The Church in Our Times

“…’Closed Christians always end up badly, because they are not Christians, they are ideologues, ideologues of closure,’ the pope said….”

Catholic News Agency, Rome Newsroom, 13 Dec 2023, Matthew Santucci.  See more at https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256260/  

There will be a gathering of those who feel that God may be calling them to be a priest, even if this desire is in its very early stages. 

Come to St John's Cathedral in Norwich for the 11.00 am Mass on Sunday November 19th 2023 and afterwards in Cathedral House (attached to the Cathedral) to meet Bishop Peter Collins and others for lunch and an informal meeting about vocations. 

If you intend coming, please email our Vocations Director, Canon Patrick Cleary, vocations@rcdea.org.uk by Monday 13th November so that we know how many will be present for lunch.

“In his Christmas message …, Pope Francis speaks of how the child Jesus reveals God’s tender love for each one of us that brings about ‘the joy that consoles hearts, renews hope and bestows peace.’ He prays for world peace and calls for every effort to stop violence and help those suffering….”

The Catholic Church, Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, 25 Dec 2023. Full article at https://www.cbcew.org.uk/pope-at-christmas-urbi-et-orbi-2023/

Exchanging Christmas gifts and organising holiday parties are all well and good, but Christians should contemplate the scene of Jesus’ birth to recover what is truly important during the Christmas season, Pope Francis said….”

Universe Weekly, 21 Dec 2023.  Full article: https://universecatholicweekly.co.uk/christmas-season/

“…He says in Isaiah 43:18-20: ‘Forgot the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’

“All we need to do this year is what Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and He will direct your paths.’…”

Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, 16 Dec 2023, Matthew Santucci.  Full article: https://www.rcdea.org.uk/fr-alvan-looks-forward-to-the-new-year/

“…If we want to follow Christ, we must let go of every expectation or hope we may have because it will only serve to get in our way. We do not know where we’re going, how to get there, what it will look like, or how long it will take. And that might seem daunting to us at first. But trusting in the fact that God loves us and wants the best for us, we can take solace in one thing: “eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has in store for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).”

Franciscan Spirit Blog, Casey Cole, OFM, 22 September 2023.  Used with permission from Franciscan Media (WWW.FRANCISCANMEDIA.ORG) .  See full article at https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/becoming-radically-open/?utm_campaign=Franciscan%20Spirit&utm_medium=email&utm_content=275362622&utm_source=hs_email

(Fr. Simon Blakesley, Chair of the Trustees), writes: “We are still relying on the kind generosity of all of you to support priests in mainly medical, but also in general need.  In this we are not supported by the specifically retirement needs focus of ‘Alive in Faith’ and we are an independent charity run by the priests of the diocese, NOT by the Bishop or the Curia.

Please do Gift Aid your support in the envelopes provided as we cannot claim back on anything given in a Diocesan printed envelope as our Registered Charity Number is different (1102707).

For those needing or wishing to send payments to us by BACS our a/c details are:

Sort Code: 60-15-31; Account Number:  68085834

Name of Account: The East Anglia Dependent Priests Fund. Thank you.

Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions. In the last year, more crews have been abandoned by their employers than ever before. Many are still being denied the right to leave their ships for even a short break away from the relentless noise and pressure onboard. Many are reporting more stress and poorer mental health. 

Sea Sunday is when the Church prays for all those who live and work at sea.Your support will make a big difference to seafarers and fishers in need. You can donate in church, by visiting www.stellamaris.org.uk/donate, or by texting ‘SEA’ to 70460 to donate £5. This collection is vital to enable Stella Maris to continue its important work, so please give generously. Thank you 

“The Annual Report and Accounts of the Diocese of East Anglia have just been published online and show that with churches reopening, but Covid precautions still in place, church attendance and provision of the Sacraments recovered strongly in the course of 2021.

“The number of baptisms was up 81%, the number of marriages more than doubled and total in-person Mass attendance rose by over a third to 12,611….

“Key aims for the year [included] - Maintenance of parish life and communities … To assist parishes and school governing bodies in the financing and control of major building projects … - To expand the number of Catholic schools to reflect increased demand for Catholic education….

“Significant charitable activities included: The provision of sacramental and social outreach, including improving digital access to services and parish groups… provision of move-on housing for single homeless men and debt crisis support….The new Sacred Heart school, Swaffham, opened in 2021, with significant funding from the Diocese of £181,000 in 2021 and over £600,000 from DfE.…Continued recruitment, education and training of priests and deacons, with the addition of three priests to the Diocese and the ordination of one new priest during the year, while eight seminarians and three candidates for the permanent diaconate were in training….

“The total Catholic population in the area covered by the Diocese is estimated to be some 140,000.

“The significant contribution provided by volunteers is recognised with an estimated 1900 volunteers taking on roles such as catechists, stewards, parish treasurers, committee members, flower arrangers and lay ministers.

“At the start of 2021, there were 94 active priests, 28 active permanent deacons, eight seminarians in training and three students for the permanent diaconate….

“Future Plans [include] Priests: Efforts across the Diocese have resulted in an increase in the number of vocations to the priesthood, the permanent diaconate and the religious life and the number of priests available comfortably exceeds the number of parishes. Meeting the needs of the increasing numbers of priests reaching retirement age or retiring on the grounds of ill health is a significant challenge for the Diocese….”

Used with permission from Independent Catholic News, Keith Morris, Source: Diocese of East Anglia, 5 Dec 2022.  For a complete version of this article, visit the following web link:  https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46054

 "…’Every time we announce it, not by propaganda or proselytizing, but with respect and love, as the most beautiful gift to share, as the secret of joy, then Jesus dwells in us even more.’ Nothing can stop us from proclaiming the Lord after an encounter with Him, the Pope added, and if we do not share this experience, maybe we have yet to really meet Him. …”. 

ICN, Source: Vatican News, 10 Apr 2023.   See the full article at https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46935 

“…Our experience of Easter day, our passage through the entirety of the Easter season, needs to be an engagement with the revelation that the resurrection of Jesus Christ connects us to the beginning of everything and with the end of everything….

“What our Catholic faith proclaims with full vigour on Easter day is that Christ embraces each and every one of us when he embraced the cross of sacrifice and he embraces each and every one of us when he rose from the dead ….” 

Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, 5 Apr 2023. See the full article at https://www.rcdea.org.uk/easter-day-is-the-key-to-understanding-life-and-death/  

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The resurrection of Jesus Christ connects us to the beginning of everything and with the end of everything, says Bishop Peter Collins, in his Easter message.  See Bishop Peter's message here in the Special Notices section of our Newsletter page on this website or watch it on YouTube at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aq9jx4UHdc  

 “…The initial picture … showed the scale of the challenges facing the Church in this country. …research suggests that over the last five decades or so, Mass attendance has declined by 1-2% each year … The need for a renewed, evangelistic response from us as churchgoing Catholics seemed clear. The signs of hope … lay in three areas. Firstly, the young. … research stated that 17% of self-identified Catholics aged 55-64 attend Mass weekly, meanwhile among 18-24 year olds this figure rises to 41%.... Secondly, the panel identified trends among those who convert to Catholicism…. Thirdly, Dr Vaughan-Spruce emphasised the value of a parish that is focused not on those who already attend but on those who aren’t yet there…. Those parishes that had a clear, missionary vision – in her experience – bore fruit….” 

 Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, 6 Apr 2023. See the full article at https://www.rcdea.org.uk/is-renewal-on-the-horizon-for-the-church-in-england/ 

“Pope Francis has advised religious not to give in to pessimism over a lack of vocations and to pray with him to ‘deliver us from the presumption of self-sufficiency and the spirit of worldly criticism.’…

“Pope Francis said religious life would find hope through the Word of God and the history and creativity of its founders.

“’Religious life is understood only by what the Spirit does in each of the people called. There are those who focus too much on the external - the structures, the activities - and lose sight of the superabundance of grace in people and communities.’

"’Do not tire of going to the frontiers, even to the frontiers of thought; of opening paths, of accompanying, rooted in the Lord to be bold in mission,’ Pope Francis said.

"’The Gospel teaches that there is a poverty that humbles and kills and another poverty, that of Jesus, which liberates and makes happy. As consecrated people, you have received the immense gift of participating in Jesus' poverty. Do not forget, either in your lives or in your work at the university, those who live the other poverty.’"

Used with permission from Independent Catholic News, Source: Vatican News, 10 Nov 2022

For a complete version of this article, visit the following web link:

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45881

"The pilgrimage will start at 12 noon with the Regina Caeli and the Crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham in the Friday Market, outside the parish church in the village. 

"This will be followed by a Rosary Procession to the Basilica, along the Holy Mile, led by the parish of King’s Lynn. 

"At 2pm there will be a Service of Reconciliation and Confessions at the Chapel of Reconciliation and around the crosses, followed by a Pontifical Mass led by Bishop Peter.”

Non-Walking Pilgrims can be taken to the Shrine. There will be Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in Friday Market Church during the morning.

Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, 26 Apr 2023. See the full article at 

https://www.rcdea.org.uk/bishop-to-lead-first-diocesan-pilgrimage-to-walsingham/ 

“Fleur Dorrell from the Bible Society will be speaking on the subject of ‘Mary in Art’ at an ecumenical meeting organised by the Guild of Our Lady of Grace of Ipswich.

“It will take place from 10.30 for 11am to 12 noon on Saturday February 25 at Museum Street Methodist Church (entrance in Black Horse Lane, IP1 2EF). Donations are requested.

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“A service has been organised by the charity ‘Outside the Wire’ for all military veterans and their families as a thank you to those who have sacrificed so much for their country and to show our appreciation for those who have served in so many theatres of war.

“Outside the Wire is a charity … giving help to any serving and ex-military personnel with drug, alcohol, PTSD and social problems, which are experienced by many within and on leaving the services.

“The service will be held at St John’s Cathedral on Unthank Road on Sunday April 23 at 2pm. There will be refreshments after the event in the Cathedral Narthex….

With Permission, Diocese of East Anglia, Eldred Willey, 9 Feb 2023.  See the full article, https://www.rcdea.org.uk/mary-in-art-service-for-veterans-clare-renewal-day/

“Cardinal Vincent Nichols has paid tribute to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who served as Supreme Pontiff from April 2005 to February 2013 and has died aged 95 ….

“’He was through and through a gentleman, … a scholar, … a pastor, … a man of God – close to the Lord and always his humble servant.’

“During a morning Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis prayed for Benedict.

“’Today we entrust to our Blessed Mother our beloved Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, so that she may accompany him in his passage from this world to God,’ he said.

“Calling the late pope a ‘great master of catechesis’, he said: ‘His acute and gentle thought was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us in the encounter with Jesus.’…”

With permission, Universe Catholic Weekly, Andy Drozdziak, 6 Jan 2023, pg 1,   For a complete version of this article, visit the following web link: https://universecatholicweekly.co.uk/universe-weekly-newsletters/january-2023/UNIVERSE-06-JAN-2023.pdf?mc_cid=eb18959b57&mc_eid=369907850c

The 95-year-old Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away on Saturday at 9:34 AM in his residence at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery.

Funeral and Requiem Mass: Pope Emeritus Benedict’s funeral will take place at 9:30am (8:30am UK time) on Thursday January 5, 2023, in St Peter’s Square presided over by Pope Francis. As of Monday morning, January 2, the body of the Pope Emeritus will be in St Peter’s Basilica so the faithful can pay their respects. 

