Part II of the Rite, chapter 4, helpfully describes principles when welcoming returners to the practice of the faith - have a look, and you will find:

• Respect for Baptism already received - vital!  Their conversion is based on this, the effects of which they must develop.
• Journey for returners corresponds to that of catechumens - same pattern, with welcome, listening, evangelisation, discernement, catechesis attuned to the liturgical year, and deep reflection, through ritual steps and formation stages, within the heart of the community, its life, liturgical celebrations, Word of God in Scripture and Tradition, and service in loving outreach, developing the habits of a Catholic Christian - and for the many returners who have never been evangelised or catechised or fully initiated, this is a powerful experience, relational rather than programmatic, made holy by participation in simple liturgical rites  and reflection(Welcome, Celebrations of the Word, Liturgy of the Word in Sunday Mass, blessings, anointings, prayers for healing and strength, presentation of the Creed, the faith into which they were baptised, and the Lord's Prayer, the  prayer of the family to which they already belong, moving towards reconciliation within the community, normally during Lent,  Confirmation and Eucharist at Easter, reflection on the experiences, and a life-long process of deepening faith thereafter.)

How do encourage returners?    Use the parish website and newsletter and bulletin board in the Church

 'Been away? We miss you - a warm welcome awaits you.  At your own pace, and in your own time, we'd be interested to hear your story and learn from your experience.  You are important and much loved member of the Body of Christ.  Come.''    (Cardinal Corman Murphy O'Connor)

and an invitation to make contact...... 

Have a welcome/enquiry group that meets regularly, to listen, share stories, and share the Gospel.  All community members be on the alert for newcomers, wherever they are going about their daily lives -  engage  in conversation, befriend, and invite them to an event.

Non-Churchgoing Catholics is nothing new - in our families and amongst our friends and colleagues.  The key to our ministry is that people find love through us and our communities.

The RCIA  offers a pathway for returners - in steps and stages, gradually introducing people to the person of Christ, through the community life, the Word broken and shared,  various forms of liturgy, and the outreach in service to the wider community.   (See RCIA Part II, chapters 4 and 5).  The important thing is that we are who we say we are, Body of Christ, and that we build relationships and walk with those who come as Christ, through being sensitive, friendly,  and welcoming as a parish community - giving the strong Gospel message, Yes, You Can Belong Here !  And also recognising the treasure they bring to us - Christ welcomed in the stranger.

One vital truth to remember in any process  - their conversion to Christ is based on their Baptism, already received, the effects of which they must develop.   At every step, we make mention of this fact -  and any ritual we engage in respects this too.   As with other candidates, and catechumens, we listen to their stories, we share ours, and help them to connect with God who is active in their lives.   Other rites may also be suited to their needs along the way - a Presentation of the Gospels, and the Creed, and the Lord's Prayer,  the Sacrament of Reconciliation - as signs of God's grace at work in their preparation for Confirmation and Eucharist.   

Last word?  Don't abandon them at any stage - listen, encourage, and reflect with them.   Help them to find themselves at home.   If you'd like any help with adapting RCIA for returners, please get in touch with the Network via the website.

A few years ago while on a family holiday abroad my wife and I sought out a Catholic Church on Sunday morning. We eventually found the local parish Church and entered, we had arrived fairly early and so were prayerfully waiting for the next Mass to begin. A few minutes later a woman arrived looking rather disgruntled. Though there were only a handful of us in this rather large Church she made her way over to the exact pew in which we were sitting and headed straight for us. We didn’t speak the language but by her body language she made it very clear that my wife was sitting in her seat and so she squeezed herself as near to her normal seat as she could, squashing my wife and half sitting on her leg during the service. Needless to say, later in the Mass at the sign of peace, this lady was distinctly frosty!

As well as this personal experience some time ago I heard of a Church that was so effective at evangelisation and welcome that it was attracting significant numbers of new people to its congregation. As a result of this some of the more longstanding members of the congregation were beginning to feel left out and neglected claiming that the newcomers were getting all the attention at their expense- and they made this known in no uncertain terms to their priest!

