October 2018 - Bishop of Sandhurst Les Tomlinson's October column.

September 2018 - Bishop of Sandhurst Les Tomlinson's September column.

The Catholic Church loves to celebrate. We celebrate feast days and solemnities, holy days and sacraments. The Church encourages private celebrations, such as the celebration of one’s Baptism day. Each month is dedicated to particular devotions, and June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Pope Francis has described the Church as a “family of families” (Amoris Laetitia 87). There are many people who, through Baptism, belong to the family of the Church, but who, for one reason or another, have drifted away. Saint Paul wants them to know that they have not been forgotten. “God never takes back His gifts or revokes His choice”. It is the love of God that makes us Christian in the first place, and it is His faithful love that keeps the door open for us, even when we do not see Christ or Christianity in ourselves.

I feel a sense of fondness and gratitude for all those people who, each day, contribute with small but valuable concrete gestures, to the good of the Diocese of Sandhurst. 

At the core of the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate asks a question, self-servingly and flippantly, “What is truth?” Pilate scoffs at Jesus’ idea of bearing witness to the truth. From Pilate’s position of power, truth is optional, inconsequential even; truth can be defined anyway one wants. 

January 2018 will have had some of us commit to ‘new year resolutions’. Others will see the future as a clean page, a blank calendar, waiting to be written on. The brand new year has come, but what will we do with it? What difference will it make?

"This Christmas let us pray earnestly that all human hearts will be liberated from false images of God. The message of Christmas is that it is only in God’s gift of his Son that we can see the truth of God." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"... The very heart of the Christian faith revolves around change, but it is not turning over a new leaf - it is living out a new life." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"September and the new season of spring are often seen as a time for spring-cleaning ... Let us use this season as a time of purification and renewal of our commitment to God.

" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"In 2015, the week beginning August 2 is Vocations Awareness Week. Catholics generally associate the word vocation with the priesthood and consecrated life.  However, some often pose the question:  what is a vocation?" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"There is much excitement and discussion about the recently released encyclical Laudato Si." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"We remember with gratitude our earlier Bishops and might reflect on the real and mysterious communion that unites us here on Earth and those who have gone before us into everlasting life." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"Evangelisation is most effective when actions come first. It is said that Saint Francis of Assisi often taught the friars to ‘preach always, and sometimes use words." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"The future of our Church will depend not just on individuals, bishop or priests or charismatic laymen and women, but also on new and robust communities of faith and worship.  We urgently need faith communities that embrace our young people." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"... It is the time which challenges us to open our hearts and take the journey to new life, and it is the time when we may take the opportunity to encourage in ourselves a detachment from some of the pleasures and pastimes which can dominate our daily lives." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"May I wish every blessing to our parents, teachers, our priests and everyone in the Diocese of Sandhurst, as we move together to embrace the challenges of 2015, in care and concern for one another, in the light of our Faith!" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"... Pass on knowledge and values with words; but words will have an incisive effect on children and young people if they are accompanied by your witness, your consistent way of life. Without consistency it is impossible to educate, and we are all educators!" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"Can we make Christmas different by pausing to reflect on the marvellous happening of God becoming a newborn baby? Can we make our own, the reality that Jesus is always present for us, waiting to be recognised in order that he might be our hope, and the light when darkness is upon us, when we have lost our way?" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"... we do not expect that a Year of Faith will eradicate decades of scepticism, doubt, unbelief or indifference. It is our oneness of faith, hope and charity which makes the Gospel in every age alive and vibrant and, we hope and pray, attractive to those who have no faith, as well as to those who are hostile or indifferent to it." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"I make this heart-felt plea to every one of us, whether we are lay people, religious, deacons, priests or bishop. Let us make our  prayer  to our Lady of the Rosary to intercede for us as Mother of the Church and our blessed mother, as we work with Pope Francis, doing our part to rebuild the Church. Let us, as Saint Francis did, commit ourselves to playing our part in the rebuilding of the Lord’s Church." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"How do I know if I have a vocation? It is difficult to describe a vocation because, in a sense, a vocation is a mystery ..... I invite any young man interested in knowing more about the priestly vocation to contact me and maybe join us on September 7th. Maybe there are some pondering questions such as, What if I listen for God’s call? What if I don’t? Listen to the invitation of Jesus: Come and see!" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"Father, help all people to know their vocation in life, and assist them to prepare for it. For your glory, and for the service of your people, call many to be Priests and Religious. Give those whom you call the grace to respond generously and persevere faithfully.

Mary, Mother of the Church, show your care for the body of Christ, encourage many vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Amen" - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, a special form of devotion to Jesus. This is one of the most widely practiced and well-known devotions, taking Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity." - Bishop Les Tomlinson

"The month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. John XXIII in his Apostolic Letter ‘Inde a primis’ reminded us that ‘by gazing at the wounds of the crucified Christ each man, even in conditions of abject moral poverty, can say: ‘God has not abandoned me, He loves me, He gave his life for me’, and thus rediscove hope." - Bishop Les Tomlinson