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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.

Deacon John writes: There is an internet site called Rivendell which is locally created. This was posted there on Pentecost Sunday and I have been given permission to reproduce it for you.

Some of us may remember a programme on the Radio, or as it was called in those days, the Wireless.  It was called “Listen with Mother.” After some music, a lady would say: “Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.” And she would tell a story.

There is something in the Pentecost gospel about the sequence of events. They remind us that they need to be right before something can happen. Before Jesus says to the apostles Receive the Holy Spirit he says Peace be with you. It is as though they needed to have the peace that Jesus brings, before the Holy Spirit could work in their lives.

So if you are sitting comfortably, I’ll begin.

Once upon a time there was a stonecutter, who each day climbed a mountain to cut stones from the rock. While he worked he sang, because although he was poor, he desired no more than he had, he was content to be what he was, and he lived with peace in his heart.

But one day he was called to work on the mansion of a rich man. When he saw how magnificent it was, for the first time in his life he was envious, and wanted to be someone else. He sighed as he said to himself: “I wish I was like this rich man, then I would no longer have to earn my living cutting rocks all day.” Suddenly he heard a voice saying “Your wish has been granted. From now on, anything you wish for, will be given to you.”

He didn’t know what to make of this, but that night when he returned home, he found the hut he lived in, had become a magnificent mansion. So he gave up cutting stones, and began to enjoy a life of luxury.

One day, when it was hot and humid, he happened to look out of his window and saw the King go by.
He was sitting in the royal carriage, and had servants fanning him to keep him cool. This made him think, “I wish I was a King being kept cool like that.” And immediately, his wish was granted, and he found himself reclining in the comfort and cool of a royal carriage. But the carriage turned out to be hotter than he thought it would be. As he was carried along he looked out of the carriage window, and began to marvel at the power of the sun, whose heat could penetrate even the thick walls of the carriage.

He said to himself: “I wish I was like the sun.” And immediately his wish was granted, and he found himself sending out waves of heat into the world.

But one rainy day, he tried to pierce through a thick bank of clouds, and found he could not. So he wished he was a cloud, and his wish came true, and he was proud of his power to keep the sun away. But then the cloud turned into rain, and he found that a mighty rock was blocking his path, and he had to flow around it. He was so frustrated to find that a mere rock was more powerful than he was, so he wished he was a rock, and his wish came true.

But as he stood tall and powerful on the mountainside, he suddenly heard strange chipping sounds by his feet. When he looked down he saw a tiny human being, who was cutting chunks of stone from the base of the mighty rock. He said to himself: “How can a little creature like that, be more powerful than a mighty rock like me? I wish I was like him.” And immediately, his wish was granted, and he was a stonecutter, going up the mountain to cut stone.

But he found that once more he had a song in his heart, because at last, he was truly content to be what he was, and to live with peace in his heart. This Pentecost, may you all have peace of heart, the sort of peace that as Jesus said, the world cannot give. May the Holy Spirit inspire you to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with God. May God breathe upon you the Spirit of peace, so that wherever you are, and whatever you do,you may always have peace in your hearts and minds.

Take part in the Friends of Westminster Cathedral Lockdown Online Quiz on Tuesday 2 June at 6.30pm on the Friends of Westminster Cathedral Facebook Page. The quiz is free to enter but we are asking if you might make a £5 per head donation.  All monies raised will help to support Westminster Cathedral. Parish virtual teams are welcome and may communicate using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, What’s App etc.

For more details and to enter email

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Please note that the Friends page is private and you will need to join the page in advance to take part in the quiz.

Pentecost Prayer

This weekend let us all say St. John Henry Cardinal Newman’s favourite little prayer, “Come Holy Spirit:”

Come Holy Spirit
Make our ears to hear
Make our eyes to see
Make our mouths to speak
Make our hearts to seek
Make our hands to reach out
And touch the world with your love.  AMEN.

The title for this weekend is Pentecost which literally means 50th and is a feast celebrated on the 50th day after the Passover feast by the Jews and a feast celebrated on the 50th day after the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus by Christians. The Jewish Pentecost was originally a post-harvest thanksgiving feast. Later, the Jews included in it the remembrance of God’s Covenants with Noah after the Deluge and with Moses at Mt. Sinai.

