Cardinal Francis Arinze has celebrated a special Academic Mass for students and staff of London's Universities and Colleges at Westminster Cathedral on Sunday, 19th November 2006. The Mass was held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the Catholic Chaplaincy to the London Universities.
In his homily, Cardianl Arinze, who is the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, reminded the congregation that everyone has a vocation and mission in the general mission of the Church to spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. “There are no spectators in the Church. Everyone — cleric, consecrated person or lay faithful — has a definite mission to carry out.'
'There is a temptation for some lay faithful to expect holiness from clerics and consecrated men and women rather than from among themselves. But the correct theology is that stated by Vatican II: “All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (Lumen Gentium, 40).'
Cardinal Arinze continued; 'A Catholic in the academic community becomes holy by living a dynamic life inspired by our faith. That Catholic is to be the witness of Christ among colleagues in the arts and professions, in trade and commerce, in science and culture, in law and medicine, and indeed in the various arenas of private and public life where the person is called to be present. It was Cardinal John Henry Newman who said: “God has created me to do him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission”. None of us should be afraid to stand up and be counted for Christ and his Gospel.'
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