There will be a Requiem Mass for the Pope Emeritus on Monday January 2 at 12 noon at St John’s Cathedral in Norwich. In advance of the funeral on Thursday, Solemn Vespers will be celebrated at the Cathedral on Wednesday January 4 at 6pm – ecumenical and civic representatives will be invited.

The Relic Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Shrine based in Bedford) will be visiting the Church of Our Lady and English Martyrs, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1JR, from Friday 23rd June (with Mass of Reception at 7 pm) to Monday 26th June (Mass at 12.15 pm and departure of Image). 

Please see also the Shrine website, https://www.relicourladyofguadalupe.co.uk/ . 

“In an advent message released this week, Catholic Church leaders in the Holy Land have warned of political and social challenges facing the region. Highlighting threats to coexistence between communities in Israel and increasing violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, they emphasised that ‘the absence of a real process of peace, based on International Law, will lead to more suffering.’

“Appealing for justice and peace, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries went on to state: ‘We raise our voice for the needs of the poorest and the weakest: to ensure that the Palestinian people are granted dignity and freedom in their land, that a stable solution and justice is given to the five million Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, and that in the Holy Land all national communities have equal rights.’ 

“Turning to signs of hope, they highlighted the return of pilgrims following the pandemic, bringing ‘life and movement back to the streets and alleys’ of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and other cities.  

“The Bishops of England and Wales have a close relationship with the Church in the Holy Land through the Holy Land Coordination and earlier this year issued new guidelines for Holy Land pilgrimages, to ensure that people encounter and support the local Christian communities.

Used with permission, The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, 16 Dec 2022. 

For a complete version of this article, see: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/catholic-church-leaders-in-the-holy-land-express-concern-over-social-and-political-situation-in-the-region/

“Pope Francis met members of the Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne, a group of French Christians and Jews dedicated to Jewish-Christian dialogue,  In his address to the group, the Pope stressed the importance of mutual respect, and warned of the ‘resurgence’ of anti-Semitism.

“The Holy Father began by speaking about [the founder of] Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne, [who] ‘played a leading role in the rapprochement between Jews and Christians after the tragedy of the Second World War.’…

“Pope Francis then spoke about Amitié Judéo-Chrétienne, saying that it had ‘worked tirelessly’ for 70 years to ‘help Jews and Christians grow in mutual knowledge, understanding, respect and friendship.’

“This work, he said, ‘greatly contributed to helping Jews and Christians rediscover themselves as brothers, children of the same Father’, who ‘await the day, known to God alone, when all peoples will call upon the Lord with one voice.’

“Pope Francis stressed that this work is still of great importance today: ‘the task is not completed,’ he said. ‘I encourage you to persevere on this path of dialogue, fraternity and joint initiatives. This beautiful work, which consists of creating bonds, is fragile, and always needs to be continued and consolidated.’…"

Used with permission, Independent Catholic News, Source:  Vatican News, 13 Dec 2022

For a complete version of this article, see: https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/46110

“Archbishop Eamon Martin has launched this year's interactive digital Advent calendar. … Behind the 28 virtual doors, it offers resources for schools, parishes and the home with short inspirational video messages, some seasonal crafts for children and prayers to help us keep Christ at the centre of our Christmas preparations.

“Archbishop Eamon Martin said: ‘Advent is often described as a journey. Over the next four weeks we will journey towards Christmas while reflecting on the big themes and the personalities of the Advent season….’

"’The Advent calendar invites each of us to make space for God in our lives every day over the next four weeks….’

“… The 2022 Advent Calendar will go live on Sunday 27 November here: www.catholicbishops.ie/ “

Used with permission from Independent Catholic News, Source: Irish Catholic Media Office, 22 Nov 2022

For a complete version of this article, visit the following web link:  https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/45962

“Pope Francis sent a message to Queen Elizabeth on Thursday, expressing his prayers and good wishes on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee.   

“The Holy Father wrote: ‘On this joyful occasion of your Majesty's birthday, and as you celebrate this Platinum Jubilee year, I send cordial greetings and good wishes, together with the renewed assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will bestow upon you, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the nation blessings of unity, prosperity and peace.’   

“In a previously-unpublished message sent to Queen Elizabeth on 29 March, the Pope said he joins with those expressing appreciation for her persevering and steadfast service to the good of the nation, ‘the advancement of its people, and the preservation of its illustrious spiritual, cultural and political heritage.’   

“In recognition of the monarch's commitment to the care of God's creation, Pope Francis is donating a Cedar of Lebanon to the Queen's Green Canopy initiative.   

“He expressed the hope that this tree, ‘which in the Bible symbolises the flourishing of fortitude, justice and prosperity, would be a pledge of abundant divine blessings’ upon her realm. “The project invites people from across the United Kingdom to 'Plant a Tree for the Jubilee'.   

“As well as inviting the planting of new trees, The Queen's Green Canopy will dedicate a network of 70 Ancient Woodlands across the United Kingdom and identify 70 Ancient Trees to celebrate Her Majesty's 70 years of service.  Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican in 2014. The meeting marked the 100th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See. Following that meeting, Pope Francis gave the couple a facsimile of Pope Innocent XI's order extending the cult of St Edward the Confessor…. 

“Queen Elizabeth has met four Popes as Queen, five in her lifetime. She ascended to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, after the death of her father, King George VI.   

“The monarch first visited the Vatican in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth. The Pope at the time was Pius XII. Queen Elizabeth's first visit as Queen took place on 5 May 1961. She and Prince Philip were received in audience by Pope John XXIII. “In 1980, Queen Elizabeth made a state visit to the Vatican and was received in audience by Pope John Paul II. Just two years later he made a pastoral visit to Great Britain.  

“With the dawn of the new millennium, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the Vatican once again, in October 2000. “In September 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited Great Britain on an Apostolic Journey on the occasion of the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman and met the Queen in Edinburgh.”

            With permission, Independent Catholic News, Source: Vatican News, 2 June 2022,

                                                     https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44822 

“On many occasions the late Pope John Paul II reminded the church of the universal call to holiness. ‘Everyone in the Church,’ he wrote, ‘precisely because they are members, receive and thereby share in the common vocation to holiness.’ The Second Vatican Council put it this way: ‘All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love.’ This holiness, the council said, grows out of giving glory to God, serving others and ‘doing the will of God in everything.’     

“But what is holiness, and how do we respond to the call? Can we do the will of God in everything?

“St. Benedict, the founder of monasticism in Europe, wrote that the keeper of the pots, pans and ‘all utensils and goods of the monastery’ should regard them as ‘sacred vessels of the altar.’ The holiness of pots and pans points to the holiness of everyday life. The things we do in everyday life lead us to holiness if we do them with an awareness of the presence of God.     

Thérèse of Lisieux, Mother Teresa, and Dorothy Day are three modern Catholic women whose lives show us how the path to holiness is a little way. ‘We can do no great things—only small things with great love,’ Mother Teresa said.     

“These words very well describe the way to closeness to God that Thérèse, Mother Teresa and Dorothy followed and offer to us. In littleness we can find beauty and the love of God. Little things, even the least, hold the power of big things, for in them God reveals his presence.   

“We can respond to this presence with devotion to and love for the ordinary activities and encounters of everyday life. Rather than letting our days fly by, mechanically performing our daily tasks in order to get them over and done with, we can see little drops of grace in all the things we do. We can see in them new opportunities to respond to the ocean of God’s love flooding the world.     

“Seeing God in every moment leads us as well to total reliance on God in every moment. This little way to faith and trust can help us accept ourselves for who we are, redefine how we see success and failure and cope with suffering and the sacrifices of daily life….”

  Used with permission from Franciscan Media (www.FranciscanMedia.org); Joel Schorn, May 3, 2022.        https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/modern-models-of-holiness  

“Pope Francis released a message today for the 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, on 8th May - Good Shepherd Sunday - on the theme 'Called to Build the Human Family.'     

“In his Message the Holy Father encourages every person in the Church to give the very best of themselves ‘in this great divine plan!’ He says: ‘when we speak about vocations, we are speaking about making God's dream come true.’…     

“At the time when the cold winds of war and oppression are blowing and when we frequently encounter signs of polarization, we as a Church have undertaken a synodal process: we sense the urgent need to journey together, cultivating the spirit of listening, participation and sharing . Together with all men and women of good will, we want to help build the human family, heal its wounds and guide it to a better future. On this 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I would like to reflect with you on the broader meaning of "vocation" within the context of a synodal Church, a Church that listens to God and to the world.    

“Called to be protagonists together of the Church's mission    

"Synodality, journeying together, is a fundamental vocation to the Church. Only against this horizon is it possible to discern and esteem the various vocations, charisms and ministries. We know that the Church exists to evangelize, to go forth and to sow the seed of the Gospel in history….   

“Called to be guardians of one another and of creation     

“The word ‘vocation’ should not be understood restrictively, as referring simply to those who follow the Lord through a life of special consecration. All of us are called to share in Christ's mission to reunite a fragmented humanity and to reconcile it with God….    

“Called to welcome God's gaze    

“Within this great common vocation, God addresses a particular call to each of us. He touches our lives by his love and directs them to our ultimate goal, to a fulfillment that transcends the very threshold of death. That is how God wanted to see our lives and how he sees them still….     

“Called to respond to God's gaze     

“God's loving and creative gaze met us in an entirely unique way in Jesus. The evangelist Mark tells us that, speaking with the rich young man, ‘Jesus looking upon him, loved him’ (10:21). This gaze of Jesus, full of love, rests upon each of us….     

“Called to build a fraternal world     

“As Christians, we do not only receive a vocation individually; we are also called together . We are like the tiles of a mosaic. Each is lovely in itself, but only when they are put together do they form a picture. Each of us shines like a star in the heart of God and in the firmament of the universe….   

“When we speak of "vocation", then, it is not just about choosing this or that way of life, devoting one's life to a certain ministry or being attracted by the charism of a religious family, movement or ecclesial community. It is about making God's dream come true, the great vision of fraternity that Jesus cherished….”   [Emphasis added.]

                             With permission, ICN, Source: Vatican News, May 5, 2022

                                             https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44626 

“In an Easter message, Bishop Alan Hopes says we have watched with horror and fear the war in Ukraine.   

“Some of us will be deeply involved practically and emotionally.  Evil very easily rears its head; we live in a fallen world and the effects of original sin are real, not theoretical.   

“We have seen again the worst examples of human depravity. Christians are always aware of the fragility of human structures and the unreliability of human saviours; our hope cannot be invested in political solutions to that fallen reality.   

“In the midst of tragedy, though, we always find truth and goodness. Human beings have great potential; extremes can bring out that potential.  We have seen courage, generosity, kindness, and love; a desire for the real truth, and a desire to defend what is good and beautiful….   

“In Lent, we look forward to Easter.  At Easter, we do not stop on our journey, but look forward to Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is constantly at work. He himself is invisible, but we can see his effects. In this war, we can see his gifts of courage and piety shining through the darkness of violence. In the pandemic, we saw the gifts of kindness and understanding through the darkness of confusion.    

“He is constantly at work, and when we see darkness, rather than despair, we Christian people see faith and hope. We can always lovingly respond with courage, knowing that the Victorious Christ is leading us. He never fails us, and his triumph over evil is certain.

