Category: Saint George’s latest news

Mass at St George’s church.  It is our hope to re-open for Mass on Sunday, the 17th January at the  normal time of 9.00 am.  To do this we need more help from people under the age of 70 years  to be our stewards.  Several wonderful people have already come     forward to undertake this important task, but we do need more help. Please contact Margaret Piegrome 01323870990, email  –       [email protected] if you can help us celebrate Mass together again.

I noticed a headline on the internet about a Swedish Artist – Geert van der Vossen. He has created a floral tribute to Sweden’s coronavirus patients. He has ‘planted’ over 6000 metal ‘flowers’, which he has created himself, in a field as a memorial to the victims of the virus in the area in which he lives. This has obviously given him a lot of personal satisfaction and a feeling that he is really doing something to remember those who have died.

Sunday, Jan 10th, is the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and reminds us of our identity. The liturgical season of Christmas is concluded with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. By Baptism, we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his Church, heirs of Heaven, and temples of the Holy Spirit. It is a day to thank God for the graces we have received in Baptism, to renew our Baptismal promises and to preach Christ’s “Good News” by our transparent Christian lives of love, mercy, service and forgiveness.

The Gospel today describes Jesus’ baptism, and identifies with God’s chosen people who in their turn became aware of their sinful lives and their need for God’s forgiveness. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus is the great event celebrated by the Eastern churches on the feast of Epiphany because it is the occasion of the first public revelation of all the Three Persons in the Holy Trinity, and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father. Today marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.  

Fr.Kadavil is a recently retired priest and is now chaplain of the Sacred Heart Nursing Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in the USA. He writes: “It is worth noting that neither John nor Jesus invented baptism.  It had been practiced for centuries among the Jews as a ritual equivalent to our Confession.  Until the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D., it was common for Jewish people to use a special pool called a Mikveh — literally a “collection of water” – as a means of spiritual cleansing, to remove spiritual impurity and sin.  Men took this bath weekly on the eve of the Sabbath, women, monthly.  Converts were also expected to take this bath before entering Judaism.  The Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. John preached that such a bath was a necessary preparation for the cataclysm that would be wrought by the coming Messiah.  Jesus transformed this continuing ritual into the one single, definitive act (receiving Baptism),  by which we begin our life of faith.

Today I want to tell you a story about the Christmas story. I expect all of us know the Christmas story, but do you ever stop to think about how that story got to us? I think you probably know some of the words of of the song “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The song starts with the wind whispering to a lamb:

“Do you see what I see Way up in the sky little lamb Do you see what I see A star, a star Dancing in the night With a tail as big as a kite.”

The lamb then tells the shepherd, the shepherd tells the king and the king tells everyone!  His message is that Christ is born! 

            Mary and Joseph know what’s going on because an angel told them – that’s rather like the wind whispering to you.  The angels also told the shepherds who came to see.  Later on there were thee wise men, or maybe kings who heard about Jesus somehow and came following the light of a star!

            You see there is only this handful of people who knew what was really happening in that little stable in Bethlehem. We don’t really hear much about Jesus as a child, but then Jesus’ story gets interesting! More people hear about Jesus as a teacher and healer, they tell their friends and neighbours, who tell their friends and their neighbours.  The word of God is spread all over the world now, churches spring up everywhere, books are written, songs are written, there are paintings and sculptures made, plays are performed, people are fed, baptised, blessed with God’s Word all over the world and this has been happening for about 2000 years. 

            How did it all start? It all started with an angel telling people to “Come and see.” Jesus, give us the courage to tell the story, and to invite others to “come and see”! 

            May God richly bless you all. May your celebration of His Holy Birth inspire and unite us into one family of Faith!

            May the Light that is Christ shine upon you, and the peace of the Christ Child be yours this Christmas. Fr.Rory and I, wish you all a happy and holy Christmas, and may God bless everyone here, your families and your friends. Amen.

You are still able to donate non-perishable food and money to the foodbanks over the coming months.  There are opportunities to donate online, or our website to make this easier for people.  Immediate food needs will probably change week to week.  For more updates visit www.hailsham.foodbank.org.uk or www.eastbourne.foodbank.org.uk.  Thank you.

The readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent concentrate on events leading up to the first coming of Jesus. The Gospel, in particular, relates the key role of Mary. It is full of surprises as are the other readings.  

The first reading surprises us by telling of God’s promise to David that he would have a long line of royal descendants culminating in a final King, Jesus Christ. In the Responsorial Psalm the Psalmist recalls all of God’s promises and surprises us, describing God’s promise to David and his descendants in terms of a Covenant.