In the Gospel passage given to us this Sunday Jesus addresses those who grumble against God’s welcome and generosity head on through the parable of the workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). He makes it clear that there is no preferential treatment for faithful service, no long service award. Rather he tells us quite explicitly that ‘the last will be first, and the first, last.’  This can challenge us and be a stark reminder that God’s way of thinking is so unlike ours, as the Word of God says through the prophet Isaiah ‘Yes, the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts.’(Isaiah 55:9)

Fundamental to the RCIA process, to the life of the Kingdom and to our calling as Church is to be a people of welcome. The reality of this is costly. In our parish communities and on a personal level are we willing to embrace the cost of being a people of welcome? Are we willing, really willing, to be ‘last’ so that newcomers may be ‘first’?

Jesus tells us that at the last judgement he will welcome those who made him welcome in the stranger. The stranger can, among others, be the newcomer in our parish or in our RCIA group. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if their experience was one of unconditional welcome and support? Would each of them say of us and our parish communities:

‘I was a newcomer and you made me welcome’?

Action

• Reflect on the ministry of welcome in your parish.

• Reflect on how you offer welcome in and through your RCIA process. Consider asking people who have experienced RCIA with you if they felt welcomed and what helped them feel part of the community. Was there any part of their experience that made them feel alienated or unwelcome? What can you learn from their perspective and experience?

• Scripture instructs us to make hospitality our special care (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:1-2). What are the practical aspects of hospitality you could develop further in your parish or RCIA group?

you have chosen us to be members of your family, by your love you have created us to live in unity... you will lead us to your light, walk before us through the night, you will guide us on our journey, you will keep our vision bright.... You will hold us when we fall, give new strength to hear your call, you will never be beyond us for your love is all in all... You will nourish, you will lead, giving every gift we need, for your reign will be established from the smallest of all seeds.

The team began nervously, with the usual questions: how will we know what to say? What if we dont know 'the answers'?  They found the hymn reassuring - its God's work, trust God!   They know that everything they offer is in the context of the parish community of faithful people.  They have seven enquirers  who will begin with them next week - again, a real mix of people, all ages.  There are several parents from the school - their children made their first Holy Communion last term, and they were so touched by the journey they made with their children, that they now want to make that journey for themselves - a non-Catholic parent, an uncatechised baptised Catholic, a person with no faith background at all.  The team discussed how they could meet these people where they are - and what times are going to be  most suitable for them?  Is it a twilight session after school, or a session after Mass on Sunday with another catechist doing a liturgy of the Word/stories/games with the children  while the parents meet over coffee? This is going to be a time of listening and telling stories, responding to their initial questions, calming fears, exploring aspects of the faith, offering spiritual support, and introducing them more fully to the life of the community as they gather every Sunday.  During this time of evangelisation, the Rite says 'faithfully and constantly the living God is proclaimed and Jesus Christ whom he has sent for the salvation of all.'  How do we do this?  When someone comes to your house to get to know you, what do you do?

ACTION:

Have a formation session to refresh your own parish team and stir up new life and hope.

Put out an invitation for enquirers to 'come and see' and have an open session with a glass of wine to tell people about it.    Some will have been coming to Mass with their Catholic spouse for years, and have never been asked.  Others are new to the area.  Others are parents in the school.

One step at a time - do not worry about how it will go.  Pray, Trust and Go for it being as open and welcoming as you possibly can!

Action:

In our own lives, can we consider that question?  Maybe even ask it of a close friend  - Who do you say I am?  Perhaps this week we can set a few people free, unbind them from their lack of self-esteem or anxiety by simply recognising one another's need for affirmation and encouragement.  Perhaps tune in to other people a little more, especially those with whom you live or work, and take the opportunity to say 'I think you're doing a really great job' or 'thanks for listening to me - I really value  your friendship'  or 'It's good to have you around - you encourage me'.   Can we recognise the goodness of one another?  The Holy Spirit is echoing in the hearts and lives of all if we can but see it, and through us is ready to unbind and fill with 'the healing power of love'.

'All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him.  To him be glory for ever! Amen' (Romans 11:36)

Jesus normally warns us to avoid temptation. He asks us to pray 'lead us not into temptation'(Matthew 6:13) and suggests that 'if your right eye should be your downfall, tear it out' (Matthew 5:29). But in Lent as we open ourselves up to God we also may expose ourselves to testing but, if we approach it in the right way, we do so in a safe environment. To help us to learn to swim better the instructor asks us to jump into the water but remains always on hand to save us if we get in trouble.  Lent is, of course, a time to deepen our relationship with the Lord through learning humility through repentence (we discover we really aren't as good as we think we are), and learning to trust in Him. 

