Jubilee of Governments

 The days 21st - 22nd June 2025 are being marked as a Jubilee of Governments, though no particular events are indicated at the Jubilee 2025 website as taking part during these days. The target audience for these days is likely to be diplomats and political leaders.

England is the home of St Thomas More, who was declared by Pope St John Paul II in the year 2000 to be the Patron Saint of Statesmen and Politicians. His Apostolic Letter gives a wide ranging account of St Thomas' life and, in the context of the challenges that are today faced in public life, suggests that St Thomas

... distinguished himself by his constant fidelity to legitimate authority and institutions precisely in his intention to serve not power but the supreme ideal of justice. His life teaches us that government is above all an exercise of virtue. Unwavering in this rigorous moral stance, this English statesman placed his own public activity at the service of the person, especially if that person was weak or poor; he dealt with social controversies with a superb sense of fairness; he was vigorously committed to favouring and defending the family; he supported the all-round education of the young. His profound detachment from honours and wealth, his serene and joyful humility, his balanced knowledge of human nature and of the vanity of success, his certainty of judgement rooted in faith: these all gave him that confident inner strength that sustained him in adversity and in the face of death. His sanctity shone forth in his martyrdom, but it had been prepared by an entire life of work devoted to God and neighbour. ... 

[The] harmony between the natural and the supernatural is perhaps the element which more than any other defines the personality of this great English statesman: he lived his intense public life with a simple humility marked by good humour, even at the moment of his execution.

When Pope Benedict XVI visited Britain in 2010, he gave an address to politicians and other participants in public life in the very place where St Thomas More was tried, Westminster Hall. Making reference to the example of St Thomas, Pope Benedict explored the relationship between religious faith and the duties of public office.

And yet the fundamental questions at stake in Thomas More’s trial continue to present themselves in ever-changing terms as new social conditions emerge. Each generation, as it seeks to advance the common good, must ask anew: what are the requirements that governments may reasonably impose upon citizens, and how far do they extend? By appeal to what authority can moral dilemmas be resolved? These questions take us directly to the ethical foundations of civil discourse. If the moral principles underpinning the democratic process are themselves determined by nothing more solid than social consensus, then the fragility of the process becomes all too evident – herein lies the real challenge for democracy. ...

The Catholic tradition maintains that the objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding from the content of revelation. According to this understanding, the role of religion in political debate is not so much to supply these norms, as if they could not be known by non-believers – still less to propose concrete political solutions, which would lie altogether outside the competence of religion – but rather to help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles. ... This is why I would suggest that the world of reason and the world of faith – the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief – need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilization.

 In 1969 Pope St Paul VI published an Apostolic Letter Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum on the mission of Pontifical Representatives. Acting in many instances as the equivalent of ambassadors of the Holy See to the civil governments of the places where they are accredited, they also act as a an instrument of communion between the local churches of those places and the Apostolic See.

It is indeed true that the aims of the Church and of the State are of a different order and that both are perfect societies, endowed, therefore with their own means and independent in their respective spheres of action, but it is equally true that both act for the benefit of a common subject - man, who is called by God to eternal salvation and placed on earth to enable him with the help of grace, to attain it through a life of work which will give him well-being in peaceful co-existence with his fellow beings.

Hence it follows that some of the activities of the Church and of the State are in certain sense complementary, and that the good of the individual and of the community of peoples postulates an open dialogue between the Church on the one hand and the States on the other, in order to establish, foster and strengthen relations of reciprocal understanding, mutual co-ordination and co-operation to prevent or settle possible differences for the purpose of attaining the realisation of the great human hopes of peace among nations, of internal tranquility and the progress of individual nations.

The Apostolic Letter also mentions the representatives of the Holy See to international organisations, perhaps most notable among them being the representatives to the various organs of the United Nations.  

We can see the role undertaken by these Pontifical Representatives as a living expression of the wish for dialogue between the worlds of religious belief and secular rationality of which Pope Benedict XVI spoke during his visit to Britain.

Jubilee of Sport

 The Jubilee of Sport is to be marked from 14th - 15th June 2025. The press conference to introduce this jubilee gives some idea of the relationship between the Church and the world of sport and of the events that will form part of this Jubilee. 

The Jubilee itself reminds me of a chapter in Romano Guardini's short book The Spirit of the Liturgy. That chapter is entitled "The Playfulness of the Liturgy" and, whilst Guardini warns that we should read the whole in order to really understand his idea, I offer two quotations in an attempt to summarise the chapter:

The child when it plays, does not aim at anything. It has no purpose. It does not want to do anything but to exercise its youthful powers, pour forth its life in an aimless series of movements, words and actions, and by this to develop and to realize itself more fully; all of which is purposeless, but full of meaning nevertheless, the significance lying in the unchecked revelation of this youthful life in thoughts and words and movements and actions, in the capture and expression of its nature, and in the fact of its existence. And because it does not aim at anything in particular, because it streams unbroken and spontaneously forth, its utterance will be harmonious, its form clear and fine; its expression will of itself become picture and dance, rhyme, melody and song.

And, towards the end of the chapter:

The liturgy does the same thing. It too, with endless care, with all the seriousness of the child and the strict conscientiousness of the great artist, has toiled to express in a thousand forms the sacred God-given life of the soul to no other purpose that that the soul may therein have its existence and live its life. The liturgy had laid down the serious rules of the sacred game which the soul plays before God. And, if we are desirous of touching bottom int his mystery, it is the Spirit of fire and of holy discipline "Who has knowledge of the World" - the Holy Ghost - Who has ordained the game which the Eternal Wisdom plays before the Heavenly Father in the Church, Its kingdom on earth. And "Its delight" is in this way "to be with the children of men". 

There have been many occasions when the Church has engaged with the field of sports. In the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 a Jubilee of Sport took place, during which Pope St John Paul II met with leading protagonists from the field: Jubilee of Sports People. More recently, in May 2024, the French Embassy to the Holy See and the Dicastery for Culture and Education sponsored a conference "Putting Life into Play". Pope Francis' message to that conference is reported on the Vatican News website, with a full text here. I quote below from Pope St John Paul II's homily of October 2000:

Playing sports has become very important today, since it can encourage young people to develop important values such as loyalty, perseverance, friendship, sharing and solidarity. Precisely for this reason, in recent years it has continued to grow even more as one of the characteristic phenomena of the modern era, almost a "sign of the times" capable of interpreting humanity's new needs and new expectations. Sports have spread to every corner of the world, transcending differences between cultures and nations.

