Saturday
6.30pm: Parish
Second Sunday of Easter PMB 259
8.30am: PB Intention
10am: HRH Prince Philip Rec Dec
11.30am: Tim Rooke Rec Dec
Monday NO MASS
Tuesday St Martin Pope and Martyr (one of many!)
10am: Herbert Joseph Madden RIP
Wednesday 10am: Debbie Bennett RIP
Thursday 10am: Alan de Santos RIP
Friday 10am: Katie Townsend RIP
Saturday 6.30pm: Elizabeth Garrad RIP
The Third Sunday of Easter
8.30am: Dec’d Parishioners (Ellis)
10am: Frances McEvoy Rec Dec
11.30am: McCarthy Family Dec Rel
We remember to pray at all Masses for Prince Philip and the Royal family at this sad time. May he rest in peace.
First Reading The early Christian community gathering together in unity, truly united by the presence of the Risen Lord. Surely, a model for every church, parish, family nation. It shows what conversion means, a new purpose, a new sense of God, of the worth of each and every person. The readings are suffused with joy. I find this passage from the Acts of the Apostles breathtaking and moving. If only, if only … Just how marvellous the world would be if we were open to receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. If only we displayed our faith by our deeds and actions of love. Christians are to discern what is happening in others’ hearts, walk in their shoes and express love by practical sharing of all assets. Why have we gone so wrong? This reading is in a sense a type of communism, a community where all are equal and open. See how wrong Marx and Lenin got it! The early Christian community is full of enthusiasm and explosive with the love of God.
Second Reading This passage is about believing, knowing and loving. It is about the love of God for us, our love of God, our keeping the commandments to love. It reminds us of the love Christians should have for one another, our attitude to the world, or, rather, what it should be. Jesus the Christ and the Son of God, revealed not only in the water of baptism but also in the water and blood that flowed from his side at death. We are to hand over our lives to this Jesus Christ whose victory over death and dehumanization is affirmed by the Holy Spirit.
Gospel Christ took his wounds into the grave and did not disown them in the resurrection. Because of his wounds Jesus is credibly in touch with wounded humanity. He is with the wounded in body and spirit, with those wounded by society, the victims of violence, domestic or otherwise, and conflict and oppression everywhere. The wounded Christ is with those who suffer from addictions, those abused and offended by our disregard and complacency. As we grow older and the more birthdays we have we are more aware of our woundedness. The wounds which perhaps we chose previously to ignore reveal our need for one another and therefore the potential for building up a more compassionate society, a community which witnesses to the Wounded Healer.
Mary Magdalen a woman of great resurrection faith. She believed when her male counterparts were somewhat slow in coming forward. Mary found true life in the Risen Lord, having previously looked for happiness outside the fold, away from the warm embrace of the love of God. She, like the Samaritan Lady that meets Jesus in the heat of the day at the well (often in the Bible a favourite pick-up place!) has this encounter in which she is truly valued, given peace and true joy. She’s one of my favourites!
Receive the Holy Spirit This is coupled with the giving of the power to forgive sins. This still holds good. We need confession or, to give it its true name, reconciliation. We need that guarantee by the Church’s ministry, that we are given pardon and peace. I recall, years ago, at the seminary the bishop giving the annual retreat asked us what the essence of the priesthood was. I think most of us umm'd and ahh'd until one bright lad came up with the correct answer. The correct answer according to the Bishop – Reconciliation!
Reflection Faith means doubt. Faith is not the suppression of doubt. It is the overcoming of doubt, and you overcome doubt by going through it. The man of faith who has never experienced doubt is not a person of faith. Consequently, the monk is one who struggles in the depths of his being with the presence of doubt, and has to go through what some religions call the Great Doubt to break through doubt into a certitude which is very very deep because it is not his own certitude; it is the certitude of God himself, in us. Thomas Merton
Parish Support Many thanks to those who are helping me so generously with the office/administration/secretarial side of parish life. I am grateful to them for their professionalism and service. So much appreciated. By the way, I could never do database or put up our weekly Sunday Mass on the parish website. Without them I would sink!
Many thanks for your Easter Offerings. Times are hard for many of our parishioners who are suffering through COVID. Many thanks to the stewards who help keep the church oplen, flower girls and especially for the Easter Garden which is truly beautiful. You can visit and perhaps make a donation to CAFOD. Anyway, the box will be there. The collection to CAFOD was only £500 this year, a drop of about £900. I believe that we should make every effort to support this leading Catholic Charity for the hungry in the Third World
CAFOD Four million children are dying in the Yemen. In the first quarter of 2019, 3.4 million died of hunger. Please help by making a donation. Envelopes available back of church. You can make a CAFOD donation any time. See above
