Author: Jacky

Last Sunday was Fathers’ Day and I found in a little book of daily prayer this prayer for Fathers:

Creator of All Life, as we honour the good, righteous and untiring efforts of fathers, we pray for the men who gave us life and those who served as father figures, extending their love to us. We thank you for fathers who have served as examples of how to live the faith, and we pray also for fathers who have left this earthly life, that they may dwell in heaven with you forever. Amen.  (Terence Hegarty)

The common theme of today’s readings is the work God gives us to do as the followers of Jesus and can be summed up through our love of God and for our brothers and sisters through hospitality, generosity, commitment, and charity.

In the first reading, we see, the welcome given to the prophet Elijah by an elderly, childless woman and her husband who lived in Shunem. Shunem or Shunaam was a small village mentioned in the Bible in the possession of the Tribe of Issachar. It was located near the Jezreel Valley, north of Mount Gilboa. Shunaam is where the Philistines camped when they fought Saul, the first king of Israel. It was the hometown of Abishag, King David’s companion in his old age.

In the Gospel Jesus assures his disciples that whoever shows them hospitality will be blessed. Those who receive Jesus receive the One who sent him. Also, those who help the “little ones,” (believers) and the poor, the sick, and the needy will be amply rewarded. We, as individuals and as a community, should actively look for opportunities to be hospitable.  Maybe hospitality is offered through a kind word to a stranger – or even a smile. A kind smile or a “hello” to someone waiting with us in a supermarket queue may be the only kindness that person encounters all day. We become fully alive as Christians through the generous giving of ourselves. The most important action we can do is that of giving of ourselves to people, first and foremost, in the way we think about them, for from that will flow the ways we speak to them and about them, forgive their failings, encourage them, show them respect, console them, and offer them help. Such generosity reflects warmth radiating from the very love of God.

The following story is adapted from a story found on the Internet at snopes.com. 

The special joy of nature-loving boy Howard Kelly was hiking great distances and studying animals in the wild. On a walking trip, up through Northern Pennsylvania one spring, young Kelly stopped by a small farmhouse for a drink of cool spring water. A little girl answered his knock at the door, and instead of water, she brought him a glass of fresh milk. He thanked her profusely and went on his way. After years of medical studies, he became Dr. Kelly. Dr. Howard Kelly (1858-1943) was a distinguished physician who was one of the four founding doctors of Johns Hopkins, the first medical research university in the U.S. and, arguably, one of the finest hospitals

anywhere. In 1895, he established in that school the department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. Over the course of his career, Doctor Kelly advanced the sciences of gynaecology and surgery, both as a teacher and as a practitioner. Some years later, that same little girl from Northern Pennsylvania who had given him that glass of milk years ago, came to him for an operation. Just before she left for home, fearful of a huge bill, her bill was brought into the room and across its face was written in a bold hand, “Paid in full for one glass of milk.” That was Dr. Kelly’s style of showing gratitude and hospitality. While he charged the rich patients substantial fees, he provided his services free-of-charge to the less fortunate. By his conservative estimate, in 75% of his cases he neither sought nor received a fee. 

The Scriptures this weekend challenge us all to practice hospitality by seeing Christ in others.

It is with joy that we can now consider opening our churches for private, individual prayer.  The hope is that we will be able to welcome parishioners for one hour twice a week, in each of our two churches.  We are working out how we can do this with safety concerns in mind, as it may be months before we can celebrate a public Mass together.

Before we can go ahead and open the churches, we require the authorisation of the Diocese, to do so.  To facilitate this, we need to recruit stewards, or ushers, plus a team of cleaners to clean the church after each session of prayer.  Another requirement from the Diocese is that we provide the names of volunteers to them and they must have a current DBS Check in place.  Protective equipment will be provided, and safety measures put in place to protect us all. Guidelines, safety measures and details of restrictions will be shared with you all. 

You would always be working in pairs and we will always ensure you have full information and support before we open the churches. You would be asked to usher people into the church, help them use the one-way system, sit where allocated, and keep social distancing.