The Holy Father went on to compare the commitments needed to be successful in sport to those needed to live a full Christian life:

 "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing" (Ps 125: 5). The responsorial psalm reminded us that persevering effort is needed to succeed in life. Anyone who plays sports knows this very well:  it is only at the cost of strenuous training that significant results are achieved. The athlete, therefore, agrees with the Psalmist when he says that the effort spent in sowing finds its reward in the joy of the harvest:  "Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves" (Ps 125: 6).

At the recent Olympic Games in Sydney we admired the feats of the great athletes, who sacrificed themselves for years, day after day, to achieve those results. This is the logic of sport, especially Olympic sports; it is also the logic of life:  without sacrifices, important results are not obtained, or even genuine satisfaction.

Once again the Apostle Paul has reminded us of this:  "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable" (1 Cor 9: 25). Every Christian is called to become a strong athlete of Christ, that is, a faithful and courageous witness to his Gospel. But to succeed in this, he must persevere in prayer, be trained in virtue and follow the divine Master in everything.

He, in fact, is God's true athlete:  Christ is the "more powerful" Man (cf. Mk 1: 7), who for our sake confronted and defeated the "opponent", Satan, by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus inaugurating the kingdom of God. He teaches us that, to enter into glory, we must undergo suffering (cf. Lk 24: 26,46); he has gone before us on this path, so that we might follow in his footsteps.

 Pope Francis own particular contribution to the Church's engagement with the world of sport is perhaps in his strong encouragement of a culture of encounter and dialogue, something to which the world of sport readily lends itself. In his message for the conference in May 2024 Pope Francis also encouraged the preservation of a genuine sense of "sportsmanship", of the maintenance of a certain amateur spirit in the way in which people take part in sport.

Pope Leo XIV more recently met with the football team of Naples, winners of Italy's equivalent of the British Premier League. In a slightly different way, he picked up Pope Francis' words in favour of a genuine sportsmanship:

Welcome! And congratulations for your victory in the Championship! It is a great celebration for the city of Naples!

And it is precisely on this that I would like to reflect with you. To win the Championship is a milestone that one reaches at the end of a long journey, where what counts the most is not the one-off exploit, or the extraordinary performance of a champion. The Championship is won by the team, and when I say “team”, I mean the players, the trainer with the entire team, and the sports association.

Therefore, I am truly happy to welcome you now, to highlight this aspect of your success, which I consider the most important. And I would say that it is so also from a social point of view. We know how popular football is in Italy, and practically all over the world. And so, from this perspective, it seems to me that the social value of an event like this, which goes beyond the merely technical and sporting fact, is the example of a team – in the broadest sense – working together, in which the talents of the individuals are placed at the service of the whole.

And there is one last thing it is important to me to say, taking advantage of this occasion. It regards the educational aspect. Unfortunately, when sport becomes a business, it risks losing the values that make it educational, and can even become anti-educational. It is necessary to keep a lookout for this, especially with regard to teenagers. I appeal to parents and sports managers: we must be very careful of the moral quality of the experience of sport at competitive level, because the human growth of the young is at stake.

As a final thought, we might remind ourselves that the Apostle Paul more than once compared the Christian life to an athletic competition (cf. 1 Cor 9:24; 2 Tim 4:7-8), a thought that brings us back to Romano Guardini's account of the playfulness of the Liturgy. The "play" that we can see in the exercise of sport can perhaps be seen as one of those "seeds of the Gospel" of which the Prayer for the Jubilee 2025 speaks:

May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from wthin both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the power of Evil vanquished your glory will shine eternally.

Jubilee of the Holy See

 Monday 9th June 2025 is being marked as a Jubilee for the Holy See. Whilst many of the other major Jubilee 2025 celebrations offer something of an invitation to participation by people from all parts of the world, this celebration appears more of a semi-private event. It appears to be a celebration intended for those who work in the offices and missions most closely associated with Vatican, and so express a collaboration with the Successor of Peter in the carrying out of his mission to the Church and to the world.

The choice of day for this Jubilee is interesting. It marks the celebration of the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. In his allocution at the end of the third session of the Second Vatican Council, Pope St Paul VI proclaimed the title of "Mother of the Church":

Therefore to the glory of the Blessed Virgin and for our consolation we declare Mary most Holy as Mother of the Church, that is of all the Christian people, of the faithful and of the pastors, who call her a most loving Mother; and we establish that with this title the Christian people may from now on give even more honour to the Mother of God and offer her their supplications.

[As an aside, when I read of the events surrounding this proclamation, I feel that it is an occasion on which Pope St Paul VI may have acted in response to a particular inspiration of the Holy Spirit. His encyclical letter Humanae Vitae would be another such instance.] 

When Pope Francis decreed that the celebration of a Memoria marking the title Mother of the Church should be inserted into the universal Liturgical calendar of the Church, he offered a brief theological account of the title and then referred back to Pope St Paul VI's allocution:

Thus the foundation is clearly established by which Blessed Paul VI, on 21 November 1964, at the conclusion of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council, declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as “Mother of the Church, that is to say of all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother” and established that “the Mother of God should be further honoured and invoked by the entire Christian people by this tenderest of titles”.

Therefore the Apostolic See on the occasion of the Holy Year of Reconciliation (1975), proposed a votive Mass in honour of Beata Maria Ecclesiæ Matre, which was subsequently inserted into the Roman Missal. The Holy See also granted the faculty to add the invocation of this title in the Litany of Loreto (1980) and published other formularies in the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1986). Some countries, dioceses and religious families who petitioned the Holy See were allowed to add this celebration to their particular calendars.

Having attentively considered how greatly the promotion of this devotion might encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety, Pope Francis has decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, should be inscribed in the Roman Calendar on the Monday after Pentecost and be now celebrated every year.

Towards the end of the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee 2025 (n.24), Pope Francis wrote of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of Hope:

Hope finds its supreme witness in the Mother of God. In the Blessed Virgin, we see that hope is not naive optimism but a gift of grace amid the realities of life. Like every mother, whenever Mary looked at her Son, she thought of his future. Surely she kept pondering in her heart the words spoken to her in the Temple by the elderly Simeon: “This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Lk 2:34-35). At the foot of the cross, she witnessed the passion and death of Jesus, her innocent son. Overwhelmed with grief, she nonetheless renewed her “fiat”, never abandoning her hope and trust in God. In this way, Mary cooperated for our sake in the fulfilment of all that her Son had foretold in announcing that he would have to “undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mk 8:31). In the travail of that sorrow, offered in love, Mary became our Mother, the Mother of Hope. It is not by chance that popular piety continues to invoke the Blessed Virgin as Stella Maris, a title that bespeaks the sure hope that, amid the tempests of this life, the Mother of God comes to our aid, sustains us and encourages us to persevere in hope and trust. 

Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities

 The days 7th-8th June 2025 are being celebrated as a Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities. The days are chosen to be those of the Vigil and celebration of the Feast of Pentecost, when the Church celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit on the infant Church. Some examples of the movements that might be represented in the celebration of this Jubilee are: Communion and Liberation, the Focolare, the Charismatic Renewal, the Legion of Mary and FAITH Movement. I also include SIGNIS as an ecclesial movement, though it has a specific commitment in the fields of film, media and communications. The Jubilee takes place immediately after the annual meeting of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life with the moderators of international associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities. Some 70 000 pilgrims are expected to take part.

The movements are due to meet with Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square on the Vigil of Pentecost, an event which re-creates a meeting of the movements with Pope St John Paul II on the eve of Pentecost in 1998. The memorable expression of that occasion is the reference that Pope St John Paul II made to the co-essentiality of the institutional and charismatic dimensions of the Church, developing the teaching of Lumen Gentium n.12:

The institutional and charismatic aspects are co-essential as it were to the Church's constitution. They contribute, although differently, to the life, renewal and sanctification of God's People. It is from this providential rediscovery of the Church's charismatic dimension that, before and after the Council, a remarkable pattern of growth has been established for ecclesial movements and new communities.

This meeting with St John Paul II took place in the context of the first World Congress of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities. The Holy Father referred to some of the difficulties that had occurred in the growth of these new movements and their relationship to the wider Church. 

Their birth and spread has brought to the Church's life an unexpected newness which is sometimes even disruptive. This has given rise to questions, uneasiness and tensions; at times it has led to presumptions and excesses on the one hand, and on the other, to numerous prejudices and reservations. It was a testing period for their fidelity, an important occasion for verifying the authenticity of their charisms.

Today a new stage is unfolding before you: that of ecclesial maturity. This does not mean that all problems have been solved. Rather, it is a challenge. A road to take. The Church expects from you the "mature" fruits of communion and commitment.

On the Vigil of Pentecost in 2006, the movements gathered again in St Peter's Square, this time with Pope Benedict XVI. After a reflection on the place of the Holy Spirit in creation and within the life of the Trinity (Pope Benedict's words on the abuse of creation foreshadow Pope Francis teaching on the same theme), Pope Benedict spoke on three words: life, freedom and unity.

When all that people want from life is to take possession of it, it becomes ever emptier and poorer; it is easy to end up seeking refuge in drugs, in the great deception. And doubts surface as to whether, in the end, life is truly a good.

No, we do not find life in this way. Jesus' words about life in abundance are found in the Good Shepherd discourse. His words are set in a double context.

Concerning the shepherd, Jesus tells us that he lays down his life. "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord" (cf. Jn 10: 18). It is only in giving life that it is found; life is not found by seeking to possess it. This is what we must learn from Christ; and the Holy Spirit teaches us that it is a pure gift, that it is God's gift of himself. The more one gives one's life for others, for goodness itself, the more abundantly the river of life flows.

Secondly, the Lord tells us that life unfolds in walking with the Shepherd who is familiar with the pasture - the places where the sources of life flow.

We find life in communion with the One who is life in person - in communion with the living God, a communion into which we are introduced by the Holy Spirit, who is called in the hymn of Vespers "fons vivus", a living source. ... 

Dear friends, the Movements were born precisely of the thirst for true life; they are Movements for life in every sense.

Speaking of freedom:

True freedom is demonstrated in responsibility, in a way of behaving in which one takes upon oneself a shared responsibility for the world, for oneself and for others.
The son, to whom things belong and who, consequently, does not let them be destroyed, is free. All the worldly responsibilities of which we have spoken are nevertheless partial responsibilities for a specific area, a specific State, etc.

The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, makes us sons and daughters of God. He involves us in the same responsibility that God has for his world, for the whole of humanity. He teaches us to look at the world, others and ourselves with God's eyes. We do not do good as slaves who are not free to act otherwise, but we do it because we are personally responsible for the world; because we love truth and goodness, because we love God himself and therefore, also his creatures. This is the true freedom to which the Holy Spirit wants to lead us. 

And of unity:

The Holy Spirit, in giving life and freedom, also gives unity. These are three gifts that are inseparable from one another.  ...

He wants your diversity and he wants you for the one body, in union with the permanent orders - the joints - of the Church, with the successors of the Apostles and with the Successor of St Peter. He does not lessen our efforts to learn the way of relating to one another; but he also shows us that he works with a view to the one body and in the unity of the one body. It is precisely in this way that unity obtains its strength and beauty.

May you take part in the edification of the one body! Pastors must be careful not to extinguish the Spirit (cf. I Thes 5: 19) and you will not cease to bring your gifts to the entire community. Once again, the Spirit blows where he wills. But his will is unity. He leads us towards Christ through his Body.

In a concluding word that foresees the theme of the Jubilee 2025, Pope Benedict observed:

The Holy Spirit gives believers a superior vision of the world, of life, of history, and makes them custodians of the hope that never disappoints.

It has been a common place since Vatican II to speak of a "universal call to holiness", that is, a call to Christian living that is derived from Baptism and Confirmation and that is addressed to all Christians. However, the response to that call is given in the specificity of the life of each individual, and for many people that specificity is found in the charism of one or other of the new movements or communities. Without the presence of these movements, pastoral life can too easily lack the element of specificity necessary to a lively Christian witness.

Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly

 The days 30th May to 1st June are to be celebrated as a Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly.  Some 60 000 pilgrims are expected in Rome for this event, and the report here indicates the participation of ecclesial movements who will have their own Jubilee celebration at the Pentecost weekend.

In the title of this celebration, and in its programme of events, we can recognise the themes of a series of General Audience addresses given by Pope Francis, starting on 17th December 2014 and extending to 18th November 2015 (see here). We can also recognise a section "Life in the wider family" from his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (nn.187 - 198). In these sources Pope Francis frequently addresses experiences of family life from a very practical and every day point of view. All of this needs to be read with Catholic teaching on the nature of marriage in mind; that is, marriage understood as the lifelong, exclusive commitment of one man and one woman, that is ordered towards their own good, and that is open to the transmission of new life (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church nn.1601 ff).

We might exemplify Pope Francis' approach by reminding ourselves of the "three expressions", of which he spoke in his Audience address of 13th May 2015:

Today’s catechesis will serve as a doorway to a series of reflections on family life and what it’s really like to live in a family, day in and day out. Imagine three expressions written above the doorway; expressions I’ve already mentioned here in St Peter’s Square several times before. The expressions are: “may I?”, “thank you”, and “pardon me”. Indeed, these expressions open up the way to living well in your family, to living in peace. They are simple expressions, but not so simple to put into practice! They hold much power: the power to keep home life intact even when tested with a thousand problems. But if they are absent, little holes can start to crack open and the whole thing may even collapse. ...

