Leading prelates call for a more humble and contrite church

TWO SENIOR churchmen have spoken of the need for humility in the church as well as individuals, in their Christmas messages. Cardinal Seán Brady has said the church "must be humble". In a homily at Christmas Eve vigil Mass, Dr Brady said "we must all recognise our sinfulness, repent of our past offences, ask pardon and make reparation".

He told the congregation in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh that "the church here on earth, which is the Body of Christ, must learn from Christ. For he has said: 'Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart'. "

In his midnight Mass homily at the pro-cathedral, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said Jesus would only be recognised by the humble "and yet the temptation always remains to use the church and the message of Jesus to exercise power or even worse to abuse power".

Dr Martin said the birth of Jesus "brings redemption and salvation and freedom to those who do not experience the hospitality of welcome so often enjoyed by the mainstream".

He said "freedom will never be attained by not rocking the boat of our own superficialities. Freedom costs. Freedom means not just being free to do our own thing; it means first all of freeing ourselves or more accurately allowing ourselves to be freed from those things which entrap us and which lead us to false comfort."

The archbishop said "all of us would in many ways prefer a Jesus of our own making, a Jesus who fits in comfortably with our own cosy values. We do not want a Saviour who intrudes".

He said that "some of us still think we can find God in the comfort of conformism, others in pseduo-religious signs and prodigies and some simply in the emotion of the moment". The story of the birth of Jesus "is far being just a nice fairytale; it is the invitation of a demanding path of life".

Speaking of the economic downturn, Cardinal Brady said "we are said to be experiencing the worst financial crisis for over a century", and "rescue packages and recovery plans are being put in place to avoid disaster".

"The fall of our first parents from grace and the loss of God's friendship were infinitely greater disasters. In all of this God did not abandon us. Instead God formed a plan years ago to rescue us. The plan involved the son of God humbling himself to come among us as a man."

He added that to avail of the other side of God's "recovery plan", everyone had to acknowledge they needed a saviour. "We must also acknowledge that we have sinned."

Cardinal Brady also prayed for peace in the Middle East. He said he had visited the Holy Land earlier this year with the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, Dr John Harper. They went to the Ecumenical Centre at Tantur and saw "the huge wall which divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Is it a scene of desolation".

But he was amazed to see how the young people "retained so much hope and joy despite all the doom and gloom that surrounds them on every side. In my opinion it says a lot about their faith in God and their trust that ultimately all will be well and peace will finally be established."