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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.

Fr Rory Writes

With the help of God: 

Thanks be to God, as we move on from the Great Feasts of Holy Week and Easter. Having celebrated the new life of Pentecost, help us now to respond to the challenges of life that comes from the coronavirus with its problems and afflictions in our lives.  As many return to work and face the need to provide for the necessities of life; increase our confidence in trusting in your divine providence, and our responsibility to protect and safeguard our lives.

The Diocesan authorities have sent the directions they received from our government to open our churches for private prayer.  At the deanery meeting of priests and deacons we had some discussion about our situations in the various parishes, and certainly the future brings challenges for our churches throughout the diocese.  Information regarding hand sanitizer and protective wear was limited and supplies received by the deanery very inadequate.  A central depot for these supplies has now been established at St Philip Howard Centre in Crawley. 

It will take some time to get the required items for our protection in place, but we have an immediate need to get ourselves ready and to be willing to offer help for stewardship, but above all to be prepared to make a greater commitment to our community of faith.  The window for prayer, and with it the actions required to live out faith more fully, will be the greatest fruits of this epidemic.  Already we are aware of some of its fruits.  This springtime nature was particularly alive and refreshing.  Alongside of this are the benefits of reducing pollution, with cleaner, clearer streams, rivers, seas, and skies.  There have also been signs of a greater concern for the needs of others, particularly for those who may have been taken for granted, with the weaker and more vulnerable members of our human family receiving better attention.

But the challenge for the future may be a lot grimmer, and certainly when the financial implications become clearer, difficult decisions will be made.  Now the concern for children’s education and wellbeing raises serious questions, as well as emerging mental health issues and other casualties from the lockdown emerges.  For the greater part, as churches, we have been fortunate enough.  This year was very promising, and we had a very good group of young children for First Holy Communion, and with the lovely weather we enjoyed this could have been a very outstanding year 2020.

Better to say, so far so good, and for most of us who had to isolate, and to adjust to very different and difficult circumstances, have done so remarkably well.   Modern means of communication have helped, skyping and other developments, hearing more regularly from family and friends, receiving acts of great generosity and kindness, having access to online masses and other spiritual nurture created a foundation to rely on, and with God’s help we must do better in the future.

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?

Fr Rory Writes

It felt so, so strange with so much time spent in lockdown the consolation had been the Holy Seasons, especially Easter and Pentecost.  Then the directory instructs a return to the ordinary; in fact, the ninth week in ordinary time, not lighting the Pascal Candle seemed to reflect this forcefully.

Then I came to the word of God, and a reading from the 2^nd Letter of St Peter, “May you have more and more grace and peace, as you come to know our Lord more and more”.

By His divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness.  In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come… Peter 1:2-5

So, hope goes on and with it our responsibility to respond: to grow in faith and faithfulness.  Please God, the way ahead will develop and grow.  We have not received any guidance or instruction yet for the opening of churches, the next deanery meeting of the priests should shed some light on the way ahead.

As suggested last week, we may have a gentle introduction to return to pray together via planned and appointed visits to the memorial garden, with prayer and fellowship.  Risk assessment and procedures are now in place for such events.   It may make sense to bring appropriate refreshments with you.  With an amount of preparation for what we may call the “new normal”, caution is important, but a sense of confidence and trust in Our Lord will be really helpful.  His promise, “I am with you always”, and with the help of this we can have our lives and strengthen our faith.

Jesus goes on to say if anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him take up the cross every day, and in doing so learn from Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden light.

My sister Mary has also produced a daily prayer journal, which is food for the journey when the cross is heavy.  She titles it “Love Speaks”.   Relinquish all thoughts that would bring obstacles on your path.  Focus instead on the light that leads you forward.  The artisan leaves down the tools that no longer serve a purpose, to pick up those that best serve the next stage, open up your heart in faith and trust and I will show the way to new pastures.

The one who plants and the one who waters, work to the same end and the Lord will repay each accordingly to their work: 1 Corinthians 3: 8-9

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.

The day of Pentecost has come, and with it the opportunity for us to really rely on the power of God, to redeem and save, but above all to live lives of faith and faithfulness.  At the beginning of lockdown my mind was focused upon this year’s Feast of Pentecost.  From the beginning of Lent I was becoming more used to the human condition I found myself in and having to adapt by giving greater attention to my prayers and mass.

It was very much a shock to me, (but “shock” is not really the right word);  I was landed in hospital and adapting to the label “acute psychotic state”, called upon to rely upon providence and to re-evaluate my ministry.  Above all to reconsider my journey of faith.  My sister Mary’s well-timed book “A Mother’s Love” gave me important insight; and the realisation of one constant; the gift of faith we had received as children. 

The Second Vatican Council was my “theme song” with the charismatic renewal, marriage encounter, prayer groups, Taizé in France, life in the church appeared to be very promising.  My personal limitations, alongside parish ministry found me more and more at odds between my expectation and realities in the life of the parish.  Ten years on an ecumenical project was maybe a haven, but now I am hoping and praying that the Lord will renew, direct, and support me.  The loss of my driver’s licence will please God, come to an end, and will be helpful to my work and ministry.

The challenge and please God, the opportunity that will be provided “post coronavirus” will truly need all the blessings of a new Pentecost.  From screening masses different expectations have received moments of grace and blessing, much appreciated and may go on to influence our options and choices.  But the central need is for a community of faith, with a real decision to belong.  One of my faults and failings is being poor at remembering names and establishing relationships in the community.

With the help of God this can be addressed.  The new normal is a word that we hear quite frequently from the Media.  Our need in the church to develop a fresh response as opportunities arise is essential.  We are currently waiting for guidance concerning the re-opening of churches, and at this time there are no clear instructions.  Following on from the Governments guidelines, as from Monday 1^st June, I am encouraging visits to our prayer garden in appropriate groups, including families, for prayer (confession/reconciliation) and fellowship.  Unfortunately, I do not have my driver’s licence so I cannot avail of St George’s Memorial Garden.  Please ring me as I will be delighted to hear from you.

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

[email protected]

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