The second reading surprises us with Paul’s explanation of the unveiling of God’s plan for our salvation through Jesus. 

In the Gospel, the Angel Gabriel surprises Mary with seven announcements. 

1) Even as a virgin betrothed to Joseph, she will become a mother. 

2) She will become a mother through “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you.” 

3) The angel continues, “Therefore, the Child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God.”

4) She is to “name the child Jesus,” which means Saviour. 

5) God will make Him a King and, as a descendant in the line of David, 

6) “He will rule over the House of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.”

7) As a Divine sign, Elizabeth, Mary’s aged barren cousin is six months pregnant, “for,” says Gabriel, “nothing shall be impossible with God!

The Gospel also surprises us by reminding us that God’s promise is best fulfilled not in buildings, or even in great kings like Solomon, but rather in humble souls like Mary who trusted in God’s promise. We must learn and understand that we are not here to do things for God, but to reflect and build on what God is doing for, and through us. That is our task for this week!

The number of people experiencing food insecurity has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 19 crisis, with families in our diocese under increasing pressure.  Join our free Justice & Peace Webinar to find out what parishes can do to help on Saturday 16^th January 2021:  10 am to 12.30 pm.  To book you free place and receive the Zoom link, contact Rosie Read, Social Action Secretary, at [email protected]

Last Tuesday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and should have been a Holy Day of Obligation when all Catholics should attend Mass.  In the current situation this was impossible so I have included an attempt to lighten the situation which I found on the internet:

The Pharisees brought the woman, caught red-handed in adultery, before Jesus for judgment, and Jesus said, “Let the person who is without sin cast the first stone.” They fell silent, and then, all of a sudden, a stone came flying from the crowd. Jesus looked up, surprised and amused, and then said, “Hold it, mother? I was trying to make a point, here.

This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and is called “Gaudete Sunday” because the Mass for today (in its original Latin text), begins with: “Gaudete in Domino semper” – which translates as “Rejoice in the Lord always.” This is reminding us that we are getting ever nearer to the birth of Jesus which we celebrate at Christmas, so the rose candle in the Advent wreath is lit, and the priest and deacon may wear rose vestments. The common theme of the readings is one of joy and encouragement. They urge us to prepare ourselves in our hearts and lives as we await the rebirth of Jesus. Scripture reminds us that the coming of Jesus, past, present, and future, is the reason for our rejoicing. 

Malcolm Muggeridge wrote the following: Through her ministry in Jesus’ name, Mother Teresa brought untold blessings and joy to the poor who lay unattended and forgotten on our streets. When asked the source of her joy, Mother Teresa replied: “Joy is prayer — joy is strength — joy is love — joy is a net of love. . . A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love . . . loving as He loves, helping as He helps, giving as He gives, serving as He serves, rescuing as He rescues, being with Him twenty-four hours, touching Him in His distressing disguise.”

Justice & Peace Webinar 2021:  How Should this Diocese Respond to the Food Poverty Crisis?

The number of people experiencing food insecurity has increased dramatically during the Covid 19 crisis, with families in our diocese under increasing pressure.  Join our free Justice & Peace Webinar to find out what parishes can do to help on Saturday 16^th January 2021:  10 am to 12.30 pm.  To book your free place and receive the Zoom link, contact Rosie Read, Social Action Secretary, at [email protected]

The second Sunday of Advent has readings based on the theme of “Homecoming”. They focus on how essential it is for us to prepare for Christ to come home into our hearts and lives through repentance, making good anything that has gone wrong in our lives, prayer and the determination and effort needed to renew our lives. God has a saving plan for every one of us through our attendance at Mass, through the Scriptures and through the community life of prayer and thanksgiving.

Isaiah tells us about the Babylonian exiles coming home to their native country, Judah, and their holy city, Jerusalem. He assures them that the Lord promises them that it will be a grand procession and he will take care of them as a shepherd cares for his sheep. This is then reflected in the Psalm with the promise of peace when the Lord comes.

The Gospel tells us that during our preparation for Christmas we need to allow Jesus to be reborn in our lives.  People around us should recognise this happening in our lives by the way we share our love around us, by unconditional forgiveness, with a compassionate and merciful heart and a spirit of humble and committed service. So let us all accept John’s challenge to turn this Advent season into a real spiritual “homecoming” by making the necessary preparations for the fresh arrival of Jesus into our hearts and lives at Christmas.