Rejoice All Who Are Chosen
This 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete/Rejoice Sunday, we light the pink candle to deliberately mark the advent and approaching celebration of the Incarnation. For some this might symbolise how quickly the time is passing while counting the many tasks on the list which are to be done before Christmas. Advent reminds us that this is a time of preparation, of considering how quickly time does pass, and the many ways we could be ready for the coming of Christ. During this season we sing in the familiar hymn 'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.' Shall come to you, shall come to me, shall come for all. I rejoice each time I consider that our Lord chose to 'come', to manifest his love and trust in us, to marvel at and with humanity.
This Sunday we have also celebrated the Rite of Acceptance for our catechumens and the Rite of Welcome for our candidates. The RCIA team, liturgy committee and the parish priest prepared a leaflet based on the combined rite (found in the American publication of the Rite) #507-528. The prayers speak of joy and rejoicing, of preparation and the time spent in coming to know Christ more fully. They speak of how God has 'sought and summoned' them in many ways and acknowledges how in response the catechumens and candidates are seeking to know more about and are turning toward God. The assembly were asked if they were ready to help the catechumens and candidates 'follow Christ' and we answered 'We are.' Now that is really something worth adding to the task list.
Like the pink candle of Advent, this liturgy marks a stage in time within the journey that both catechumens and candidates are on in the company of our communities. In the Gospel this weekend we hear of others who were 'filled with expectation and were questioning in their hearts and who wanted to prepare themselves for the Messiah.' Lk 3:10-18 They ask John the Baptist 'What then should they do?' John speaks to them of charity, of acting justly and with integrity and to live faithfully as they prepare for baptism. Echoed in the Rites of Acceptance and Welcome the catechumens, candidates and assembly reflected on the how we are to listen to the Word, to come to know God, to love our neighbours, to gather for prayer and to participate in the service of others.
I thought this was a very appropriate time to celebrate this combined Rite which clearly resonated the Advent message of preparation, prayer and expectation. It is a time to rejoice for all who are chosen to follow Christ. 'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.'
WHAT TIME IS IT FOR YOU?
Advent is such a short season, yet its impact on the church year is phenomenal. There really is something for everyone whatever stage they are at in the RCIA process. For enquirers it might be their first experience of seeing the church in festive mode with the liturgical violet and the Advent wreath. It offers a great opportunity for those who may not yet be regularly attending mass, to explore the inside of the church and see the signs and symbols that speak of Advent. Or perhaps you have planned a celebration of the word of God [RCIA 81] for your catechumens instead of the usual RCIA session.
The second reading is particularly apt to the period of the catechumenate as Paul writes to the Philippians how confident he is
‘that the one who began a good work in you, will continue to
complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.’
That is being experienced by each one now at this very time.
The season offers a special chance for all to experience parish gatherings, whether it is Advent Stations of the Cross, special seasonal small groups, prayer groups, or the practical side of helping with the Bazaar or Fayre. This is a busy time for the SVP and church charities, and don’t forget local initiatives in the neighbourhood for helping those in need. These also offer a chance to work in co-operation with other faiths and people without belief: allow your catechumens to evangelise by their witness.
Perhaps your candidates have creative talents and will help in decorating the church or arranging the flowers. They may help in the organisation of parish social events, or those involving the elderly and the sick.
In the Gospel we are introduced to John the Baptist, who comes out of the wilderness ‘proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’. Luke records that John son of Zechariah, came at a very precise time in Caesar’s reign: fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. For our catechumens and candidates it is this precise time that is marking out something great in their life journey: perhaps to be written or drawn in their journal.
This is a time to show how we Catholics look forward to the end of time, and prepare for the coming of Christ, turning what many see as a secular occasion of spending money for one’s immediate friends and family, into a time of celebrating with praise and gladness the joys God has given us.
Here is an idea I heard this week in our small group. Turn the chore of writing Christmas cards into an opportunity to think lovingly of each intended recipient, offering a prayer to them as you sign the card.
Be patient! Be confident!