   +Alan S Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia”.

              With Permission, Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, 8 April 2022

           https://www.rcdea.org.uk/faith-and-hope-wins-over-fear-says-bishop-alan/ 

“With Easter approaching, an overwhelming majority of people think that churches are still needed, despite the growth of digital worship during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the results of a consultation about the future of the UK's church buildings released by The National Churches Trust.  80% of people agree that digital services have not reduced the need for church buildings, according to the consultation which involved 1,250 people in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Being together with other people was one reason why church buildings were preferred to online services, as a response to the consultation made clear.”

                                              With Permission, ICN, Source: National Churches Trust, 11 Apr 2022

                                                  https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44456  

“Elizabeth Peck, a Catholic author in Cambridge, has recently published a children’s catechetical book called ‘God Is Not a Man in The Sky’.  The book is a narrative of the history of creation, which also serves as a catechism for children, and the accompanying ‘Companion Guide’ explains the theology in more depth for parents, teachers, and catechists. The author has herself served as a secondary-school teacher of Religious Education and a catechist.  

“The book tells the story of existence from both scientific and biblical perspectives through the Franciscan lens. Beginning ‘before’ God’s creation of the universe, the narrative unfolds through the Big Bang, evolution, the development of humanity, and the covenant, culminating in redemption through Jesus Christ.   

“’The principal aim,’ writes the author, ‘is to give Catholic parents and catechists a tool that they can use in their teaching of young children, to prevent particular misconceptions from arising in the first place, and to help children grow up understanding why religious faith, why God, matters….   

“‘God Is Not A Man In The Sky’ would also make a suitable Baptism or First Holy Communion gift. The book has been granted a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur.  The book is priced £19.50,” and can be ordered at this web address https://www.franciscanpublishing.com/books/childrens/god-is-not-a-man-in-the-sky/ 

                                 With Permission, Diocese of East Anglia, Eldred Willey, 1st March 2022

                                 https://www.rcdea.org.uk/cambridge-author-takes-a-more-scientific-look-at-god/ 

was organised by Church Action on Poverty.   

Recently renamed as Poverty Action Sunday.  Caritas­Social Action is the agency in the Catholic Church which acts as an umbrella for many diocesan and local organisations concerned with poverty and other social issues.  

Prayer   

O God, the source of human dignity, in your image every person is fashioned and by your Son all people are redeemed. 

Make us honour the work of your hands, that we may reverence you in those whom the world considers least and serve you in all whom society neglects. 

“In his pastoral letter for the start of January, Bishop Alan Hopes writes, let us truly allow Jesus Christ to bring his light into our dark winter nights and into the dark winter nights of those around us by our sharing of the God-given gifts of love, hope and peace….  

“God made each one of us.  God loves each one of us.  God fills us with hope. 

“At the moment of the Incarnation, God pledges that there will be peace on earth to men of goodwill.  As we begin the new civic year, we pray fervently with the whole Church that the gift of peace may become a reality for all peoples – all those who are caught up in war and conflict, for all who daily face persecution because of their faith, and all those who do not know real freedom or human dignity in their lives.  

“Because of the Incarnation our prayer must lead to action: 

• We must be prepared to support those who are actively working for peace in our world; 
• to work for reconciliation and peace in our own communities and families; 
• to be prepared to welcome all who are refugees and who come to live among us. 
• The Incarnation declares that peace is a gift from God himself – a peace that passes all human understanding.  

“As we continue to turn aside to contemplate and to worship the Incarnate Son of God …, let us truly allow Jesus Christ to bring his light into our dark winter nights and into the dark winter nights of those around us by our sharing of these God-given gifts of love, hope and peace.”

                        (With permission) Diocese of East Anglia, Keith Morris, January 4, 2022

               https://www.rcdea.org.uk/allow-jesus-to-bring-us-his-light-says-bishop-alan/

The Needy and Hungry of the World - especially on Lenten Fast Day   

Prayer:   

All powerful Father, God of goodness, you provide for all your creation.  Give us an effective love for our brothers and sisters who suffer from lack of food. Help us do all we can to relieve their hunger, that they may serve you with carefree hearts.                            (The Roman Missal)   

Candidates for the Sacraments:

For those preparing to be initiated into the Church at Easter, Lent marks the final stage of preparation, the period of Purification and Enlightenment.    

Prayer:   

Father of love and power, it is your will to establish everything in Christ and to draw us into his all‐ embracing love.  Guide the elect of your Church, strengthen them in their vocation, build them into the kingdom of your Son, and seal them with the Spirit of your promise.

                                                               (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)   

Penitents and Wanderers: 

The twin themes of Lent are baptism and penance. Lent is a time of reflection and preparation for Easter.   

Prayer:   

God of power and might, we praise you through your Son, Jesus Christ, who comes in your name. He is the Word that brings salvation.  He is the hand you stretch out to sinners. He is the way that leads to your peace.  God our Father, we had wandered far from you, but through your Son you have brought us back. You gave him up to death so that we might turn again to you and find our way to one another. 

                                      (Roman Missal: Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation II) 

“Charlotte Valori … is encouraging Catholics in Norfolk to support a child through the Independent Visitor Service….     

“It is the young people themselves who choose whether to have an Independent Visitor and they could be a child or teenager when they are matched up….     

“Independent Visitors (IVs) normally meet with their child once a month. They have to commit for at least two years, but often it works out much longer. ‘Children change foster home and social workers move on,’ said Charlotte. ‘So you are often the only person who has known the child for most of their life. You see them as a person, not a problem.’…     

“In Norfolk the scheme is managed by a national health and social care charity called Change Grow Live. In other counties it will be Barnardo’s or Action for Children which oversees the projects.”

                     With Permission, The Diocese of East Anglia, Eldred Wiley, 9th Feb 2022

                   https://www.rcdea.org.uk/an-opportunity-to-support-a-child-in-foster-care/ 

“Racial Justice: What's it got to do with me?     

“This is very much a call for all Christians to engage in the righteous struggle for racial justice because racial justice is everyone's business….     

“[T]he Bible has a lot to say about justice because as God's Word it reflects God's heart for justice. It can be argued that we should love justice because God does! Racism and racial discrimination are justice issues because they deny basic justice and human dignity to women and men who are made in the image of God. Equally, they are sinful because, among other issues, they assume all are not equal before God and are not part of God's family.     

“[This] is an opportunity for all Churches to focus on the three 'R's of 'Remembering', 'Reflecting' and 'Responding':   

• Remembering the importance of racial justice.   
• Reflecting on human diversity and thanking God for it.   
• Responding by working to end injustice, racism and ignorance through prayer and action.”

               With Permission, Independent Catholic News, Ellen Teague, 27th Jan 2022

                                                            https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/43948 

“The December 2021 Alive in Faith newsletter has been published online and contains details of the amount raised so far and how the money is being spent.  [Click on the link below.] “This includes updates on parish projects, retired clergy, seminarians and social outreach grants.”

  https://www.rcdea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/AliveInFaithNewsletterDec21.pdf ]

                       (With permission) Diocese of East Anglia

                      https://www.rcdea.org.uk/alive-in-faith-december-newsletter-is-out-now/

 – Franciscan Spirit Blog, Kyle Kramer, 11 Jan. 2022

“I think it’s fair to say that our modern institutions are in crisis. Our level of trust in our political system is at a record low … social justice and good governance seem largely impossible. It’s becoming clear that our economic system tends to enrich some but impoverish many, including the earth itself.

“As we lose faith in our institutions, I think we’re also beginning to lose faith in the cultural story that undergirds them: the story that drove the Industrial Revolution, a story that celebrates individualism, reason, competition, perpetual economic growth, advanced technology, and control over nature and our bodies. This story tells us that we are fundamentally separate from each other, from the rest of creation, and from a God who seems distant and disinterested.

“It’s no wonder that many of our institutions are failing us, for they were largely built on sand: wrong assumptions about human beings, the nature of reality, and what makes for a good and fulfilling life. If the dominant cultural narrative is one of separateness, there is another story, one of integration, that is struggling to be born. This story, which Pope Francis holds up in his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” tells us we belong intimately to each other and to all of creation.

“This story doesn’t aim us in a straight line of progress and economic growth, but instead it helps us embrace the circular, Trinitarian dance of communion and connection, in which we grow in an exquisite spiral toward a more loving, gentle, inclusive, and cooperative society.

“It’s a story of grace and mutual generosity and simple pleasures, of not eschewing technology but always staying rooted in, and taking our cues from, the God-given abundance of natural systems. In this story, human beings and all of creation thrive together as a single, sacred community—which is, of course, the only way we will survive.

“The crumbling of our institutions offers us a wonderful, if challenging, opportunity to adopt this new story of integration—of human self-understanding, of social and economic systems, of the ecological integrity of our planet….

“And how do we Catholics take on this challenge faithfully…?  Fortunately … Catholic tradition … offers a trove of resources that can help us believers do our part to heal the world—and even the institutional Church itself.

“One is our belief that we human beings are made in the image of God. Like God, our very nature is communion, creativity, and loving care for the dignity of all living things…. The great work to which we’re called may be daunting, but with God’s grace, we’re up for it….

“Another gift of our tradition is our Mother Mary.  In a culture … so formed by masculine assumptions, Mary invites us to discover and integrate archetypal feminine energy as a necessary complement and corrective.  And the Madonna is not only a model; she intercedes for us and strengthens us along the way.

“Finally, Catholic tradition is (at its best) one of inclusion and synthesis: both/and, not either/or.  Building a better world will mean jettisoning much that has been unhelpful up to now, but there’s much we need to keep, even when that means holding together many truths that seem paradoxical. It’s true that we face unprecedented challenges right now. If it’s also true that we are indeed made for such times, let’s not allow this crisis to go to waste.”

This “Franciscan Spirit Blog” material is reprinted with permission from Franciscan Media. Visit www.FranciscanMedia.org for more.

– Franciscan Spirit Blog, Jim Van Vurst, OFM, 13 Jan. 2022

“I suspect that most of us have heard of the expression ‘offering it up.’ Someone asked me just what it means. It was a good question. There is a fundamental truth that helps us understand this expression. In all of God’s creation, there is a single word that describes who and how we are: relationship. The whole of creation: the universe, all the galaxies, stars, and planets (including our own), are in relationship with each other.

“The basic laws of the universe, such as gravity, tell us that we all affect one another. But when it comes to God’s creation of humankind, the idea of relationship takes on unimaginable proportions. We are all created out of love: we are made in God’s image and likeness. And we are related to one another in ways we cannot comprehend. We are more deeply linked together in an interpersonal relationship with God and with each other.

“That interpersonal relationship can be seen in the lives of moms and dads who feel hurt when their children are injured or experience rejection: their children’s pain becomes their own. That’s why the word interpersonal describes such a powerful aspect of our human experience—in times of joy and sadness.

“God's Family

“Offering it up means doing something for those we love. It is the basis for Jesus’ own suffering on the cross. Sometimes we mistakenly think that Jesus died for the sins of humankind. Jesus did not die for something. He died for us all—his brothers and sisters. And in that, we were redeemed. In other words, we did not do anything ourselves to accomplish that. It was only Jesus who could perform such an act of love. Imagine if God had told us to do that on our own. Not a chance!

“Offering up something means that, as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, we can help one another. We don’t know how it all works or what effect it has on others. That is where faith comes in. We don’t look at ourselves as martyrs in these situations, but as helpers in the lives of others.