Lent may be a time of being alone with God - yet, paradoxically, being alone is a communal activity. We are alone with our brothers and sisters of our parish community. The wilderness is full of our friends! For the catechumens and candidates preparing for the Easter Vigil it is a period of Purification and Enlightenment. But then that is what Lent should be for all of us. This is why the RCIA process involves all the parish community. The catechumens and candidates can be  a great blessing for us all, an encouragement and a challenge in our own Lenten journey, and a source of joy in the Lord. 

The RCIA process offers a route by which people can prepare to be received into the Catholic Church which is inseparable from growing in personal faith. It also offers nothing less than a means of promoting renewal within a parish community.  The more the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is implemented in full and the greater the opportunities it offers. 

In our parish, as in many others that 'do' RCIA, we have never really  carried it out in full, and what actually happens is somewhere between the ideal and what seems to be practical.  This year we have gone increasingly lectionary-based, and carried out  a combined Rite of Acceptance (of Catechumens) and Welcoming (of candidates already baptised) in Sunday  Mass. We  combined these because this year we have fewer participants than usual, just one Catechumen and two candidates. It is important to emphasise that catechumens and candidates are different yet just as important to see them as fellow travellers with us on their journey in faith. The Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming did not take up much of the Mass yet it proved very meaningful not only to both Catechumen and Candidates but provided a 'before your very eyes' experience of the work of the Holy Spirit.  As Lent began the Rite of Election and Enrollment in the Cathedral a few weeks later gave added to the momentum. Two weeks later our catechumen took part in the First Scrutiny in Sunday Mass. The candidates came to support  their catechumen brother and the scrutiny concluded with all three being presented with the Creed. Thus the people of the parish have their own experience  of Lent deepened by being part of it. This year we are going to carry out the second and third scrutiny within the weekly RCIA meeting but next year we shall consider doing all three in Mass, particularly if we have more  catechumens.  Perhaps each scrutiny at a different Sunday Mass so that more of the community might become involved.

So far we have not gone as far as dismissal. It is quite possible that once we started the practice it might well become accepted much more readily than one might think. We considered introducing  the idea towards the end of Lent this year as the first step in extending it to the whole period of the catechumenate. To do it this year might be to expect too much of our one catechumen but perhaps we shall have more next year and we can extend dismissal to the whole of Lent. In our parish we tend to have more candidates than catechumens and the candidates consist a mixture of those who have already been catechised as practicising member of a non-Catholic Christian Community and some who, though baptised as infants, have had little or no further catechesis. The Rite suggests that the latter might be dismissed but the catechised might not, with an element of choice. For this year at least, with only one Catechumen and two candidates , it seemed better to keep them together and encourage each other.  Perhaps we shall have more catechumens next year, do all the scrutinies in Mass and start to introduce the dismissal principal.

The more the members of the parish  become involved in the journey of the Catechumens and Candidates and the more they will share their joy at the Easter Vigil and the more the newcomers will be a blessing to the whole community.  After the period of mystagogia and they descend from the mountain of transfiguration  comes the challenge not only of integrating the new members of the body of Christ into the parish but in appreciating that they represent new life which has the potential to renew us all. Are we going to be content to let them merge into the inward-looking background or are they going to lead us in inviting strangers into our church  to 'come and see a man who has told me everything I ever did'? (John 4:29). Our new brothers and sisters of the Easter Vigil offer us the opportunity to see our parish community to grow not only in numbers but in spiritual depth and in the Joy of the Lord.

May we, along with our new brothers and sisters, all be Easter people! 

Christmas is coming                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Christmas cards have been on sale for several weeks. I’ve already seen a garden centre advertising Christmas trees and a shop selling all you need to make a crib. All around us the world of commerce is gearing up for Christmas.

