Homilies by Revd George Kingsnorth (Deacon)

Homily-2024-05-25-The Most Holy Trinity

Homily
The Most Holy Trinity
Sunday 26th May 2024
First reading
Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 32(33):4-6,9,18-20,22
Second reading
Romans 8:14-17 ·
Gospel
Matthew 28:16-20
 
Today we celebrate The Most Holy Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In this Trinity of names, we have been Baptised, placing an indelible mark on us that cannot be removed. As we start and end Mass, we bless ourselves in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In the creed, we express our faith, and our belief in the Holy Trinity. In the last few weeks Jesus has told us that we did not choose him, but that he chose us to be his body, the church. Solomon built the first Temple to be God’s house. God did not ask for a house to be built. Solomon’s father King David had gone from being a shepherd boy to a great King in a palace, and thought the Word of the Lord, in the Arc of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone, should also be placed in a building. David’s mind had still not grasped how infinite God is.
The Israelites sinned against God and under King Nebuchadnezzar, from Babylon, the first temple was destroyed, and the people went into exile. Seventy years later, King Cyrus from Persia brought them back, and he was commissioned by God to build a second Temple. This was destroyed after the Third Temple.
Jesus is the Third Temple. The true temple of God. God the Son humbled himself because of God’s love for us, to be born to a virgin and made flesh, to dwell amongst us, to experience what we do, but without sin. And to submit to death as a Sacrificial Lamb, offered for all our sins, from the beginning of time until its end. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.
The Third Temple was rebuilt again, on the third day, the day of Our Lord’s Resurrection. Many times, the Spirit of God came through a messenger to the prophets, to Joseph and Mary separately to bring them Good News and they observed what was asked of them.
As God the Son, Jesus has been given all authority in both heaven and earth. He commands all of us to go out and make disciples of every nation of this planet, so they can be baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We are to teach them to love one another as we love ourselves and love God the Trinity. This does not make us slaves, oppressed by a regime that has only selfish desires.
God wants us to call him Father because through our baptisms we are children of God, co-heirs with Christ. In this world, because of our belief, we will suffer because we share this with Christ, but we will also share in his Glory.
Jesus had to Ascend to his Father in Heaven, to allow the Holy Spirit to descend and dwell within us. We have become the Temple for the Holy Spirit, the church. The place in which he resides is within our hearts. If we open our hearts to receive him, he will remain there.
We can see all around the world, the darkness that is creeping in. The blindness to compassion has fed into fear and dread, motivating many to become angry and to lash out. Many people feel hurt, and this hurt has hardened their hearts, to the point where they cannot see where they have crossed a line and have been led to harm, or even kill others. This influence is seen in our films, it is encouraged in our games. How different is this to the Roman sport of watching gladiators fight to the death. Even St Augustine of Hippo talks about one of his friends being led astray after being forced to watch the fights, then later went out to bring other friends in to be spectators.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was an explosion of hostilities that had been ongoing since 2014. Most of my life the conflict between Palestinians and Israel has impacted the news. China is increasingly threatening to invade Taiwan. These outbreaks of hostilities are increasingly turning the minds of people to see their foe as monsters that need to be exterminated, and not as sisters and brothers who are themselves struggling in this world to get by. Yet, in each scenario it is the ambitions of a small number that are forcing the masses into thinking this way, blinded by their hatred.
Mothers and fathers are losing sons and daughters. Children are losing their parents. Grandparents and grandchildren are losing their lives or mourning loved ones. Whole communities are being decimated. Genocide is being permitted, not only of those who are seen as the enemy but also of the people being forced to fight such insane wars. Those who speak out are being punished for voicing their views, imprisoned, tortured, or even assassinated.
This madness shows how much the hearts of many have been hardened. Compassion is dwindling. Such wars force many to seek refuge elsewhere, far from their homelands, to suffer long journeys to unknown destinations, often to die at sea, or to cuddle up in tents as provisions are not adequately provided, because systems are already overloaded and stretched to their limits.
All this is evidence that on our own, without God, we are incapable of solving the problems experienced in this world. Now is the time to be humble and ask God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to come into our lives and reshape it for the better. Through Moses, God led the Israelites out of Egypt towards the Promised Land.
Today, if we trust in God, he will lead us to a better life. Let us reach out to God without fear and trust in the Trinity. Let us reach out to God, without fear, and trust in the Trinity. Let us acknowledge our belief that we are not alone and open our hearts to allow the Holy Spirit inside. By trusting in the Trinity, we will see change, but it will not be an instant fix. It will be a way of living that will be stable, even if the world around seems uncertain.
In the Psalm today, the first verse says: “For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love. Happy the people the Lord has chosen as his own”.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost Sunday - The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Homily
Pentecost
Sunday 19th May 2024