“It really is a magnificent understanding of how closely we are linked to each other as God’s family. Offering it up can be placed in the same category as prayer. Offering up our own inconvenience, pain, or struggle becomes part of our Christian faith and love for others. It is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. What a privilege that can be for us, too.”

This “Franciscan Spirit Blog” material is reprinted with permission from Franciscan Media. Visit www.FranciscanMedia.org for more.

“A recording of Sr Wendy Beckett reading Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love has been released to the public 28 years after it was first made….  

“Sr Wendy said …: ‘When I was at Oxford, I studied Julian in the original and it made a great impression on me. My copy was a very small leather-bound book, and it had the lovely smell of sandalwood that old books sometimes have. Julian is forever associated in my mind with sandalwood and I hope that a sandalwood smell comes across in the recording.’  

“Sister Wendy Beckett (1930-2018) became a household name when she presented a series of television programmes for the BBC on Art History. She is the author of over 15 books. She spent the latter part of her life living in seclusion in a Carmelite Monastery in Norfolk.  

“Revelations of Divine Love by Dame Julian of Norwich (1343-after 1416) is the earliest surviving book in English written by a woman and is considered a devotional classic….  

“Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich read by Sister Wendy Beckett Audio CD (ISBN 9781527281189) is available … from the Friends of Julian of Norwich (https://www.stjohnstimberhill.org/friends-of-julian), [in Jarrolds in Norwich for £16.99] and from Waterstones.”                                

                           (With permission) Eldred Willey, Dec 8th 2021, Diocese of East Anglia  

                  https://www.rcdea.org.uk/sr-wendy-beckett-gives-a-voice-to-julian-of-norwich/

“…who celebrated their second birthday recently.

“Radio Maria England is a 24-hour Christian station. It is part of a worldwide network of more than 80 radio stations around the world. They offer a voice of hope and encouragement. Responding to Jesus' invitation: 'Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature' (Mk 16,15) they say: "We try to embrace all the charisms that the Holy Spirit is bestowing upon the local and universal Church in our time. Interaction is essential to Radio Maria. We invite our listeners to share their concerns and joys, and we reach out to those who are among the poorest and the most marginalised. Creating a family spirit, also by involving volunteers and listeners, Radio Maria accompanies every person who hungers for God on their journey of faith.

“The programme of Radio Maria England is based on three pillars: prayer, catechesis and human formation. The daily schedule includes Mass and spiritual content, as well as social programmes and worldwide news….

“Find the full schedule and more detailed programme information here: https://radiomariaengland.uk/ “

                                  With permission, Independent Catholic News, 17th Nov. 2021

                                                          https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/43486

"...is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held at 11am on the second Sunday in November (the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War in 1918). … It is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages,… Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes' silence is held at 11am. Church bells are usually rung half-muffled, creating a sombre effect.”                                                               Wikipedia

As well as International World Youth Days, Pope Francis has asked that ‘Youth Sunday’ is now known as ‘World Youth Day’ with each diocese throughout the world running a special event! 

All young people Year 7 upwards are invited to ‘World Youth Day East Anglia’ held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Saturday 20th November, 12pm – 8pm. 

There will be live Music, inspiring talks, powerful prayer times and a vigil Mass with the Bishop to welcome in World Youth Day. Places are limited - to book a place and for more information, please see www.rcdea.org.uk/youth

All Saints Day, Solemnity – (Holy Day - Commemorated 1st Nov. – transposed to Sunday, 31st Oct.)

Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are known or unknown. From the 4th century, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held in various places on various dates near Easter and Pentecost. In the 9th century, some churches in the British Isles began holding the commemoration of all saints on 1 November, and [also] in the 9th century this was extended to the whole Catholic church by Pope Gregory IV. 

All Souls Day – (Commemorated 2nd November)

 … is a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died, which is observed by Latin Catholics and other Christian denominations annually on November 2.… Beliefs and practices associated with All Souls' Day vary widely among Christian denominations.

                                                                                                              Wikipedia

November is the month when we remember and pray for the dead, particularly our loved ones and those of this community. 

Through November, Masses will be offered for Holy Souls. If you would like to include your loved ones in these intentions, please add the names to the “Book of the Dead” found in both Churches.

"…Pope Francis called Christians to show solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, especially women and children, the victims of violent attacks in recent days. ‘Let us continue to assist those in need,’ he says, ‘and pray that dialogue and solidarity may lead to peaceful and fraternal coexistence.’…

“Pope Francis said: ‘in historical moments like this we cannot remained indifferent,’ and for Christians it is a duty to respond.  ‘For this reason, I appeal to everyone to intensify prayer and practise fasting: prayer and fasting, prayer and penance. Now is the time to do it.’

“He concluded: ‘I'm serious: Intensify prayer and practice fasting, asking the Lord for mercy and forgiveness.’"

                          (With permission) Aug 31st 2021, Independent Catholic News  [Source: Vatican News]

                                          https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/42943

... were celebrated by Bishop Alan, at OLISE Church in Newmarket. For more information https://www.rcdea.org.uk/couples-with-miscarriages-or-infertility-are-not-alone/ 

A Mass for those affected by infertility (Saturday 6th November 2021, 11 am.) Followed by a talk on treatment options for Catholic couples with infertility by Dr Phil Boyle, President of the International Institute of Restorative Reproductive Medicine and founder of NeoFertility. 

“…the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome in the city of Rome, and serves as the seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope. … Originally founded in 324, the church is the oldest and highest ranking of the four papal major basilicas, holding the unique title of "archbasilica". It is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica of the Western world.  It houses the cathedra of the Roman bishop, and has the title of ecumenical mother churchof theRoman Catholic faithful.” 

                                                                                           Wikipedia

“Pope Francis sent a message to the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on the occasion of the UN Pre-Summit on Food Systems, which [took] place in Rome from 26-28 July.

“Pope Francis [said] this important meeting ‘highlights how one of our greatest challenges today is to overcome hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition in the era of Covid-19.’

“This pandemic, he adds, ‘has confronted us with the systemic injustices that undermine our unity as a human family,’ while the poorest and the Earth itself ‘cries out for the damage we inflict on it through irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has placed in it.’ …

“He denounces the ‘scandal’ of hunger in a world that produces enough food for all people, adding that it is a ‘crime that violates basic human rights.’

“Pope Francis underlines that it is everyone's duty to combat ‘this injustice through concrete actions and good practices, and through bold local and international policies.’ …

“Pope Francis notes, ‘If we want to maintain a fruitful multilateralism and a food system based on responsibility, justice, peace and unity of the human family is paramount.’…

“Concluding his message, the Pope underlines that …, ‘we have a responsibility to realise the dream of a world where bread, water, medicine and work flow in abundance and reach the poorest first."

“Finally, Pope Francis expresses the hope this meeting for the regeneration of food systems will ‘set us on the path to build a peaceful and prosperous society, and sow the seeds of peace that will allow us to walk in true fraternity.’"

                         (With permission), 27 July 2021 in Independent Catholic News, [Source: Vatican News]    

                                                                                               https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/42709

“Wherever we live, we can choose to make time and space for the sacred. We can make room for God. “Room for God is a new resource for you and your home – to help you find God in every one of your rooms.

“One room at a time, and at your own pace, you can:

– listen to how God is with you throughout the day

– reflect on your concerns more freely

– discern some decisions more clearly

– try out a variety of spiritual practices

– value the power of silent meditation

– experience God everywhere and not just in church

“Take a look at [excerpts from a] sample chapter on the Kitchen … .

“God in our Kitchen 

“’One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’(Matthew 4.4) 

“Our kitchens are central to our existence, since they are where we prepare all our food. For many people the kitchen is also where they eat their meals. Kitchens are where we chat by the oven or at the fridge door, and catch up on the day while cooking or washing up. Kitchens are where we make our children’s treats, pour a glass of wine or stir the late-night hot chocolate. Kitchens are our compass for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and all the snacks in between.

“’Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart.’ (Ecclesiastes 9.7) 

“The Bible has much to say about food and fellowship, as these are what build communities. Both the Old and New Testaments frequently describe the physical food we need to eat and the spiritual food we need to live. Our bodies are an intrinsic part of our faith and relationship with God. Jesus regularly ate with his followers, even after his death and resurrection. And it was through Christ’s Last Supper with his chosen disciples that he modelled the ultimate meal that we would repeat for evermore in our church communities – the Eucharist.”

                                                                              With permission, The God Who Speaks, 29 th July 2021, 

                   https://www.godwhospeaks.uk/the-god-who-speaks/focus/sacred-space/room-for-god/

More information on the rich contents reaching each room in your house is available in the paperback Room for God. 

Visit the Bible Society webpage at https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/products/room-for-god/. The book is available for purchase via that webpage for £3.99 and forms part of the Bible Society’s August focus on ‘Sacred spaces and places’.

“Talks by Sr Gemma Simmonds from Cambridge and a new series on women of the Bible are part of this summer’s offering from the God Who Speaks.

“Sr Gemma Simmonds is from the Congregation of Jesus in Cambridge will be one of the speakers at a summer school organised by the Society of St Gregory.

“The event, which focuses on liturgy and music, will run from August 4-6, via Zoom. This year’s theme is ‘The God Who Speaks: Celebrating, living and sharing God’s Word’.

“Sr Gemma, who is part of Our Lady and the English Martyrs parish, will be joined by Sr Margaret Atkins, Fleur Dorrell, Bob Hurd, Nicholas King SJ, David McLoughlin and Dan Schutte. The speakers will explore all the different ways that God speaks to us.

“Bishop Peter Brignall, the initiator of ‘The God Who Speaks’, will introduce the two days of prayer, contemplation, discussion and debate, and there will be liturgies with music.

“Further details, and online booking, are available on https://www.ssg.org.uk/summer-school-2021/

“Meanwhile Natalie Orefice, Advisor on Parish Evangelisation in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has begun a monthly podcast series on Women in Scripture. To learn what biblical heroines have to teach us about faith, doubt, love, betrayal, birth, death, wealth, famine, hope, families, infertility, peace, war, joy, poverty, leadership, power and prayer, you can listen in on birminghamdiocese.org.uk/women-in-scripture.

“This month’s general focus for the God Who Speaks is the family, and you can find more resources on godwhospeaks.uk/focus/year-of-the-family.”

                                              (With permission) Eldred Willey, 20 July 2021 in The Diocese of East Anglia

                                           https://www.rcdea.org.uk/the-god-who-speaks-through-the-voices-of-women/

“Pope Francis [recently] reflected on the … Gospel (Mk 5:21-42) which shows that Jesus goes beyond our sins and prejudices to heal our heart from the wounds and mistakes of the past.

“‘Jesus lets Himself be touched by our suffering and our death,’ [Pope Francis] said, …

“The Pope pointed out that the ‘most serious illness in life is a lack of love, and not being able to love.’” [italics added]

“The Pope lamented that we … seek useless remedies for our lack of love, throwing ourselves into vain searches for success and money, even looking online.

“Pope Francis encouraged everyone to "let Jesus look at and heal your heart." …

“If we have already experienced His gaze, then we should turn to those around us who may feel wounded and alone to show them love.

"’Jesus asks you for a gaze that does not stop at the outward appearance, but that goes to the heart: a gaze not judgmental, but welcoming,’ he said, ‘Because love alone heals life.’"