I find it even more difficult to be patient and wait these days - really I think because of the speed of life, pressure of work, and expectations for instant response. I have an irrational fear of not being ready, or not working hard enough, or of what 'might happen'. And yet as Advent begins, I hear God speak through the First Sunday readings - 'yes, there are nations in agony, and menaces in the world, but dont you be 'coarsened' by the cares of life. Instead, pray for strength, and stand with confidence. Trust in your friendship with God - Christ has already offered salvation, the battle is won, and the life God wants you to live you are living!' That is the Truth, and we are invited to enter, patiently, more deeply into this liberating, life-giving truth. There are tensions in the double-sided message... of 'now' and 'not yet', 'disaster' and 'deliverance', 'destruction' and 'new dawn' - and advent faith says stay awake and actively live with it - and sure enough, if we live the present moment fully, we find signs of the One we are waiting for. As Nouwen says in 'Bread for the Journey' 'waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God's glorious coming.'
And I see it on the faces of those being 'Welcomed' or 'Accepted' into the Order of Catechumens - they are such witnesses to patient waiting for me! One Enquirer has been coming to Mass with her little nephew for 6 years (since his mother died - she made a promise!). She is actively taking that first step now, and says it feels so exciting, and so natural. Her enthusiasm is catching - the whole parish seem to be full of advent expectation, really loving this 'new' catechumen who brings new life & hope to us - God is bringing order and beauty amidst the chaos, beginnings and endings, death and birth, dark and light, despair and hopem so in a nutshell, love one another and trust God.
I hope Advent starts well for you - enjoy Thom Shuman's poem:
Every evening it's the same: put the key in the deadbolt, turn and lock; check the windows; put out the cat; leave a light on...
all those routines to feel safe and fall asleep in peace.door open ajar
But some night, in the midst of my security, you will tiptoe into my house,
rearranging the furniture, cracking the combination of my heart, and ransacking all my fears.
Then, softly whistling 'Come Thou Long- Expected Jesus' you will slip out, leaving the door standing wide open
that I might follow you into the kingdom.
Come Lord Jesus! Amen!
Journey to the Baptism
The journey through advent and Christmastide leads to the feast of Jesus’ Baptism and beyond. The journey of our inquirers and candidates, of course, also lead to baptism- to be ritualised and experienced by the former and explored and honoured with the latter. In the scripture readings of the seasons we have heard of many people on the move. For example, in Isaiah we heard messages for the exiles in Babylon, and later we heard some exultation at their return. With Luke we glimpsed Mary’s journeys to Elizabeth and to Bethlehem and with Matthew, the journeying of the wise ones. Each liturgy of the Word has echoed within our experiences and each has given reasons to stop and ponder and maybe given directions for our way ahead.
Perhaps the feast of the Baptism of the Lord may encourage us, with our inquirers and candidates, to look back over this advent/Christmas journey. The journey shared alongside the sometimes-hectic preparations for the diverse celebrations of Christmas.
On the first Sunday of Advent we heard the pleading of Isaiah: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down…” Is 64:1. On the last day of the Christmas season we hear the words of Mark: “...just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart…” Mk 1:10. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord takes us away from the child of Christmas to the adult at the threshold of ministry. Heaven is torn apart, barriers are removed and God claims the Beloved and is well pleased with him.
At our moment of baptism (which is an ongoing reality now!) the union of heaven and earth becomes real too and each is ‘the beloved’ of God with God’s favour resting on us – what marvels! Jesus told Nicodemus that, ‘unless he be born again of the water and the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of God’ cf John 3:5. The General Introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults says:
“Baptism, the door to life and to the kingdom of God, is the first sacrament of the new law, which Christ offered to all, that they might have eternal life…. That is why the Church believes that it is its most basic and necessary duty to inspire all… to that true and living faith by which they hold fast to Christ and enter into or confirm their commitment to the New Covenant.” n3
Advent and Christmastide 2008/9 could not be just a routine or familiar journey for us at the start of another year’s liturgical cycle because the covenant is ever new and the Word of God living and active. The presence of those that we accompany on their journey to baptism or to full communion makes the familiar ever fresh. So I ask: what have I as a Christian and as a catechist experienced and learned in this time? What have been the challenges presented by the self-giving God-with-us and needs of people nearby and faraway? Isaiah’s invitation to “come to the water” Is 55:1 seems to challenge me to discern again how I live my baptism now, how to keep on the road of on-going conversion so as to be awake to the disciples of Christ who seek baptism or full communion with us.
