Category: Latest News

This weekend we have the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady. This feast gives us the message of total liberation.  Jesus tells us in the Gospel that everyone who sins is a slave of sin, and St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Galatians, that, since Christ has set us free, we should be slaves of sin no more.  This means that the Assumption encourages us to work with God to be liberated from the bondage of evil: from impure, unjust and uncharitable thoughts and habits, and from the bonds of jealousy, envy and hatred.

It is always an inspiring thought in our moments of temptation and despair to remember that we have a powerful heavenly Mother, constantly interceding for us before her son, Jesus, in Heaven. The feast of Mary’s Assumption challenges us to imitate her self-sacrificing love, her indestructible Faith and her perfect obedience.

Therefore, on this feast day of our heavenly Mother, let us offer ourselves and pray for her special care and loving protection in helping us lead a purer and holier life.‘ Try to perform acts of love for her this week without expectations of praise or a reward. 

Finally there is this story which reminds us to always look for the good in people: God is walking around Heaven one day and notices a number of people on the heavenly streets who shouldn’t be there.  He finds St. Peter at the gate and says to him, “Peter, you’ve been remiss in your duties.  You’re letting in the wrong sort of people.” “Don’t blame me, Lord,” replies Peter.  “I turn them away just like You said to.  Then they go around to the back door and Jesus’ mother lets them in.” 

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.

Lost on a rainy Friday night, a priest stumbles into a monastery and requests shelter there.  Fortunately, he’s just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips he’s ever had.

After dinner, he goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs.  He is met by two brothers, “Hello, I’m Brother Michael, and this is Brother Francis”. 

I’m very pleased to meet you.  I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner.  The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever tasted.  Out of curiosity, who cooked what?” 

Brother Michael replied, “Well, I’m the fish friar.”  Father turns to the other brother and says, “Then you must be ……..” “Yes, I’m the chip monk…..”

Have you ever said about something you have been asked to do: ‘What’s the point what difference will it make?’ Well, read the following story think about it, and perhaps take it to your heart!  May we try to bring joy and hope to everyone in need.  Help us to share not only our food and drink but also our joy and compassion.  May we always do what we can, even when we think our efforts add up to so little. One day in the middle of winter a robin and a dove were sheltering from the snow in a fir tree. There had been so much snow that the tree was almost completely covered.  After a while, the robin said to the dove: “Do you know how much a snowflake weighs?” The dove replied: “Almost nothing.” Then the robin said to the dove: “Earlier today, l was sitting on the branch of another fir tree when the snow started to fall. It wasn’t a violent blizzard, just gently falling snow. I had nowhere to go, and nothing better to do, so I decided to count the snowflakes that fell on the twigs and needles of my branch. I had counted up to 3,741,952, and then, when the next snowflake gently landed on the branch, a snowflake that as you say weighs almost nothing the total weight was so much that the branch broke.” Having said that, the robin flew away. The dove thought about this for a while, and then said to herself: “Perhaps there is only one person’s voice lacking for peace to come about in the world.”

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the foodbank team in Hailsham.  The role is part-time (15 hours a week) looking after the operations side of the foodbank.  If you would like to find out more please find the application pack on our website https://hailsham.foodbank.org.uk/news/

News

Saint George’s church is open now for masses to be said, (Weeks of planning had occurred before this went ahead !)

Let’s hope parishioners realise the work by parish teams.  To get the church open again (not as easy as it seems)

Please listen to the ushers then and hope we’ll all keep clear.  Advice and sense should help us all, the VIRUS maybe near!!

So let us thank the volunteers who’ve kept the church on track,  and maybe soon with Gods dear help ,the FAMILY will be back

Rosalie Burke

Poet Laureate Polegate!