Could you spare an hour a week, perhaps every 2 weeks if we have plenty of volunteers, we are looking at opening one session on a weekday and possibly one on the Sunday afternoon?  There is one stipulation – you need to be under 70 years of age and have no underlying health issues.  

If you fit the above criteria, and are willing to do help as an usher or cleaner or would like more information,  please contact us at [email protected]

Deacon John Writes:

Our Scripture readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time challenge us to preach Christ through our words and lives without fear. The first reading relates how the prophet Jeremiah trusted in the power of God while he faced opposition for his prophetic ministry. He was intimidated by attacks upon his character, but he was unafraid to speak out in the name of the Lord. The psalmist trusts in God when he is misunderstood and ill-treated even by his relatives. In the second reading, Paul assures the Christians in Rome that they need not be afraid of opposition both because they share in the death of Jesus and because they are united with Christ, the new Adam, in his Resurrection. 

The Gospel passage is taken from the end of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples as he sends them out to carry on his mission of preaching and healing. He asks them to live simple lives and to expect opposition and rejection. After having foretold future opposition and persecution, Jesus encourages his disciples to stand firm. Three times they are urged, “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!” Instead of forgetting their task, they are to proclaim the Gospel boldly, because they will be protected just as Jeremiah was assured of God’s protection. The readings encourage us to persevere in doing the work of Jesus.  They assure us that we will be successful, despite the opposition we encounter.

Baptisms are typically joyous occasions. It’s a day of tremendous possibility and hope – even more so than weddings. A baptism is all about the baby. A new life being welcomed into the church. There is something very specific about the baptism ritual. It is in the words that are spoken. We call it the Trinitarian Formula, which is: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It’s not considered a valid baptism unless those words are used.

We always begin mass with something that most of us probably take for granted, and hardly think about. We do it so often. It’s the sign of the cross. “In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” It’s not just a casual gesture. It’s not just a sign of our being catholic. It is actually a re-statement of our baptism.

Just think of what that simple gesture means.  We touch our heads for the Father – the one whose mere idea, whose smallest thought, created us. This is where we began, in the mind of God. We touch our hearts for the Son – the one whose love took him to the cross, and the one who taught us, as well, how to love through his own Sacred Heart.

We touch our shoulders for the Holy Spirit – the one who gives us strength, and who carries us on His shoulders and who enables us to be God’s messengers working on earth.

When we make the sign of the cross, and pray the sign of the cross with those words, we make both an offering, and a prayer. Surely as we go through life we attempt to bring that, with our lives and with our actions, to all those we meet. So let us all live in the Light of Christ – to always be drawn to it, and to always strive to give it to others. As Jesus says in the gospel for this weekend: “Do not fear. Do not be afraid.” In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On the Feast Day of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ this weekend I thought I would first remind you of the importance of the “Amen” we all say after receiving this Sacrament at Mass. I wrote about it in early May as follows: “When we come forward to receive Christ’s Body and Blood and confirm that with our “Amen” we should all remember that what we are really saying is “Lord, live in me today so that I may give life, heal and forgive as you did.” Remember there is nothing casual about that “Amen” – it is the most important word we say in that Mass.” 

We should all say in our prayer, after receiving The Lord, words of Thanksgiving for this great gift either in our own words or possibly some or all of the following prayer of thanksgiving given us by St. Padre Pio: 

“Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that I do not forget You.  You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervour.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late, the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strength.”     

Recently I came across this reflection on the question of ‘How can God be present in a tiny host?’ [It was in a book by Harold Buetow ‘God Still Speaks: Listen!’ quoted by Fr. Botelho.]