It is hard to believe that we were celebrating Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of Jesus, 50 days ago. Where has that time gone? 50 days ago, last Friday, we mournfully witnessed the death of Jesus upon a cross, where he took all our sins upon himself so that we could be acceptable to God and be saved. Mary Magdelene through her tears was astonished to find Our Lord’s body was no longer in the tomb where it had been laid. While Peter and John had rushed inside to search for Jesus and then raced home, Mary stayed in her sorrow. After a time, she made her own way inside the tomb to see two angels. They wondered why she was crying, and she told them she didn’t know where they had put Jesus’s body. In her grief, she turned and thought she was talking to a gardener and asked him where Jesus’s body had been taken. It was only when he said her name that her mind was opened to see Jesus standing there before her.
Jesus appeared to a select few over the following forty days. He appeared amongst them even when the doors were locked. He walked with them to Emmaus, who were surprised to hear that he had not heard of Jesus being crucified in Jerusalem, as they did not recognise who it was with them. He explained to them how the Christ must suffer to enter into his glory. He revealed to them what scripture said about him from Moses through all the prophets. It was only when they invited him in for supper and he broke bread, that their eyes were opened and saw him, then he was gone. When these disciples shared their experiences with the others, Jesus again appeared before them. He showed them his wounds and they realised he was the risen Christ.
Jesus’s last instructions to the Apostles was to go out to the world and preach to all nations, that in his name through repentance of our sins, we would be forgiven. Before his Ascension, celebrated ten days ago, he promised to send the Advocate who would clothe them in the Power of God.
In Jerusalem, ten days later, while they assembled in their meeting room, they heard a roaring like a storm from Heaven. The whole house was filled with the sound, and it could be heard across the city, drawing visitors from many countries. Then a fire came into the room as a single flame that separated to rest on each of those present. The Holy Spirit filled them, and they were able to preach in many languages recognised by the people outside.
Jesus is the light of the world. Through him, all is revealed. He knows each one of us. He knows who His followers are, and they trust in him. St Paul said to the Corinthians, if we are not influenced by the Holy Spirit, we cannot say Jesus is Lord. As I researched for this Homily, I noted one commentator say that to be able to say “Jesus is Lord” we have to be humble. This is why Satan and his followers struggle because they cannot acknowledge this statement, because by doing so they would have “to acknowledge and accept the lordship of Christ”[1]
In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that the Advocate he sends is the Spirit of Truth issued by the Father, who is a witness to Jesus, who will allow his disciples to become witnesses to his truth. As such, when the Holy Spirit rests on us, he will lead us in the truth, and we will not be speaking from ourselves but what the Holy Spirit has learnt from Jesus, through the authority of God the Father, which has been passed to his Son. Through the Holy Spirit, our faith is strengthened, even when we are persecuted because of what we believe.
Through Jesus’s Ascension into Heaven, the Holy Spirit was able to come to us. He shows us and the rest of the world how wrong it is about sin, which is proved by the world’s refusal to believe in Jesus.
Last week, the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Sweden. Ireland’s entrant sees herself as a Goblin Witch and the Catholic Herald suggests that “an exorcist is needed” to sort out the troubled contestant. There was an assassination attempt on the Slovenian prime minister, that echoed the one in 1914 in Serbia that sparked off the First World War.
 On 13th July 1917, three shepherd children were told by Our Lady of Fatima, when the night is illuminated by an unknown light, this will be a sign from God he is about to punish the world.
On January 25th, 1938, millions across the globe saw the Aurora Borealis lights. Such an event had only been documented in Europe since 1709 and across America in 1888. So quite unusual. St. Faustina wrote in her diary on the same day that she had seen God’s anger hang heavy over Poland.  Hitler’s army marched into Austria the next month, the following September Poland was invaded, and World War Two began.[2]
A week last Friday, the same phenomena was witnessed across the planet. Many people rushed out with their digital cameras to capture the event. From NASA’s perspective, the cause was a “Magnetic chaos in the Sun, sending a burst of electrons, protons, and a massively charged nuclei into the Solar System”[3]. Several days later, reports of the aurora were made across the planet from as far apart as the north and south poles. An event considered extremely unusual.
When I came out into the night with my camera, what struck me was that the strange light reminded me of images of the Divine Mercy.
We live in precarious times. It seems we humans cannot find the solutions to the worlds problems and there is an ever-increasing risk of a new World War. It is at this time; that we need to be humble and recognise that Jesus is Lord and allow the Holy Spirit into our lives. He will tell us the truth and be our guiding light. Through the Holy Spirit, we have nothing to fear. 
As the Gospel Acclamation says, “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia.
References
Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. (2019, Jan 7). 'A Strange and Unknown Light'. Retrieved from The Divine Mercy: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/articles/strange-and-unknown-light
Nemiroff, R., & Bonnell, J. (2024, May 12). Astronomy Picture of the Day. Retrieved from NASA: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240512.html
Njoku, C. (2024, 05 16). Homily for Pentecost Sunday, Year B - Renew us Lord with Your Spirit! Retrieved from frcanicenjoku: https://frcanicenjoku.com/2024/05/16/homily-for-pentecost-sunday-year-b-4/
 