Liturgically we arrive at the waters of the Jordan and the verge of public ministry and a return to ‘ordinary time’. Like Mary we have pondered mysteries in our hearts and continue to ‘wonder at all that is said about him.’
On this journey in faith with inquirers and candidates I need frequently to check my bearings along the road. There’s no sure satellite navigation for this journey! Is it the way of Jesus in the gospel: Baptism followed by ‘desert’ time, then announcing the Kingdom of God, going about doing good and proclaiming forgiveness? Can it really be that just by being, each person is the ‘beloved of God, and we can know ourselves to have God’s favour, having God’s Spirit.’ (cf Mk1 Baptism of the Lord)! Isaiah recommends that journey “to the waters…” and to “Seek the Lord…” (Is 55, Baptism of the Lord). If I can be faithful to that journey and recognise when I veer off course perhaps I may be used as some kind of signpost on the roads others follow.
People in darkness…
It was odd coming back from Evening Prayer tonight... for the first time I noticed that there weren't so many lights on the outsides of houses this year. No enormous blow-up snowmen or Santas climbing walls - and just a few flashing icicles and snowflakes – and, bizarrely, one Father Christmas on a penny-farthing! (Obviously a new tradition in the making there!)
It's as if the financial gloom is being translated into a literal gloom with fewer lights to brighten dull winter nights. Perhaps it speaks too of an inner gloom besetting the minds and hearts of people as the fears of unemployment and loss of income take hold. Faced with massive uncertainty, people seem to become stuck in wintriness and losing faith that things will get better – and it is true that the light on the horizon is very faint for many people at present.
But as we approach the darkness of the longest night, we know (somewhere very deep down) that the nights will begin to draw out and light will prove stronger than the darkness. As we approach the feast of Christmas – with its timing at the darkest part of the year – we may be lighting the third and fourth candles of Advent wreaths and seeing the increase in light reminding us of this. On the other hand, Advent candles are gradually burning down – and the chocolates in the Advent calendars running out!
We are also coming up to the pre-Christmas Octave and the time of the O Antiphons – the antiphons that open the praying of the Magnificat at Evening Prayer in the days leading up to Christmas. These are a rich source of images and thoughts for prayer – for the dark time of year and the chill of economic troubles – drawn as they are from a heritage of faith of people who lived through their own dark times – of slavery – of Exile – of longing for a shoot of hope from long-dead tree.
Even if time does not permit the praying of the whole of the Evening Prayer of the Church, it could be worth finding the antiphon for each day (see below) and praying it – and the Magnificat – and praying that the prophecies and promises of God intervening in the world will be fulfilled. We can explore the Divine Office and its role in the prayer life of the whole Church – and then unpack the meaning of the Antiphons a little with our catechumens and candidates.
The opening words of the Antiphons form titles of Christ – and the links between the dates and the titles are as follows
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17 December - O Wisdom
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18 December - O Adonai (an ancient name of God)
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19 December - O stock of Jesse
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20 December - O key of David
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21 December - O Rising Sun
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22 December - O King...
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23 December - O Immanuel...
And, as a thought for Christmas Eve, we could add, though not a title of Christ, an acknowledgement of the woman who made it possible with
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24 December - Blessed is she...
There is a variety of places to find the O Antiphons – in the Office books for starters but also online – at http://www.universalis.com/ for example. A daily reflection on them with a Scripture reading and questions can be found from http://www.wellsprings.org.uk/o_antiphons/index.htm
As people become – like those in the time of Isaiah – people who walk in darkness, we can point them to the promise of Light… to the One whose titles span the centuries – the One who is Emmanuel, God in it with us.
Advent – and 1 year on
So Walking the Rite Way has clocked up its first year. Thanks to all the writers who have shared their thoughts and ideas over the last year. It has been inspiring and thought provoking.
Thanks also to everyone who has passed by, and returned, to read the weekly offerings. We average about 150 visits a week. I hope you find it useful and stimulating.
We always looking for new contributors — if you are a Network member and interested send me an email.
