In a homily on Sunday 17 November, Bishop Michael Router addressed both the challenges of the present world and the unshakable hope offered through faith.
Drawing from the Gospel of Saint Mark, the Bishop reflected on a time of great tribulation “when the earth will shake and even the stars will fall from the sky.” While such vivid imagery can be unsettling, Bishop Router emphasised that the message is not solely about fear, but about hope and divine promise.
Bishop Router, who serves as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Armagh, continued, “despite the suffering and sin that still plagues human existence the world has changed in one very significant way over the past 2000 years – the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ has brought an unquenchable hope into the hearts of all those who accept him as their redeemer. We who believe in Him are the possessors of a hope that our pagan ancestors did not have, and our secular contemporaries fail to appreciate today. There is hope that war will not have the last word. There is hope that poverty and starvation will become a distant memory. There is hope that those who do evil will not prevail. And one of the greatest sources of hope of all is that death is not the end, that life will continue, that justice will prevail and that many people will, through the mercy of God, enter the peace and light of heaven.
“It is our responsibility as the people of God to make known to others this hope that we possess. This is never an easy task because the Church in its humanity suffers from the effects of sin like every other institution, and often fails to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ in an authentic and clear way. Because of this reality the Church must continually reflect on its life and practice. In that task it calls upon the Holy Spirit to guide it, to lead it, and to discern how to continually renew itself for mission.”
Bishop Router highlighted the significance of the synod’s final document, which calls for greater participation of the baptised in the life of the Church. This includes the establishment of pastoral councils in every diocese and parish, greater inclusion of women in decision-making roles, and a renewed focus on faith formation for all members of the Church, clergy and laity alike.
Bishop Router concluded, “It is our job now to ensure that the recommendations of the final report are implemented, so that the Church can increase her positive and transformative presence in a troubled world, and to continue to convey what it so desperately needs – the hope proclaimed by Jesus Christ.”
To read Bishop Router’s full homily, please click HERE