 
[1] (Njoku, 2024)
[2] (Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., 2019)
[3] (Nemiroff & Bonnell, 2024)

The Easter Season is coming to an end.

Homily
Ascension Sunday
12th May 2024
First reading:
Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 46(47):2-3,6-9
Second reading:
Ephesians 4:1-7,11-13
Gospel:
Mark 16:15-20
By Rev. Mr. George Kingsnorth (Deacon)
The Easter Season is coming to an end. We are encouraged not to be sad as a new season is beginning. Jesus has completed his human mission on earth. Through his death and descent into hell, he has released all those captives so that they may be forgiven all their sins and can also see paradise. We, today celebrate Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, where he now sits at the right-hand side of God the Father. He has been given authority over everything.
Yet, we are all allowed to make our own choices as to whether we believe or not. However, there is a consequence to which way we choose to go. If we trust in Our Lord, and give our lives over to him where he will take our burdens and give us peace, we will be saved. If we choose not to believe and try to go our own way, in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that we will be condemned. We will see our lives go wrong, we will see despair, and we will struggle. That emptiness in our hearts is the space that once was filled with Jesus but is now vacant. No matter how much effort we put in to try to fill the hole, the dissatisfaction felt, cannot be replaced sufficiently with anything else but the Holy Spirit. If we can be patient and allow the Holy Spirit to come into our lives, we will be richly rewarded.
Last week, Jesus told us that we did not choose him but that he chose us. Luke, in Acts, once more tells us that Jesus chose the Apostles through the Holy Spirit. Before he Ascended, Jesus told his disciples to stay where they were in Jerusalem and to wait for the Holy Spirit. And only then with the Power of the Holy Spirit, would they be capable of witnessing to the whole world the message about the Kingdom of God.
In Heaven, Jesus will be our advocate to the Father. He will argue our case, we just have to put our trust in him. By doing so, the Holy Spirit will reside in us, and we will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through the grace of God the Father. We will not need to worry about what to say, especially when we are persecuted, as Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Gospel, “What you are to say will be given to you when the time comes. Because it is not you who will be speaking: the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.” (Mt10:19-20)
In Ephesians, Paul tells us that the gifts of the Holy Spirit include some people prophesying, some evangelising, and others being pastors or teachers, but that all will be done in unity in serving and building up the body of Christ. We are the body of Christ, his church. There is only one body made of many parts, one Spirit, all called by the one Lord into one faith, through one baptism to belong to one God the Father.
Today, Jesus returned to his Father in Heaven, for the Holy Spirit to come down on all of us and to lead us on the right path. The disciples made their way back to Jerusalem and prayed. As they waited for the Holy Spirit, Peter addressed the group regarding what had happened to Judas, who had betrayed Jesus and then paid for his crime through his death at the Potter’s Field. He suggested it was time for another within their group to be chosen to take Judas’ place. Barsabbas and Matthias were nominated, asking the Lord, who could read everyone’s hearts, to let them know who his choice was. Then lots were drawn, and Matthias was selected, so there were once more twelve apostles.
Paul also told the Ephesians, that those who abandon Jesus, will have their senses dulled and be unable to tell the difference between right and wrong. In their hearts they have shut themselves off from God and their lives will become perverse because they have not listened to what the truth is in Jesus. Paul encourages all of us to give up anything in our lives that leads us away from Christ through illusory desires and to renew our minds through a spiritual revolution to become a new self, created by God’s way to be good and holy through truth.
At the beginning of Lent, we were marked by the sign of the cross and told to repent and believe in the Gospel. As we spend this next week waiting for the Holy Spirit, let us reflect upon our own sins, things that separate us from Jesus, seek the opportunity to repent and turn back to the Gospel, the Good News Jesus brings, that the Kingdom of God is near at hand.
Then with the Holy Spirit, we can go out and make disciples from all nations trusting that Jesus is with us always, until the end of time.
Amen.
 
 