... the first expression is, “may I?” When we take care to ask for something kindly — even something we think we have a rightful claim to — we help to strengthen the common life that undergirds marriage and the family. Entering into the life of another, even when that person already has a part to play in our life, demands the sensitivity of a non-invasive attitude which renews trust and respect. Indeed, the deeper and more intimate love is, the more it calls for respect for the other’s freedom and the ability to wait until the other open’s the door to his or her heart. ...

The second expression is “thank you”. ... We must become firmly determined to educate others to be grateful and appreciative: the dignity of the person and social justice must both pass through the portal of the family. If family life neglects this style of living, social life will also reject it.  

 The third expression is “pardon me”. Granted, it’s not always easy to say, but it is so necessary. Whenever it is lacking, the little cracks begin to open up — even when we don’t want them to — and they can even become enormous sinkholes. It’s hardly insignificant that in the “Our Father” that Jesus teaches us — a prayer that sums up all of life’s essential questions — we find this expression: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Matt 6:16). To acknowledge that we have fallen short, to be desirous of returning that which has been taken away — respect, sincerity, love — these make us worthy of pardon. This is how we heal the infection. If we are not able to forgive ourselves, then we are no longer able to forgive period. A house in which the words “I’m sorry” are never uttered begins to lack air, and the flood waters begin to choke those who live inside.

In his Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year, as well as indicating that grandparents and the elderly should be offered signs of hope, Pope Francis also wrote (n.9) that " Looking to the future with hope also entails having enthusiasm for life and a readiness to share it":

Openness to life and responsible parenthood is the design that the Creator has implanted in the hearts and bodies of men and women, a mission that the Lord has entrusted to spouses and to their love. It is urgent that responsible legislation on the part of states be accompanied by the firm support of communities of believers and the entire civil community in all its components. For the desire of young people to give birth to new sons and daughters as a sign of the fruitfulness of their love ensures a future for every society. This is a matter of hope: it is born of hope and it generates hope.

Somewhat coincidentally, the Ecumenical Prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival has been awarded to a French language film Young Mothers (Jeune Meres). The statement at SIGNIS website explaining the reasons for the award is here, and this is the page for the film at Cannes. The interview with the directors and the trailer (in French) are worth reading. The film also won the award for Best Screenplay in the main competition at the festival. (The English titling of the film appears to be "Young Mothers Home".)

The film centers on teenage mothers living in a dedicated [mother's home], exploring their struggles and resilience in challenging circumstances. True to the Dardenne brothers’ signature style, Young Mothers finds its ethical foundation not through grand dramatic gestures but in quiet, persistent acts of care and compassion. 

The film appears to present, in a very specific context, the "matter of hope" to which Pope Francis referred in the Bull of Indiction. 

Jubilee 2025: 1700 year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

 We have seen recently the date that marks the 1700 year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, and the Creed that the fathers of that Council promulgated. Pope Francis referred to this anniversary in his Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year (n.17).

The Council of Nicaea sought to preserve the Church’s unity, which was seriously threatened by the denial of the full divinity of Jesus Christ and hence his consubstantiality with the Father. Some three hundred bishops took part, convoked at the behest of the Emperor Constantine; their first meeting took place in the Imperial Palace on 20 May 325. After various debates, by the grace of the Spirit they unanimously approved the Creed that we still recite each Sunday at the celebration of the Eucharist. The Council Fathers chose to begin that Creed by using for the first time the expression “ We believe”, as a sign that all the Churches were in communion and that all Christians professed the same faith.

Pope Francis drew attention to the ecumenical implications of the anniversary, as did Pope Leo XIV in his meeting with representatives of other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, as well as other religions, who had attended the inauguration of his pontificate:

The Council of Nicaea was a milestone in the Church’s history. The celebration of its anniversary invites Christians to join in a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to the Blessed Trinity and in particular to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “consubstantial with the Father”, who revealed to us that mystery of love. At the same time, Nicaea represents a summons to all Churches and Ecclesial Communities to persevere on the path to visible unity and in the quest of finding ways to respond fully to the prayer of Jesus “that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” ( Jn 17:21). 

 And in the words of Pope Leo XIV:

My election has taken place during the year of the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. That Council represents a milestone in the formulation of the Creed shared by all Churches and Ecclesial Communities. While we are on the journey to re-establishing full communion among all Christians, we recognise that this unity can only be unity in faith. As Bishop of Rome, I consider one of my priorities to be that of seeking the re-establishment of full and visible communion among all those who profess the same faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 A "Creed", such as that of Nicaea, can also be referred to as a "profession of faith". This latter designation draws attention to a two-fold aspect of such a formulation - the content expressed in the text, and the affirmation by the faithful of their adherence to that content. A moving instance of such a profession of faith, in this second sense, is to be found in that made by Pope St Paul VI on 30th June 1968 as he closed the Nineteenth Centenary of the martryrdom of St Peter and St Paul, and which has since come to be known as The "Credo" of the People of God.

Furthermore, We consider it Our duty to fulfil the mandate given by Christ to Peter, whose successor We are in spite of Our unworthiness - the command "to confirm Our brethren" in faith. Therefore, although We are conscious of Our inadequacy, We nonetheless will make a profession of faith with all the strength that our Spirit draws from the mandate We have received. We are going to repeat that declaration that begins with the word "Credo" which, though it is not a strict dogmatic definition, still, rightly interpreted in accordance with the spiritual requirements of our times, recapitulates in substance the formulation of Nicaea - the formulation of the immortal tradition of the Holy Church of God.

Expanding from the profession of faith that is now recited at Mass, Pope St Paul VI offers a beautiful and wide ranging summary of Catholic belief that will reward a re-reading. 

Jubilee disregarded

 From Pope Francis' Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee Year 2025, with my emphasis added:

16. Echoing the age-old message of the prophets, the Jubilee reminds us that the goods of the earth are not destined for a privileged few, but for everyone. The rich must be generous and not avert their eyes from the faces of their brothers and sisters in need. Here I think especially of those who lack water and food: hunger is a scandal, an open wound on the body of our humanity, and it summons all of us to a serious examination of conscience. I renew my appeal that “with the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries, so that their citizens will not resort to violent or illusory situations, or have to leave their countries in order to seek a more dignified life”.

 From a BBC News report of President Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia, again with my emphasis added:

US President Donald Trump has said the US has "no stronger partner" than Saudi Arabia during his first major foreign trip - a whirlwind visit of Gulf countries mainly focused on shoring up investment.

Day one of the trip saw the two sides announce a $142bn (£107bn) arms deal, as well as a raft of other investments that Saudi Arabia's crown prince said could eventually be worth $1tn.