As well as looking for more writers we would also welcome your thoughts and comments to each week's entry. Just click on 'comment' below. For your first comment I need to ratify you are not selling insurance or offering spam; after that it will recognise your email address. Join in and share!
To begin an invitation to share either of Advent scripture that inspires you in the context of RCIA or a thought or experience that is connected into the season.
I was struck by the passage from Isaiah 30 that is read on Saturday in week 1 of Advent. I am not sure I had come across it before but it seemed to intertwine many of Isaiah's images of the God who redeems his people, who is hope. Hope seems to me be at the heart of Advent and the process of Initiation:
He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing… on the day the Lord dresses the wounds of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.
Be Alert
BE ALERT
I love the Church’s new year – In this year of Mark the season of Advent begins with the imperative to ‘Be on your guard’, ‘Stay awake’, ‘Be alert’ ‘Don’t be caught asleep’. There is a great urgency in the language, there is no time for sitting back and taking ones time, considering all the options and then coming to a reasonable decision. Now is the time for action.
Wow! It sounds like the Governments response to the Credit Crunch. The difference being that our Government’s urgency is based on the belief that we are all consumers and that our whole economic viability depends on us becoming successful consumers. We kind of sleepwalked into the Credit Crunch by being encouraged to live way beyond our means. Now we are encouraged to become more alert consumers, spending with a purpose to kick start the economy. A pragmatic solution designed to bring about a brighter economic future.
Surely the Advent directives don’t belong to the same pragmatic camp. They certainly challenge us to:
BE ALERT
STAY AWAKE
BE ON OUR GUARD
To what purpose?
Getting ready for Christmas! Granted not the consumer Christmas symbolized by Santa, who year by year has a go at elbowing the infant child out of the crib, but for the celebration of the amazing truth that ‘God loved us so much that he sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent his Spirit into our hearts, crying “Abba Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.’ (Galatians 4:4-7) The great truth is that we already are the children of God, we already have the Spirit of God deep within us, enabling us to address God as “Abba! Father!” We are already heirs – the problem is that we sometimes miss this reality and live as if these great truths weren’t true.
Advent is a time not so much of preparing for Christmas but of longing. A deep longing that we might become what we already are – children of God. Those of us who were fortunate enough to hear the vision of Dr Martin Luther King whose dream of a future where children of different religions and different colour would walk hand in hand had our imaginations captured. We knew that when he spoke of climbing the mountain and looking into the valley and seeing the future – he was speaking of the present and calling on his community and society to change. It was an Advent speech inviting all to be alert, to stay awake and not to be found asleep – the future calling to action in the present.
The prayers used in the celebration of the Rite of Welcome or the Order of the Catechumenate are profoundly Advent prayers:- particularly the signing of the senses where past present and future come together in a great embrace.
“Receive the sign of the cross on your ears,
that you may hear the voice of the Lord.”
“Receive the sign of the cross on your lips.
That you may respond to the word of God” etc etc
Each prayer is an invitation to Be Alert, Be Awake, Be on your Guard. Be Advent people – don’t miss the moment.
Advent Awakening
As we move into the Year of Mark with the dawn of the First Sunday of Advent upon us we are challenged in the short gospel to really go against the grain! I don't know about you, but with dark nights that begin ever earlier and dark mornings that last ever longer, I really want to spend more time sleeping and dosing my way towards the shortest day. But the gospel and the season we are about to enter are very definitely about ‘awakening' and ‘staying awake'. It's perhaps a good time to encourage those we are accompanying to take stock of their journey of awakening to God and God's call in their lives and perhaps to discern their readiness to celebrate the Rite of Welcome or the Rite of Acceptance. At the same time it's worth asking whether the parish community is ready too and to consider the best ways of celebrating so that candidates and catechumens become the focus for all to experience the power these rites can have when celebrated well.
