Church’s Sacred Liturgy, through the scriptures we hear at Mass on Sundays and weekdays, invites us to deepen our love for the Church and our relationship with the risen Christ – and there are many reasons why this is an important juncture in the history of the Church for us to do this.

In the midst of this intense process of reflection and love we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the event described in the first three gospels and in Acts when the risen Christ returns to his Father in heaven. Two things which he says to his disciples before he goes help us focus our minds on this according to the gospel of St Matthew – first, ‘I am with you always’ and second, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations.’ The one statement is the guarantee of the Lord’s presence in the Church for all time; the second is his command to share the joy of knowing him with all people. Our Eastertide reflection on the Church is always outward-looking, trying to show the face of the Lord to the world; for the Church – for all our sins and scandals – is his Body on earth and the voice if his truth , the manifestation of his light. Our sins and the terrible things which sometimes happen within the Church obscure his image in the world; they hide the face of Christ. That is why the Holy Father was so right in his reflections to journalists on the way to Portugal last week to point out that the greatest danger the Church faces is from sin and evil in our midst, not outside.

Love for the Church and a resolve to share with others the tremendous joy and privilege of being a Roman Catholic Christian in 2010 not only help to bring the Easter season to a climax in this closing period of the Easter season: they are the basis for the annual day when we think about how we can communicate that message confidently, World Communications Day. We mark the observance by asking you to give money in a second collection towards the Catholic Media office, which deals with press and communications for the Bishops’ Conference in this country. The profile of the Church in this country and the preparations now well advanced for the visit of the Holy Father to Scotland and England from

16 to 19 September mean that this work is more important than ever, so please give generously. We also pray for those who work in that office and in the press offices of diocese, religious orders and Catholic agencies in this country. It is a day for praying for our Catholic papers and the journalists and others who work for them. On one level it is impressive that the Catholic community in this country can sustain four weekly papers, especially as most Catholics don’t read them at all; even though they often drive me mad ( I could devote a newsletter front page each to at least two of them) they are a sign of vigour and enthusiasm. In addition we have many monthly or bimonthly journals and the new journal from the Bishops Conference, Faith Today, launched at the beginning of this month. Last but not least there is the fastest growing means of communication of all – the internet. Catholic websites, particularly those which enable us to read so readily the teachings of the pope and the bishops, and countless Catholic blogs (many of which should carry a health warning) do enable Catholics to share with thousands our convictions and beliefs – but of course that demands that the job is done accurately and well. We are in such a different position from Christians of earlier times. For most of the Church’s history the vast majority of believers had the faith communicated to them entirely by face to face encounter with a priest in Church or elsewhere; the bishop might be seen once a year, the pope never for most people – now we can access so much with the click of a mouse. While this is a great gift it also means that we need to act responsibly and in the interests of truth.

Here is the special prayer for today:

‘O God, whose word is truth and in whose light we see light; guide those who tell the story of our times through word and image. Make them seekers after truth and advocates fo human dignity. Grant discernment to all who rely on their labours, and, as we confront the pain and promise of this world, awaken in us a sense of wonder at your presence and of longing for you peace.