Jubilee of Confraternities

 The days 16th-18th May 2025 are to be marked as a Jubilee of Confraternities. The programme for the grand procession of several confraternities gives an idea of the range of groups that will be taking part, and of the different devotional inspiration of the confraternities involved. The spirituality and processions that are typical of these confraternities can be described as exemplifying the idea of "popular piety".

Pope Francis dedicated a section (nn.122-126) of his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium to "The evangelizing power of popular piety".

 Popular piety enables us to see how the faith, once received, becomes embodied in a culture and is constantly passed on. Once looked down upon, popular piety came to be appreciated once more in the decades following the Council. In the Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi (n.48), Pope Paul VI gave a decisive impulse in this area. There he stated that popular piety “manifests a thirst for God which only the poor and the simple can know” and that “it makes people capable of generosity and sacrifice even to the point of heroism, when it is a question of bearing witness to belief”. Closer to our own time, Benedict XVI, speaking about Latin America, pointed out that popular piety is “a precious treasure of the Catholic Church”, in which “we see the soul of the Latin American peoples”.

During the Year of Faith, a day was also dedicated as a Day for Confraternities and Popular Piety. Preaching on that occasion, Pope Francis referred to two expressions that Pope Benedict XVI had used in talking of popular piety:

 Here we are shown the centre from which everything must go forth and to which everything must lead: loving God and being Christ’s disciples by living the Gospel. When Benedict XVI spoke to you, he used this expression: evangelical spirit. Dear confraternities, the popular piety of which you are an important sign is a treasure possessed by the Church, which the bishops of Latin America defined, significantly, as a spirituality, a form of mysticism, which is “a place of encounter with Jesus Christ”. Draw always from Christ, the inexhaustible wellspring; strengthen your faith by attending to your spiritual formation, to personal and communitarian prayer, and to the liturgy. Down the centuries confraternities have been crucibles of holiness for countless people who have lived in utter simplicity an intense relationship with the Lord. Advance with determination along the path of holiness; do not rest content with a mediocre Christian life, but let your affiliation serve as a stimulus, above all for you yourselves, to an ever greater love of Jesus Christ. ...

... a second element which I want to remind you of, as Benedict XVI did, [is]: ecclesial spirit. Popular piety is a road which leads to what is essential, if it is lived in the Church in profound communion with your pastors. Dear brothers and sisters, the Church loves you! Be an active presence in the community, as living cells, as living stones. The Latin American Bishops wrote that the popular piety which you reflect is “a legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling that we are part of the Church” (Aparecida Document, 264). 

Pope Francis continued to add a third expression:

 I would like to add a third expression which must distinguish you: missionary spirit. You have a specific and important mission, that of keeping alive the relationship between the faith and the cultures of the peoples to whom you belong. You do this through popular piety. When, for example, you carry the crucifix in procession with such great veneration and love for the Lord, you are not performing a simple outward act; you are pointing to the centrality of the Lord’s paschal mystery, his passion, death and resurrection which have redeemed us, and you are reminding yourselves first, as well as the community, that we have to follow Christ along the concrete path of our daily lives so that he can transform us. Likewise, when you express profound devotion for the Virgin Mary, you are pointing to the highest realization of the Christian life, the one who by her faith and obedience to God’s will, and by her meditation on the words and deeds of Jesus, is the Lord’s perfect disciple (cf. Lumen Gentium, 53). You express this faith, born of hearing the word of God, in ways that engage the senses, the emotions and the symbols of the different cultures … In doing so you help to transmit it to others, and especially the simple persons whom, in the Gospels, Jesus calls “the little ones”. In effect, “journeying together towards shrines, and participating in other demonstrations of popular piety, bringing along your children and engaging other people, is itself a work of evangelization” (Aparecida Document, 264).

 At a parish level, the devotion of those who, before or after Sunday Mass, light a candle before a statue of the Virgin Mary or the parish patron saint comes to mind as we reflect on the value of popular piety.

Jubilee of the Eastern Churches

 The days 12th - 14th May 2025 are due to be marked as a Jubilee of the Eastern Churches. The proposed programme of events in Rome for this Jubilee recognises a particular gift of the Eastern Churches, namely, their liturgical rites, though by the time that this post publishes the programme may have been "modified" in the light of "events".

The existence of a dicastery of the Holy See dedicated to the relationship of the Holy See to Eastern Catholic Churches dates as far back as Pope Benedict XV in 1917. It is now known as the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches. In Rome there is a presence of the Eastern Churches in the Pontifical Oriental Institute, a mission of the Gregorian University; and in colleges affiliated to different Eastern Churches. The faithful of the Eastern Churches live not only in the geographical territories particularly associated with their rites but frequently in diaspora communities spread throughout the world. For many of us, our encounters with the faithful of these Churches occur by way of the parishes making provision for these diaspora communities. The suffering of these communities in former Communist countries and, today, in the countries of the Middle East contributes to the existence of diaspora communities. In the Bull of Indiction Pope Francis extended a particular invitation to them to take part in the Jubilee:

In a particular way, I would like to invite the faithful of the Eastern Churches, particularly those already in full communion with the Successor of Peter, to take part in this pilgrimage. They have suffered greatly, often even unto death, for their fidelity to Christ and the Church, and so they should feel themselves especially welcome in this City of Rome that is also their Mother and cherishes so many memories of their presence. The Catholic Church, enriched by their ancient liturgies and the theology and spirituality of their Fathers, monks and theologians, wants to give symbolic expression to its embrace of them and their Orthodox brothers and sisters in these times when they endure their own Way of the Cross, often forced by violence and instability to leave their homelands, their holy lands, for safer places. For them, the hope born of the knowledge that they are loved by the Church, which does not abandon them but follows them wherever they go, will make the symbolism of the Jubilee all the more powerful.

The Second Vatican Council addressed the Catholic Eastern Churches in its Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum. 

History, tradition and abundant ecclesiastical institutions bear outstanding witness to the great merit owing to the Eastern Churches by the universal Church. The Sacred Council, therefore, not only accords to this ecclesiastical and spiritual heritage the high regard which is its due and rightful praise, but also unhesitatingly looks on it as the heritage of the universal Church. For this reason it solemnly declares that the Churches of the East, as much as those of the West, have a full right and are in duty bound to rule themselves, each in accordance with its own established disciplines, since all these are praiseworthy by reason of their venerable antiquity, more harmonious with the character of their faithful and more suited to the promotion of the good of souls (n.5).

