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50 Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed Dominic Barberi 27 October 2013, Sutton, St Helens, England Dear Sisters and Brot

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50 Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed Dominic Barberi 27 October 2013, Sutton, St Helens, England Dear Sisters and Brot 50th Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed Dominic Barberi 27 October 2013, Sutton, St Helens, England Dear Sisters and Brothers of our Passionist Family, I am very happy to be with you today to lead this celebration and to share these thoughts with you on this historic occasion of the 50th anniversary of the elevation of our brother Dominic to the status of 'Blessed' by Pope Paul VI on October 27, 1963, during the Second Vatican Council. We celebrate this declaration by the Church that Dominic's life, his virtues and his self-sacrifice were such that he not only deserves our recognition, but that his life has inspired us and continues to be a beacon of light for us in our own Christian journey. I share the sentiments and hope of Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham that one day our brother Dominic will receive universal recognition in the Church as a saint. I want to thank Fr John Kearns and his Council, and Fr John Sherrington his predecessor, for this invitation to be with you and to lead you in prayer and reflection today. It is a privilege to be here with you in this shrine that honours the life of Dominic Barberi, Ignatius Spencer and Elizabeth Prout. I am sure everyone is familiar with the historical outline of Dominic's life and in particular of his witness to, and accompaniment of, Blessed Cardinal Newman. Today, however, I want to speak of Dominic as one sent by God, as a witness and as a man who held in his heart the dream of God for the salvation of many and indeed for the whole world - so that ultimately we might all know the joy of a true intimacy with each other and with God. I take these themes from the gospel of today. I am convinced that Dominic listened to the Word of God most faithfully and made it his own; so, today, let us too listen to the words of Jesus and interpret Dominic's life through them. Dominic: One who was sent as was a witness: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world…” Dominic was well equipped for his missionary journey to England. Both in intellect and in sentiment he brought with him the kinds of gifts that enabled him to gently influence those who dared to listen and to open their hearts to this outsider. His was a keen intellect; he was a good teacher, a writer and a man of action. But above all he followed Jesus and sought not to merely proclaim the Cross, but to witness to the same love of God as was shown to us in the Cross. He was devoted to the Passion of Jesus and perhaps, above all else, it was his personal witness that spoke more sweetly than all his words and writings. Newman himself highlights this when in 1875 he wrote: "Dominic had a great part in my own conversion and in that of others. His very look had about it something holy. When his form came within sight, I was moved to the depths in the strangest way. The gaiety and affability of his manner in the midst of all his sanctity was in itself a holy sermon. No wonder that I became his convert and his penitent" Dominic: One who came with the dream of God uppermost in his mind - for the sake of our salvation and so that we may know true intimacy with God. “May they all be one…so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them.” Dominic carried with him God's own dream for us - for our life, our sanctity and our eternal happiness. What is most admirable about Dominic is that in his preaching, in his dialogue across traditions of faith, and in his work for the conversion of souls, he correctly interpreted God's will for us in that he adopted a compassionate, kindly approach to his mission. His was not a project marked by severe demands or a strict and uncompromising interpretation of what was needed to embrace the faith; no, Dominic clothed his words and his approach in openness, reasonableness and in a simple manner that attracted rather than demanded. Dominic deeply believed that God had called him aside to be a follower, and a messenger of God's healing, saving word for his separated brethren, especially in England. His passion was to draw men and women back into a closer union and unity, and so we often hear him described as an apostle of ecumenism. Perhaps we see ecumenical dialogue today in a different, albeit fuller light; but we may justly say that Dominic was at the least a forefather of ecumenism. At the heart of the matter is love; and Dominic's desire was that all would know and experience the depth of God's love for them and in this light they could only be seen as brothers and sisters. Dominic's witness and mission extended far beneath his preaching in what was for him a foreign tongue. It extended far beneath his writings, his dialogues, his encounters with friends and fellow travellers and his persecutions by foes. His witness came from the heart and spoke to others at the level of the heart. He still speaks to us today; and so, on this anniversary, let us renew our own commitment to love one another and to see our neighbours in the light of God's love for them. Let us continue to reach out to one another and try to bridge the divisions in our society, to welcome the stranger with an open hand, to sooth angry hearts with kind words, to heal open wounds with loving gestures, and to shepherd those who are lost into the presence of God's saving love. Let us take up the mantle of Dominic and continue his mission. “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts.” ~ Fr Joachim Rego CP Superior General READING (John 17:18-26) Father, as you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth. I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me. May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity that the world will recognise that it was you who sent me and that you have loved them as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Father, Upright One, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. I have made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and so that I may be in them. .
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