Saturday PMB Page 168
5.45: Sacrament of Reconciliation
6.30: Robert Taylor (welfare)
Sunday 4th of Lent REJOICE SUNDAY
8.30am: Parish
10am: Ida Braganza Rec Dec
11.30am: Cameron Tetley Rec Dec
Monday No Mass
Tuesday ON RETREAT THIS WEEK No Mass
Wednesday AYLESFORD PRIORY No Mass
Thursday No Mass
Friday No Mass
Saturday PMB Page 176
5.45: Sacrament of Reconciliation
6.30pm: Rosanne Morgan RIP
Sunday 5th of Lent
8.30am: Parish
10am: O'Sullivan (thanks)
11.30: Cameron Tetley Rec Dec
Basket out for CAFOD Donations for Ukraine
"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you" That's from today's perhaps best known short story. Illustrating great and lasting truths about our humanity. The Prodigal Son came home empty handed with no trophies to show his Father. A failure and a sinner, he deserved to be punished. And yet, punishment was the last thing he needed. His Father saw him coming home and he went out to him in unimaginable tenderness. The last thing he needed was to be reprimanded for sinful ways. He was loved even in his sinfulness and this made him change and understand that we become ourselves by coming closer to God.
Christianity at its best.
Food at last At long last the chosen people come home and are no longer reliant on manna in the desert. They celebrate Passover, the covenant of love which prefigures the Eucharist. Their coming home points to the return of the younger son to his Father in today's Gospel.
The Diplomatic Service God has reconciled himself to us through Christ, not holding our faults against us - again, a pointing to the Gospel. Luke 15 is all about God's mercy. We are God's ambassadors. Which Son are You? The main figure is in fact the Father, When you think about it he has to deal with some very difficult types the elder son. He stayed at home, was overtaken by religious observance but there really was little depth to him. When he comes home from the fields he hears rejoicing and merriment and wants to know what's going on. When he hears that the cause of the rejoicing is the return of his brother (he had come to his senses) he grows sullen and refuses to enter the celebration (of the Eucharist?) Interestingly, it is dad who takes the initiative and explains a thing or two to his older son. He tells him that all he has is his. He attempts a healing process and rushes out to try to reason with him. It doesn't work. He is in no mood to be placated and unleashes a string of deep-seated resentments against his father. He is angry, demanding attention, Wants to be number one and powerful in the family household. He says he's kept all the rules and yet won't even speak to his brother, refusing to show any love whatsoever despite the father's lavish love. He thought religion was all about him and just can't stand being challenged by the idea that it is God who does the rescuing, God who takes the initiative. He just won't accept the notion that church is to do with reconciliation and that we are to be peace makers and not just peace lovers. He needs to get back to basics. He doesn't realise that he doesn't have to earn the Father's love God loves freely, fully and without hesitation or hesitation. The story ends leaving the unanswered and intriguing question of whether or not the older son ever seeks to be reconciled with his father or brother.
We're NOT OK In truly holy people, knowledge of sin is not denigrating but liberating because it enables them to break through the subtle illusions and self-deceptions that finally stand in the way of joy. And the most dangerous of these lies is that everything is just fine: I'm OK; you're OK. Christianity is a salvation religion, and thus its basic assumption is that there is something wrong with us, indeed so very wrong that we just could never in principle fix it ourselves. Endowed with mind and will, we human beings can respond to the divine love or reject it. We can bask in the light of God's love or just turn it out! The choice is ours. (Here, lent kicks in!) God wants all people to be saved, to share in his divine life. His life is love freely given, and therefore it can be had only in the measure that it is freely returned. It is not forced on us. HELL is the choice to live outside this love, to say simply my will be done rather that thy will be done See what happened to the younger son. What a mess he got himself into! But he made it back home and discovered JOY
Confirmation Meeting 5pm Saturday 9 April in Church. New confirmandi only. Letters by this Sunday night svp.
First Confession children. Well done! Hard on the kids if mom and dad don't ever seem to go!
Ukraine Thank you for your donation of £288.85 This is going off to CAFOD for onward transmission
Planned Giving and Gift Aid- The diocese has produced a One Page Planned Giving Form. These forms are for those who wish to start giving via standing order, weekly donation envelopes or by cheque or those who already donate by standing order but wish to change their standing order. The forms are available from the back of church. Cafod Lenten Family Fast Day. This collection delayed because of Ukraine. A short talk will be given this weekend, 26/27th March and a collection taken next weekend.
Coloma Old Girls Association annual luncheon Saturday 23 April 2022. Celebration Mass and lunch, starting at 11 Sam. For more information and tickets please go to
www.colomna.croydon.sch.uk/community/coga Or call Clare on 02087760186
email colomaoldgirlsassociation@gmail.com
Vacancies at St Mary's Catholic High School Croydon www.stmaryscroydon.co.uk/Vacancies/