12 Months Later

It's hard to think that a year has passed since those magical days when our Holy Father came to visit the faithful in Britain. I was there! Here are some highlights from Day One...

Come, follow me...

"Come, follow me..."

To conclude this little meditation on the Sunday readings of August 28th I want to focus on the Gospel that we heard that day. It was from St Matthew.

Christ outlines in very clear and startling terms what is demanded of his followers. And, as before, I'll let the words speak for themselves...

"If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.What then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?"

Advice from St Paul

St Paul

I mentioned earlier in the week that last Sunday's Mass Readings were very rich with advice for a discerner.

Take a look at the Second Reading, from St Paul to the Romans. Again, it speaks for itself:

"Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do."

When discerners ask me how they can know the will of God, I often point them to this passage. St Paul's advice is to put on a "new mind". That new mind is in imitation of Christ. This is a big aid to those who are discerning. The more one lives the Christian life, the more the will of God should be easier to discern. And, of course, one cannot begin to think of religious life until one is already living the Christian life...

Jeremiah on Vocations

The Prophet Jeremiah

As I listened to last Sunday's Mass readings and Gospel I wondered if they had been written especially for discerners!

The words speak for themselves. Take a look at the First Reading from the prophet Jeremiah which I think might be of help to anyone who is intimidated by the challenge of being a Christian in a hostile environment or who has been trying to put the idea of a vocation out of their heads...

"You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.

I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.

But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion."

World Youth Day success...

An aerial view of the 1.5 million who turned out for the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Madrid.

The 26th World Youth Day has come to an end. What a great success it turned out to be.

There are some lovely video clips of the ceremonies available via our Congregation homepage. Take a look here. If you have the time, take a look at some of Pope Benedict's addresses too. Always well worth reading.

World Youth Day begins

The 26th World Youth Day opens in Madrid this evening.

Many people will tell you that they heard more clearly the voice of Christ calling them to religious life during a World Youth Day.

Let us pray that God will bless the young people gathering in Madrid, their supervisors, the organisers and our Holy Father who will arrive on Thursday.

You can listen to the World Youth Day hymn, "Firm in the Faith", below....

Vision 2012 Discernment Guide

The front cover of Vision 2012

I received in the post today Vision 2012 - the Discernment Guide published by the National Religious Vocations Conference (NRVC) in America. This publication comes out every year and is circulated across the USA and other countries. In this year's issues there is an article I wrote about my call to religious life. As I re-read it this morning, one line stood out:

"After two decades as a brother I can honestly say that this is a life of potential and promise, of excitement and adventure".

I would recommend any person discerning a vocation to get a copy and reflect on the stories of the contributors and their decision to answer the call to follow Christ. You can see the magazine here.