Homily for 6th Sunday After Easter 2023: Lord, let us see the Father

Homily for 6th Sunday After Easter
14th May 2023
The Dromintee and Jonesborough Primary School children celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation gathered two Thursdays ago with their parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles in St Patrick’s Church in Dromintee. There were nearly a thousand people in the church for this annual event. Fr Seamus had invited Bishop Michael Router to confirm the children, even though during Covid, bishops had delegated the faculty of confirmation to priests, with the pandemic restrictions being lifted, the faculty returned to the bishops.[1] It is fitting then that a Bishop ‘who are the successors of the apostles’[2], should confer the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Each child, also know as a candidate, had chosen their own confirmation name, stating it as they approached the bishop with their sponsor. I was reminded of my own Catholic confirmations. I was 23, and my sponsor was my future father-in-law.
In last week’s gospel we hear Philip the Apostle ask Jesus, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ Jesus’s shows his surprise that Philip had been with him so long and still didn’t know him. What I discovered this week, is that I had confused Philip the Apostle with Philip the Evangelist, who is mentioned in this week’s first reading from Acts of the Apostles. Philip the Evangelist was one of seven men chosen to serve the community after the dispute between the Greeks and Hebrews. This Philip was a preacher in Samaria and had baptised the Ethiopian man on his to Gaza from Jerusalem.
Philip’s work in Samaria was heard by the Apostles in Jerusalem, who sent Peter and John so those who had been baptised could receive the Holy Spirit. As the first reading indicates, though the Samarians had been baptised in the name of Jesus, they only received the Holy Spirit after Peter and John, two of the Apostles, had prayed for them and laid hands on them. This is when the institution of the Sacrament of Confirmation occurred.[3]
Philip, as a Deacon could Baptise, as can a priest but the Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred by a Bishop, as Peter and John would have been as one of those gathered at Pentecost, who received the Holy Spirit, like tongues of fire. Confirmation is the fulfilment of Baptism, both imprint an indelible spiritual mark onto the soul, which cannot be removed.
The Catholic Catechism says this is ‘the “character”, which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness”[4].
The Catechism of the Catholic Church informs us that the Sacraments of ‘Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity’[5] and we as the faithful are obliged to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the appropriate time.[6] In our Diocese children in their last year of primary school are presented for confirmation.
This is an important time for them as they are about to embark on a new school progressing from primary to secondary education. As part of their preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation they are informed of this sacrament is one of Christian maturity, which is not to be confused with how old physically you are, as St Thomas Aquinas recognised that even children can demonstrate great Wisdom, because of how the Holy Spirit is working through them.
To demonstrate the unity between Baptism and Confirmation, the candidate is usually sponsored by their godparent, and the renewal of baptismal promises are made. This is where the candidate is asked if they reject Satan, all his works and all his empty promises? Then each line of the Apostle’s Creed is asked as a question to which the candidate responds by saying “I do”.
All of us who have been confirmed are asked to have reverence for Our Lord Jesus Christ within our hearts and to be ready to answer those who do not believe the reasons why you have the hope you do. Even so, we are to remain courteous, respectful, and have a clear conscience, because we will be slandered by others who are against us.
We have to put our trust in God that he will equip us for the challenges we may be asked to face in him name. And to remember Jesus died in body but was raised in spirit. Our Lord promises us that he has sent his Advocate, the Holy Spirit, as witnessed by the Apostles on Pentecost. If we have faith, we will continue to see Jesus working in our lives, even when the world about us does not. 
Those of us who are Baptised, Confirmed and today receive the Eucharist are asked to keep Our Lord’s commands, which are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Whoever loves Jesus, is loved by God the Father. If we do these two commandments Jesus will show himself to us. Through confirmation we have been enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, now we should be witnesses proclaiming the Word.
 
 
[1] Gregory, N. (2021). Confirmations during COVID. [Online]. Orange County Catholic, Garden Grove, CA 92840. Last Updated: 25th March 2021. Available at: https://www.occatholic.com/confirmations-during-covid/ [Accessed 12 May 2023].
[2] Catholic Church. (1995). Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York: Image Book/Doubleday. pp.846. CCC:1313
[3] Chukwuemeka, N. C. Fr. (2023). Homily For The 6th Sunday Of Easter, Year A. [Online]. frcanicenjoku A fine WordPress.com site. Last Updated: 10 May 2023. Available at: https://frcanicenjoku.com/2023/05/10/homily-for-the-6th-sunday-of-easter-year-a/#:~:text=Today%20is% [Accessed 12 May 2023].
[4] CCC:1304
[5] CCC:1306
[6] CCC:1306

Many churches need to be helped along the way.

Homily for 5th Sunday After Easter 7th May 2023
Last Wednesday, I took my mum over to Benburb so that she could attend Holy Communion in the Church of Ireland. During the service, Revd Suzanne Cousins informed the congregation it was the feast day of Saints Philip and James. She asked me to confirm this but my mind went blank because I was put on the spot. But how could I forget, in my morning prayers, at the Canticle the foreword read: “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me? Philip, to see me is to see the Father. Alleluia.” After the service, the small congregation went to Benburb Priory’s coffee shop. A lady in the group told me how she had been studying to be a licensed lay reader, authorised by her diocese bishop, which allows her lead certain services, to preach and do other pastoral duties as required. As a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church, I mentioned part of my formation was to become a Lector, which allowed me to say the first and second readings, along with the psalm. At the end of the second year of formation study, I was conferred as an Acolyte, which allowed me to serve the priest at the altar. In my final year, after the studies, I was assigned to Dromintee and Jonesborough Parish to gain some Pastoral experience, before being ordained. As a Permanent Deacon, I gained the faculties to preach the Word of God in the Archdiocese of Armagh by Archbishop Eamon Martin. This means, I can preach the Gospel and say a Homily. I also have a more active role in the Mass, in preparing the altar by receiving the offertory of Bread and Wine, mixing the Water and Wine saying a prayer about the Mystery in which Christ shares in our humanity and we share in his divinity. Both the unleavened bread and wine are presented to the priest to be consecrated through the Eucharistic prayer into the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Both Catholic Priests and Anglican Priests are ordained as a transitionary deacon before going on to become a priest, but there are no permanent deacons in the Anglican Church. Several Anglican Priests have acknowledged there should Permanent Deacons in their Church. Revd Suzanne’s homily, inspired by Archdeacon of Tuam, indicates how the Church of Ireland today is like the one mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. There are squabbles, and calls for reform and often those commissioned to reform discover difficulties, often wishing to return to the simplicity of the early church’s origins. Much can be said of our Catholic Church. Yet, as we hear is Acts of the Apostles, and in many of St. Paul’s letters, many churches needed to be helped along the way. When the church increased, Hellenists grumbled about the Hebrews because they felt neglected. The Apostles needed to preach the gospel, but the congregation had pastoral and physical needs. So filled with the Holy Spirit, the Twelve elected seven men of good reputation, who were also filled with the Holy Spirit to serve the people in their daily needs. Stephen was one and another was Philip. Sadly, Revd Suzanne has been assigned a new group of parishes in the Church of Ireland diocese of Tuam. Meaning the Benburb parish would be vacant for a time. Yet Revd Suzanne reminded her folk that they had to trust Our Lord as they were also chosen as a royal priesthood, a people set apart to sing the praises of God. Today’s Gospel reminds us not to be troubled in our hearts but to trust in God. Jesus tells them there are many rooms in God’s House, and that he has gone to prepare a place for all of us. In our own Church, we see many changes. Calls for new ways to do things. But a strong message coming out of the discussion last Wednesday was it is not all about the doing. We can do a lot but find we have gone along the wrong path. In Exodus, God sets out a pattern for the Israelites to follow. To work for six days and then too rest on the seventh. The reason for this is so that we do not get burnt out. Often, we are eager to ‘do’ our best but can stretch ourselves too far. I was reminded during a session with my Spiritual Director, that I need to recognise it is more important to “be”. To be in the presence of the Lord because no matter what I try to do it will never be enough. Jesus loves us as we are. Jesus will not judge us, because we have accepted him as our Lord, so because of this fact we have been saved, warts and all. Those who are to be judged are those who have rejected him, like the stone thrown away by the builder, yet this very stone is a precious cornerstone supporting the rest of the building which we can put our trust in. As a flock, we know our Lord and Saviour’s voice when he calls. We may not always recognise who belongs to the Shepherd, but he knows us all, regardless of which church we come from. We just need to trust in Jesus, when he says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Homily for 4th Sunday After easter 2023: We often see only one set of footprints