There are four important events that occurred on this Feast day. First The Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary as fiery tongues. Next the frightened apostles were transformed into fiery preachers and evangelisers and were given the gift of tongues by a special anointing of the Holy Spirit. Third the listeners experienced a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit through the apostles’ gift of tongues and they heard the Apostles speaking in their native languages. Fourthly the early Christians became powerful witnesses and brave martyrs for their Faith in Jesus.

The Holy Spirit has many roles in to play in our lives. 1) As an indwelling God, the Holy Spirit makes us His Living Temples (I Cor 3:16). 2) As a strengthening God, He strengthens us in our fight against temptations and in our mission of bearing witness to Christ through our Christian lives. 3) As a sanctifying God, He makes us holy through the Sacraments: a) Through Baptism He makes us children of God and heirs of Heaven. b) Through Confirmation, He makes us temples of God, warriors, and defenders of the Faith. c) Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, He enables us to be reconciled with God by pardoning our sins. d) Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, He gives us spiritual nourishment by converting bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood. e) Through the Sacraments of the priesthood and matrimony, He makes the Church community holy. 4) As a teaching and guiding God, He constantly reminds us of Christ’s teachings and guides the Church to teach Christ’s teachings correctly. 5) As a listening and speaking God, He listens to our prayers, enables us to pray, and speaks to us, mainly through the Bible. 6) As a Giver of gifts, He gives us His gifts, fruits, and charisms, thus enriching the Church.

Finally, there is this Pentecost story about Chippie from the Internet. It all happened in Galveston, Texas. A woman was cleaning the bottom of the cage of her parrot Chippie with the canister vacuum cleaner. She was not using an attachment on the tube. When the telephone rang, she turned her head to pick it up, continuing to vacuum the cage as she said, “Hello,” into the phone. Then she heard the horrible noise of Chippie being sucked into the vacuum. Immediately she put down the phone, ripped open the vacuum bag, and found Chippie in there, stunned but still alive. Since the bird was covered with dust and dirt, she grabbed it, ran it into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held the bird under the water to clean it off. When she finished that, she saw the hair dryer on the bathroom sink. She turned it on and held the bird in front of the blast of hot air to dry him off. A few weeks later, a reporter from the newspaper that originally published the story went out to the house to ask the woman, “How’s Chippie doing now?” She said, “He just sort of sits and stares. he doesn’t sing any more” Today’s Gospel tells us that it was what happened to the apostles. They all were traumatized by the arrest and crucifixion of their master and bewildered by his post-Resurrection appearances and his command to prepare for the coming of his Holy Spirit. Many of us can identify with Chippie and the apostles. Life has sucked us up, thrown cold water on us, and blown us away. Somewhere in the trauma, we have lost our song. Hence, we, too, need the daily anointing of the Holy Spirit to keep us singing songs of Christian witnessing. (biblestudyresources.com) 

You may decide for yourselves whether the Holy Spirit was assisting the solicitor in the following story: A solicitor was on holiday in a small farming town.  While walking through the streets, he noticed that a car was involved in an accident.  As expected, a large crowd gathered.  The solicitor was eager to get to the injured, but he couldn’t get near the car.  Being a clever person, he started shouting loudly, “Let me through! Let me through!  I am the son of the victim.” The crowd made way for him.  Lying in front of the car was a donkey!

Deacon John Writes:

This Sunday is World Communications Day and the scriptures remind us of the power of prayer.  Prayer is world communications day in action.  It is the conversation we have with God.

The first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, shows us the importance of prayer in our lives – to sustain and to comfort us through the current difficult period.

The gospel contains the opening section of Christ’s great prayer before he begins his passion and death.  It has been called the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. .

When the disciples were uncertain about the future after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven they turned to the one thing they knew that could help them – prayer.  Their prayer would not be answered at once – it was nine days before Pentecost arrived and the Holy Spirit would fulfil what Christ had promised.  They persevered and did not stop praying — praying for guidance, for wisdom, for “hope unseen.” The disciples didn’t give up. Neither should we!

The psalm today offers us all the gift of hope. “The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?”

The scriptures cry out to us: trust and pray.  Trust in God’s generosity and mercy.  Trust in His plan for our lives. In the midst of our darkness, pray for light.

The important word is pray. The disciples did just this in the community when they turned to others for help and support. So should we. We are the Body of Christ, and that means we are, together, not only his hands and his feet – we are also his voice — to one another, and to the world.  Trust in Him and no matter how deep the darkness, the light we are all looking for will come.

Wait for it………Watch for it………Pray for it.

The disciples in the upper room did and look what they achieved!