                                          Independent Catholic News, https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/42513 

                                                                                                                       27th June 2021 (With permission)

“is one of the great gifts that life gives us. Being able to count on friends, during good times as well as bad, is a gift from God…. Let us extend a hand and listen to others so we can work together for the common good.  Share this message of Francis … with friends … and people who aren't friends yet.”

                                                 With permission, ICN, 30 Jun 2021 from Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.

… and closed mindedness that comes from habit. Be open to being amazed at God's surprises, he says, and God's "humble and hidden presence in daily life."...

Reflecting on last week’s gospel message, “(t)he Pope warned that if we let the ease of habit take over in us, it can lead to a ‘dictatorship of prejudice’ where we close ourselves to novelty and the possibility of being amazed. We see this in our daily lives when we gravitate toward experiences or people who only conform to our ideas and world view, he noted. This can affect us in our faith life as well, where we can think we know everything about Jesus and have it all figured out. The Pope warned, however, that ‘without openness to what is new and to God's surprises, without amazement, faith becomes a tiring litany that slowly dies out’. (Italics added)  He stressed the importance of allowing ourselves to be amazed, which is the natural reaction to a true encounter with the Lord.”

                         With permission, ICN, https://www.indcatholicnews.com/ 4 Jul 2021 from Vatican News.

“Cambridge-based Radio Maria England has been awarded a grant to look at the relationship between science and faith through the Scientists in Congregations programme.

“The programme is run by Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS). Radio Maria England is among one of 22 churches and organisations in England and Wales to receive grants totalling £400,000, to be used over the next 18 months on a creative, public-facing project….“Radio Maria England will be rebroadcasting the first season of Science and Faith on Saturdays at 13:30 and Thursdays at 16:00 through the summer. The show is also available as a podcast.

“You can listen to Radio Maria England on radiomariaengland.uk/how-tolisten-to-us, on the Radio Maria World Family app for smartphones and tablets and on DAB/DAB+ radio in the Cambridge and London areas. Podcasts are available through Anchor, Spotify, Apple podcasts, Overcast and other podcast providers.” 

                                            (With permission) Eldred Willey, July 24, 2021, The Diocese of East Anglia         

                                     https://www.rcdea.org.uk/radio-maria-wins-grant-to-explore-science-and-faith/

“Happiness is hard to define precisely. …… [Happiness] is not something that we can make with our own hands; it is not at our service. It can only be embraced when it appears at the most unexpected moment. … Aristotle identified happiness with contemplation because, in this activity, we participate in the life that is proper to God. … ‘Such a life will be superior to the human condition: in fact, it is not in as much as we are human that we will live this way, but in as much as that which is divine is present in us.’ Every activity is a way of reaching this fullness, the true motor that constantly accompanies us and allows us to feel alive, fulfilled. Ignatius of Loyola called this final destination “the feeling and enjoyment of things interiorly” (Spiritual Exercises, n.2). … …

The modern mind has sought to make happiness a right available to everyone; in this way, it has progressively grown further away from its horizon, even speculative, to the point of disappearing. ….. Take, for example the novel, “Brave New World” by A. Huxley. In this novel, the writer imagines a world where technology allows the realization of any desire, an extraordinary abundance of goods, capable of guaranteeing wellbeing. Nevertheless, there has not been a growth in happiness: the increased tenor of life is paid for by the suppression of variety in personal characteristics, bringing about a dictatorship of technology. …..

The more one seeks to own happiness, the more it escapes and becomes unreachable. It is the parable of our times: we are too worried about ourselves and our own wellbeing, discovering ourselves to be ever sadder and less capable of living. As in the conquering of Jericho (see Joshua 6:1–22), happiness comes when we are busy doing other things that capture the heart; happiness overtakes us, as an added extra, as a free gift.”

       Giovanni Cucci ‘Happiness: A delightful foretaste of Eternity” La Civilta Cattolica 15 June 2021

This free gift is the product of love that is unconditional, the Love that God offers us, through Christ. See below for Part 2 of this reflection.

                                                                                                                                        TC

You may have forgotten this: the Church’s Catechism opens with a declaration that the desire for happiness is within each of us, central to our human nature:

“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God, and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for,”

Catechism of the Catholic Church • Pocket Edition • Geoffrey Chapman pub.

Happiness, then completes us when we participate in the life that is “proper for God” and where “that
which is divine is present in us.” (Aristotle) as we read last week.

To shape the life we lead in order to pursue and achieve happiness, God has given us the Commandments. I suppose most of us grow up to regard the Commandments as the sort of thing our grannies would say to us when we were small and irritating “Don’t do that! Don’t go there! Don’t … Don’t …” In truth, the Commandments are much more positive, in their way, and much more respectful of humanity and kind in their intent than they may seem. In effect, they tell us to follow the path they describe – obeying and serving God and avoiding the traps and pitfalls that face us when pursuing happiness.

When Psalm 22 says “He guides me along the right path”, it could be referring to the purpose of the Commandments as a guide to finding and following God. Jesus, in his mission on earth, has provided detailed directions that support and work alongside the Commandments. These are the Beatitudes*, the eight ways of filling our lives with love derived from the love God offers us, each day. Together they provide practical guidance on meeting the Commandments’ requirements positively. Happiness, Jesus is saying, can be experienced in this life if our pursuit of it is from the heart, and is shaped by the Commandments and, in this world, filled with the actions and behaviour envisaged in the Beatitudes. Such can be for each of us a life that is “proper for God” and where “that which is divine is present in us.                                                                                                           TC

THE BEATITUDES
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

It is, perhaps, too easy to treat Lent as a period of gloom as we follow the road to Jesus’ earthly death. True, it is a time for reflecting on Christ’s mission and sacrifice, together with our own relationship with God. But it is not a season for wearing sackcloth and ashes for 24 hours a day. It is a time for refreshing and developing our understanding of God’s love for us and for our role in His creation. Thomas Merton’s reflections on Life are helpful in increasing our knowledge of and faith in the world Christ came to save:   

“[Our] creation in the image and likeness of God proclaims that the creation was indeed a triumph of life. When God breathed into the face of Adam, everything in man came alive: not only his body, not only his mind, but also his spirit in which the image of God was hidden. And the image of God was live with likeness to God, that is to say with contemplation. …… God lived in him and he lived in God. ……. 

When we say that the creation of the first son of God was a triumph of life, we mean that every aspect of human living was exalted and sanctified at the dawn of man’s history. Man’s whole existence, not only in his relations with his own kind (Eve) and with the rest of the created world, were transfigured by divine insights and by an awareness of the inmost reality and value of everything that had come from the hand of God.” 

                                                                                The New Man Thomas Merton Burns & Oates 1962  

Lent can be a time when we mourn how Adam and Eve lost this divinity; but, much more important, we can reflect on how Jesus offers to restore these gifts of God. In his mission amongst us, in his suffering on the Cross, in his death and resurrection and his ascension, Jesus invites us to follow him to a life in paradise. This is the joy we can take from Lent. This is how we can mourn death and, at the same time, celebrate life, as we put our lives in the service of our beloved Saviour.

                                                                                                                                           TC

“What does it mean to live a spiritual life?

…… This life becomes a possibility when, by disciplines of solitude and community, we slowly create some free inner space in our filled lives and so allow God’s Spirit to become manifest to us.

“We live in a worry-filled world. we find ourselves occupied and preoccupied with many things, while at the same time feeling bored, resentful, depressed and very lonely. In the midst of this world the Son of God, Jesus Christ, appears and offers us new life of the Spirit of God. We desire this life, but we also realise it is so radically different from what we are used to. …. A hard struggle is required. It is a struggle to allow God’s Spirit to work in us and recreate us. But this struggle is not beyond our strength. It calls for some very specific, well planned steps. It calls for a few moments in the day in the presence of God when we can listen to His voice precisely in the middle of our many concerns. It also calls for persistent endeavour to be with others in a new way by seeing them not as people to whom we can cling in fear, but as fellow human beings with whom we can create new space for God.” 

                                                                                          Henri J M Nouwen “Making All Things New” 1991

“Mary’s Assumption into heaven has been a common belief since ancient times and musicians, artists and poets have always celebrated the Assumption of our Lady through their work. This belief was declared a dogma ex Cathedra in 1950 by Pope Pius the XII. And so Catholics around the world celebrate The Assumption of our Lady into heaven every year on August the 15th. The Assumption is a source of hope for all of us as we are all called to share in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                                       With permission, The God Who Speaks, 29th July 2021, https://www.godwhospeaks.uk/the-god-who-speaks/focus/sacred-space/the-feast-of-the-assumption-a-reflection/

“In the Roman Catholic Church, the Transfiguration was once celebrated locally in various parts of the Catholic world on different days, including August 6, but was not universally recognized. In 1456, the Kingdom of Hungary repulsed an Ottoman invasion of the Balkans by breaking the siege of Belgrade. News of the victory arrived in Rome on August 6. Given the importance to international politics at that time of such battles between Christian and Muslim nations, in celebration of the victory Pope Callixtus III elevated the Transfiguration to a Feast day to be celebrated in the entire Roman rite.

“In 2002, Pope John Paul II selected the Transfiguration as one of the five Luminous Mysteries of the rosary.” 

                                                                                                                                       Wikipedia

                                                                                                         (Celebrated on 6th August)

At the end of Eastertide, we celebrate the Most Holy Trinity. We also call for the Trinity whenever we pray “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”. We are perhaps, so used to calling on the Trinity that we can forget that this is the most mysterious and difficult part of our Faith to comprehend. We believe in One God and that God is three persons – the Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. If you don’t believe in the Trinity, you cannot be a Christian.

In his book “The White Tiger”, Aravinda Adiga’s main character boasts that “These christians only have three gods. We Hindus have millions!” This is an error that many non-believers make. We believe in one God and only one. That God is three persons – not different gods. But, others object, “That is mathematically impossible. Three into one won’t go, unless each is a third of what you call God.” “No,” Christians reply, “Each are equal in being the one God. Otherwise, Jesus would only be 33.333% of God. What would the rest of him be? And what about God the Father? As for the Holy Spirit, would his spare two thirds be spent in a walk-on part in Ghost Busters? So, this 3 in 1 must be wrong. After all, 1 + 1 + 1 =3!!!”

These objections fall over, because the wrong mathematics is being used. Instead think about 1 x 1 x 1 = 1! So, our belief in 3 persons in One God is not an impossibility. This, however does not take us very far in understanding the nature of God. We could never have a complete understanding, but we can get a sense of it by following Jesus, reading the Gospels and recognising that the Church has held, developed and proclaimed the truth about the Trinity since the fourth century.

The Bible tells us, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). As a Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love one another completely and entirely. Love is truly the essence of God’s inner life. Jesus showed us this truth about who God is to reveal God’s inner life to us. God loves us and wants us to know him. God created us out of love, and we are created for love.