Recently we have had several readings from the prophet Jeremiah. On Tuesday he talked about the destruction around him including dead bodies, starving people and sin. We see plenty of this nowadays in the world and like us he weeps but at the same time he does not despair. He turns to God. The psalm on Tuesday when the psalmist sings “O Lord, deliver us” must be our prayer too. We have all seen the news and heard our friends describing one tragedy or sad story from their world. These cause much pain and distress to us and to others and we should all heed Jeremiah’s advice and turn to God. In doing this we are accepting in ourselves our need for God. If we listen we might get a message from Him telling us not to cry tears but instead to carry out some acts of love and kindness to someone in need.

The next day we were reminded in Luke’s story of Martha and Mary to keep things in balance, to play our part in what we do and not look down on those who don’t appear to be doing anything. On Friday we heard of three stories of rejection, which was appropriate for the feast of St.Ignatius of Loyola as he repeatedly told those around him to “find God in all things“ – In beauty as well as in loss and rejection. Let us pray that we will listen to God speaking to us through everything we do and say, thereby speaking His word to all. Next Sunday we hear Paul answer the question “What will separate us from the love of Christ?” The answer is, of course – “Nothing”. The same statement that is, of course, true for everyone – saint and sinner alike – and we must love them all.

With my love for you all.

CAFOD – DEC CORONAVIRUS APPEAL:

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched a nationwide Coronavirus appeal on Tuesday 14 July. CAFOD is an active member of the Committee and are currently giving support to communities in 26 countries with the £1.6 million they have raised so far, to help prevent the spread of the virus and limit the impact of hunger that lockdowns have caused.    The need is immense, particularly in countries where there is conflict and displacement of whole communities. 

If you would like to know more about the response to coronavirus that they are making globally on behalf of the Catholic community please visit https://cafod.org.uk/News/Emergencies-news.

Joke of the Week:

The rich businessman Raymond goes to meet his new son-in-law to be, Ben. He says to Ben, “So, tell me Ben, my boy, what you do?” “I study Theology,” he replies. “But Ben, you are going to marry my daughter! How are going to feed and house her?” “No problem,” says Ben, “I study Theology, and it says God will provide.” “But you will have children! How will you educate them?” asks Raymond. “No problem,” says Ben, “I study Theology, and it says God will provide.” When Raymond returns home, his wife anxiously asks him what Ben is like. “Well,” says Raymond, “he’s a lovely boy. I only just met him, and he already thinks I’m God.”

Some thoughts about life after death by Cardinal Leo Suenens:

“If nothing was to be expected after death, for me life would have lost sense and meaning. I cannot understand either suffering or love if I cannot see both in the light of eternity. Suffering cannot be without meaning. Suffering cannot be just nonsense. Let us imagine a child in the womb of his mother. Let us suppose for a moment that that unborn child should become conscious before birth. What a chaos of impressions that child would have. It would all seem so meaningless. But all that apparent nonsense receives a meaning on the day the little child is born, and sees the sunlight. Then it appears clearly that every moment of his growing was a novitiate for life, preparation for the future.

If life here on earth is a preparation, then I come out of darkness, and see a ray of sunshine in all that happens to me. In the same way, I cannot understand real love without the perspective of eternity. True love involves, in the heart of each of us, that love will last for ever and ever. Every song of love will have some way of expressing that ‘I will love you always’.

But, of course, we wish to have at least a glimpse of that future, and to get some idea about where we go from here.

The question was put to a philosopher when he was dying: ‘what do you feel now?’ His answer was: ‘An immense curiosity.’

I hope my answer will be: ‘An immense confidence in God’s love.’ I meditate very often upon the words of Saint Theresa: ‘in Heaven everybody will smile at each other.’ Think of that. Go into the streets of any city, go to any airport or any railway station, and look for a while at the faces of the people running through those places. Look at the faces. It is so rare to see a smile. Everybody is in a hurry. Everybody is busy with his own business. Nobody has time to really look at each other. We are millions who live in the same city or the same street, but without any human communication.

Life after death, for a Christian, means rest and peace with God, rest and peace with all our brothers and sisters, known and unknown”.