Some time ago, a street-corner preacher who knew how to make religious truths come to life was faced by a hostile crowd. “How,” one of them demanded, “is it possible for bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ?” The preacher looked calmly at the stout questioner for a moment and answered, “You have grown somewhat since you were a child and have more flesh and blood than you had then. Surely, if a human body can change food and drink into flesh and blood, God can do it too.” “But how,” countered the heckler, “is it possible for Christ to be present in his entirety in a small host?” The preacher glanced up at the sky and down at the street before them and answered, “This city scene and the sky above it is something immense, while your eye is very small. Yet your eye in itself contains the whole picture. When you consider this, it won’t seem impossible for Christ to be present in his entirety in a little piece of bread.” Once more the heckler attacked. “How, then, is it possible for the same Body of Christ to be present in all your Churches at the same time?” The preacher’s answer: “In a large mirror you see your image reflected but once. When you break the mirror into a thousand pieces, you see the same image of yourself in each of the thousand fragments. If such things occur in everyday life, why should it be impossible for the Body of Christ to be present in many places at once? Just tell me, what isn’t possible for God?

Help Required:  We are looking for volunteers willing to put our knitted squares together to make the blankets we send to poor families in Eastern Europe (via the Mustard Seed). There are usually 36 squares making up one blanket.  You can work in your own time and at your own pace. Please phone Margaret (01323 483504) if you can help. Margaret can bring the squares to you and pick up the completed blankets).  Thank you.

The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a basic doctrine of Faith in Christianity, understandable not with our heads but with our hearts. It teaches us that there are three distinct Persons in one God, sharing the same Divine Nature, co-equal and co-eternal.  Our mind cannot grasp this doctrine which teaches that 1+1+1 = 1 and not 3. We believe in this Mystery because Jesus, who is God, taught it clearly, the Evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the Church tried to explain it, and the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople defined it as a dogma of Christian Faith.

It is important in our lives for several reasons. All prayers in the Church begin in the Name of the Holy Trinity and end glorifying the Trinity. All the Sacraments are administered (we are baptised, confirmed, anointed, our sins are forgiven, our marriage is blessed, and our Bishops, priests and deacons are ordained) in the name of the Holy Trinity. We bless ourselves, and the priest or deacon blesses us, in the Name of the Holy Trinity.

There are several actions we can do in our own daily lives which include the Holy Trinity. First let us respect ourselves and others because everyone is the temple of the Holy Spirit where all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are present. Second let us know without any doubt that the Trinitarian God lives in us, that He is the Source of our hope, courage and strength, and that He is our destination on our death. Also, let us practise the Trinitarian relationship of love and unity in the family relationships of father, mother, and children because by Baptism we become children of God and members of God’s Trinitarian family. Finally let us practise to love myself, God and my neighbour as a Trinitarian act of love.

The Holy Trinity is a mystery and there have been many attempts to explain it. The one most people are familiar with is St. Patrick, who used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.  The story goes that one day his friends asked Patrick to explain the Mystery of the Trinity.  He looked at the ground and saw shamrocks growing in the grass at his feet.  He picked one up one of its trifoliate leaves and asked if it were one leaf or three.    Patrick’s friends couldn’t answer – the shamrock leaf looked like one, but it clearly had three parts.  Patrick explained to them: “The mystery of the Holy Trinity – one God in Three Persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – is like this, but more complex and unintelligible.”   

A less well known example perhaps is that of St. Cyril who tried to explain the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity using the sun as an example.    He said, “God the Father is that blazing sun. God the Son is its light and God the Holy Spirit is its heat — but there is only one sun. So, there are three Persons in the Holy Trinity, but God is One and indivisible.” 

St.Augustine wrote: “You see the Trinity, if you see love.”  According to him, the Father is the lover, the Son is the loved one and the Holy Spirit is the personification of the very act of loving.”

Finally there is this story about Adam walking with God in the Garden of Eden: Adam said, “Excuse me God, can I ask you a few questions?” God replied, “Go on Adam, but be quick.  I have a world to create.”

So, Adam says, “When you created Eve, why did you make her body so curved and tender unlike mine?” “I did that, Adam, so that you could love her.” “Oh, well then, why did you give her long, shiny, beautiful hair?” “I did that Adam so that you could love her.” “Oh, well then, why did you make her so stupid?  Is that too because I should love her?” “Well, Adam, no.  I did that so that she could love you.