New lectionary will bring scripture readings into sharper focus

New lectionary will bring scripture readings into sharper focus

By Ronnie Convery

Scotland’s parishes will notice a significant change in a few weeks when the familiar translation of Bible texts used at Mass changes.

From the First Sunday of Advent the readings and psalms in the liturgy will use an updated translation which is closer in meaning to the original biblical languages.

The psalms sung at Sunday Masses will also be revised to use more accurate translations.

The changes to the lectionary – the large book of Bible readings used for Sunday and weekday Masses – will represent the biggest change in the texts of the Liturgy of the Word since the 1960s.

Pope urges Sacred Heart revival

By Ronnie Convery

Pope Francis has urged a modern-day rediscovery of devotion to the Sacred Heart in a surprise new teaching letter just published.

The Encyclical letter begins with the Latin words ‘Dilexit Nos’ – (He loved us) and is the fourth encyclical of the Pope Francis pontificate.

The style is highly personal: “At carnival time, when we were children, my grandmother would make a pastry using a very thin batter. When she dropped the strips of batter into the oil, they would expand, but then, when we bit into them, they were empty inside.

“In the dialect we spoke, those cookies were called ‘lies’… My grandmother explained why: ‘Like lies, they look big, but are empty inside; they are false, unreal’.

“Instead of running after superficial satisfactions and playing a role for the benefit of others, we would do better to think about the really important questions in life…

“Who am I, really? What am I looking for? What direction do I want to give to my life, my decisions and my actions? Why and for what purpose am I in this world? How do I want to look back on my life once it ends? What meaning do I want to give to all my experiences? Who do I want to be for others? Who am I for God? All these questions lead us back to the heart.”

He writes in his new encyclical that the way in which Christ loves us is something that He did not want to explain in words, but rather in gestures. “By watching him act, we can discover how he treats each of us…”

The Pope says that Christianity cannot be reduced to a theory, a philosophy, a set of moral norms, or even a set of emotions. Instead, it is the encounter with a living Person.

Understanding the way Jesus loves us and entering into a relationship with Him cannot therefore be reduced to reasoning, to cultural identity or a set of rules.

Rather, the Pope writes, it has to do with the heart: “it is a story of gestures, looks, and words. It is a story of friendship, a matter of the heart.”

“I am my heart,” writes the Pope, “because that is what distinguishes me, shapes me in my spiritual identity and puts me in communion with other people.”

Encountering the Christian faith means encountering the heart of Christ, a heart incapable of remaining indifferent, which by embracing us with his infinite mercy invites us to imitate him.

The Pope says this has social consequences, because the world, which is beset by wars, economic crises, consumerism and the anti-human use of technology, “can change starting from the heart”.

He finally urges Catholics not to be afraid to tell others about their devotion to the Sacred Heart: “Christ asks you never to be ashamed to tell others, with all due discretion and respect, about your friendship with him. He asks that you dare to tell others how good and beautiful it is that you found him.”

Holy Year cross unveiled

The official Cross of the 2025 Jubilee, the central symbol of the Holy Year pilgrimage, has been revealed.

The Cross will be handed to pilgrim group leaders to accompany them as they walk towards and through the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica. The precious cross was created by Italian master carpenter and craftsman Riccardo Izzi.

The cross, which is made of fine wood and carefully hand-crafted, features, on the front, a depiction of the glorious Christ, a sign of Hope for the world, in a time of great global crises, in which men and women cry out their need for hope.

On the other side of the cross is the official logo of the 2025 Jubilee, a symbol of hope for the faithful from all over the world.

Welcome to our new priests

By Brian Swanson

Two young Nigerian priests who have arrived at St Andrew’s Cathedral say they have been overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome… but Fr Sylvester Jalo, 31, and Fr Innocent Onwumere Simon, 41, from the diocese of Bauchi, Northern Nigeria, agree that the cold weather will take much getting used to!

Father Sylvester, who was ordained two years ago and Father Innocent who was ordained in 2013, have been sent by their bishop to the Archdiocese initially on a three-year visa – and they can’t wait to begin their mission.

Father Sylvester said: “Every culture is unique and peculiar so first we want to get to know the people here in Glasgow but even although we only arrived at the beginning of October we have been made very welcome everywhere we go.”

And as a football fan he is looking forward to finding time to watch Celtic – recalling that his fellow countryman Efe Ambrose was one of the fans’ favourites under Neil Lennon.

The new arrivals were full of praise for the help they have received from recently-appointed Cathedral administrator Canon David Wallace.

Father Innocent said: “From the very moment we knew we were coming to Scotland Father David sent us emails offering us every assistance so that we both felt welcome even before we got here.”

The African priests will work in Scotland under the Fidei Donum scheme. The expression Fidei Donum is Latin for ‘Gift of Faith’.

This is the name of an encyclical of Pope Pius XII written in 1957, which called on bishops “to face the challenges of the universal mission of the Church”. This involved making priests available to serve on other continents.

Though carrying out their missions abroad, the priests remain attached to their own diocese and are referred to as “Fidei Donum priests”.

Father Innocent recalled that in the past Scotland had sent priests to Nigeria on a similar arrangement, and so it seemed particularly appropriate that the dioceses of Nigeria might ‘pay back’ the Church in Scotland by releasing priests to serve in our dioceses.