Well how did it go? You may ask “what go”? We had our celebration marking our return to church after the part that the coronavirus has played in recent times. It is good to say “very well indeed”, as is the human situation, a sense that of course it could have been better. Certainly the heart of the event was in the right place. The liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption could not have suited our situation better. As Catholics, we have long memories of different events associated with this feast over the years. For us, when we were children it had particularly great memories, being the high point of the year. Again, even then the human element, it also marked thoughts of having to return to school, the passing year, bringing with it change.
This may be a key note for us, as we hold our post mortems. The liturgy of the mass is at the heart of our future and gives us great confidence that we have got something good to build on. The excellent work of Gary through the streaming of the pictures, gave us access to recall the “hearts of gold” that we have lost in recent times. They have left us with a very special legacy and with their deaths comes real sadness and great loss. The presentation ignited memories of these special people. We are greatly blessed, by the legacy that they have left.
The children’s liturgy team gave us a special focus on what our lives as Catholics are all about. The Scripture, the teachings, the tools, that if we use we can develop and strengthen our faith. When I hear mention of the return of the word “obligation” to go to mass, I shudder. How can we get it so wrong? Of course I can hear of it as a mortal sin if you do not eat. If you never eat you will die. We need our food to nourish our bodies, and in the same way we need to nourish our spiritual lives. I accept that the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and through God’s providence He finds ways of looking after us in our own particular needs or circumstances. Ultimately it is our faithfulness to His will His way for us to serve Him.
It is a great sadness that here in Europe, and I do accept the great scandals in the Christian Churches and Institutions that have caused people to turn their backs upon them. The unfolding developments in our world, with Afghanistan at the moment, climate change, the danger that there will have to be large scale migration, turmoil, highlight our human existence. We can allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and lose our sense of purpose, but against all of that, God’s great gift to us each Sunday – The promise that the Feast Day holds out for us, the resurrection of Our Lord and its promise for all of us. Yes, to the treasured memories of those gone before us marked with the sign of faith, yes to the teaching of our children’s catechist, yes to our needs for help, especially for our music ministry, yes to the firm foundations to build upon as we go along.
Hard work that was done by a few, the hall was cleared, the seating beautifully prepared, and the food was second to none. My sense that I should have supported and sold it better, could be re-echoed, and our way forward is in working with this, understanding and supporting. A sense of thanks for the legacy that we have been left with, a sense of confidence that we can do better, and our two communities, but only with the reality of a new generation working for us. This truly highlights the essential gifts of modern means of communication, and the will to live and to learn together, with God’s help, strength and protection.