Pope St John Paul II visited Lebanon in May 1997, a visit which marked the publication of the Apostolic Exhortation Une esperance nouvelle pour le Liban that concluded a special Assembly for Lebanon of the Synod of Bishops. Preaching on that occasion, the Holy Father greeted the different Churches of the region and recognised the suffering of the region:

These circumstances enable me to be in your land, for the first time, and to tell you of the love that the Church and the Apostolic See have for your nation, for all Lebanese: for the Catholics of the different rites — Maronite, Melkite, Armenian, Chaldean, Syrian, Latin; for the faithful belonging to the other Christian Churches; as well as for the Muslims and the Druze, who believe in the one God. From the bottom of my heart I greet you all on this very important occasion. We wish now to present to God the fruits of the Synod for Lebanon. ...

People often spoke of the "martyr Lebanon", especially during the period of war which afflicted your country more than ten years ago. In this historical context, the words of Saint Peter can well be applied to all who have suffered in this land. The Apostle writes: "In so far as you share in Christ's sufferings, rejoice because the Spirit of God rests upon you, and that is the Spirit of glory" (cf. ibid.). I am mindful that we are gathered near the historic heart of Beirut, Martyrs' Square; but you have also called it Freedom Square and Unity Square. I am certain that the sufferings of the past years will not be in vain; they will strengthen your freedom and unity.

This last paragraph continues to reflect the experience of the Churches in Lebanon.

Pope Benedict XVI, in convening a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in October 2010, also reflected a concern of the Successor of Peter for the regions inhabited by the faithful of the Eastern Churches. As did his predecessor, Pope Benedict visited Beirut for the consigning of the resulting Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente.

96. Christ entrusted to Peter the specific mission of feeding his lambs (cf. Jn 21:15-17) and it is upon him that he built his Church (cf. Mt 16:18). As the Successor of Peter, I cannot overlook the trials and sufferings of Christ’s faithful and especially those who live in the Middle East. In a particular way, the Pope continues to be spiritually close to them. That is why, in the name of God, I ask the political and religious authorities of the Middle East not just to relieve these sufferings, but to eliminate the causes which produce them. I ask them to do all in their power to ensure that peace at last prevails.

97. Nor is the Pope unmindful that the Church – the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem – whose corner stone is Christ (1 Pet 2:4-7) and which he has received the mission to care for on earth, is built on foundations adorned with precious stones of various colours (cf. Rev 21:14, 19-20). The venerable Eastern Churches and the Latin Church are these brilliant jewels, worn down and made smooth by constant worship before “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb”
(Rev 22:1).

 In Great Britain we can note the presence of the Ukranian Catholic Church and the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. In both cases, there is an Eparchy - equivalent of a diocese - that covers the whole country. There is a mission of the Maronite Catholic Church, serving a diaspora community from Cyprus and from Lebanon; and a mission of the Melkite Church, also serving a diaspora community.

Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment

The days 10th-11th May 2025 are due to be marked as the Jubilee of Bands and Popular Entertainment, with the invitation to take part extended especially to "all members of military, institutional, amateur, folk, village, sports, school and college bands ... together with their families". By the time that this post publishes, arrangements for the Jubilee events in Rome may have been "modified" in the light of events.

Towards the end of his chapter entitled "Music and Liturgy" (in his book The Spirit of the Liturgy), the then Cardinal Ratzinger suggested three criteria that might govern the music of Christian liturgical worship. 

It is related to the events of God's saving action to which the Bible bears witness and which the Liturgy makes present. God's action continues in the history of the Church, but has its unshakeable center int he Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, his Cross, Resurrection and Ascension. ... the relation of liturgical music to logos means, first of all, simply its relation to words. That is why singing in the liturgy has priority over instrumental music, though it does not in any way exclude it. It goes without saying that the biblical and liturgical texts are the normative words from which liturgical music has to take its bearings...

Prayer is a gift of the Holy Spirit, both prayer in general and that particular kind of prayer which is the gift of singing and playing before God. The Holy Spirit is love. He enkindles love in us and thus moves us to sing. ... Words are superseded, but not the Word, the Logos. ... The Church's tradition has this in mind when it talks about the sober inebriation caused in us by the Holy Spirit. ...

... Christian liturgy is always a cosmic liturgy... The Preface, the first part of the Eucharistic Prayer, always ends with the affirmation that we are singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" together with the cherubim and seraphim and with all the choirs of heaven ... In the celebration of Holy Mass, we insert ourselves into this liturgy that always goes before us. All our singing is a singing and praying with the great liturgy that spans the whole of creation.

Perhaps closer to the intended remit of this special Jubilee might be those initiatives that come under the umbrella of "music ministries", ministries which might, in addition to providing liturgical music in the stricter sense, also provide music for praise and worship outside the liturgy properly so called. CJM Music, based in Birmingham Archdiocese, is an example of one such initiative. Perhaps the most remarkable work from CJM Music is the presentation of the Stations of the Cross entitled Born for This. Now available as a set of resources to enable Church groups to put on their own presentation, it was initially presented each year during Lent by a CJM cast, in different locations in the UK. I recall taking part in one such presentation in Brentwood Cathedral several years ago. I also recall a CD of music for the Year of the Eucharist celebrated in 2004-5.

Certainly within the remit of the Jubilee are those initiatives that produce music that is more general in nature, and intended for wider entertainment, music that might be described as secular music. The range of such initiatives is very wide, and extends from local musical groups up to groups with a national or international reach. I expect that many different nations have celebrations of music, reflecting their own heritage, and rooted in particular regional or cultural contexts. The Whit Friday band contests that take place in the North West of England each year provide an unusual example of one such celebration, and have a parallel to the band concerts due to take place in squares throughout Rome as part of the Jubilee. This BBC news report of the 2024 contests describes the event and explains something of its historical background: Towns and villages gear up for Whit Friday brass band contests. At each contest, a band plays a piece as they march along the village street, before playing the contest piece for the judges.  I think this is a good Youtube video that gives an idea of the event - note the coaches that follow each band, ready to move them on to the next village for their next contest. The range of bands that take part in these contests really does reflect the range of bands anticipated in the invitation extended by this special Jubilee event, including as it does military bands, bands with national and international reputations, college bands and junior bands.

The joy that is to be found in events such as the Whit Friday band contests can perhaps be seen as a seed of the joy that is to be found in living the Gospel.

May the grace of the Jubilee

reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,

a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May the same grace spread

the joy and peace of our Redeemer

throughout the earth.

Jubilee of Entrepeneurs

 Immediately following the Jubilee of Workers, the Jubilee of Entrepreneurs is due to take place in the days 4th-5th May 2025. The close association of these two events does make sense, as it is the entrepreneur who can create opportunities for workers; and it is workers who can in many situations make things possible for an entrepreneur. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope St John Paul II drew attention to the human person who is the subject of the activity of work, and this is an aspect of commercial life that the entrepreneur is also called to respect.

