“Our forced seclusion and restricted personal freedoms have certainly reminded us all that we are not invincible and are far from in control of everything; we are dependent on others and on God“ – Archbishop Martin

It’s amazing how certain words and phrases in the Sunday readings seem to speak directly to us, as if it was planned that those lines from the Bible were chosen especially for today. But then, the scriptures are the inspired Word of God – God speaks to us in and through them; they never lose their freshness or relevance to our lives.

Today, the words that leap out at me from the lectionary are “trust”, “hope”, “life”, “love”, “truth”.

As we continue to struggle through the months of lockdown, it can be difficult to keep our spirits up. The words of today’s psalm are certainly worth praying, over and over: “May your love be upon us, O Lord as we place all our hope in you”.

There are also comforting words in today’s Gospel reading, especially for those who are sick and suffering; those who have been admitted to hospital and feel isolated from family and friends. Jesus speaks memorable words of comfort: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God still and trust in me”. I think these words would also be very helpful for our A-level and Leaving Cert students who might be feeling anxious about what happens next. “Do not let your hearts be troubled; trust in God still and trust in me”.

I notice in today’s First Reading from Acts of the Apostles, that the early Christians wanted to ensure that the preaching of the Word of God would be accompanied by practical outreach and charity towards the poor and disadvantaged. No one was to be neglected in the daily distribution of food for the needy. That is why the apostles appointed deacons like Stephen, Philip and others to ensure that the vulnerable would be nourished not only with the Word of God but would also receive food and essential daily supplies.

In recent weeks I have been impressed by the generous outreach of so many of our parishioners who have volunteered for community distribution of groceries, medicines and friendly calls to those who live alone. Earlier in the week I had an opportunity to meet with our local Knights of Malta, to hear about their work, to bless their ambulances and to pray with them for the protection of our carers and health workers.

Our parishes and dioceses have now begun to draw up their plans and “roadmaps” for a return to collective prayer as soon as it is safe to do so. It has been very difficult for us not being able to gather together in our beautiful church buildings. We’ve had to rely on spiritual communion. For this I draw strength and inspiration from the words in today’s second reading which speak about our being like “living stones” making up a “spiritual building” and Christ being the cornerstone of that building.

It is also helpful to hear in the Gospel what Jesus told His friends when they were struggling to cope with the news of His pending departure from them. They asked: ‘How will we know the way?’ Jesus said:

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.

On RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland earlier this week I heard an elderly couple being interviewed about their experience of being cocooned – cut off from their family and loved ones. It was moving to hear them speak about the daily webcam broadcasts from their local parishes, describing them as being their “lifeline”!

It strikes me that, as the Covid-19 crisis rolls on, we are all beginning to reflect a little deeper, searching for our roadmaps forward, our “lifelines”. Government announcements say that we’re headed for a ‘new normal’.

I wonder what will be my ‘new normal’? Will I have learned anything from this crisis? How will it have changed me?

I am sure that many people are growing closer to God through this crisis, realising perhaps that the way they have been living their lives has been unsatisfying at a deep level. Our forced seclusion and restricted personal freedoms have certainly reminded us all that we are not invincible and we are far from being in control of everything; we are actually quite dependent – on others and on God. Life is precious and fragile; love and family is fundamental to our safety and well-being. Not only is our physical health important, but also our mental, emotional and spiritual health. They all need to be nourished if we are to truly ‘keep body and soul together’.

As we continue our journey through lockdown and sketch out a way forward, the readings of today’s Mass certainly contain much food for thought and nourishment: words of inspiration like: ‘trust’, ‘hope’, ‘life‘, ‘love’ and ‘truth’.

And they all come together in Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.

“A number of words come to my mind today as I reflect on my own vocation story – gratitude, encouragement, unworthiness, trust, and openness.” – Archbishop Eamon Martin

On this Sunday seven years ago I was ordained as a bishop here in this beautiful Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Armagh. It was a day of great joy and celebration for me and for my family and friends – surrounded by the people, religious and priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh. I prayed that day that God would help me, in my life as a bishop to be like the Good Shepherd – I’m still trying, and still praying!

The Cathedral is empty this morning – social distancing is still keeping us physically apart, but I know that despite the restrictions we, the sheep of God’s flock, continue to be linked spiritually in this new kind of community and communion.

Good Shepherd Sunday is also the world day of prayer for vocations. A number of words come to my mind today as I reflect on my own vocation story – gratitude, encouragement, unworthiness, trust, and openness. Pope Francis also uses some of these words in his message for today.