Homily for Vocations Sunday - 4th Sunday After Easter – 30th April 2023
Over the last couple of weeks, I have talked about my own journey and how often we do not realise that when we see only one set of footprints, it is Jesus who is carrying us and supporting us. Again, if I reflect on my own journey there were times when I considered what path to take. As a family, we moved around quite a bit. My heart was always on being a filmmaker.
I remember, in secondary school, I was fascinated by the physics of light and sound when studying this subject in science. I loved stories, especially when watching Saturday afternoon films, usually in black and white. I also remember at Easter all the films about Jesus. Although I had been an altar server, it never struck me to ask Fr Davies how he became a priest.
The school did not share such ideas in career development. My English teacher warned me to be careful of getting too involved with occultic things. So, although Jesus was very much an influence on my life, the Devil still had ways to throw snares in my way.
As Jesus said a thief and a brigand were attempting to get into my psyche in some other way, trying to reach into my heart to take me somewhere else. Like the sheep in the Gospel, I continued to hear Jesus’s voice and would follow him, whether consciously or unconsciously. The stranger would never be heeded. My career led me into television, but I moved out of the mainstream into a more Christian-based setting.
I became a teacher of media production, which allowed me to look at how people were represented in all walks of life, including religion and faith. This in term, inspired many conversations where I learnt more from my students, whether in a college of further education or university. The Holy Spirit always led the conversation. I heard the shepherds call and engaged. We all, at times, find ourselves going astray, blinded by the influences of this world, through television, film, computer games and now social media.
Each of these areas has a major impact on our lives, which is why advertising has a strong pull on our behaviour. It is often only when we feel overwhelmed and call out for help that we can hear our shepherd calling us to bring us back into the fold, to be the guardian of our souls. When we realise that the only way is with Jesus, then Psalm 23 becomes more meaningful. All we need to do is repent, as Peter told the early church.
We must be baptised in Jesus’s name so our sins can be forgiven. For 59 years, the fourth Sunday after Easter has been a day of prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood, encouraging all of us to reflect on how Jesus is asking us to serve his people within our own communities. We are all chosen by God to spread his Gospel, the Good News that we are saved through Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross, the only single sacrifice that is acceptable to God for all our sins.
This is a gift of Love from God to us. Pope Francis says God’s call to us is a gradual process, to which on our part we are to respond. Vocation, normally associated with work, comes from the notion of a voice calling you to follow your purpose. We each are called to find meaning in our lives, and finding our vocation gives us a sense of direction to head towards. This then should become our mission to discover our own calling.
On the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Cleopas and his partner listened to the man who had joined them along the way. They did not recognise him until he broke bread with them, then they saw it was Our Lord Jesus Christ and he was gone. Cleopas and his companion knew they had to return to Jerusalem to share their Good News of the Risen Lord.
Many in our world, today call out for a sense of purpose, a sense of direction as they feel lost. Jesus is the way, and the life. He is the shepherd leading the flock to salvation. He is calling to others to follow him and imitate him in serving others. Those who have found material riches often realise they are meaningless. Yet, in helping others we can all grow.
Our church is a community, a body of people. Our job is to call out to others to follow Our Lord. Now is a good time to reflect on how you are being called. For some, it could be to become priests, deacons, or nuns. For others, Jesus may be asking you to learn skills that could help your community. There may be other tasks you are being called to do, for he needs workers in all fields.
The journey to a religious life can take a lifetime. Permanent Deacons can be called from when they reach 35 until 65. But the church needs Priests, for without them who would consecrate the Eucharist, bread and wine to become Christ’s Body and Blood? We may be called internally, or others may come to us, inspired to encourage us to journey towards being Ordained.
Today we pray for all those who are called to respond and seek out their vocation.