Faith in the Trinity, therefore, is not merely a doctrine but a dogma that shows us who God is and who we are as creatures made in his image.                                                            TC

On the Feast of Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on Christ’s followers, as they huddled, frightened and confused in the Upper Room. Pentecost is best known for the fire that struck the followers’ heads and for the Holy Spirits gift of tongues which gave them the ability to communicate with others, no matter what language they spoke. Jerusalem and the cities of the Holy Land at that times were market centres, where trade was conducted in goods from around the Mediterranean. The Spirit had not turned the Room into a Berlitz Language course! Christ had a much deeper reason for the gift of tongues, as this poem imagines it: 

A Gift of Tongues

In that room the world turned upside down. This was no gift of Greek or Latin nor any patois of the world then known, These were words familiar but forgotten, grammar and syntax learnt at mother’s breast, cast off, life’s first lessons unlearnt. New understanding burst into flame, excised crisp cynicism and terror’s fear, the dull language of despair and death displaced by a lexicon of love: -

a language to talk peace, abandon war; to join, in reconciliation, minds and bodies once used to slaughter; to win what’s worth the winning for all; to deploy the strong subtle syntax of forgiving; to give and accept clemency with humble compassion; to slough despair, put on hope; to put up with, and not to put down; to proffer a hand, withhold the fist; to offer words for unity, not croak apartheid; to sing love, drown out hate.                                                                                                        TC

See the announcement from the Vatican about the Pope's prayer initiative for May and a list of the shrines and intentions on the Prayer page, fourth section, of this website.  Click here.

Praise God in his kingdoms,

extol him in his honours

acclaim him in his splendour.

Make every effort to praise him justly 

when with assembled choirs

you sing to his honour!

Thus commences Johann Sebastian Bach’s Ascension Oratorio, a wonderful and devout piece of choral music, full of joy in Christ’s return to his Father and earnest, excited hope of meeting Him again. In this way it encompasses the whole meaning of the Ascension: it is not about mournful farewell, but the happy knowledge that Jesus does not leave us high and dry, but is both with the Father and us and will fulfil his promise to send the ‘Counsellor’ - the Holy Spirit – to advise and guide us.

Many remarkable things have been said about the Ascension, not least by those who deny it ever happened. It’s not surprising that there are doubters: the act of ascension sounds dubious and there are some myths about what happened. I remember being in Jerusalem many years ago and being shown the exact spot where Christ ascended. You knew it was the ‘lift off’ point, because he left his footprint on the ground. What I was shown was a hole in the shape of a 30” long foot and several inches deep, indicating that Jesus must have been 20’ high, at least.

Concern for proof that the Ascension happened is, in a sense, beside the point. If you accept what the Gospels say about it, that is sufficient. Why? Because it is a question of faith; that is, confidence and trust that something is true. Faith can be supported by our observations of the world about us and whatever evidence that can be got from the past. But it is no substitute for faith. When our confidence and trust rests in Jesus, our belief in what the Gospels say follows. Jesus’ size may be used as a metaphor for his greatness. The words of Bach’s Oratorio are the expression of feelings about the Ascension, not a historical account: but we can join in the joy and hope it expresses.                              

                                                                                                                  TC

Did you know that you can buy Grace from John Lewis for £34?

Of course, when we talk about grace, or include it in our prayers, we are not usually talking about perfume. We can name children as Grace, talk about someone walking ‘gracefully’, tut-tut at ‘disgraceful behaviour’ and regret someone’s ungracefulness. But it is entirely different when we pray Hail Mary full of grace. As Catholics, then, what do we mean by ‘grace’ in praying to Our Lady or in talking about the Grace of God? 

The Catechism is direct and transparent in explaining this to us. Here are the headlines:  

• “……. Grace is favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life.
• Grace is a participation in the life of God. …… by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.
• Grace is a participation in the life of God. …… by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.
• The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. ……
• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.”

                                                                     Catechism of the Catholic Church paras.1996 -1999 

Grace is given to us through baptism, reconciliation, communion and all the sacraments. It is a gift freely given. Why? Not because it is free, but, because of God’s love, we are worth it.

                                                                                                    TC

Lent is a pilgrimage and a partnership we embark on with God. He takes the initiative, we follow. …… Through the centuries, the Church tradition ……. [has] encouraged certain practices to encourage us along the Lenten Journey. They include:

1. Attendance at Lenten Services. These may be fewer this year because of Covid restrictions. However, we continue to have opportunities to attend Mass either in actual presence or virtually. The Liturgy of the hours is also helpful, especially because you can follow them on your own.

2. Making sufficient time for private prayer in conversation and partnership with God.

3. Daily reading of the Sacred Scriptures. If you have a missal, you have the daily readings and excerpts from the Bible in each mass.

4. Examination of conscience is extremely helpful for spiritual progress. Here, the daily reading of God’s Word is not just for hearing or reading – it must find application to our lives.

5. Works of Mercy cover almsgiving and action to help others in practical ways, from keeping company with those who are lonely to shopping for others, from praying for others to enabling others to keep in contact with family and friends. Small acts of kindness are do-able by everyone.

6. Self-control. Lent encourages us to practice control over our appetites. Traditionally this was focused on fasting and abstinence from meat. Fasting is still encouraged, but the modern era gives other and new ways of exercising control, such abstaining from watching TV, or tweeting and other distractions that the digital world offers. We can instead cultivate more time for God and helping others.

7. Silence – as we wrote last week

8. Daily ask for Jesus’ help in following Lent’s path to Easter; for example: St Ephrem’s prayer:

O LORD, Master of my life, grant that I may not be infected with the spirit of slothfulness and inquisitiveness, with the spirit of ambition and vain talking. Grant instead to me, your servant, the spirit of purity and of humility, the spirit of patience and neighbourly love. O Lord and King, grant me the grace of being aware of my sins and of not thinking evil of those of my brethren. For you are blessed, now and ever, and forever. Amen

9. Listening to Lent Music, such as the Passions by J S Bach, Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah, John Stainer’s The Crucifixion, James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, the many recordings of Gregorian Chant, or Russian Chants (apex), Rachmaninov’s Vespers, The Carmelite Friars’ Timeless Echo. The capacity to make music is one of God’s most grace-filled and loving gifts to us. As a means of reflection or discernment, music forms a background and a source of contemplation.
                              Source: Blessings of the Daily Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette
                                                                                                    TC

BEAUTIFUL SOUP, SO RICH AND GREEN  

WAITING IN A HOT TUREEN! 

WHO FOR SUCH DAINTIES WOULD NOT STOOP?  

SOUP OF THE EVENING, BEAUTIFUL SOUP!

                                                                       Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland 

Soup is simple. That’s what makes its appeal timeless. When young, the remembered fragrance of a warming soup on my way home from school made winter days that much more tolerable. the journey home that much more urgent, and anticipation of hunger sated that much more relishing. It was usually a soup rich in the flavour of winter vegetables, herbs and spices, or, on rarer occasions, a single vegetable, such as tomato or pea; rarer still was a meat soup.  

It’s no wonder that soup is an ever popular dish. Easy to make (yes, I know you can have really complicated concoctions, but let’s leave that to the Sunday Supplements), it has a virtue not present in every food – it is classless. Soup is welcomed by the richest and poorest of our communities, from castle dwellers to the homeless. Soup is the one dish which you rely on to unite a people and bring a community together.  

We now approach a season of the Church where soup comes into its own. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 17th . What better way of following the stages of Lent than a regular Soup meal on Fridays. It can fulfil obligations to fast, its promise can bring the family together (Covid restrictions allowing) and help with your response to CAFOD’s Family Fast Day. 

 Even if you can’t get the family (or friends) together at the moment, it would still be possible to share a virtual soup meal either digitally, via FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom or similar, or by simply agreeing that on a particular Friday you will have the same soup recipe at the same time. Soup unites and supports community, a worthy companion to real or spiritual communion.  

                                                                                                                         TC

PEA & MINT SOUP 

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) 

50 g/2 oz/4 tbsp Butter 

4 spring onions, chopped 

450 g/1 lb peas 

600 ml/1 pint vegetable stock 

Salt and black pepper 

Small sprigs of fresh mint 

1 pint milk 

PREPARATION

1. Heat the butter, add the spring onions and cook on a low heat until softened – not browned.
2. Stir the peas into the pan; add the stock and mint. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently until the peas are tender. Remove 3 tbsp of peas and set aside for garnishing.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, add the milk and puree until smooth, seasoning to taste.
4. Leave to cool, then chill lightly in the fridge.
5. When serving, garnish with mint and reserved peas.

-------------------  

SPICY CARROT SOUP 

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6) 

1 tbsp Olive Oil 

1 large onion chopped

1.5 lb Carrots, sliced 

Spices:  1 tsp each coriander, cumin and chili powder

1.5 pints vegetable stock

Salt and black pepper to taste 

Sprig of coriander to garnish  

PREPARATION

1. Heat the oil, add the onion and carrots and cook gently, stirring occasionally. Add the spices, and cook gently for 1 minute, continuing to stir.
2. Stir in the stock, bring to the boil, then cover and cook gently for 45 minutes until the carrots are tender.
3. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season to taste.
4. Return to the rinsed-out pan and reheat gently.
5. When serving garnish with the coriander sprig.

“We are God’s work of art”     Ephesians 2:10

A Message from SPUC – The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
‘On 24 June 2020, MPs voted by a huge majority in favour of Dr Rupa Huq MP’s Ten Minute Rule Bill “to restrict demonstrations in the vicinity of abortion clinics”. The Bill comes up for a Second Reading in the House of Commons on Friday 25 September.
Sarah Olney MP is also introducing a similar bill on Friday October 30. …..
….. We are launching a petition calling upon the Home Secretary to uphold the right of peaceful, law-abiding pro-life citizens to save the lives of unborn children and to offer help to pregnant women directly outside abortion clinics…..’

• Please go to www.spuc.org,uk/SaveTheRightToSaveLives and sign the petition.
• Please share the petition with friends and family via email and social media.

---------------------------

“St Paul says that we are all the work of God. If we truly believe this and try to live by the apostle’s statement, it means defying all our preconceived notions about others and, above all, about ourselves. St Paul gives us a new way of looking at reality, a reality that now appears to our eyes as transfigured by the light of God and renewed in Christ.
Each element of creation is, therefore, changed and made different. We can no longer “act as usual”, as if nothing has happened. We are now in Christ, and each of us is a new creation bearing the image of God. Therefore, we must show utmost respect to one another and to ourselves, because we are all God’s handiwork.
This is not always easy to do. We are weak, and often struggle and fail. We must pray for the sort of faith that strengthens our resolution, so that the grace of God may act in each of us, according to God’s wishes. It is said of St Seraphim of Sarov that he addressed each person he met with the salutation, “Christ is risen, my joy.” He called each and everyone “my joy” because he saw in them the work of God. This is another saint who has much to teach us.”      

                                                                    Br Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette: Blessings of the Daily

Pope Francis says:
“I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life. In the same way, however, I can and must [state] that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father.” (Apostolic Letter, 2016)
“Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good... Everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them. That would be enough to make the world a better place.”

A few days ago a friend, who volunteers in a care home, told me that she had been asked to become a fulltime member of the home’s staff. “Some jobs are not filled and we have sick leave and holidays to contend with, so we really are short-staffed at the moment,” she explained.

“The thing is, I love the residents, and get on well with colleagues. But,” she continued, “the truth is. I really don’t want to do it. Not fulltime. I only volunteered until I could go back to work in my ‘proper’ job, once it’s safe to do so…. At the same time, I couldn’t let them down. So, in the end, I said I’d do it.” She paused then said, “I didn’t sign up for it, but I guess he has better plans than mine.”

