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To all our dear Parishioners and friends, please do keep up to date with Mass times, reflections and events in our Parish from our latest Newsletter.
Please continue to be safe. Thank you to all Parishioners for your co-operation with social distancing, use of hand gel, temperature check and registration.
Words from Canon Niall - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
According to Nehemiah, people in Ezra’s time did not object to lengthy sermons! Ezra preached from early morning until noon, about half a day. He was obviously good at proclaiming and explaining the Law (the first five books of the Bible), ‘translating and giving the sense, so that people could understand’. And the ceremony ended in celebration and in joy, with an outreach to the poor who could not attend.
One may rightly ask: what is happening here? The answer comes in the Gospel, where something similar, on a smaller scale, is happening. Jesus, ‘ with the power of the Spirit in him’, is preaching in the synagogue in his native Nazareth. All eyes are on him as he is handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Carefully and deliberately he selects passages from Chapters 58 and 61: ‘The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor….liberty to captives….sight to the blind….’ The people gaze in expectation as one of their own rolls up that scroll and observing synagogue practice, sits down to preach. What will he say? ‘This text is being fulfilled even as you listen’. ‘Even as you listen ‘communally to the ancient story! ‘Even as you listen’ today to a prophecy being fulfilled! Jesus situates himself within the sacred story, within the communal story. That story finds its meaning in him. As for Ezra’s audience, as for Jesus and the congregation in Nazareth, today we ‘read’ ourselves into the sacred story, ‘even as we listen’. Sacred storytelling is revelatory, most especially when it happens in sacred assembly where the listening is communal. As we listen together, in synodal mode, God speaks to each.
Have a Blessed Week.
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Brentwood Catholic Youth Service (BCYS) and Walsingham House at Abbotswick offer retreats, pilgrimages and many other events for many thousands of young people every year; most of the work is led by volunteers, trained as young leaders in the Church. The BCYS also supports our catechists and school lay chaplains. Today a speaker will tell us more about the BCYS and there will be a collection for their vital work, or you can donate online at www.bcys.net/donate.
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Thresholds of Hope : the Vicariate for Adult Formation - another wonderful tool when proclaiming the good news of God's grace to all. St John Henry Newman believed that the lay faithful were to take a full part in the life of the Church, to be confident in expressing their Catholic Faith and willing to share its beauty with others. Hope you find this resource useful; more here https://thresholdsofhope.co.uk/
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Please continue with your prayers for all who are part of the NHS, that the Lord gives them protection and continued safety with the demands on their dedication and healing. See Pope Francis’ Rosary Prayers for Protection from Coronavirus
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To our Catholic Universe and Catholic Times readers in the parish:- At the moment, if you are unable to collect your paper at Mass, you can get it delivered direct to your home every week. Please go to www.thecatholicuniverse.com or call 0161 820 5722 for information.
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OLSG gallery :-
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