We are about to bless this magnificent new stand and grounds.  I congratulate all those who put it here and especially the Armagh County Board led by Paul Duggan and Paddy Nugent.

As we do so we praise God for many things – for the enjoyment of sport – for giving us so many people in Armagh and in the GAA in particular – who are prepared to work to provide facilities like this stand for the benefit of the community.  In this blessing we ask God’s protection on all who will come here that it may be a good experience.  

We are here to thank God for our health and mental well-being and for all the enjoyment which, in the days to come, and tonight in particular, comes from our games.

We are here to congratulate and thank all those who played a part in the provision of this stand and to hope that there will be many to follow in their steps by giving of their time and talents to improve and enhance the games.

Finally, let us hope for a fine game of football as we welcome the Dublin team and their supporters.

Today we celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.  It is one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.  It is for us to discover the source of that joy and to rejoice in it.  Christ was brought by Mary, His Mother, and St Joseph to the Holy Temple.

Jesus is presented in the Temple and offered to God, the Father, as every first born Jewish child was offered.  He is dedicated and consecrated to God.  His presentation brings great joy to the holy women and men of the Old Testament and represented by Simeon and Anna.  For by presenting Jesus in the Temple Mary and Joseph brought true worship one step closer.  It reaches its fulfilment in the Mass, which is our joy to celebrate together.

This Feast was first celebrated in Jerusalem.  Then it came to Rome where a penitential procession was added.  Then it went to France and they added the candles.  Where did the candles come from? The candles are suggested by the role of Christ who today is proclaimed as the Light of the Gentiles.  The light of the nations – the light of us all.  Now we have the Feast of the Presentation as World Day of Religious Life.

Today when we enter our Church we are also going into the Temple.  We enter in a spirit of worship, the same worship which Jesus brought through His love and His obedience to the Father.  As we enter we remember that we too are temples of God.  Our bodies and our souls are God’s dwelling place.

Today Christ comes to meet His chosen people.  We rejoice in His presence.  Christ comes to meet His faithful people who wait for Him with faith.  He is the faithfulness of God in person, the one who fulfils all our hopes, the light that guides our every step.

So, we lined ourselves up behind dear old Simeon and Anna in procession to follow them and to present ourselves to Christ.  Once again, as on the day of our Profession or Ordination, we entrust ourselves to Christ who is ever faithful, who can never deceive nor be deceived.  We implore Him to be our constant guide to lead us to the fullness of glory.  We renew our own dedication, our consecration and our profession to the Father.  We do this so that we can, in turn, bring Christ to the world around us – a world that is in dire need of Christ to give it hope.

Somebody said to the Presentation of the Child.  Jesus was his Rite of Profession, by which Jesus, or rather his parents vowed him to God.  This put me thinking, today I want to give thanks to God, for the lives of all of you, lives that have been dedicated to God by reason of your religious profession.  We recall that religious life has always held a place of high honour in the eyes of the church.  It is vitally important that we remember that fact.  From the earliest centuries the Church has always celebrated the act of religious profession with great solemnity and beautiful liturgical rites.  Perhaps for a moment you could recall that day.  We recall those who were professed with you on that beautiful day.  The Second Vatican Council directed that the rite of religious profession should be revised with greater unity, simplicity and dignity.

Today we give thanks to God for the millions who have dedicated themselves to the service of God in religious life down through the centuries, for all your colleagues and confreres.  We remember with joy the many various forms which religious life has taken over the centuries,  under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the benefits it brought to the Church and the world.

The Church received your vows.  The Church, the Body of Christ, begs continually God’s grace for all religious and public prayer, as a mark of affection and gratitude and appreciation.

The Church on the day of your Profession placed you in God’s hands.  It blessed you and united the offering which you were then making to the offering which Christ made on the Cross.  As you entered the Novitiate, you asked for God’s grace during that special time of testing and discernment.  First profession followed and then final profession.  Before God and the Church, you asked for God’s merciful love and for the grace of serving God more perfectly in your religious community.  You asked to be allowed to dedicate yourselves to God and to the Kingdom by making profession in your religious community.

Today then we give thanks to God, for every religious profession – First Profession, Final Profession; for every renewal of profession of vows; the profession of those here present, of those of the members of your communities here in Ireland and throughout the world.  We thank God today for the gift of every religious profession.

We remember that every religious profession is a response to a call from God,  a call that is at once an invitation to grow in holiness, in other words, to become more like Christ,  a call to promote the good of the Church, but not only the well-being of the Church but the well-being of the whole human race.

