The Carmelite News Spring

Transcription

1 The Carmelite News Spring

2 I was in our local supermarket just after Christmas and was amazed to see huge displays of Easter Eggs and at the Bakery piles of hot cross buns. For a moment I felt as if I was dreaming but then I realized the supermarket was ensuring it was grasping a retailing opportunity. Before Christmas what struck me was the sight of trolleys piled high with people shopping as if there was going to be an emergency no the shops would be shut for two days Fr Wilfrid McGreal O.Carm so make sure nothing was forgotten!!!. Just now I was reading about the amazing amount of food wasted in Europe, the waste runs into billions and yet elsewhere people lack the basics. Here in Kent fruit and vegetables from the local farms are rejected and destroyed because they are the wrong size or shape. Let s hope that we can persuade the supermarkets that we are more concerned with the taste rather than the shape. Signs of Spring The wind has changed direction and the warm wet westerlys are giving way to icy blasts from the North East that means a cold wind blows up Tanners Street coming off the Creek and originating somewhere in the Arctic or Siberia. Despite the cold the daffodils are beginning to show, a sign of hope and the spring to come. 2

3 The harshness of the climate is nothing compared to the harshness of life. I was sad to hear of the church organist brutally beaten to death as he walked from home to play at Midnight Mass. The violence on our streets is nothing compared to the sufferings being experienced by the people of Syria. Terrible atrocities are being carried out to families caught in the crossfire and those who have fled face deprivation in crowded refugee camps. Can we keep the Syrian people in our prayers, as modern day Syria is that part of the world where the first Christian communities sprang up. Can we remember these ancient Christian communities and pray that peacemakers may be given a hearing, and justice in a spirit of mercy might prevail. Some news of friars Some good news Ged Walsh who made his solemn profession in October is going to be ordained deacon on February 11 th the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is fitting that the ordination should take place on that feast as Ged has been so involved with caring for the sick at Lourdes. The ordination will be at Thicket Priory, a Carmelite convent near York. Over the years our friars have had the privilege of ministering and supporting the nuns as part of the Carmelite Family. The Bishop of Middlesbrough Rt Reverend Terence Drainey will be the ordaining celebrant Bishop Drainey has a great love of the writings of St John of the Cross and has links with the English College in Vallodolid in Spain. The other day I was going up to London for a meeting when Brother Paul Jenkins from Aylesford joined us on the train. Paul is still completing his studies at Heythrop but he also besides his ministry at Aylesford, spends time in prison ministry at Wandsworth prison. 3

4 Paul finds the work challenging but fulfilling. Paul is a big man and he brings a great sense of reassurance. I am sure as he grows in his Carmelite Vocation that he will be, as St Paul would say, a great ambassador for Christ. More friars stories While I am thinking of my Carmelite brothers if you can pray for Fr Alphie Brennan, before Christmas he was not at all well and in hospital. I remember journeying up to see him and the prognosis didn t seem good. However the last time I saw him he was back in the nursing home and able to concelebrate mass. Thankfully he is much better and I pray he will continue to have health and strength. Fr Alphie has been generous in working for the Lord and he remembers his time in Faversham with great fondness. Many of you will know Father Francis Kemsley either from Aylesford and Faversham. This last while at Aylesford he has rediscovered his love of gardening, as a young friar he studied horticulture. Anyhow the other day working on the Rosary Way near the river disaster struck as he lost his footing and crashed down the riverbank breaking his shoulder. Fortunately there were other Fr Francis Kemsley O.Carm people working nearby to rescue him, so now Francis has to have his shoulder reconstructed, let s hope the doctors can mend the fractures. Francis has taken all this with a great sense of humour but it could have been a very serious situation. His community I think will tease him about the episode for some time to come. 4 Fr Alphie Brennan O.Carm

5 A Time for prayer Lent begins early this year with Ash Wednesday in the middle of February. When I was young I found Lent quite daunting, all the giving up made it seems strict and to be honest a little bit gloomy. Now I like to say that we are beginning the joyful season of Lent because it is a beautiful journey to Christ s saving work that culminates in the Resurrection. So the doing without is not an end in itself but a challenge to get us to have the right focus. The word Lent comes from the old English for spring, so we think of the seasons of the heart a time where all things are made new. Also Lent is a time for those desiring Baptism to make their final preparation for their new life in Christ. So Fasting, giving something up becomes more life enhancing from this perspective it is a discipline where we are helped to make positive choices we are not the slaves of our whims or of fashions. It is also a good antidote to the perpetual marketing that tries to make us believe that unless we have this or that we are lacking such marketing is so persistent that in the end it can be self defeating we are more than the total of our possessions. How can we make Lent the spring time of our heart? Perhaps the secret would be to set aside some time for quiet prayers each day. If we are busy people that could be difficult but there are times when we could clear a space to talk to our friend This is how St Teresa of Avila talked about her prayer she made it just like a conversation with a friend, but where we also stop speaking to give Our Lord a chance to break through in the silence. Really, what St Teresa tells us, is to be still in Gods presence, yes bring our needs, our praise but the silence is a 5

