Page 3 - LOTN Spring Issue 49 2022

DIOCESE

A Letter from

Bishop Hugh Gilbert O.S.B.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, welcome refugees here.
The Psalms have the knack of being eloquent in situations
I am writing this exactly one month after the Russian like these.
invasion of Ukraine and the day before the Church “How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
throughout the world joins Pope Francis in consecrating How long will your anger burn like a fire?
these two countries to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Remember the shortness of my life,
By the time anyone reads this, who knows what the and how frail you have made the children of Adam.
situation will be? Will peace be on the horizon? Will the What man can live and never see death?
whole dreadful affair just be dragging on? Will there have Who can save himself from the grasp of Sheol?”
been an escalation? (Ps 89: 47-49).
Even at a distance we see the contorted face of war. “Teach us to number our days,
In the midst of this uncertainty and witnessing this that we may gain wisdom of heart”, says another Psalm
explosion of suffering, what is there for us to take to our (Ps 90:12).
hearts, to cling to and derive inspiration from? We are being reminded of our frailty and our mortality
Is there a response that comes naturally to the Christian, - and of our human connectedness. It was a great Russian
and others of good will? Thank God, we have seen it saint appropriately enough, Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833),
already. It is already part of the story, the better part. who said, “Keep yourself at peace and thousands round
First of all, we can be grateful to the Holy Father for you will be saved.” As Pope Francis repeats, “Everything is
leading the whole Church in prayer. This is synodality in connected”. In a globalised world, war emphasises that in a
practice, its highest form. There is a moment in the Acts of negative way. It is not a “little local difficulty” we can ignore
the Apostles when King Herod “lays violent hands on some as we continue our lives. But peace has its varying levels and
who belonged to the church” (Acts 12:1). Peter himself is intricate inter-connections too. We are in the midst of Lent
arrested and imprisoned. Currently, we are witnessing and Eastertide, remembering how God was and is at work
the attempted “arrest” and “imprisonment”, and worse, of in Christ reconciling the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19).
a whole country. The response of the early Christians to We even have a Sacrament named after Reconciliation,
the intended elimination of Peter was what we might call one that delivers “pardon and peace”. Isn’t this a moment
“total prayer”: “earnest prayer for him was made to God by to avail ourselves of it, and that not just for ourselves? “Seek
the church” (Acts 12:5), that is by everyone. On the 25th peace and pursue it”, says yet another Psalm (Ps 34:15). Yes,
of March, with the Prayer of Consecration proposed by surely all this contemporary horror revives and intensifies
the Pope, the Catholic instinct to turn to Mary in historical our desire for a better world, for the kingdom of God, and
moments of grave threat was called upon and the non- spurs us to seek Christ’s peace in its every manifestation:
political prayer-power of the whole Body of Christ was with God, with others, in our families and parishes, with
mobilised. In contrast to the heavy metal of war, the effect ourselves and the natural world around us.
of sanctions, cyber-attacks and realpolitik, prayer can seem “O God, merciful and strong,
“weak”. But it will not be in vain. May it give a hidden sap to who crush wars and cast down the proud,
all efforts towards peace, and spark those changes of heart be pleased to banish violence swiftly from our midst
and mind without which nothing good will happen. It is and to wipe away all tears,
good to pray, too, for individuals, a suffering child perhaps so that we all truly deserve to be called your children.
we glimpse on our screens. Through Christ our Lord” (Roman Missal, p. 1362).
Then there has been the outpouring of compassion Jesus, mercy! Mary, help!
towards those caught up in the conflict – the willingness
to provide shelter, security, the basics of life, education and Devotedly in Christ,
work and medical care, the opening of houses and hearts.
What strange, terrifying creatures we are! “Capable of doing
what is noble and what is base”, as Vatican II bluntly put it,
and this next door to each other. At the time of writing,
we hope our Government will make it easier for people to

Page 3