Harry Potter films do Christmas well – a flurry of snow, Hagrid dragging in a huge tree (presumably from the creepy forest), everyone riding in horse-drawn sledges and that magic happy snow music. To many people looking forward to Christmas is to chase a fantasy of lost childhood which often fails to meet the expectation. What kind of Christmas did you have? ‘Well you know, um, quiet. It’s nice for children though isn’t it?’ To say Christmas often turns out to be an expensive anticlimax has been said many times before. For many people it’s the looking forward to the great day that matters, rather than the day itself. To me the best bits of Christmas are not fantasy at all – seeing the family together again, and celebrating the birth of the Redeemer at Midnight Mass.  

Advent is coming                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Advent does involve preparing to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus 2000 years ago, but the first two weeks are about staying awake for the Lord’s second coming when we shall meet him face to face. On the third Sunday we do commemorate the earthly life of Jesus but the Gospel is about John the Baptist sternly exhorting us to ‘repent for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand’.  Only on the fourth week do we hear about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem but even this is  full of harsh realism, a typically heavy handed piece of bureaucracy which sends a young pregnant women on a stressful journey and a birth in completely unsatisfactory circumstances because there was no room at the inn.  

The second coming of Jesus Christ will not be as a baby but as King and Judge. The scriptures speak of difficult times with a final assault by the powers of evil before the final fulfilment of the Kingdom and they speak darkly of the antichrist and end of the world. The Church’s teaching is neatly summarised in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 671 to 679). I explained some scripture to someone to whom I take Holy Communion recently by saying that one day we shall meet the Lord face to face and she said, searchingly ‘and do you believe that?’. It was Jesus who taught us the ‘Our Father’ and he included the line ‘thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven’ and we often say ‘he will come in glory to judge the living and the dead’. The real meaning of Advent is very challenging to catechists as well as catechumens and candidates. Do we look forward to him coming in glory and majesty or do we secretly think to ourselves ‘well that probably won’t happen just yet’. When we say ‘thy Kingdom come’ do we not only believe it’s going to happen – but are we looking forward to it. And what we are looking forward to is the ultimate opposite of an anticlimax. It is about that which lasts even after heaven and earth have passed passed away. This is our faith.

How literally are we to take the details?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The word Armageddon appears only once in the Greek New Testament. Some of the events prophesied in the New Testament, such as the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD70, have already happened. Members of the New Testament Church seem to have expected the Lord to return within their own life time which he clearly didn’t.  Does time have any meaning in eternity? Prophesy may contain deep truth but it may be attempting to describe the indescribable. St Paul observes that we ‘prophesy imperfectly’ (I Corinthians 13:9) and that ‘now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face’ (1 Corinthians 13:12).

In a recent Gospel (33^rd Sunday of the year, Luke 21:5-19) Jesus

• Warns people not to rely on things like the Temple which will pass away
• Warns them not to try to predict when the end will come and not to be taken in by dangerous distractions like false messiahs
• Warns his people not to be afraid when disasters happen
• To use every opportunity to witness to the Gospel and to trust him in it. He promised to give them the eloquence and wisdom they needed to witness
• Reminded them that not a hair on their head would be lost
• Pointed out that endurance would save them their lives.

And how anxious should we be when we meet the Lord face to face?                                                                                                                                                                                       If we are in Christ then we are adopted sons and daughters – we are members of the family. We are not relying on perfection produced by our own muscular spirituality to justify us but on the sacrifice of the One who was crucified. His warning to stay awake is really about staying close to him and not being distracted by things that will not last, by fantasies and by false messiahs. When we meet him we shall be aware of our unworthiness and developing such an awareness is a feature of the life of faith.

 I once had the privilege of briefly meeting Her Majesty the Queen. I remembered that, at the age of six, making red, white and blue decorations for her coronation. I had followed the events of her life ever since then and so I already knew her when I finally met her face to face. She looked at me thoughtfully and kindly and I wanted to be polite and respectful. During my life of faith I have slowly been getting to know the Lord and one day I shall meet him face to face. One of the ways that this meeting will differ from that with Her Majesty is that he will already know me and will have known me since before I was born.

The importance of grown-up thinking                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I am writing this blog on the Feast of Christ the King. The second reading (Colossians 1:15-20) emphasises that Jesus is King - the first-born of all creation whilst in the Gospel (Luke 23:35-43) he is a man being crucified with two thieves. One of them recognises his own unworthiness in the presence of someone special yet feels he can say ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom’ and Jesus replies ‘today you will be with me in paradise’. The fact that Jesus is both King and someone with whom we have an intimate relationship is so truly awesome that we shall never fully understand it until we meet him face to face’.