6 golden time. Again sometimes we say we have been distracted, but even then the distractions could have a meaning; nothing is wasted if we make the effort to be in Gods presence. Besides quiet reflective prayer praying the scriptures is a great help on our journey to Easter. I would recommend that you try and read one of the Gospels reflectively during Lent. Mark is the shortest with a great sense of mission, with Jesus giving of himself healing, teaching as he journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem.. John s Gospel is very much a contrast, the person of Jesus is the eternal Word made flesh. For the writer of this Gospel, Jesus is the personal revelation of God in this world. Jesus is the eternal, creative Word of God made flesh. The Gospel is the story of Jesus living out this divine human identity. The invitation and challenge of this Gospel is to believe that Jesus is who he said he is, The Son of the Father. Whoever sees me has seen the Father and I and the Father are one. Salvation lies in how we relate to Jesus. I hope that perhaps you will spend prayerful times with John s Gospel. St Joseph We have the Novena to St Joseph coming soon. His feast is March 19 th. I like St Joseph because he was ready to play the part that God was asking of him and he became a strong presence of protection and care. He is the carpenter who provides for the Holy Family in a quiet, unobtrusive but faithful way. Please God that we can be courageous in our day to day living having a consistency and reliability. I have mentioned before how in the difficult days when Aylesford was being restored Fr Malachy Lynch always saw St Joseph as the one who would provide and enable the work to go on. He even told the bank manager that St Joseph would be his collateral. 6

7 Many Thanks Again can I thank you for your consistent generosity in these difficult times. Your help enables us to train our student friars but above all it helps the work of the Carmelite Family World Wide. As I have mentioned before we have many young men seeking to join the Order in East Timor and in Zimbabwe. Whatever we can contribute to our work in these countries bears amazing fruit. When I first became a Carmelite our only presence in Africa was Zimbabwe, now we have communities in the Congo, the Cameroon s, Kenya, Tanzania and Burkina Faso. So your help enables these new ventures to flourish and take root. Again it s a great help if you are able to gift aid your donations, this enables us to claim back tax and this can be a considerable help. The ladies in the office asked me to remind you to tick the box in the intention sheet if you require a reply to your letter. The cost of postage just goes up by leaps and bounds. The cost of a stamp just after the war was only one penny, a far cry from the price of a stamp today. While I am touching on practicalities Easter Cards are available so if you want to order any we will be happy to send them to you. Easter is early this year; Easter Sunday falls on March 31 st. Our General Chapter Can I ask your prayers for the General Chapter of the Carmelite Order which will be held near Rome in September. This is a gathering of Carmelite Friars and their helpers from around the world. General Chapters are held every six years and they are an occasion to take stock of our apostolate and the life of the Order. The theme of our chapter this year will be to see how faithful we are to our Carmelite calling and how we are living our mission today. Worldwide there is great vitality and hope in the Order but there are challenges that we must face. As Carmelites we always have a sense of Our Lady s protection and 7

8 we need to be open to the Holy Spirits inspiration. I will be attending the Chapter along with other members of the Carmelite Family from Britain. The meetings will be good as there are strong bonds of friendship worldwide, Language is not usually a barrier and I have enough Italian to do more than order a cup of coffee. Remember our Novenas Novena to the Saint Joseph..11 th 19 th March Novena for Easter...23 rd 31 st March Novena for Saint Jude...4 th 12 th May We all need a little humour to lighten the day, I like this little quip The first five days after the weekend are the hardest I suppose that is clever but on the other hand we must not wish our lives away waiting for Fridays. May you have a prayerful Lent and Easter joy. May Our Lady, St Joseph and St Jude be our friends in heaven. Wilfrid McGreal O.Carm (Prior Provincial) Front Cover: Easter Card Design, For a copy of our newsletter please contact The Carmelite Friars, PO Box 140, ME20 7SJ England Telephone: Chaplain@stjudeshrine.org.uk Website: Facebook: A Registered Charity Reg. No: Please Remember Tick the box on the Intention Sheet if you require a reply to your letter 8