I waited, I waited for the Lord
And he stooped down to me;
He heard my cry
He put a new song into my mouth
Praise of Our God

These words are in the Responsorial Psalm this evening and I offer them for John McAreavey and the Harte and McAreavey families as they mourn the death of Michaela and wait for her funeral.  

We pray that the Lord will hear their cry, and the cries of all who are devastated by this terrible tragedy.  We ask for the gift of consolation in the midst of devastation.  May the Lord stoop down to each one and hear their cry – the same Lord who stooped down to become one of us.  He himself wept at the death of Lazarus, his friend.  Jesus felt the pain of loss and the shock of sorrow.  He also wept for the City of Jerusalem – the beloved capital City of his people – because they refused to accept him.  

So much of life is a case of waiting – waiting for events – for results – for the end.  As we wait, the Lord does not ask for big sacrifices – but for an open ear.  An ear that listens – listens with attention to what he is saying and responds as Jesus did.
Here I am, Lord.  I come to do your will.

The important thing to remember is that the God whom we love and desire is really present in the waiting as well.  John the Baptist was out in the wilderness – he too was waiting – waiting for the long awaited Saviour of the World.

Lord – there is the Lamb of God

We are familiar with the name.  We hear it three times in every Mass.  But I wonder what did it mean to his listeners when John said them for the first time?  He points to Jesus – a grown man – and calls him a lamb – granted a special type of lamb – the Lamb of God – but still a lamb.

I am sure many of them would have thought of the Paschal Lamb – the lamb that every Jewish family took and killed at the Feast of Passover.  It was to commemorate the time they were set free from slavery in Egypt.  When John added the words:  “who takes away the sin of the world”.  John recognises Jesus – ‘Look, there is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world’.

Like the lamb – the man Jesus will be killed.  This is the Lamb of God – the Son of God – sent into the world by a God who made the world and loves the world and therefore it is good and peopled with human beings to whom he gave free will.  But human beings proceeded not to listen to the love of God and chose not to obey the law of God, which is a law that flows from God’s love for us.  When John pointed out Jesus, and called him the Lamb of God, he goes on to talk about Baptism.  

There is mention of two types of baptism.  John baptised with water.  It was a sign for those who repented of their sins in response to his plea.  But Jesus would come later and would baptise with water and the Holy Spirit.  You and I have been baptised with water and the Holy Spirit.  Water is poured and the words:  ‘I baptise you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ and at that moment, something wonderful happened – you and I became Children of God – brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.  Because we are his brothers and sisters, we are invited into a special friendship with Jesus Christ.  We are to listen to His Word and respond to that Word in our praying.  It is never good manners not to answer when spoken to.  

But we are also expected to live up to our dignity as Children of God.  I know a mother who meets objections from her children when she urges them to pay attention to the kind of lives they live.  They answer:  “Yes mother, you would be strong on the morals”.   Well, of course, we should call pay attention to the kind of life we live.

St Paul certainly hints as much when he tells the Corinthians Christians that they are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere – who pray to Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Now I know that we all shy away from being called holy or saints because we are too well aware that we have sinned.  But, despite the fact that we are sinners and often fail, Jesus has entrusted to his followers – to those who believe him – the task of continuing his work in the world – of going out to bring His message to the ends of the earth.  We are all his servants -to be a light to the nations – so that his saving message may reach the ends of the earth.

Last Tuesday I rang a Loreto nun in Mauritius to ask her help when news of the tragedy broke.  What was she doing?  She is in her 80s and has spent all her life on the missions.  She was attending a meeting of the pioneers.  To quote her own words:  “to try and get them off the booze”.  In other words, she was trying to convince them that alcohol is something good but if it is not used wisely, it can enslave people and wreck their lives.  Sister Teresa was trying to convince her listeners that, with the help of God, they can use the good things of this earth in a way that gives joy to God.

Jesus came to set us free – free from being enslaved.  He is the Lamb of God who took away, not only the sin of the world, but our sins also.  We have been set free – let us rejoice in our freedom.

AMEN

Dear SIGNIS delegate,

I would like to welcome all of the SIGNIS delegates to their first meeting in Ireland.

On your arrival, I hope that your received our world renowned warm welcome and hospitality.  Most importantly, I trust that your deliberations and reflections held during your Dublin meeting were fruitful and that they will aid the future plans of SIGNIS.

This week the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, in his message for World Day of Social Communications 2011, reminds us that “direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith”.  Mindful of this advice, SIGNIS, as the World Catholic Association for Communications, holds a special responsibility to support its members in encouraging young people to engage with those who are leaders in shaping contemporary culture through film and documentary making.