I tried to explain this to someone on my Holy Communion round, although it might just as much have been someone in the RCIA group. She replied thoughtfully that it was quite a difficult idea.  Do we have to understand it? No, I don’t think so. If it’s getting complicated we only have to go back to Jesus the carpenter of Nazareth – for he is ‘the image of the unseen God’ (Colossians 1:15). What a wonderful thing for God to reveal himself through a person. You don’t need to be able to read or talk theology to understand a person. The ‘good thief’ was able understand what Jesus was about. In fact, Jesus likened himself to a ‘good shepherd’. Sheep cannot read and neither can they talk theology but they know a good shepherd when they see one and all they have to do is trust him. The potentially fatal mistake a sheep can make is to wander off to where it can’t hear the Good Shepherd’s voice. The Shepherd will leave the others and come and look for it – but a roaring lion might have found the sheep first.

 So does it matter, trying to understand some of the huge ideas in scripture? If it’s starting to confuse and is leading catechumens away from the shepherd it is better to avoid it. But the understanding that is pitched at just the right level can deepen faith, release praise and promote faith sharing. St Paul exhorts ‘Brothers, do not remain children in your thinking; infants in wickedness – agreed, but in your thinking grown-ups’ (1 Corinthians 14:20).

But my real life is the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2: 19-20

This weekend’s Gospel from Luke reminds us to be ready to stand up for our faith and not to be deceived into thinking the Kingdom of God is at an end by worrying about the events in the world or the disparaging way in which we see many Christians being treated.

To follow on from the recent visit of Pope Benedict, September 2010 we are urged to respond and affirm through our faithfulness his comment ‘that the Catholics of this land will become ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people, called to consecrate the world to God through lives of faith and holiness.’        

One of the key documents from the Second Vatican Council was Lumen Gentium; the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which can also be understood as ‘Christ is the Light to all humanity.’ 

In Chapter 4:31 we read that ‘The duty of the laity, which springs from their own vocation to seek the kingdom of God in the transaction of worldly business and the godly arrangement they give it.  Their life is lived in the world.  It is lived in each and all of the world’s occupations and employments and in the ordinary situations of the life of the family and society.  This is the context of their existence.  This is where they have their call from God to make their contribution to the sanctification of the world from the inside, as a leaven, by tackling their own job with the spirit of the gospel as their guide.  This is the principal way in which Christ is to be shown to others, by their life’s witness, in the glow of their faith, their hope and their charity.  It is their especial concern to bring such light and order to all worldly business, in which they are deeply involved, that it may be performed and developed in Christ’s way, and may give glory to the Creator and the Redeemer.’

This passage is rich in its parallels with the Rite and aspects of the Catechumenate when catechumen and candidates are encouraged to consider the ways in which their lives in the ordinary experiences of work and family life are impacted by the action of God.  It is also where the opportunity to witness to our faith comes alive.  RCIA teams, groups and parish communities express this witness in their love, prayers and support for the catechumens and candidates. The ways in which we greet, work and interact with people each day is a significant example of how we show and share our love of God. 

RCIA 75.2 reiterates the themes from Lumen Gentium when it offers the instruction:

‘As they become familiar with the Christian way of life and are helped by the example and support of sponsors, godparents, and the entire Christian community, the catechumens learn to turn more readily to God in prayer to bear witness to the faith, in all things to keep their hopes set on Christ, to follow supernatural inspiration in their deeds, and to practice love of neighbour, even at the cost of self-renunciation.’ 

 Archbishop Vincent Nichols wrote recently that in order to accept the Pope’s invitation that to be more overt in our expressions of faith we could take small steps such as offering to pray for and with people, making the sign of the cross or simply saying ‘God bless you’ all of which can be daily signs and witness of our faith and which encourage others to ‘become familiar with the Christian way of life.’ 

 God Bless You.