I used to only consider a combined rite celebration when dealing with both baptised and un-baptised enquirers and worked hard to differentiate the different elements of both rites so that all involved could appreciate what was happening. But it often failed to impact on the parishioners in the pews who seemed a bit confused and nonplussed and now I'm not so sure that combining these two rites is the best way forward. If we're working hard to make explicit the importance of the whole parish community in our enquirers' journeys, then these two key moments along the way are wonderful opportunities to move that forward. Rather than using a combined rite at one Sunday Mass, if you have both baptised and un-baptised enquirers ready to make that first witness within the parish community then why not celebrate ‘Welcome' during one Sunday Mass and ‘Acceptance' at another Sunday Mass a couple of weeks later, and maybe at a different time (Saturday evening Vigil perhaps). This will enable the parish community to see clearly that there are differences but more importantly, to have the opportunity of welcoming on a more personal and individual level. It will also encourage a more discerning spirit within the RCIA group as it decides who might be ready for these end of first stage rites. Finally, it can help to prevent that programmed sense of "We'll celebrate Welcome and Acceptance' next week because it's Advent and that's when we always do it!"
This First Sunday's readings also provide us with a rich array of images of the God who calls us and working with these would provide a lovely reflective session as part of the discernment process. How and where in our awakening to God might we have encountered God as:
Father, Redeemer, Ancient One, Guide, Melter of Mountains, the Presence, God as Face Hider, Creator, Potter, Shepherd, Planter and Protector of vines, Life Giver?
Not to mention 'the unexpected owner of the house who looks for a wide awake welcome'!
‘Returners’ inspire repeat Come Home for Christmas outreach
Sarah* wrote last January, “I do not know if you are still there now that Christmas has passed, but I would like to let you know that shortly after my e-mail to you my local church had a penitential service. This helped me go to Confession. I have been going to Mass and Communion ever since, including on Christmas Day and most of the Octave of Christmas, as I was off work at that time. It takes quite a lot of courage to go to Confession after 34 years. Thank you for your encouragement. The Christmas season was very joyful for me. I hope lots of other people have been helped through ‘Come Home For Christmas’.”
Another enquirer wrote: “I am a lapsed Catholic who recently moved to a new area and returned to the Catholic community... I am completely unfamiliar with Mass / Catholic law and am feeling lost and alienated. Finding help to answer questions when you return to the fold is proving difficult, unless I prefer having the whole parish know I and my spouse are ‘prodigals’. The most difficult thing in my life was to admit to myself that I had made a terrible, wrong decision in abandoning my faith. I am too embarrassed to ask anyone in the parish for help as only the Father (priest) knows that I stopped going to Mass 18 years ago aged 15. I sincerely pray that you are able to help.”
One couple who received an invitation letter said: “It was sleeping beauty waking up.” Someone who received a home visit said: “Now for the first time, I feel that I really belong to the parish.”
These are just some of the responses the Catholic Enquiry Office received as a result of last year’s first ‘Come Home For Christmas’ initiative, which was launched to equip parishes to warmly welcome those baptised who for many different reasons no longer attend church. Tailor-made posters, invitation cards, leaflets, welcome packs and a website were made available in support of this work of evangelisation. Parishes and individuals distributed around 100 000 leaflets and new materials are now available for Advent 2008 and January 2009. See: www.caseresources.org.uk and www.comehomeforchristmas.co.uk
St Hilda’s Parish in Sunderland was one of last year’s participating parishes. Parish Priest, Fr Noel Colahan said: “Parishioners seemed delighted to have something specific to hand to people. Having a physical resource made it easier to issue an invitation without appearing to pile on the pressure too much.”
Sheila Keefe, who is a parishioner at St Joseph’s in Romsey and promoter of the Portsmouth Diocesan KIT (Keeping In Touch) programme said: “So many church-going Catholics are concerned about their children and grandchildren who don’t seem to have any links with their local parish. We’ve found ‘Come Home For Christmas’ to be a real source of hope and, as a follow up to the initial Christmas invitations, the KIT programme offers home visits and small group meetings where people can share their stories and learn a little about today’s Church. In fact our meetings went down so well that we continued to meet in the local pub during the summer months.”
The Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE) is resourcing this year’s initiative and the theme of the outreach materials is “...something missing?” Also being offered is a free information pack from the Catholic Enquiry Office and a text featuring a message of welcome from Cardinal Cormac-Murphy O’Connor.
Clare Ward from CASE said: “We were overwhelmed by the response from parishes last year and are hoping for an even greater one this year. A variety of materials are available in recognition of the fact that ‘no one size fits all’ in a Catholic understanding of evangelisation. Do contact us. We’d be delighted to support and resource you and your parish.”