‘He’ is not her manager (who’s a woman), nor her husband or partner (she has neither). It’s God. Her faith is such that she always prays to discern what God’s intentions may be before taking any major decision. This humility and ability to put aside one’s own wants and listen for our Saviour’s wishes are not necessarily easy to see, including in ourselves– a kind of hidden ability.

This was on my mind when I watched a TV news item about the way some people have been abused and insulted for not wearing face masks in shops. The victims here are people with hidden disabilities conditions that have no physical appearance, but which mean that wearing a mask can prove impossible or harmful. It struck me that these incidents indicated another hidden disability – a spiritual one, when people, possibly out of fear, cast aside the tolerance, generosity of spirit and willingness to help others that they might normally offer.

Hidden spiritual abilities and disabilities characterise every one of us, whether we are aware of them or not. Let us fight our fears through repentance, humility and prayer that discerns God’s will, and our hidden spiritual disabilities shall be vanquished, as we rejoice, like my friend, in serving Him.
                                                                                  TC

“They should practice the seeing of God’s presence in all things, in their conversations, their walks, in all that they see, taste, hear, understand, in all their actions, since His Divine Majesty is truly in all things by His presence, power and essence. This kind of meditation, which finds God our Lord in all things is easier than raising oneself to the consideration of divine truths which are more abstract.”
                                                      ‘St Ignatius Loyola, The Letters of St Ignatius Loyola’ William J Young

This is a classic expression of one of the foundational themes of Ignation spirituality – that God is to be found in all things. Note the practical element of this theme - that it is easier to understand and more useful than more abstract prayer.

Today, we could pay particular attention to finding God in two places that Ignatius mentions – in conversations with others (e,g. after Mass) and in walking from place to place (e.g. from home to the shops or in the garden).
                                                       Source: “An Ignatian book of days” Jim Manney • Loyola Press 2014

Pope Francis has established 1 September as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, encouraging the Catholic community around the world to pray for our common home.

The day is inspired by Pope Francis' landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on "every person living on this planet" to care for our shared Earth.

He calls us all to celebrate this opportune moment to “reaffirm [our] personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation, as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.”

The World Day of Prayer is another opportunity for us to connect with our creator God and allow the Lord to redefine our relationship with the environment: from one of consumption and control to one of care and protection.

There are many ways to respond to Pope Francis’ call to care for the gift of God’s creation – why not take some time out of your day on 1 September to walk in your local park or take a few moments to thank God for the flowers growing in your garden? For more ideas go to https://cafod.org.uk/News/UKnews/Celebrate-World-Day-of-Prayer

August 15th is the usual day for celebrating Our Lady’s Assumption, a Holy Day of Obligation.

There are some who still scratch their heads over the veracity of this event, although it was made dogmatic by Pope Pius XII in 1950 in the bull Munificentissimus Deus. As dogma, we are obliged to believe in it.

What does it mean for us on our daily journey towards God?

According to Pope Benedict XVI:

“By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful.

Consequently, we must not lose our serenity and peace even amid the thousands of daily difficulties. The luminous sign of Our Lady taken up into Heaven shines out even more brightly when sad shadows of suffering and violence seem to loom on the horizon.

We may be sure of it: from on high, Mary follows our footsteps with gentle concern, dispels the gloom in moments of darkness and distress, reassures us with her motherly hand.

Supported by awareness of this, let us continue confidently on our path of Christian commitment wherever Providence may lead us. Let us forge ahead in our lives under Mary's guidance.”
                                                                                [General Audience, August 16, 2006].
                                                                                                                             TC.

This day celebrates one of the great mysteries of Christ’s life and mission. He took his three ‘core’ apostles. Peter, James and John, up a mountain (believed to be Mount Tabor) to pray with him. The apostles did what seemed to be a regular thing – they fell asleep while The Lord prayed! They awoke startled to find Jesus in conversation with Moses and Elijah. After the shock of recognising these Patriarchs of Israel, Peter suggested that he build three tents for them and Jesus, no doubt to protect them from the heat of the day. But Moses and Elijah were about to leave. At that point the apostles entered a white cloud and a voice told them who Christ was – the Son of God.

Christ did nothing without a purpose. His intention here was to bolster the apostle’s courage before his passion and execution. By selecting these three apostles he chose a small team whose combined talents would provide strength to all his followers in the dark days to come: Peter, a strong, if hasty, leader, not afraid to speak truth to the power of the Sanhedrin; James, an organiser who would establish the structures and disciplines of the early church; and John, the mystic who would illumine and inspire the early church’s faith and vision of Christ the King.

Between them they would be able to explore and explain this mystery, after Christ’s resurrection; how Moses represented the Law of the Old Testament; how Elijah represented the prophets and, thereby, God’s promises to his people. Most of all, the meeting with Jesus represented the convergence of the Law and the Torah with Christ’s Mission as the Messiah.

Sea Sunday – our annual celebration of the work of the Mission to Sea Farers. Seafarers need our help because they are often working in dangerous conditions, with no one else to turn to. The Mission’s chaplains support both men and women they support in 200 ports, and tailor their help to each and every one of them.

The Mission provides:

• Ship visiting
• Transport run
• Seafarers’ Centres
• Justice and welfare cases
• Christian services
• Christian materials

As you can see, the Mission undertakes massive amounts of work to support seafarers. It depends on donations to continue and expand this effort. You can help with a donation. Do this by sending $5 or to our Parish Treasurer who will forward it to the Mission. For details of how to send, use the same method as for your weekly offertory donations. See overleaf for details.  

For more information about the Mission to Sea Farers go to https://www.missiontoseafarers.org/sea-sunday 

Latest Statistics

• Ship Visits 70,600, meeting 353,000 seafarers
• Centres 673,000 visits to 121 Centres
• Transport 439,000 used Mission vans

There is something desperately dull about the prospect of week after week of green vestments stretching into the future. But then, all human life is like that. After the party, or the holiday, or the exam success, we come back in the end to the old routine of putting out the rubbish and making sure there will be milk for breakfast tomorrow.  Ordinary Time is repetitive for a purpose and the green vestments signify something immensely important to us. The colour green symbolises hope, just as the burning fire of love is symbolised by red. Green is the colour of growing things, and hope, like all that grows, is always new and always fresh. 

Liturgically, green is the colour of Ordinary Time because it is the season in which we are being neither especially penitent (in purple) nor overwhelmingly joyful (in white). Instead, the Spirit, having come down on us, is now living in us and acting through us. This offers a different kind of excitement from that of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost – not so much one of bustling about arranging celebrations, but quiet and thoughtful actions to grow our faith and allow the Spirit’s presence within us to give us a sense of God’s enduring love for us. It is a time too to look around and take time to savour the wonders and beauties of creation, now when Spring becomes Summer and the countryside flourishes in all its God-made glory.  

As Gerald Manley Hopkins put it in Pied Beauty:  

Glory be to God for dappled things -
  

For skies of couple-colour as a brindled cow;
 

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
  

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
  

Landscape plotted and pieced-
fold, fallow, and plough;  

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.  

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
  

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
  

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
  

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
      

Praise him.  

Also it is an opportunity to reflect that: 

Now joy-filled Easter                                     

                           and Pentecost are done,  

we hear, question and once more                                      

                           learn who truly is this Son,  

remembered, made real, honoured                                      

                           through the unvarying rite  

of Ordinary Time, whose                                      

                          constancy shapes, guides our sight  

towards Advent, Nativity and                                      

                          Lenten eager expectation. 

This plain Time’s virtue lies not                                      

                          in tedious repetition: 

its rituals reveal threefold God’s                                      

                         eternal dance of loving care  

through which we, ordinary folk,                                      

                         everlasting joy may share.

                                            From ‘Ordinary Time’ • Tom Caple 2018

Now is Ordinary Time in the Church’s Calendar, at a point in which, in our daily lives, things are anything but ordinary!  This period of loss and deprivation is a time of grief. Many grieve for the loss of loved ones and close friends; others grieve that they cannot be with or touch relatives; others grieve for the loss of ‘liberty’ under current rules; yet others grieve because the dangers of covid-19 remain a hidden threat .  

Grief, in short, is not confined to deaths and funerals. Now is the time to show how we can cope with grief by our faith in God’s love. Here are some steps in controlling grief and transforming it into a gift of love.  

1. Practising humility Opportunities to grow in humility tend to come by letting others into our grieving lives; such as unexpected weeping to a compassionate stranger or permitting a neighbour to clean our house.  

2. Surrendering to God willingly all our needs Having a heart and mind that is open and willing to hand over our wants and needs into God’s hands.  

3. Listening for and accepting God’s answer It does not mean we no longer care about our circumstances, only that we surrender our needs, cares, and concerns without expecting a specific outcome to our prayer.  

4. Coping with the apparent absence of God When feeling as if God has forsaken or abandoned you; feeling spiritually dry or alone, you persevere courageously in trusting God’s love.  

5. Showing Confidence in God’s Timing When you are feeling empty, exhausted, possibly abandoned by God and others – cultivate gratitude. Think of all the ways God has blessed you. Then, thank Him for what He is doing in your life. In this way we make everything a holy gift that He, in turn, moulds into healing, strength, and peace for us.  

6. Preparing to accept what the future may bring When we pray without expectation of a certain outcome, then we will accept that our pain may not be taken away from us. Instead, it may be transformed into deeper love for Jesus, whose deep love in turn is given to us.  Suffering and loss do not define us; they teach us how to love in a deeper and more meaningful way.                                                                                         

                                                                           TC

The Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year; it brings the Easter season to a close and celebrates the beginnings of the Church. This day is the Church’s birthday.  Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were just drunk - but Peter pointed out that it was only the morning, and that the phenomenon was caused by the Holy Spirit.  

People have scratched their heads over the gift of tongues that were bestowed to those in the Upper Room. However, gifts from God are have a subtlety beyond their appearance. This gift was more than the capacity to communicate with others. Those who were there were from many lands within the Roman Empire and outside, so the presence of people speaking different languages, as well as the common languages of Latin and Greek (and, for many, Hebrew) should have been no surprise. What did surprise, especially those not directly involved, was what was being said and understood.  

Here is a mystery. What was said? One clue is that these were followers of Jesus, some well-established, others new converts. What the Holy Spirit must have made clear to them was the language they should use in Jesus’ name and therefore in God’s name. God is love and Jesus offered his love to all, freely and fully. The Spirit filled the apostles and followers with understanding of what and how to speak the language of love – Christ’s mission. And this is a new language, one rarely heard before in the pagan world. Live not in fear, captives of greed and oppression, but in the  knowledge of the freedom Jesus has won for mankind: “God asks only that we return his love. “  

No wonder the stupefied observers thought the apostles and followers were drunk. They were: but with the new understanding of what their beloved Christ was asking of them.                                                                                                                     

                                                                                  TC.

At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the gala procession in honour of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later—February 15.

This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple.

The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas. At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession, which has become part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.

After celebrating the Nativity of our Lord, with its splendour in both the Church and the popular culture, it would be easy to overlook the significance of this feast. Yet Joseph and Mary’s presentation of the baby was no pro forma event. They did this to conform with the Law and in doing so God enters the Temple. The words of the prophet Malachi are fulfilled in the poor parents presenting their firstborn son along with their humble sacrifice of two turtledoves.

