LENTEN STATION MASS 2010
Diocese of Menevia

Last New Year’s Eve at King’s Cross Station in London, a large crowd of people, mostly  Scots, trying to get to Edinburgh and Glasgow for Hogmanay, listened anxiously to one announcement after another, as yet another train was cancelled or delayed, because of the
terrible weather that the whole country was experiencing at that time. Amidst the bad news, the announcer must have decided to inject a little bit of humour, when he said: “Will the person who has lost 6 bottles of whisky please go immediately to the Lost Property Office, where the person who found them has just been handed in!”

No! I’m not encouraging anyone to consume 6 bottles of whisky, or even one, or drink to excess! But when I pass through railway stations and airports I’m struck by the number of people trying to be re-united with families and loved ones at some far-off destination. This tells me that there is no doubt that family is something highly treasured.  The family, as we know, is the basic unit of society. A stable society cannot exist without the security afforded by good family life. Much of the violence, anger and rootlessness which are tearing society apart stem from family instability.  Family is where we most readily experience the miracle that life is. Family results from two people loving another person into existence. It’s where we grow up, and are fashioned as human beings. It’s where we learn the art of living, the beauty of words like please and thank you. It’s where we learn to brush teeth, wash hands, and of course to go red in the face with embarrassment. It’s where we learn to be on time for meals that we haven’t had to prepare ourselves; and to help with the washing-up afterwards instead of dashing to the TV, the computer, or the Wii games console.  In short, it’s where we learn to think of others and not just of ourselves.  It’s where we learn that those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others. In any family, most of these things come courtesy of parents. They are always THERE for their children. Where would we be without them? – without the common sense that they pass on to their offspring.  Common sense is the adhesive that keeps families together. It’s this theme of common sense that I feel is worth reflecting on during this time of Lent, and how it operates in our lives.

I think that because of events in this past year we are mourning the passing of that beloved old friend called COMMON SENSE.  No one knows for sure how old he was when he passed away, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. But he will be remembered in the form of parents teaching their children such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Why it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese; Why life isn't always fair; and learning honestly to admit: “Well, maybe it was my fault after all”.  Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies, such as: don't spend more than you can earn, as many a family will know; and he lived also by reliable strategies, such as: adults, not children, are in charge in this house.

In this time of Lent, Common Sense helps us to examine some of our personal values, and how we live up to them. He would despair when he saw so many people concerned about their status, success, money, promotion, and how they might exploit systems and other people in their pursuit of profit and bonuses. For, he knew there was also a value in being formed by failures, limitations, and fears – and by letting children be children for as long as they can.  Common sense helps us to understand that not everyone can be first in the class or in a race; not everyone gets a prize. It’s called disappointment. That’s life, and it’s a good lesson to learn – and still go on making the effort.  But Common Sense lost the will to live as the morality of the Ten Commandments was talked out of existence; Churches became businesses; and Criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.  Common Sense got replaced by Compensation.  Common Sense suffered at the hands of so-called Anti-Discrimination legislation that prevented Catholic Adoption Agencies caring for the most deprived of children. Under an “Equality” Bill, if it had gone through unamended, priests would have become employees, instead of co-workers with their Bishop. Parliament should not require us to accept laws that are not in harmony with conscience or our Catholic faith.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents - Truth and Trust; his wife - Discretion; his daughter - Responsibility; and his son - Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers, who are known as: I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

So, what really is Common Sense?  It is little other than the Catholic faith and morals that we put into practice and pass on to others each and every day of our lives. Lent is a time for us to review how well, as Christians and Catholics, we match up to our promises and commitments to God and to each other. It’s an opportunity to take stock of our lives, admit that we were wrong on this or that occasion, acknowledge that we could have done better, or agree that we could have given a bit more now and again. What we are asked to do is firmly desire to make amends now and in the future.  Our watchword, therefore, this Lent ought to be one word: Integrity.  We have to ask ourselves: On all occasions in our relationships and dealings with others, at home, at work, in shops and businesses, is our conduct and behaviour good and proper, fair and reasonable, just and right? We can test our answer to that question by asking: Is that how we would like to be treated ourselves? Was that an awful moment of Disgrace, or was that a blessed moment of Integrity?  We could also ask ourselves the same question that was put to a young police cadet by an interviewing panel. They asked him about integrity: “If you had to arrest your own mother for some criminal offence, what would you do?”  Quick as a flash the recruit replied: “If I had to arrest my own mother, what would I do? – Call for back up, lots of it!”

That’s Lent: calling for back-up when we need it, when our own spiritual resources are not enough. LET GO! LET GOD! What we can’t do for ourselves, let God do it for us. It makes Common Sense. Finally, I believe that, when it came, not many attended the funeral of Common Sense, because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, then practise what he preaches in your own family.  You can’t go wrong.  It will make yours a Holy Family too: in which the startling words that John the Baptist heard spoken to Jesus will come true for you too, when God said to him: you are my beloved in whom I am well pleased. God wants to say that to you also: you are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.