Homily
at the
Rite
of
Election

2008

Archbishop Kevin's homily at the Rite of Election

At Saint George's Cathedral, Southwark
on Saturday, 9th February, 2008

Readings:   Isaiah 58:9-14;
                Luke 5:27-32

The Call of Saint Matthew (1599 - 1600)
Caravaggio
San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

The Rite of Election each year is a very special day in the life of the Diocese. It’s special because it’s about you, the catechumens and candidates, your being called by God, being on a journey, and your being together. Jesus said to his disciples: you did not choose me. No, I chose you and chose you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last. In today’s gospel, Jesus chooses Levi, a tax collector, an unlikely choice, and he changes his name to Matthew. Matthew leaves his work as a tax collector and follows Jesus. Each of you, catechumens and candidates, have also been called by Jesus. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here. You’re called just as you are to a closer relationship with Jesus within the communion of the life of the Church. You’re called to give yourself just as Matthew did and to follow wherever Jesus leads.

This means recognising that Jesus is a living person who calls us into communion, into friendship with himself and into a relationship of belonging with other members of the Church. Coming into full communion with the Catholic Church means participating with your fellow Catholics in all the gifts that he has bestowed on the Church for its life and mission – especially the scriptures and the sacraments. That creates a special bond between people and I know that those bonds are already forming and deepening in your relationships with your sponsors, godparents, fellow parishioners, and perhaps family members who are already Catholics.

The first reading puts before us the theme of light and water in a way that illuminates the significance of today’s celebration and these two themes are also taken up in the art work we have in the Cathedral today.

We are all on a journey – the image of journeying or pilgrimage is very much part of the way we understand our Christian lives and a long journey is likely to take us into darkness as well as light. The promise of the prophecy of Isaiah is one of darkness giving way to light. We all have our own inner darkness and we are all involved in a process of healing and forgiveness. That is a journey. It is a process that lasts throughout our lives and the Catholic doctrine of purgatory teaches us that it may continue beyond death. Sometimes things can get very dark but living in faith means believing that there will eventually be light. This is something that is beautifully expressed in Cardinal Newman’s hymn “Lead, kindly light”.  We cannot see what lies ahead but if we move forward in faith we will be moving towards the light. And the symbol of water tells us that nourishment is available to us on our journey, no matter how difficult or how arduous it may be. Water is one of the many symbols that represent the working of the Holy Spirit in peoples’ lives. Its most obvious application is baptism when water is poured on your head and you are baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Some of you are already baptised, some will be baptised at Easter. At Easter, all of us will renew our baptismal promises – with the renunciation of evil, and renewal of our act of faith. Baptism also illuminates the idea of a journey. It tells us, as I’ve said, that God will be at work in our lives. We look for the fulfilment of the prophecy of Ezekiel which says: “I will pour clean water upon you and you will be cleansed of all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you”. We’re constantly looking to God to change, restore and heal us, to forgive us, bless us, and bring us to the fullness of life.

Let us look forward in eager expectation to Holy Week when we follow the Lord on his journey from darkness into the light of the Resurrection. Celebrating Holy Week illuminates our journey and prepares us for the celebration of the Easter Vigil. I pray that this Lenten season may be a time of blessing for you and I look forward to seeing you all again at the Mass for new Catholics on 17th May.