Simeon and Anna, having spent their lives in prayer and waiting in the Temple for the Messiah, have their ‘moment’ with the glorious Nunc Dimittis of Simeon. With Candlemas we celebrate the coming of the Light of the World. But a shadow also passes. Simeon not only proclaimed that he had seen his salvation, but also told the Mother of our Lord that her share would include a sorrow-pierced heart.
                                                          TC 

“The feast of the Epiphany, one of the most beautiful of the liturgical year is rich in content and meaning. We let its glow shine forth to penetrate our hearts, as we continue to contemplate the mystery of Emmanuel, who came to dwell among us.

“Though [Christ’s} birth is the focal point of our Christmas celebration, there is another birth, more intimate and personal, of which the Fathers of the Church often spoke. It is the spiritual birth of the Son of God in the hearts of those who desire and welcome Him. ……..

“The mystery of Bethlehem is renewed each year, each Christmas, each day, in the innermost parcels of our hearts where Jesus seeks comfort and shelter. It is in our hearts that he seeks to make a permanent dwelling, revealing to us the meaning of His words in the Gospel. There, He teaches us how to pray and call upon His name. It is also in our innermost hearts that He shows us the Father’s face, for ‘he who sees me, sees the Father.’  Finally, He comes to this innermost part of ourselves, the most intimate of sanctuaries, when we receive Him in the Eucharist. It is there that He remains, as he did in the crib in Bethlehem, and in the arms of his Mother, waiting for our silent love and adoration.”
                                 Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette OSB

“In its genuine simplicity, the nativity scene reminds us it is not the quantity of things that counts in life, but the quality of relationships. Drawing our gaze to God, who is poor in possessions and rich in love, it recalls us to what is essential.”
                                  Pope Francis 30 December 2019

“John had done a great job of preparing the people for the coming of Jesus. St. Matthew records that “Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him, and as they were baptized by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins,” (3.6) In the harsh solitude of the desert John had made the people ready for what would be a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

“The Baptist was such a success story that in order to deflect celebrity status away from himself he had to tell the crowd there at that very moment and in their very midst was one “who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals,” (3.11).

“Never for a moment did John expect that Jesus would join the crowd in seeking to be baptized by him! John vehemently objected, “It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!” The reply of Jesus was even more emphatic, “Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.” For Jesus it would have been utterly wrong for Him to stand as an aloof spectator to what was most obviously a God-inspired dramatic occurrence.

“John, therefore, went ahead in baptizing Jesus. Righteousness had demanded this. In so doing the Baptist had been given a glimpse of what it meant for the Son of God to become the Son of Mary - one of us, a member of the human family, a child of Adam. In this John had received a hint of how it would be throughout the ministry of Jesus.

“Ordinary people would realize that whatever Jesus had done for them and for others, whatever Jesus had said to them in his inspiring sermons and in his kindly chatting to them, had come from ‘one of them.’”
                                                                           Extract from a homily by Fr Peter Clarke OP

Laetare is the Latin for Rejoice and comes from the first words of the Introit at Mass - Isaiah 66:10-11, which begins "Rejoice, O Jerusalem" and continues "Rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow". 

Today, the Fourth Sunday, has been viewed traditionally as a day of celebration tinged with sadness, coming in the middle of Lent when Easter is in sight and Lenten austerity can be lessened briefly to encourage people to continue with the discipline of penance. So the purple of Lent is put aside and rose vestments are used instead. 

In fact ‘Rose Sunday’ is another traditional name for this day, although by far the most recognisable name is ‘Mothering Sunday’ - not, note, “Mother’s Day”, which is a modern commercial invention.

Mothering Sunday got its name during the Middle Ages, when people were expected, at this time in Lent, to go to mass at their ‘Mother’ church; i.e. where they were baptised, or their parish church or their cathedral (a cathedral being the ‘mother’ of all the parish churches in a diocese).
In later times, Mothering Sunday became a day when domestic servants were given a day off to visit their mother church, usually with other family members. It was often the only time that whole families could gather together, since on other days they were prevented from doing so by conflicting working hours. Today is not much different. 

As for “Mother’s Day”, my mother got it right: she would always say
”Why one Mother’s Day? Every Day should be Mother’s Day!!”
                                                         TC

Easter is the greatest and the most important feast in the Church. It marks the birthday of our eternal hope. "Easter" literally means "the feast of fresh flowers." We celebrate it with pride and jubilation for three reasons:

1. The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian Faith.
2. Easter is the guarantee of our own resurrection.
3. Easter is a feast which gives us hope and encouragement.

Why do we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus ? 

1. Jesus himself testified to his Resurrection from the dead (Mark 8:31; Matthew 17:22; Luke 9:22).
2. The tomb was empty on Easter Sunday (Luke 24:3).
3. The initial disbelief of Jesus’ own disciples in His Resurrection, in spite of His repeated apparitions, serves as a strong proof of His Resurrection. Their initial disbelief explains why the Apostles started preaching the Risen Christ only after receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
4. Neither the Jews nor the Romans could disprove Jesus’ Resurrection by presenting the dead body of Jesus. The persistence of belief in the resurrection amongst Christians over more than two millennia, despite persecution and heresies, shows that the evidence that the Resurrection is convincing enough for many different peoples, in many different cultures and circumstances. Other beliefs and assumptions have come and gone, but not this, the reason why Jesus, Son of God, suffered for us.

Jesus has just ascended to rejoin his heavenly Father. Christ, of course, was not abandoning his followers. He went to fulfil his promise to send the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide and inspire us in the mission Jesus has set us - to bring all to Him and to the path to heaven.

The Holy Spirit is not an “add-on”, a worthwhile bonus to the wonders of Jesus. St Basil the Great wrote:

“All living things turn to the Holy Spirit in their need for holiness. … The Holy Spirit … extends his own light to every mind to help in its search for the truth.”

This is what those in the upper room that day experienced - not just a capacity to communicate with their world, but the insight, wisdom and language to bring forth the Good News. And the Holy Spirit offers us the same gift - not a Berlitz course in a foreign language, but a far more exotic tongue - the language of love and salvation. 

Today we complete the days of the Easter cycle - exactly fifty days after the Resurrection of Jesus. Today we experience the descent of the Holy Spirit into our lives Today, he comes to reveal to each of us the hidden meaning of all that Jesus taught during his earthly years. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” John 14: 25-26)

Today, the Holy Spirit is given to us as he was once given to the Apostles: to understand with greater clarity and depth the teachings of Jesus. The gift of understanding is essential if we are to continue, in our own small way, the work of Jesus. The Holy Spirit descends upon the entire universe. We realise that he descends upon people of different places, races, cultures, tongues and times. He fills all things with the gift of himself.

Thus, today, both creation and the Church are renewed by the Holy Spirit who sustains all life.

Saint Seraphim of Saros never ceased to remind his disciples that, “The only purpose of Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.”
                                         From Blessings of the Daily: Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette

is the mystery of God within himself. A mystery in theology does not mean that something is unknowable, it refers to something beyond reason that is revealed by God.  This is an important point: We can talk and write about the Holy Trinity and we can say some reasoned and necessary things–things that are true, but as true as they are, they are always going to be an incomplete truth about God. A good image for this might be a beach: Imagine a sandy beach with the sand representing the whole mystery of God. One person could pick up a few grains of sand in his or her hands and in holding those few grains they would be holding true grains of sand. In other words, part of the mystery literally could be grasped. As hard as one might try, however, it would be impossible for one person to grasp all of grains of sand in his or her hands. Basically, we can grasp something of the truth, but not all of it – and that’s okay!  Humans are finite beings and trying to grasp the fullness of infinite truths is, quite simply, beyond us.

Well, from all eternity God existed both as one being but three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The masculine terms Father and Son are used, not because God is male or female but because they express the nature of a relationship between these two persons. Before there is anything there is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: The Father loves the Son with a perfect love and the Son loves the Father with a perfect love and the love which goes from the Father and Son is a perfect person: the Holy Spirit. The Greeks used a special word: ‘Perichoresis’ to describe this relationship. A good translation in English is ‘dancing’ From all eternity God exists as a perfect dance of love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To believe in God the Father, is to believe in God the Son and the God the Holy Spirit. It is to believe in a God who is communion of persons caught up in an eternal dance of love – and as Christians we called to share in that divine dance!
                                                                               Fr Luke

We celebrated this event on August 6th. In the Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration, we see the explicit desire on the part of the eternal Father to glorify his Son before he undergoes the sufferings of his Passion. For the moment the veil covering his divinity is lifted and, suddenly, Jesus appears clothed in unsurpassed beauty. He is luminous, translucent with the Father’s glory. The disciples present at the event instantly recognise the glory of God shining from that human face. From the mysterious, enveloping cloud, they hear the solemn declaration: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Mt 17:5) This is the Father speaking, with nearly the exact words he spoke from on high at the baptism of Jesus. He bears witness to the fact that Jesus is the only Son of God, true God from true God, as we believe and assent in the Credo.

                                         From Blessing of the Daily Br. Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Laturette 

John Henry Newman (1801 – 1890) was one of the foremost churchmen and theologians of his day. He studied and then taught at Oxford University, and became the Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, the University Church; he was known for his intellect, his pastoral care, and his preaching.

A leading light of the Oxford Movement, which was seeking to move the Church of England in a Catholic direction, Newman left his considerable prospects and many friends behind when he converted to Catholicism in 1845, at a time when there was still widespread prejudice against Catholics in Britain.

Founding the first Oratorian community of priests in Birmingham in the late 1840s, he continued to write major works of theology and philosophy as a Catholic. He founded a university for Catholics in Ireland and, in 1859, The Oratory School in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

He was made a Cardinal in 1879 and he died in 1890.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in 2010.
Cardinal John Henry Newman is to be canonised after a second miracle in his name was confirmed by the Pope in February 2019. The canonisation (which has been welcomed by the Church of England) took place on October 13th 2019. It will make Newman the first English person who has lived since the 17th century to be officially recognised as a saint by the Church. 

"I think to myself, 'I, too, could be here.’ That is, none of us can be sure that we would never commit a crime, something for which we'd be put in prison."

"We all make mistakes in life.  And we all must ask forgiveness and make a journey of rehabilitation so we don't make them again."

“It must be kept in mind that penal sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation, while national laws should consider the possibility of establishing other penalties than incarceration. In this context, I would like once more to appeal to governmental authorities to abolish the death penalty where it is still in force, and to consider the possibility of an amnesty."

"Losing our freedom is not the same thing as losing our dignity.  That is why we need to reject all those petty clichés that tell us we can't change, that it's not worth trying, that nothing will make a difference."

“Prisoners who are re-entering civic society ought not be punished anew by neglect, indifference or, worse, contempt.” 

If one’s work as a Catholic is not united to Christ Jesus, it is no longer the “mission” to which the Church is called, Pope Francis told a group of religious brothers on Monday 29tth October [2019].

“Let us not forget that the condition of every mission in the Church is that we are united to the Risen Christ as branches to the vine. Otherwise what we do is social activism,” the pope said Oct. 29.

“This is why I repeat to you the exhortation to remain in [Christ],” he continued. “First of all, we need to let ourselves be renewed in faith and hope by Jesus alive in the Word and in the Eucharist, but also in sacramental forgiveness. We need to be with him in silent adoration, in lectio divina, in the Rosary of the Virgin Mary.” 

On October 14th [2019] Pope Francis canonised Pope Paul VI (1963-78). Pope Saint Paul oversaw the Vatican Council, making numerous reforms.