....the primary basis of the value of work is man himself, who is its subject. This leads immediately to a very important conclusion of an ethical nature: however true it may be that man is destined for work and called to it, in the first place work is "for man" and not man "for work". Through this conclusion one rightly comes to recognize the pre-eminence of the subjective meaning of work over the objective one. Given this way of understanding things, and presupposing that different sorts of work that people do can have greater or lesser objective value, let us try nevertheless to show that each sort is judged above all by the measure of the dignity of the subject of work, that is to say the person, the individual who carries it out. On the other hand: independently of the work that every man does, and presupposing that this work constitutes a purpose-at times a very demanding one-of his activity, this purpose does not possess a definitive meaning in itself. In fact, in the final analysis it is always man who is the purpose of the work, whatever work it is that is done by man-even if the common scale of values rates it as the merest "service", as the most monotonous even the most alienating work.

A project of the Focolare Movement demonstrates how business owners can run companies in a way that respects both those who are employed in the company and the wider community within which the company might be inserted. It is called Economy of Communion in Freedom. The article The Economy of Communion takes flight gives an account of how the project began - note that the "little town" or "little city" referred to describes a small town in which members and collaborators of the Focolare Movement live together to foster communion: 

The fundamental nucleus of the Economy of Communion in Freedom (EoC) can be summarized in three concepts: there was to be an industrial park with productive businesses located close to the movement’s little town; economic resources must be entrusted to competent individuals; the profits must be shared: one part for persons in need, one part to be invested in the industry itself to ensure its growth, one part for the formation of a new generation for a new society. 

The main website  Economy of Communion in Freedom gives an idea of the life of the project today. Through the recognition that the human person is made for communion, central to the charism of the Focolare Movement, this project puts the human person at the centre of the commercial enterprise. The subject (in St John Paul II's sense) of entrepreneurship is the person of the entrepreneur; the subject of work is the person who is employed in the enterprise.

Jubilee of Workers

 The days 1st-4th May are being marked as a Jubilee of Workers. As the present Labour government came to power in the UK last summer, promises made with regard to "working people" prompted a debate about exactly who were the people being referred to by that phrase "working people". Whilst that debate had a very specific political context, it nevertheless indicated a change in working lives that has taken place over time. When Pope Leo XIII first addressed "the social question" in his encyclical Rerum Novarum it was a matter of addressing the impact of industrialisation and the move away from an agricultural or artisanal experience of work. Today, in many countries, it is a question of the development of a service economy alongside a reducing manufacturing base. The delineation of who is intended by the term "worker" might now be very different than it was in the past.

Pope St John Paul II marked the ninetieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum with his encyclical Laborem Exercens, on the nature of human work. The encyclical is a wide ranging account of the nature of work understood in the light of Biblical and Catholic teaching, and of the contrary trends that face such teaching. A notable distinction is drawn between work in the subjective sense, that is, seen as the person who acts in working; and work in its objective sense, that is, the type of work that is carried out.

When dealing with human work in the fundamental dimension of its subject, that is to say, the human person doing the work, one must make at least a summary evaluation of developments during the ninety years since Rerum Novarum in relation to the subjective dimension of work. Although the subject of work is always the same, that is to say man, nevertheless wide-ranging changes take place in the objective aspect. While one can say that, by reason of its subject, work is one single thing (one and unrepeatable every time), yet when one takes into consideration its objective directions one is forced to admit that there exist many works, many different sorts of work. The development of human civilization brings continual enrichment in this field. But at the same time, one cannot fail to note that in the process of this development not only do new forms of work appear but also others disappear. Even if one accepts that on the whole this is a normal phenomenon, it must still be seen whether certain ethically and socially dangerous irregularities creep in, and to what extent.

.... the primary basis of the value of work is man himself, who is its subject. This leads immediately to a very important conclusion of an ethical nature: however true it may be that man is destined for work and called to it, in the first place work is "for man" and not man "for work". Through this conclusion one rightly comes to recognize the pre-eminence of the subjective meaning of work over the objective one. Given this way of understanding things, and presupposing that different sorts of work that people do can have greater or lesser objective value, let us try nevertheless to show that each sort is judged above all by the measure of the dignity of the subject of work, that is to say the person, the individual who carries it out. 

 Madeleine Delbrel (1904-1964) lived and worked for many years in a suburb of Paris that was dominated in political terms by the Communist party. She can perhaps be described as a social worker and activist, recognising that, though she disagreed with Communism as an idea, the people who were Communists were nevertheless her neighbours. In 1961 she gave a talk in which she compared Communist hope (in French, espoir, a word expressing a human aspiration) and Christian hope (esperance, a word expressing more precisely the theological virtue of hope). The text of the talk can be found in the collection We, the Ordinary People of the Streets; it can represent for us a conversation between Christianity and a world of work where a practical atheism and materialism exists even if it is not supported by an explicitly Communist ideology.

The word "hope" [l'espoir] is too modest to express what the Communists wish for the future. It is also too weak. The French word "hope" [l'esperance] works better, but we cannot lose from sight even for a moment that Communist hope and Christian hope are two fundamentally different and opposed things.

The word "hope" applied to the Communists designates a human hope, a hope that concerns human objects. The word "hope" applied to the hope of the Christian is a reality that comes wholly from God, to which we do not as human being have a right. It concerns a supernatural hope, a divine hope, a hope that is bathed in the very mystery of God's inner life.

Madeleine Delbrel spells out the elements of the hope of the Communist - a hope for the poor, a hope for the future, a hope by the individual Communist for all those ways in which life might be better.  She explains how this hope is expressed in a Communist understanding of an evolving world.  She suggests that the encounter with Communist hope should prompt the Christian in a conversion towards genuinely Christian hope, a thought we might take up in a slightly different way in the context of our neighbour of today.

... it is not a matter of seeing in it a sort complement or even less a corrective of Christian hope. I would rather say that it is by a sort of backlash that Communist hope leads us to reexamine our hope and to reexamine the realism of our hope.

She concludes by suggesting that Christian hope needs to be attentive to the human hope for which it is a fulfilment.

... The Lord proclaims the eternal Beatitudes by appealing to those who weep and hope to stop weeping, who hope for peace, who hope for justice, who hope to escape from the extremes of poverty. These are the people he calls to Christian hope.

Jubilee of People with Disabilities

Following immediately upon the celebration of the Jubilee of Teenagers (25th-27th April) are the days dedicated as the Jubilee of People with Disabilities (28th-29th April).

For many years Alison Davis worked for SPUC, in their division that advocated for people with disabilities and their families. Alison's obituary at the Catholic Herald website describes a life marked by serious physical disability. Whilst Alison is probably best known in Catholic circles for her work with SPUC, there are a couple of other aspects of her obituary that I think are worth noting.