Bishop Malcolm McMahon, Chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, said: "The star of Bethlehem clearly guided the three kings on their long and arduous journey from a distant place to the wondrous reality of Jesus' birth. In the months leading up to this extraordinary event, let's seriously consider in our families, parishes, in our lives, how we can serve as stars, as beacons, leading those baptised who are no longer church-goers to 'come home', to attend Mass. Be bold and courageous. I encourage you to respectfully reach out and 'shine'."
For more information and resources please e-mail: info@comehomeforchristmas.co.uk
www.caseresources.org.uk
For more information about KIT please see: www.kit4catholics.org.uk E-mail: enquiries@kit4catholics.org.uk
Also see: www.everybodyswelcome.org.uk
In your dreams
In the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear that Joseph had learned the news of Mary's pregnancy. What would have been going through his mind as he tried to work out what to do? The desire to keep his honour wrestling with his desire to protect this young woman from any more disgrace than she was already facing...How many nights had he tossed and turned - before a fateful night on which, it could be said, the history of salvation depended. The Word had become Flesh but was infinitely vulnerable - and would be for many years. How was the Child to be protected in the long years of childhood if this good man rejected the woman who he thought had so seriously betrayed him?
And God sends a messenger to speak to this man in a dream... to enter his troubled sleep with words of comfort - of reassurance.But words that made no sense -what on earth does a child having been conceived by the Holy Spirit mean?
Joseph - like his namesake hundreds of years before - was a dreamer. Like the earlier Joseph, he trusted the dreams - and would have known that dreams are not always sweet - and their interpretation not always comfortable.Hadn't the first Joseph ended up in Egypt because of his dreams? But then, hadn't he ended up as Pharaoh's right-hand man because of his skill in dream interpretation?
And don't we now know that this Joseph's dreams were not prophesying a quiet life?
Yet he took Mary into his home and brought up the Child with such love that when Jesus came to try to express something of what God was like, he used the childhood word he would have used for Joseph: Abba.
What was in that dream that led a Jewish carpenter to stake the rest of his life on it?
An angel told him not to be afraid - that all these strange circumstances fall within God's plan - within God's great Dream for humanity. For a short time the dreamer catches a privileged glimpse into the Dream and for the rest of his life will play his part in its unfolding.
Those we accompany of their journey come with their own dreams - those glimpses that draw them to God - to enquire ‘what does this mean?' - to question ‘is it real?' Perhaps our role as catechists is to act as angels - as messengers of God. We listen to their stories - to their dreams - and we say "don't be afraid. God is with you." And we share from our experience of living out our part in the Dream. We speak of other players in the Dream - the great and the small - the ones who sought to interpret and the ones who simply gazed in rapt awe upon the mysteries within it. We tell of those who also staked their lives on the Dream - who gave and give their lives for love of it. We lead them into rites which earth the Dream in sight and sound and touch and taste and smell - for it is the Dream of the Word Incarnate - en-fleshed - a Dream to be lived out in human bodies. We feed the mind - the imagination - for it is here that the Dream takes root and heart.
Like Joseph, we are keepers of the Dream - but not its owners. We have heard our own angels calming our fears and encouraging us to faith - to hope and to love. Joseph's charge was the protection of the Child Jesus and his mother - ours to retell their stories. His privilege, it is said, to die with Jesus and Mary at his side - ours to know that his adopted son broke the barriers of death and made real the yearning dream of eternal life. His faith was to face the shattered dream of conventional marriage and family life and to trust the greater Dream through long journeys and exile. Ours is to stand with others in their broken dreams and to brave the journeys and the exiles that form our part of the Dream.
For we have glimpsed the Dream. We have sensed that before we were formed in the wombs of our mothers, God was dreaming of us and of the part we would play in the unfolding of his Great Dream. Our parts may be small - but are no less important for that - for without them the Dream is incomplete.In witnessing our faith, others learn to trust the dream planted in them and to let God's Dream take root - and grow closer to its fulfilment through those who, like Joseph, dare to dream their dreams and to stake their lives on the truth of the greater and eternal Dream.