Sunday Reflections

On a liturgical note Canon Philip Gillespie ‘From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.’ So says the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the ministry of the angels of God (art. 336) and this month of October opens with a great feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. As Saint Basil the Great says: ‘Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading them to life.’ It is lovely to hold the thought that uniquely and individually we are protected and shepherded – you could almost say ‘nudged towards’ the fullness of life which God desires for us. That there is in the heart of God the desire and the love which will enable this to take place is a reminder that although we echo and put our trust in the words of St John – ‘God so loved the world that he gave His only Son’ (John 3:16) – we should never lose ourselves in the crowd, that idea of ‘the world’, to the extent that we think that applies to everyone else, but not to me! You and I are uniquely and particularly lovable and loved by the Holy Trinity. This does not mean we are yet perfect; to use the image of St Paul in his letter to the Church of Corinth we are running the race, seeking and searching always for the perfection to which Christ Jesus calls us (I Corinthians 9:24). In the Liturgy each day we unite ourselves to the angels as they praise the Holy Trinity (in the ‘Holy, Holy’ at Mass) and on many of the Sundays of the year we echo the words of the angels as they give thanks for the birth of Jesus (‘Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to those of goodwill’). It is good to reflect that the angels in their turn unite themselves to us as they protect and shepherd us through the difficulties and twists and turns of everyday, if only we remain attentive to their presence. Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God’s love commits me here, Ever this day be at my side, To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Sunday thoughts Mgr John Devine OBE

In recent weeks at Saint Mary of the Isle we have celebrated a succession of funerals for well-known parishioners. Each funeral has been a time of sadness. But, in a surprising way, these days have also seen the parish at its best. Parishioners have come together in support of grieving families. The funeral ceremonies have been inspiring occasions where both the faith of those who have died has been celebrated and the faith of those who grieve their loss has also been apparent. It has been a privilege as a parish priest to accompany these families at this time. And now we have been confronted with the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lord of Mann. Her death has been mourned here on the island. On Friday 16 September a special session of Tynwald, our ancient parliament, was called for the Proclamation of Charles III as the new Lord of Mann. His Excellency Sir John Lorimer presided. All aspects of public life on the island were represented, including the churches. I was asked to read a prayer on behalf of the Roman Catholic community. Each of us has reacted to the death of Queen Elizabeth in our own way. I remember clearly the day her father, George VI, died. A solemn voice emerged from the radio: ‘The King is dead.’ And then all broadcasts were cancelled, including Daphne Oxenford who presented Listen with Mother. (I was four at the time but I think she was the first woman I fell in love with.) When my father came home from the office I told him with great excitement that The King was dead. I remember being deflated when he said he’d already hear the news. And I remember the coronation. Our family gathered to watch it on Uncle Arthur’s TV. I remember heavy rain and a sea of umbrellas. I woke on 9 September, the morning after The Queen’s death, to the realisation that the world had changed. The Queen was comfortable with her faith. She didn’t push it but she didn’t hide it either. It wasn’t oversentimental. She made no secret of the fact that her faith that inspired her sense of duty. She made no attempt to convert the nation or suggest that her faith made her better than those who didn’t share it. She was a voice of integrity and stability at a time when politicians seek popularity in dividing and scapegoating. Her death has challenged us to rise above tribal differences. Whatever your views on a hereditary monarchy, Queen Elizabeth has been an exemplary Head of State. May she rest in peace.

I will sing of the goodness of God

I was recently in a local prison and met a long-term offender who both sold and took drugs. His story was typical of many of the prisoners as he shared details of the inadequate parenting that he had received. He began to believe the lie that he was no good and gave up on himself.

Every week our team would go to the prison and share something of the love of God. I watched as this man began to respond to what he heard, so much so that by the end of the month his heart had been softened. He had begun to hear the Good News of God’s love for him. He began to read the Scriptures and prayed each day. He discovered that God is good, and it changed his life. Some while back I heard a song the chorus of which repeats: ‘You’re a good, good father. It’s who you are. It’s who you are and I’m loved by you.’ If only we knew that truth in the depths of our hearts then we would give thanks because of the goodness of God. Do you really know the truth that God desires you with all the desire of a lover for the beloved? Do you know that you are the apple of God’s eye? Do you know that God is good? The Scriptures want to take you to that place where you know it’s true and all the suffering and the shame that dogs our hearts and minds can finally be put to rest as we let the essence of God fill our soul, our mind, our being. God is good and if we take time to reflect and pray and look at the Scriptures, we will discover that goodness and know that it is always present, sustaining us and guiding us. Take time to look back in your rear-view mirror and see how good God is. So give thanks for the goodness of God poured out upon us. Give thanks for the desire of God to be with us always. Give thanks with a heart full of gratitude that God is not distant and scary or capricious and nasty, as some would have us believe. Give thanks that God is good and has chosen to let that goodness overflow into this magnificent, wonderful world.

Father Chris Thomas