Pope Benedict, a visitor who was not at first welcomed by all in this land, brought a gift of faith for people. For some people this was gift which was new or maybe reawakened something. It is worth reflecting, I think, on what might have attracted people. First of all it will be a variety of things, and indeed probably a mixture rather just one. There will be some who heard something in what the Holy Father said; in a liturgical context or in one of his speeches. Perhaps they appreciated his quiet but strong defence of the place of religion in public life. It might have been others' words addressing him with affection or respect. Or maybe Newman was a source of interest and the idea of someone being declared 'blessed'. It might not even been words. Some of the music: quiet and prayerful or loud and joyful. Perhaps it was the sight of Benedict in the liturgy — prayerfully engaged. Or the sight of thousands of people coming together to pray. Or the crowds lining the routes; the babies kissed, the flags waving. Or the joy. Or the silence.

The pre-catechumenate is the time of anecdotes and stories. When we find out what has attracted people to make this step. And show them that the picture has many facets. When we help them articulate what they are looking for. It is a challenge for us to listen and then respond.

One of the key themes of Pope Benedict's teaching is that we are witnesses to a person - Jesus. In many ways, in words and in actions he came to us as a witness.

Recently I planted some bedding plants in the garden ably assisted by my two children. A few days later after the copious amounts of sun, and rain, that we have enjoyed recently the plants had bloomed. Upon witnessing this, the joyful cry went up ‘THE PLANTS ARE GROWING!!!’

It’s great to see growth! It brings us joy and a sense of fulfilment.

When we see growth in the lives of neophytes we have been journeying with, and in our own lives, it too can give us a real sense that the God is truly with us. We can know once more that while we have done our best to be faithful ’planters’ and ‘waterers’ of the seed of God’s Word, it has been God alone who has given the growth.

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."   (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

In the period of Mystagogy that many of us are now experiencing, as well as celebrating the growth that has taken place we can also look ahead with hope for the growth that is still to come. Our hope is that we will see growth in our own lives, in the lives of the neophytes and in the Christian communities to which we all belong. But how can we encourage this growth?

How does the Church grow?

This question was asked by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council. In response they stated that  “as often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which Christ our Passover was sacrificed is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried on.” In short they were affirming that the celebration of the Eucharist is at the centre of the process of the Church’s growth (Lumen Gentium 3, Ecclesia de Eucharistia 21).

Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia remarks that “the Apostles, by accepting in the Upper Room Jesus' invitation: ‘Take, eat’, ‘Drink of it, all of you’, entered for the first time into sacramental communion with him. From that time forward, until the end of the age, the Church is built up through sacramental communion with the Son of God who was sacrificed for our sake.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 21). He adds that “incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by Baptism, is constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion.” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 22)

As we look back to the joys of our Easter celebrations, it is heartening to know that the grace of those baptisms are ‘constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice’.

So the Eucharist constantly renews and consolidates the gift of new life given at baptism, builds us up and enables us to continue to grow in our Christian life. This is captured in the Rite itself where the instruction for the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil states:

“Before saying ‘This is the Lamb of God’, the celebrant may briefly remind the neophytes of the pre-eminence of the Eucharist, which is the climax of their initiation and the centre of the whole Christian life.” (RCIA 233).

So right at the outset, in the Rite, and in the Easter liturgy itself, the Church is encouraging us to find the source of our life and of our future growth in the Eucharist. These can be deeply encouraging truths and timely for us as prepare for and celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

As we look ahead, to future ministry opportunities and new groups of catechumens and candidates we can also receive consolation and support by knowing that “from the perpetuation of the sacrifice of the Cross and her communion with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, the Church draws the spiritual power needed to carry out her mission.” The truth is that “the Eucharist... appears as both the source and the summit of all evangelisation...” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia 22)

So the Eucharist renews and strengthens us, it is the centre of our Christian lives and also gives us the spiritual power we need to witness and share the Good News in many and various ways. Truly we can grow strong and bloom if we can remain true to this great Sacrament.

To end here is a song that I heard some children singing at our local Catholic School, the words are set to the traditional tune Frère Jacques. As we continue to be a Eucharistic people we pray that the truth of these simple and childlike words can become our own as we see the growth that God’s grace will bring in our lives as we share the one bread and the one cup.

"I am growing, I am growing big and tall, big and tall. Growing up for Jesus, growing up for Jesus, big and strong, big and strong!”