Last Saturday, 26 October, Cardinal Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference, celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral for the 50th Anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in Great Britain.
In his homily, Cardinal Nichols praised the contribution the Neocatechumenal Way has made to the Catholic Church in England and Wales and the impact it has had on the “many [who] have come to know the Way and appreciate the gifts it brings”.
The Neocatechumenal Way was founded in 1964 by Kiko Aguello and Carmen Hernandez who met in a shanty town outside of Madrid, and developed a programme of evangelisation for the slum’s residents.
In 1974 the Way was approved by Pope Paul VI and came to Great Britain.
1974 is a such a long time ago. 50 years, back to Cardinal Heenan. We have seen so many profound changes in this land and in our lives. But one presence does not change: that of our Lord Jesus Christ, his Gospel and his promise to be with us always.
Today we celebrate one expression of that vital presence of the Lord in our midst that arrived here in 1974: the Neocatechumenal Way, present in Great Britain for these last fifty years. Over this period so many have come to know the Way and appreciate the gifts it brings.
I remember a meeting, in about 1995, when Kiko and Carmen came to meet with His Eminence Cardinal Hume to speak about the Way. It was a memorable meeting! I recall, too, meeting Kiko when we came to sign our agreement of the statutes governing the roles of the Redemptoris Mater House and Allen Hall. I remember well the great occasion in the Methodist Central Hall. But those highlights are much less important than the work carried out in so many places in our countries by the communities of the Way themselves. So today we offer this Mass of thanksgiving to our loving Father for all the gifts he gives to us and for the generosity and dedication of all who respond so positively to the invitations of the Neocatechumenal Way. I thank you all for being here today. I thank your leadership, all your families, and I thank God for all who are inspired by the Way.
My understanding is that two great themes lie at the heart of the Way: the pathway of discipleship and the call to mission. And both of these are illuminated by the Scripture readings given to us by the Church today and by the impact of this anniversary.
The Gospel passage is a story of discipleship. The son of Timaeus is a man seemingly without hope or prospects. But his physical blindness stands in contrast to his spiritual insight, a sight of the heart. It is that precious instinct that leads to the restoration of the sight of his eyes. Then he follows Jesus along the road of discipleship.
But please note: this pathway to discipleship has but one starting place: the recognition of his need. His cry is persistent and, in fact, gets louder: ‘Jesus, have pity on me’. In the recognition of his need lies the root of his salvation. Only in accepting his lack of self-reliance, coupled with his awareness of God’s presence in Christ, does the pathway open up before Bartimaeus.
How often we have to learn that whenever we affirm our self-sufficiency, whenever we believe that the answer is within our competence, we actually take a step away from our salvation. Only in our need do we really hear the invitation, the command, of the Lord that we are to obey: ‘Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matt. 11.28).
Here lies the heart of discipleship.
The first Reading, from the Prophet Jeremiah, evokes, in a clarion call, the summons to mission: ‘Shout with joy! Proclaim! Praise! The Lord has saved his people!
In 2018, Pope Francis addressed a great assembly of the Neocatechumenal Way at a meeting marking the Fiftieth Anniversary of The Way in Rome. In that address he spoke of this call to mission. He said:
‘”Go” is the verb of mission and it is conjugated in the plural.’
He continued, ‘Being fully missionary does not mean one who goes alone, but those who journey together. Journeying together is an art to be learned… not to dictate the pace to others… to accompany, to wait…’ This is the style of the missionary disciples of Jesus.
Then he reminded us that Jesus said ‘Make disciples’. The Pope continued: ‘Jesus does not say: conquer, capture… but rather share with others the gift you have received, the encounter of love (the discipleship) that has changed your life.’ Later he continued: ‘What counts is not arguments that convince, but life that attracts; not the capacity to impose, but the courage to serve.’
At the heart of our mission, then, lies the ‘encounter of love’ with the Lord. This is its heart, just as it is also at the heart of discipleship, a love so deeply human and divine, a love that never forces but invites, a love that is ever deferential to the heart of the one who is being called, a deference we too must always display in fidelity to what we have received.
These are themes, of discipleship and mission, that Pope Francis has again put forward, and developed in his Encyclical Letter, Dilexit Nos, published on Wednesday. Drawing this rich Letter to its conclusions he writes:
‘Mission, as a radiation of the love of the heart of Christ requires missionaries who are themselves in love and who, enthralled by Christ, feel bound to share this love that has changed their lives… They want others to perceive the goodness and beauty of the Beloved… This dynamism of love has nothing to do with proselytism; the words of a lover do not disturb others, they do not make demands or oblige, they only lead others to marvel at such love’ (209-210).
Then he adds: ‘If you accept this challenge, he will enlighten you, accompany you and strengthen you… It is not important whether you see immediate results; leave that to the Lord who works in the secret of our hearts. Keep experiencing the joy born of our efforts to share the love of Christ with others’ (216).
Here, then, in the heart of Jesus, are discipleship and mission, bound together in their source, in their motivation and in their manner.
The second Reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, reminds us that this very experience of the love of Christ, which so reshapes our lives, is itself the gift of our heavenly Father. It is the Father who takes every initiative, who says to each one: ‘You are my son, today I have become your Father.’ And with this gift comes the greatest privilege of all: that we offer our lives to Him, in union with Christ our high priest.
Each day, through our shared priesthood of baptism, we ‘offer gifts and sacrifices’: our hopes and fears, our achievements and failures, our sadness and our joy. We offer them in the greatest action of which we are capable: that of giving praise to God. It is for this purpose that we have been created. This is the destiny to which we are called. And this is what we celebrate, with the whole Church, in this Mass of thanksgiving: our praise of God who comforts, guides, refreshes and ennobles us, ‘For I am a Father to Israel and Ephraim is my first-born son’ (Jer. 31.19).
Hear again the words of the opening prayer of this Mass. Pray them again, giving thanks for the ways in which the Neocatechumenal Way has opening up this saving mystery for you. Pray that it will continue to do so. For this is indeed our prayer today:
Almighty ever-living God,
Increase our faith, hope and charity,
Make us love what you command
So that we may merit what you promise.
Through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
✠ Cardinal Vincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
