Bishop Alan Williams has sent a pastoral letter to all parishes marking the 10th World Meeting of Families which brings to an end the Year of the Family inaugurated by Pope Francis in 2021.
In it, he said: “One of the greatest insights of the Second Vatican Council is that everyone is called to holiness – to become a saint. In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 9.51-62) Jesus gives a clear if challenging message about the urgency of following Him – whoever we are and whatever the cost.”
However, he said, our journey is unique to each one of us. “We must allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit on the path that is meant for us.”
Our work or our family life should not be an obstacle to holiness, he said, but rather the very means by which God wants to make us holy.
“We all find ourselves in very challenging times – including war in Europe and increasing economic uncertainty,” he said, recalling Pope Francis’ words in his Letter to Married Couples [2021]: ‘Marriage, as a vocation, calls you to steer a tiny boat – wave-tossed yet sturdy, thanks to the reality of the sacrament – across a sometimes stormy sea. Let us never forget, though, that by virtue of the Sacrament of
Matrimony, Jesus is present in that boat; he is concerned for you and he remains at your side amid the tempest.’
Whenever we find ourselves in stormy waters we have the wonderful guarantee that Christ, Who alone fills us with joy, is always with us.