The first is Alison's determination as a young adult to live as normal a life as possible, even though she had to use a wheelchair. Perhaps the thing for us to note today is that, though it might be necessary to use aids and medication in order to do so, a person with a disability is still able to live life. The need to live life in a way that is different than it may be for others is not a denial of that capacity to live life.

In 1987 Alison met Colin Harte, who became her companion and carer for the rest of her life. The person with a disability is an opportunity for the other to express their dignity as a person who cares; there is a reciprocal relation between the two in the act of caring. Whilst in the lives of Alison and Colin this reciprocal relation is seen at an individual level, it should also express that relation at a societal level in the like situations of others. As Pope Francis' indicated in the Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee 2025 n.11 (my emphasis added):

Inclusive attention should also be given to all those in particularly difficult situations, who experience their own weaknesses and limitations, especially those affected by illnesses or disabilities that severely restrict their personal independence and freedom. Care given to them is a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope that calls for the choral participation of society as a whole.

Still Alice is the title of a book by Lisa Genova, which became a successful film with the same title. The book/film tells the story of a professor who begins to suffer from early onset Alzheimer's, from the perspective of her own experience. It traces the gradual progress of the disease and its different effects on her family members. My own review of the film when it was released to cinemas can be found here: Film Review: Still Alice.

In one scene towards the end of the book/film, with Alice already significantly affected by her Alzheimer's, she presents a talk to a conference of professionals involved in the clinical care of people experiencing dementia.  It reads, as does the entire book/film, as a manifesto for those who experience dementia. There are excerpts from this talk at the very end of this trailer for the film.

We, in the early stages of Alzheimer's, are not yet utterly incompetent. We are not without language or opinions that matter or extended periods of lucidity. Yet we are not competent enough to be trusted with any of the demands and responsibilities of our former lives. We feel like we are neither here not there, like some crazy Dr. Seuss character in a bizarre land. It's a very lonely and frustrating place to be....

.... My reality is completely different from what it was not long ago. And it is distorted .... I struggle to find the words I want to say and often hear myself saying the wrong ones. I can't confidently judge spatial distances, which means I drop things and fall down a lot and can get lost two blocks from my home. And my short term memory is hanging on by a couple of frayed threads....

Being diagnosed with Alzheimer's is like being branded with a scarlet A. This is now who I am, someone with dementia. This was how I would, for a time, define myself and how others continue to define me. But I am not what I say ro what I do or what I remember. I am fundamentally more than that.

I am a wife, mother, and friend, soon to be grandmother. I still feel, understand, and am worth of the love and joy in those relationships. I am still an active participant in society. My brain no longer works well, but I use my ears for unconditional listening, my shoulders for crying on, and my arms for hugging others with dementia.... I am not someone dying. I am someone living with Alzheimer's. I want to do that as well as I possibly can....

Please don't look at our scarlet A's and write us off. Look us in the eye, talk directly to us. Don't panic or take it personally if we make mistakes, because we will. We will repeat ourselves, we will misplace things, and we will get lost. We will forget your name and what you said two minutes ago. We will also try our hardest to compensate for and overcome our cognitive losses...

My yesterdays are disappearing, and my tomorrows are uncertain, so what do I live for? I live for each day. I live in the moment. Some tomorrow soon, I'll forget that I stood before you and gave this speech. But just because I'll forget it some tomorrow doesn't mean that I didn't live every second of it today. I will forget today, but that doesn't mean that today didn't matter.

I'm no longer asked to lecture about language at universities and psychology conferences all over the world. But here I am before you today, giving what I hope is the most influential talk of my life. And I have Alzheimer's disease.

Thank you.

[More recently, the title of the 2024 film I'm Still Here references that its central figure, Eunice Paiva, struggled with Alzheimer's during the last years of her life. The memoir on which the film is based was written by Eunice's son as she began to experience Alzheimer's.]

Holy Saturday 2025: " O night, my finest invention ..."

 If we read the last pages of Charles Peguy's The Portal of the Mystery of Hope we might, at a first glance, feel that he is ending his poem about "the little girl hope" with a reflection on the death and burial of Jesus. However, if we start our reading a few pages earlier, we encounter the beginning of a reflection on the theme of night that becomes, at the end, to focus on one night alone.

He starts with night as a part of God's creation - remember that it is the voice of God who speaks through the narrator of the play that is The Portal .. :

Nights follow each other and are linked together and for the child, 

nights are continuous and form the very basis of his being.

He falls back on them. They are the very basis of his life.
They are his being itself. Night is the place, night is the being 

wherein the child bathes, wherein his is nourished, wherein he is 

created, wherein he is made....

 

Night is the place, night is the being wherein he rests, wherein he 

retires, wherein he collects himself.

Wherein he comes home. And leaves again refreshed. Night is my most 

beautiful creation...

Night is for my children and for my young

Hope what it is in reality. Children are the ones who see and who 

know. My young hope is the one who sees and who knows. 

What being is.

And a couple of pages later there is an announcement of night as the place of hope :

O night, my finest invention, my most noble creation of all.

My most beautiful creature. Creature of the greatest Hope.
You give the most substance to Hope.

You are the instrument, you are the very substance and the 

dwelling-place of Hope.

And also, (and thus), you are ultimately the creature of the greatest 

Charity.

Because it's you who gently rock the whole of Creation
Into a restoring Sleep.

 And in the last two pages, the hymn to that one night that was like no other:

But above all, Night, you remind me of that night.
And I will remember it eternally.
The ninth hour had sounded. It was in the country of my people of 

Israel.

It was all over. The enormous adventure.
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour there had been darkness 

covering the entire countryside.

Everything was finished. Let's not talk about it anymore. It hurts me to 

think about it.

My son's incredible descent among men.
Into their midst....

Those three years that he was a sort of preacher among men.
A priest.
Those three days when he fell victim to men.
Among men.
Those three nights when he was dead in the midst of men
Dead among the dead....

It was then, o night, that you arrived.

O my daughter, my most precious among them all, and it is still before 

my eyes and it will remain before my eyes for all eternity.

It was then, o Night, that you came and, in a great shroud, you buried
The Centurion and his Romans,
The Virgin and the holy women,
And that mountain, and that valley, upon which the evening was 

descending,

And my people of Israel and sinners and, with them, he who was 

dying, he who had died for them.

And the men sent by Joseph of Arimathea who were already a

approaching

Bearing the white shroud.

The Church celebrates that night which gives substance to Hope in the Easter Vigil, where the Exultet sings its praise with the repeated invocation - "This is the night" - and its praise of the "night that shall be as bright as day",  the "truly blessed night", the night that is "your night of grace".