Homily for 6th Sunday of Easter 2024: Russell Brand was baptised.

Homily
6th Sunday of Easter
5th May 2024
This week, the actor and comedian, Russell Brand was baptised. From his YouTube channel, he seems just as surprised as many others, because they have seen him over the years being quite Hedonistic in his lifestyle. He has been, in the terms of the Bible, a fornicator, he has abused drugs, he has followed other gods. But in recent years, through interviews he has conducted and published on YouTube he has been influenced by the Holy Spirit. Like many of us, he has been challenged by the world.
He had found his heart empty and was trying to fill it with what the world had to offer. He became rich and famous, but still felt empty. He became addicted to drugs and alcohol but even they did not sooth the pain. He made many blunders, and at the height of his career was sent into a wheel spin. Many saw his as an excentric celebrity, but his mind was curious. He saw injustices and questioned much that is going on in the world.
Even then, a decade or so ago, he was mocked on mainstream television, with news presenters ridiculing him for what he was suggesting. Not taking him seriously. In more recent years, he has found himself on a spiritual journey. He settled down and found love with a partner, his Catholic wife and have had children.
Because of the questions he was asking, he was pursued, and attempts have been made to destroy him. Allegations have been made against him. Yet, even when news channels have attempted to bring him down, those who knew him defended him against those who were trying to destroy him.
Russel Brand is not claiming to be a saint, by no means. He is fully aware of his sins and admits to them. He knows he has a long journey to go. He was surprised, as many others are, who have been touched by the Holy Spirit and have been converted. He knows he will continue to make mistakes, but then don’t we all.
In the Acts of the Apostle, Luke tells us how Peter was greeted by Cornelius who had rushed up to him and knelt beside him in humility. Peter told Cornelius to stand, as he was only a man like Cornelius. When Peter addressed the people who had gathered, he expressed his realisation that God has no favourites. If anyone fears God, or perhaps we should say respects God, and accepts him by doing what is right, God will love them, both men and women. Before the people with Cornelius were even baptised, the Holy Spirit filled them, which surprised Peter as he saw pagans receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Peter saw no reason why these people should not be baptised with water in the name of Jesus who they saw was sent by God the Father.
In John’s first letter he tells us that it is only through loving one another that we can know God. Jesus came into this world so that we could all have life. God loves us so much that he was willing to have his Son, Jesus, sacrificed so we could be cleansed of our sins.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us we did not choose him, but that he chose us to be his friend and to teach us everything he learnt from God the Father. Jesus commissions everyone of us to go out and bear every lasting fruit. We are to proclaim the Gospel, sharing it with others and building up the church, not through force but by loving those we encounter no matter who they are or where they come from. Jesus commands us to love one another.
Russell Brand felt the Holy Spirit within him after being cleansed with the waters of baptism. God has placed an indelible mark upon him, claiming him as one of his own, through the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This doesn’t mean he won’t fall as he struggles with the temptations, thrown at him by the devil. Remember, as soon as Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, Jesus was then led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. For forty days and nights, Jesus fasted. The devil tried to persuade him to turn stones into bread, to throw himself off the parapet of the Temple so the angels could save him, and to offer him all the kingdoms and splendours of the world if only he would worship him, BUT Jesus refused all these temptations. Then the devil gave up, realising he didn’t have the power to corrupt Jesus.
Russell Brand is but a mere man, who knows is frailties. Like most of us he is trying to navigate a corrupted world, to support a family and to face his own demons, and he has asked Jesus to come into his life to help him. Like the prodigal son, he is not asking for the inheritance but just simply to be given a save place. He has found this in Jesus, and like Paul he is prepared to proclaim to Gospel, and that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.
Amen.

Being uprooted and then replanted.

Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday, 2nd Sunday of Easter
16th April 2023
As a child, my parents moved quite a bit. My dad was a gardener working for various Lords and Ladies. Because of the moves, it seemed to me as a child that we were being uprooted and then replanted into a new community. We would be introduced to a new school, a new group of children and a new parish. I first became aware of our local church when I was around four or five. Mum would take us to the end of the street in the village we lived in and we would going into the location Anglican church. An early recollection was discovering that behind the thick dark red curtain there were a group of people pulling the ropes to the bells. Not long after, the family moved and we didn’t visit the church often in the several villages we lived in. Then we moved to Yardley Hastings in Northamptonshire, a small village on the main road between the county town and Bedford.
Mum took us again to church. As we were in the area for quite some time, I attended Sunday School, and eventually got to be a member of the local campanologists. We didn’t hang out in tents but learnt to ring the bells. So much of my understanding of Christianity came from those days. Learning about the Bible, then discovering that Matthew didn’t have the story of the annunciation because that is told in Luke’s Gospel. There was so much to learn. I was confirmed but was worried I couldn’t remember the Creed. Yet within me, I was being reassured that I would get it right the next time. Next time, you only get confirmed once. Still, I trusted. I belonged to a community. We still moved. This time from Yardley Hasting to Castle Ashby a couple of miles away, then a year or so later back to Yardley Hastings. Thankfully, I did not lose the connections with secondary school friends as I still went to the same school in Wollaston.
When we return to Yardley Hastings and a chance to go back to St Andrew’s Church, I felt as though I had come home. Why had I been so long away. I felt at peace. At sixteen I went to art college in Northampton. There I would go to breaks in to a cellar coffee shop with an atheist friend and we would talk about faith. What always surprised us was how when we left we could hear 50 other students sipping their coffee discussing God and Christianity. We experimented a few times to see if this would happen again, and each time we witnessed to same reaction. Jesus was with us and inspiring the conversation.
At 18, I went to film school in Bournemouth and again a lot of conversations were about faith. I only realised afterwards that many were Catholic. I became aware of a female presence, along with Jesus. I asked the vicar from Yardley Hastings who this might be, but he couldn’t tell me. On my 19th birthday I travelled back to St Andrew’s in Yardley Hastings and during that service an inner voices asked me to become a priest. That’s okay, I though, as an Anglican Priest I can get married. But the inner voice said, actually, I want you to become a Catholic. I was a bit taken aback by this. Four years later, I found myself in Belfast being pulled into St Malachi’s Church and one of the readings said one amongst you is not of this people but had to be treat as one of their own. Before long, I found myself in Clonard Monastery talking to Fr. Hugh Arthurs about my experiences and I recognised Our Lady as the female presence I was aware of in Bournemouth. That was 38 years ago. On 16th May 1985, I was accepted into the Catholic Church, exactly a year later on 16th May 1986 I was confirmed, yes, a second time, with my future father-in-law as my sponsor. I felt as though I had finally come home to a community of people who accepted me for who I am and who cared for me.
As a community, by sharing in the gifts we have been given, similarly to the early church depicted in Acts, our communities will grow, but we have to stick together and spend time with one another. We are the people Peter talked about who have not seen Christ, but we love him. We want him to be at the centre of our lives. Like the disciples in the Gospel of John, we have been filled with the Holy Spirit and we should trust in the Lord that as long as we repent of our sins we are forgiven but if we do not they stick with us, driving a wedge between ourselves and Our Lord. None of us want that.
Thomas wanted to see Jesus’s wounds before he would believe, he was lucky that he had the opportunity to see him in the flesh. We do not, but we do believe and can feel his presence allowing us to trust in him. What is important is that we become part of our community, part of the Body of Christ, which makes us a church. It is not the building that surrounds us that is our church but the people who are in it. We are the temple of God, each one of us. Together, we can see the many signs of Jesus’s work and by believing we will all have life through his name, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
 

Our words are like seeds blowing in the wind.

Homily
4th Sunday of Easter
21st April 2024
As kids, my siblings and I would go off with our friends in little gangs, some built go-carts, others played hopscotch, some did ‘skipping’ while others tied ropes around lampposts and swung round them experiencing endless amounts of fun and play. Maybe you have similar memories and many more of other games played in the streets or out in the countryside.
I also have memories of when my mum or dad called out, all my siblings and I would come running. It was their way of checking we were alright, or it was dinner time. I heard a dad say he whistled, and his kids would run towards him. The shepherd often whistles, and his collie knows from the notes which direction to go, so the sheep can be gathered into their pen.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that he is the Good Shepherd who knows his own, and they know him. He also reminds us that there are others who are outside the fold who are also his. They listen to his voice and come to his call. There is only one flock and one shepherd. The hired man only thinks of himself and abandons the flock when trouble comes. But Jesus is steadfast and will never abandon us.
God the father calls us, and we have responded. We are here today because we have been called. We are inside the fold. However, many have rejected Our Lord and turned away. They have cast him aside, like the builder throws away a stone thinking it is of no use. Yet, that very rock becomes the cornerstone which makes the building secure.
What many still do not realise is that only one name matters. No other name can save us, but Our Lord Jesus Christ. His love has no end. Like Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, we are encouraged to share the Good News. The Holy Spirit will guide us on what to say.
Recently, I have visited several wakes, and I have said some prayers, but what is most heartwarming is the way those in sorrow have lit up as they shared their faith and experience of God with me. Their words, like fire, tongues of flames from the Holy Spirit, nurture my faith and encourage me. When we are alone, we can feel that there is much required of us, but when we are out with our community, we can discover how much they care for us. They can often see the blind spots in our own vision and help guide us back to the right path. You can imagine the Father calling and the Holy Spirit guiding us towards the light of Jesus, Our Saviour.
Jesus does not say the wolves will not come, but as the Good Shepherd he will put his life on the line and stand between them and us. At the end of the Book of Revelation, The Angel of God tells John to let sinners go on sinning, let those who do good go on doing good, and let those who are holy continue to be holy. In other words, we are told to respect the choices they have made. Those who have chosen God will have their clothes cleaned and will have the right to eat from the Tree of life, those who do not, such as “fortune-tellers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and every one of false speech and false life” (Rev 22:15) will remain outside the fold.
A week ago, the Vatican released a new Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, called “Dignitas Inifinita” (Infinite Dignity) on Human Dignity. It declares that “every human person possesses an infinite dignity, and recognises that this dignity is with us from conception through to our end of life. Pope Francis invites us to “believe in a Father who loves all men and women with infinite love, realising that ‘he thereby confers upon them infinite dignity’”. The Bible teaches that we are made in God’s image and likeness, creating us both male and female. Jesus came into this world of a humble family, and revealed “the dignity of the needy and those who labour”. If we are to reflect God’s love to others, we also must recognise the infinite dignity in all our brothers and sisters, no matter their background or creed. Dignity is also the “Foundation of Human Rights and Duties” and it is unconditional.
Yet we live in a world where every human’s right of infinite dignity is not recognised. And there are new laws being composed or already enforced that undermine our human dignity. The Declaration highlights areas where grave violations against human dignity are being seen in our world, considering:
 “all offences against life itself, such as murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, and wilful suicide”. Other violations include mutilation, physical and mental torture, and undue psychological pressures,” also infringe upon our dignity. Finally, it denounced “all offences against human dignities, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children, degrading working conditions where individuals are treated as mere tools for profit rather than free and responsible persons.” (Fernández, 2024)
 
