ALL SAINTS MARGARET STREET

Trinity XVIII – B – High Mass

Fr Ivan Aquilina

It’s all about vision. The vision I think of is the vision of life lived to the full, a life that inspires others. People with such vision are often misunderstood and sometimes persecuted; the Church is very good at recognising them as saints after they die. I suppose it’s better late than never.

My family and I have just returned, last night, from Walsingham. Together with other friends from All Saints we joined hundreds in celebrating the 75th anniversary of the restoration of the Holy House in that village. Actually it is 75 years ago today that the image of Our Lady was taken to the restored Holy House. This was a vision held by Fr Alfred Hope Patten. Written off by many at the time as at best an oddity, it is only now that we start to recognise the depth and breadth of his vision, and his courage to make that vision happen. Even nowadays we experience Walsingham as being a remote village. We must imagine how it looked like in 1921 when Fr Patten arrived to be the Parish Priest. He arrived there knowing quite well the importance of that small village. He arrived with his heart full of the joy of the Catholic Faith and quickly his vision became clear. His goal in life was to change the village into a destination for thousands of pilgrims. There people might gather and with Blessed Mary grow more intimate with Jesus as they follow him. Fr Patten started by commissioning a statue of Our Lady following the seal of the pre-reformation abbey of Walsingham. He erected that shrine in the Parish Church, and as all things good this brought severe opposition. Fr Patten took this opposition as a sign that things are coming from above. He faced severe problems: misunderstanding, persecution and lack of funds but trusting in God alone 75 years ago today this vision was realised. The Holy House was built again and in it the venerable image was exposed as a focus for devotion.

Thanks to Fr Patten and his vision Walsingham once again became a powerhouse for so many Christians, a place where Methodists, Orthodox, Anglicans and Roman Catholics live and work and worship side by side. Walsingham is a stable place in a restless world where many are refreshed and renewed. And all this is down to a man of faith following his vision.
I am talking about this vision as an encouragement for us. Today our readings spell out a vision that we are invited to espouse.

The introduction for our vision comes from the Prophet Amos. The book of Amos is the oldest of the Prophetic collection. It seems that he sets the scene for all prophecy: “Seek the Lord…hate evil…love good, and establish justice…” Amos was a temple prophet tied to the sanctuary in Bethel. To seek God was understood by the people of his time as turning up at Bethel to worship. Amos is saying that it is not enough to go to church. Going to church is a reflection of our vision, a vision of seeking God by hating evil and repenting of it. This repentance leads to loving what is good. Loving what is good implies finding out what is good, this we achieve by learning about it and living it. The complete expression of this way of life is manifested in our relationships with those around us, by making sure that such relationships are just and by ensuring that justice is available for all. This vision is the vision of God for humanity, the vision that the Church invites us today to make our own. We live our life of Faith by repenting, turning to God, living and doing good and securing a just society. We need to translate this vision in our own life.

God knows if we are sincere about taking on this vision, the letter to the Hebrews tells us that before Him no creature is hidden. For those who really want to co operate with God, God gave His most precious gift, His only begotten son. Because of his humanity Jesus can empathise with us and in him we can find grace and help. When the vision becomes blurred Jesus can enable us to focus and start afresh if only we draw to him in confidence and may I add joy. He is the throne of grace and mercy.

Finally the need for detachment. We can not follow Christ freely if we are carrying heavy loads. After the first movement of repentance, good life and seeking justice the next step is to follow Christ. Sometimes, however, we are tied down by things and objects: money, pride, appearance, lust, unhealthy friendships. In following Jesus we need to cut these bonds, however painful. The rich young man could not face this detachment and left away in sorrow, and most probably he lived the rest of his life in sorrow. However difficult we need remember that all things are possible with God. For the sake of the vision we have, the vision of the kingdom of God let us joyfully part company with what hinders us from following Christ. And if we think ourselves as inadequate then let us remember that the first will be last and the last first.

To sum up than we are being called today to adopt a vision: to bring about, through our lives, the kingdom of God. This is our vision. Fr Hope Patten in Walsingham succeeded, so can we.