In particular, I wish to commend the work of SIGNIS in its efforts to try and build bridges with the different regions of Europe.  It is important that the Association continues to challenge the marginalisation of our Christian culture in Europe through its various activities in film, television, internet and in other media.

As a member of SIGNIS the Catholic Communications Office of the Irish Episcopal Conference will continue to contribute to the Association’s objectives.

I wish you well regarding your forthcoming SIGNIS biannual assembly, involving all member countries in Europe, which will take place in Budapest in June 2011.

Yours faithfully in Christ,

+ Seán Brady

Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland

* Pope Benedict desires the Bible to be not simply a word from the past but a living timely word … the Scriptures not only acknowledge our fears but they identify our desires and indicate the key to their fulfilment
* Passing on the faith from one generation to another has always been a challenge
* Four characteristics of parish pastoral councils: faith formation and education, community life, liturgy and prayer, and outreach to those in need
* We live in a deeply individualistic time where everyone loves to be independent but wherever we are, we are all interdependent – whether we like to admit it or not

I like nature programmes on radio and television.  I suppose that is why I simply love a story in the book being launched this evening.  It is about the lessons to be learned from the wild geese as they fly in V formation to their wintering grounds in the slob land around the coast.

Now geese are often regarded as simpletons but listen to this: science has discovered that by flying in V formation, the whole flock adds over 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.  Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the drag and resistance of trying to do it alone and it quickly gets back into line.

When the lead goose gets tired he rotates back and another flies point.  The geese flying in formation “honk” to encourage those up front to maintain speed.  When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it.

I think all of that is simply amazing and offers so much food for thought – not just for Parish Pastoral Councils but perhaps for the Church in general.  I am very pleased to launch Parish Pastoral Councils – A Formation Manual, written by Debra Snoddy, Jim Campbell and Andrew McNally.  Could I immediately begin by asking your prayers for Father Andrew McNally who is seriously ill at this time.

The authors provide slim details about themselves but just enough to indicate their considerable experience of life in parish communities, their familiarity with the Word of God and with the particular needs of parishes today.  I want to pay tribute to the outstanding work done by Debra Jim and Father Andy over a number of years.

I see this volume as the latest of a trilogy published in recent times in the Church which gives me great hope.  The first was The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.  It is the fruit of Pope Benedict’s reflections on the work of the Synod on the Word of God which was held two years ago.  The Holy Father says he hopes that its publication will have a real effect on the life of the Church – on our personal relationship with the Sacred Scriptures, on their interpretations in the liturgy and in Catechesis and in scientific research.  He earnestly desires the Bible to be not simply a word from the past but a living timely word.

It was my privilege to represent, along with Archbishop Martin, Ireland at that Synod.  I am very pleased that this document has lots of gems to offer us hope.  For example, in the Scriptures we discover an answer to our heart’s deepest desire.  God speaks and acts in history for our good.  God listens to our needs and our pleas for help.  The Word of God can help us unite with Christians of other Churches.  It lists four activities which help us come to unity in faith.  The Holy Father reminds us that he had already said the quality of homilies needs to be improved.

The second document that gives me great hope is Share the Good News – launched last week.  It also is a manual – a Directory for Catechesis in Ireland.  It says that the compassionate love, healing and peace which Christ offers to the Church and to all peoples, contains real treasures.  Treasures, because they have the power to teach us, and future generations, how to be the body of Christ in our own time and place and to bring Christ’s compassionate love to all.

My hope is that Share the Good News will help people to see that the message of Jesus does indeed point the way to true joy. It does so by finding answers to questions about the existence of God, and the after-life and a whole range of other issues.

The final beacon of hope is Parish Pastoral Councils – A Formation Manual which is being launched here today.  I congratulate the authors on its timely publication.  This book is about the creation and sustainment of a Parish Pastoral Council.  It outlines, in great detail, what needs to be done to form, enable and sustain a group of people who will work, with the clergy, to enhance the ministry of the parish.  I like the honesty that says that the formation of a Parish Pastoral Council is but a step on the journey of renewal.  But it is the kind of step that can bring new life and love to the parish and its people.  That is what counts.

I once attended a seminar where we were asked to envisage the perfect parish.  After a lot of scratching of heads and biting of biros – four main areas were identified.  Happily this Manual identifies those same areas as of concern for a parish pastoral council.

The first area of concern is that of WORD

It refers to the area of faith formation and education – at home, at school and at parish level.  It would include the study of the Bible and of the Catechism for adults and minors.  Passing on the faith from one generation to another has always been a challenge. While we know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News, there are a lot of other Gospels out there proposing their own version of Good News.  There are those who consider God as irrelevant and the presence of God as a violation of personal freedom.