It's worth Googling “Dignitas Infinita” and finding the document, which is about 17 pages long.
It is important to remember that with Jesus our burden is light. The Holy Spirit will guide us on the right path. In a world that tries to tell us otherwise, even to the point of attempting to stop us from spreading the Good News, Jesus’s message will always come to light.
Our duty and responsibility as baptised Christians are to share our faith with others, not through force but through love. Our words are like seeds blowing in the wind. We need not know where they go but they will take root and flourish. If we have the courage to share the Good News, we will eat from the tree of life.
Jesus said, “The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again”. No one can take it from him, he freely laid it down and has the power to take it up again. All we need to do is trust in him and we will be saved. Amen.
References
Fernández, V. M. (2024, April 8). Declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity. Retrieved from Vatican: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/04/08/240408c.html
 
 
 

Renew your Christian journey in faith.

HOMILY
Easter Sunday
9th April 2023
by Revd George Kingsnorth (Deacon)
We have reached a new beginning. Lent is past and our sacrifices have taught us a few things about our own lives, where we've failed, where things have gone wrong and need to be repaired. The season has changed. Summer is drawing near and there is new hope. Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. For some, especially children who have lost their grandparents, this may be hard to understand.
They, in their short lives, have experienced the pain of death that came when someone they cherished passed from this world into the next. From the perspective of a child where once the world had seemed safe, they see their parent's grief, tears flowing down their cheeks and are confused by the pain they witness in mourning. Then to be told that Jesus has come back to life, this can seem hard for them to understand and believe they can be confused.
In Matthew's Gospel, we are told how Jesus visited the official house where his daughter had died. When Jesus told them she was only asleep. They laughed at him, but when he took her hand, she stood up. In John's gospel, we heard how Jesus, his friend Lazarus, had died, and he waited two more days before leaving to go to Bethany to visit Martha and Mary both distressed.
Jesus had not arrived sooner. His human nature also grieves. As tears streamed down his face when he met Mary and he came to show God's glory by raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus told Mother Mary He was the resurrection, and whosoever believed in him, even if dead would live, and those who believed in him would never die. He then asked them if they believed.
At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes the Eucharistic Sacrament, offering his followers the bread and wine, telling them that this is his body and blood. As Luke's Gospel tells us. His body was given to us. A memorial of him and his blood poured out as a new covenant, reminding us of how God's first covenant with Abraham was to make him a father of a multitude of nations, symbolized through circumcision.
Not long after, when Abraham, in his old age, was given a son through Sarah, God put him to a test, telling him to sacrifice Isaac. But moments before he did, God provided a sacrificial lamb, telling him not to harm the boy as God provides. The Passover feast remembers when God asked the Israelites while slaves to the Egyptians to mark their doors posts with Lamb's blood and prepare unleavened bread for the journey ahead so that death could pass over them as his chosen people.
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to shed his blood to save all of us during this Jewish festival. Abraham had not refused to offer his son as a sacrifice, and neither did God. When he gave his only begotten Son Jesus, the lamb of God, to be the only sacrifice acceptable for all the sins of the world throughout the entire population of humanity from the past, in the present, and those still to come.
But Jesus, his death was not the end. Mary Magdalene had visited the tomb and was surprised to find the stone rolled back. She could see inside there was nobody. In John's gospel, she runs to find Peter and John, assuming the body has been taken while the two disciples investigate inside. Mary sees two angels who ask her who she is looking for.
She turns and sees what she supposes is a gardener not recognizing the person. It is only when he speaks to her does her mind gets turned and his identity is revealed. It is the risen Lord, and she believes in Matthew's gospel. Mary Magdalene, accompanied by another Mary, witnesses a great earthquake and the angel of the Lord rolls back the stone.
The guards are scared stiff, acting as though dead. The angel tells the women not to fear as the crucified good Lord has risen from the dead of the two Marys run to tell the disciples what they have seen and are stopped in their tracks as they are greeted by the resurrected Jesus, who brings a new covenant with God through our prayers and listening to what we are taught in the Old Testament and the New Testament, especially the Gospels, we can come to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
He wants to be near us if we are truthful and repent of our sins. Our responsibility is to pass on our faith to our children and grandchildren to help them believe. If we have a personal relationship with Jesus through prayer and getting to know Him through the Bible, this journey can become easier as he will take our burdens from us.
In this way, we can help the little ones come to understand how the resurrected Jesus will bring life to those who believe in him. Easter has arrived and we can renew our Christian journey in faith.