The woman in today’s Gospel is hauled before
the Lord by a judgemental society. She is isolated in her guilt. And therein
lies the falsehood which Jesus uncovers. No one is guilty in isolation. Rather
we are so bound to each other that a guilt which we might seem to be proper to
one person alone almost always involves others, too.
Jesus’ silent and dramatic gesture of writing
in the sand makes everyone present look into their own hearts and recognise
their own failures and sins.
This same truth is at the heart of our Lenten
journey. This is not a time for working out the blame to lay on others but a
time for identifying our own faults, seeking forgiveness for them and trying to
build a more virtuous life.
The pursuit of virtue is a key theme in a
document which we Bishops of England and Wales have recently published under
the title ‘Choosing the Common Good’. While the document is issued in the
context of the forthcoming General Election, it is substantially about matters
that can never be decided by an election. It is about the health of our
society.
In it we speak about the pursuit of virtue
because the virtues are the habits of the heart which shape the way we live and
the contribution we make to the flourishing of those around us, whether in the
family or wider society. We speak of the cardinal virtues: prudence, courage,
justice and temperance and highlight how each one is keenly relevant to life
today.
Prudence fashions us to be people who take
care in decision making, trying to be attentive to principles and
circumstances, exercising emotional intelligence rather than being shaped
primarily by feelings and fashion.
Courage is the opposite of evasiveness: a
temptation faced by us all, not least those in public life. The practice of
this virtue makes us capable of facing the truth about ourselves and of
remaining true to the undertakings we give.
The virtue of justice is the practical, day to
day, recognition of the duties I owe to those around me: to my parents, to my
children, to my school, to my work, to those who are caught in poverty or
disaster, in Haiti, Chile, or those who live next door. The virtue of justice
includes the practice of my duty towards God, in prayer and in taking part in
the life of the Church.
Temperance – a very old-fashioned word – is
probably the key virtue, for it helps us to use wisely the good things of this
world, to be satisfied with enough, to resist the temptation to have more and
more, or to indulge without regard for the consequences. In many ways, the
virtue of temperance is a key to a happy life.
These virtues help us to build a good, healthy
society in a way that no political programme can ever achieve. No amount of new
regulations will nurture these virtues, for they are found in the kind of
person we are trying to be and in what we do when no-one is looking.
Effective politics, and effective economics, actually
depend on there being a morally healthy society in which we all recognise the
importance of the common good, the potential for flourishing within every
single person and the encouragement of virtue. These are important considerations
as we prepare for a General Election. As well as examining the party manifestos
with their wide-ranging policies, we would do well to ask how the different
parties intend to help this kind of human flourishing.
Catholic Social Teaching, on which the
document ‘Choosing the Common Good’ is based, is a rich resource for us all.
Familiarity with its key themes will help us to assess our complex society.
Familiarity with this teaching will also help
us to make the most of the wonderful prospect of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI
in September. As the details of the programme of this visit emerge, we will see
how important our Social Teaching really is and the huge significance of the
Holy Father’s presence in our society as a courageous witness to the truth of
our humanity and to the truth of our Christian faith. Clearly we must prepare
well for his visit and give him our heartfelt support when he is here. There
will be much more about this at a later date. Sufficient for now that we
promise our prayers for Pope Benedict, just as he promised to pray for us, to
‘hold us in his heart’ during this precious period of preparation for his
historic visit.
Paul’s words to us today are very reassuring.
Even such a great champion of faith as he readily admits: ‘I have not yet won,
but I am still running, trying to capture the prize for which Christ Jesus
captured me…All I can say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what
is to come; I am racing for the finish, for the prize to which God calls us
upwards, to receive in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil 3.13-14) So we too, in these
remaining days of Lent, renew our effort to be open to Christ, to receive his
forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and patiently build up the
practice of virtue in our lives.
In this way we not only contribute to the good
of our society but also stay faithful to the Lord and to the building of his
Kingdom.
Yours
devotedly,
XVincent Nichols
Archbishop of Westminster
Archbishop of Westminster
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