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3rd Sunday of Lent - Homily |
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I knew for some time that Canon John Walls had been seriously ill but when I heard last Sunday that he only had hours to live I was really saddened. I quickly changed my schedule and travelled down to Dumfries to share a few hours with him and his family before he died. Myself and John had been together as priest in St. John’s, Stevenston for four and a half years. I suppose we started off as work colleagues especially as I was newly ordained and was nervous working with someone who had been a formidable Seminary Rector. Yet through a varied set of Parish experiences John became my friend. Together we were able to laugh and learn from one another. And when I go to his Funeral on Monday it will be to say thanks to God for giving me a very good friend. Now John is passing into a new life with God. And that passing from death into new life reminds me of my early years as a priest when, for the first time, I was coming into contact with the RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) – the process that bring adults into the Catholic Church. Week after week those who are becoming Catholics come along to share faith and learn about various aspects of the Sacraments, the Bible and moral teachings of the Church. With John Walls’ help, I was able to see the beauty of helping people come into the Church. Of course, the highlight of the RCIA process normally comes at the Easter Vigil where the candidates receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Unfortunately this year in St. Matthew’s we will not be celebrating the Initiation of Adults until June (due to the changeover in priests last autumn). Yet still the imagery of passing from an old way of life into a new one is something that all involved in the RCIA can understand. Not just passing into the Catholic Church but also passing from sinfulness into God’s hope and peace, pass from greed into generosity, pass from death into life. I was struck this week by the image of Moses and his encounter with God in the burning bush. God was aware of the sinfulness of his people. He was aware of their greed, their hate, their killings. Yet he was offering them ‘a land where milk and honey flow’. New life. New peace. New hope. That is also the message of Lent for you and for me. That is what God is offering you – in your heart, anew life THIS Easter. So what are your penances for Lent? How are you preparing yourself to receive the new life from God this Easter? How will your heart be moved by God’s voice resounding today ‘Take off your shoes, for the place you stand on is holy ground’.
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