Gratitude – I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my parents, family members, close friends and for you, the People of God, for sustaining me in my vocation as a priest, and now as a bishop. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had for education, for growth and change, and I am humbled by the immense love and support I continue to receive. I think that gratitude and thankfulness help to sustain every vocation – it’s vitally important in marriage and in the caring vocations of any kind. And it’s related to my second word, encouragement.

One of my favourite bible verses is in the letter to the Hebrews: “every day, as long as this today lasts, keep encouraging one another”. Encouragement literally means to “put fresh heart” into someone. It acknowledges that in our chosen vocations we make mistakes, but it tries not to dwell on these – it searches for the good in others, rather than concentrating on their weaknesses. Encouragement is built on the premise that we can all change, we can all do better – despite our sinfulness and unworthiness.

Unworthiness- that’s my third word. And it’s especially important for us priests, never to think that we are better than others, more especially chosen or comfortable on a pedestal- even when some good people want to put us up there. I am a sinner, and so are all priests. Sometimes young men say to me “I couldn’t be a priest, I’m too unworthy of it”. I say to them – “precisely the opposite – it is God who calls us, knowing that we are sinners”. God’s grace helps us through and no matter what our vocation, we must trust that God is always with us, despite our failings.

Trust. I choose that word because I have found that without trust in God, I am nothing at all. I love the way that Good Shepherd Sunday is chosen for vocations Sunday. The sheep know the shepherd. They hear and recognise his voice. They trust the shepherd to care for them, to pick them up when they get stuck, to search them out when they are lost and to carry them home. They rest gently to know that the shepherd sleeps across the gate of their sheepfold to protect to them from the danger of wolves and brigands. And it’s the same with us and Christ – our Good Shepherd. No matter what our chosen vocation – to marriage, to the single life, to parenting, to teaching, caring, to being a priest or religious sister or brother – trust in God is essential. It is trust that fuels my final word for today – openness.

Vocation is always open to new challenges, to new aspects of the call. It does not end with the day of ordination or the first “I do” on the wedding day. In fact the opposite. I have found that vocation unfolds gradually; all it needs is our openness and generosity to respond to what God’s will is for us. There’s an old medieval saying – “to those who do what is in them to do, God does not deny his grace”. Those words came to me last week when I spoke to a young nurse who qualified five years ago and who is working with Covid-19 patients in one of our hospitals. “I’m only realising now, she said, that nursing is my vocation from God, and although it’s really difficult and I’m afraid, I thank God for choosing it for me, and me for it”.

Without mentioning it I heard in her testimony all five of my words about vocation:

Gratitude, encouragement, unworthiness, trust and openness. May the Good Shepherd bless her and all those who are searching to find their vocation in life today. Amen.

“The sun dances on Easter morning … as surely as Christ rose on Easter morning, we will come through this, hopefully as better people, strengthened by the experience” – Archbishop Eamon

Easter message
I have an early childhood memory of my mother leaving a basin of water out in the back yard on a bright Easter Sunday morning and inviting us to look in and watch the sun dance! ‘The sun dances on Easter morning’, she told us.

It’s the kind of message of joy and hope that we all need during these difficult days.

The Easter story begins in darkness and sorrow. The disciples were hidden away behind locked doors, isolated and feeling alone, fearing for their lives. But when Christ rose from the dead he brought back the light of hope into the darkness of despair. The stone was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb. He entered through the closed doors of the place where the disciples were and he said to them ‘peace be with you.’

Easter reminds us that, as Pope Francis keeps saying, we must never let ourselves be ‘robbed of hope’. As the children’s hymn joyfully puts it:

‘They buried my body

And they thought I’d gone,

But I am the Dance,

And I still go on.

Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he’.

We know how important it is to continue to make sacrifices and to maintain the current restrictions in order to protect and save lives. Please God it won’t be too long before we can go back to singing and dancing together, to meeting and greeting, travelling and discovering, and gathering in church to celebrate and praise God.

But what will we have learned? What is this crisis teaching us about ourselves and others, about faith and hope, about the importance of caring and loving, of living simpler lives and managing our expectations? In a strange way these days of seclusion have been helping us stop and think about what we value and perhaps even question some of the ways we have been living our lives.

An old medieval carol about the life of Jesus promises that ‘Tomorrow shall be my dancing day’. We still have a long way to go in the fight against Covid-19 and its consequences. There will be many more sacrifices to make before this is all over. But as surely as Christ rose on Easter morning, we will come through this, hopefully as better people, strengthened by the experience.

A very happy Easter to you all, and to our loved ones and friends across the world this Easter time.