The Archbishop of Birmingham, Revd. Bernard Longley, has unfolded a new vision for the Diocese of Birmingham, in a pastoral letter and several resources which are available on the Diocesan website. We are called to be a Catholic diocese which is: “Faithful to the mission entrusted to us by Jesus Christ; Full of missionary disciples…
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A weekly reflection to help us meditate in daily life. Bread for the journey.
“This song is an ode to hope. When I first heard it I didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics, but the more I listened to it, the more it sunk in me, how hopeful it is.”
“I would like to encourage you to take a moment to pray now. Picture yourself in the middle of your struggles. (…) Now, put God in the picture. Revisit those images in your mind, and see if anything changes. Isn’t it comforting to think that you are not alone?”
“Til I seek Your Kingdom first, til I shine, shine like Heaven on Earth”. Such a thought-provoking line, I find. Why do you do things? Is it for your own benefit? Is it for the benefit of the community? Is it to honour God? Let us look up to the skies, let us try and see what He sees from Heaven. And let us be torches that shine brighter than the sun in this world, bringing Heaven to Earth.
If we are to be true disciples of Jesus then, just as He did, we must be prepared to shoulder whatever cross we are given. And that is the key. It is so easy to say, “I don’t fancy that cross. I’ll pick my own cross to carry and the Lord should be satisfied with that! As long as I am carrying one it doesn’t matter what it is.” Actually, it does matter. The Lord has a role, a job for each of us, and that is what He wants us to do.
… “We may feel that we are not the right people – and, yes, we do fail sometimes. The Church always needs to be reformed, repaired. We may not feel like rocks that will make a solid wall, but only like small stones. However, no small stone is useless; indeed, in Jesus’ hands even a grain of sand becomes precious, because he picks it up, gazes at it with great tenderness, fashions it with his Spirit, and positions it in the right place”…
“It’s upbeat. It’s modern. It’s full of joy, from the music to the rythm, and the lyrics are so powerful. It’s the sort of music I have listened to while getting ready for going to work, or while travelling back from a successful meeting. I’ve even listened to it whilst doing chores at home like cooking the evening meal, because it brings such good vibes, and it helps me to realise how blessed I am that God loves me like nobody else.”
“We can already share in the blessed life of heaven. When we come to Mass we are surrounded by the angels and saints. We sit and we are fed at the Lord’s table.”
You may feel that waking at 3.00 in the morning is not for you. Fair enough! But if you do find yourself awake and you know the significance of the hours, you can join people of all generations who stop the natural instinct to turn over and try to go back to sleep. You can ask God what it is He wants to share with you.
Over the next few Sundays we shall explore the gift of Holy Communion. Today let us simply hear and respond to the invitation to come to God if we want to live, and not to chase after false pleasures.
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