Yet, in our own times, many things in which we are often tempted to put our trust have proved ephemeral – passing.  The blunt truth is that it is useless to waste time on those things which have shown themselves incapable of fulfilling the deepest yearnings of the human heart.  So a new realism is called for.  Those who build their hope on the Word of God possess that realism.  Building on the word of the One who is before all things, they are building in a sound and lasting way.

The second area is COMMUNITY

Community life refers to the ways in which we welcome and support each other in a parish especially in times of difficulty such as sickness, recession and tragedy.  It is about creating a sense of welcome and belonging and ownership and solidarity in the parish. We live in a deeply individualistic time where everyone loves to be independent but wherever we are, we are all interdependent – whether we like to admit it or not.  We have seen a remarkable example of how a parish supports its grieving families in time of tragedy in the parish of Errigal Kieran in Co Tyrone in recent days.  I wish to express my deepest sympathy to John McAreavey on the death of his wife Michaela, and to her parents Marion and Mickey and to her brothers Mark, Matthew and Michael Harte.

A third important area refers to liturgy and prayer – how we give praise and glory to God instead of yielding to the temptation of worshipping and glorifying ourselves.  Last Sunday we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus – the second manifestation of Jesus as Saviour.

In St Matthew’s Gospel – after his baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus goes out into the desert to fast and be tempted.  Even though he was weakened by his fasting, Jesus found the strength to repel the suggestions of the evil one.  He does so each time, thanks to the help of God’s word – thanks to the assurance of the Father:  “This is my beloved son”.

Many would say that we are in the desert at this moment.  Any of you who have gone from Jerusalem to Jericho through the Desert of Judea know what the desert looks like – a wild and dangerous place.  But, like the sea, the desert is both a barrier to and a means of communication.  Israel – the Chosen People – first met God in the desert.  We meet God in times of crisis.  Crises abound right now.  People feel lost, confused and helpless at these times.

A few years ago self-confidence reigned supreme – the sky was the limit and the world our oyster.  Although expectations were unrealistic, warnings went unheeded.  Then the sudden change.  What went wrong?  Where do we turn?  Biblical faith insists – the God of Hope is most powerfully present in a season of hopelessness.  Israel met God in the crisis of the desert.

In the New Testament the desert is the time of testing and temptations and of failure but it is also a time of triumph when the Chosen People found favour with God.

One of the most joyful days for me of the last year was 6 June.  On that evening, representatives of the sixty-one parishes processed into St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh behind their individual parish banners.  They had come to proclaim that the aim of the diocese was to be the Body of Christ.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we try to live like Jesus in our time and place, sharing his compassionate love with all.

So it is not a question just of sharing news – good and all as it may be.  We are called to share the compassionate love and healing power of Jesus Christ.  That takes us to the fourth area of concern for Parish Pastoral Councils.  It is that of outreach which means caring for those in need, including the sick, suffering and the poor.

History tells us the importance of the re-discovery of God’s word.  It has always proved to be a well-spring of renewal in the Church.  The Word of God understands and guides us in our present trials.

The Scriptures not only acknowledge our fears but they identify our desires and indicate the key to their fulfilment.  We must always remember that the same Holy Spirit that was involved in writing the Sacred Scriptures is also present in the reading of the Sacred Scripture.  Read in a context of prayer, the Word of God can change the perspective.  It can enable us to see that what appeared as impossible moments of crises and difficulty in reality proved to be a wonderful occasion of possibility.

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God – a real hearing of the Word of God – the hearing in which we really meet and know Christ.  A living faith insists on sharing the Good News.  That is why I think we have here the framework for a renewal of faith in Ireland.  The common thread is the encounter with Christ.  The grace of Baptism gives to the baptised not only the power but the responsibility to address these concerns.  But, sad to say, if God’s word is not heard and there is no faith, well God can easily be considered irrelevant.  The result is that God disappears off the horizon.

With the dimming of the light which comes from God, to quote a phrase of Pope Benedict – ‘humanity loses its bearings’.  That is a sad place to be.  But humanity can rediscover its bearings.

For those who encounter Christ and become his Heralds certainly do not lose their way.  They play their part in ensuring that God’s life can spread and, as they do so, they experience an immense joy, a joy that has its source in the heart of God, a joy that comes from knowing that Jesus has the words of everlasting life.

I hope that this book does well.  May it help us all to fly in formation, honking to keep each other going, not just to the slob-land but to the fresh and green pastures of eternal life.

Thank you.