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Showing posts from September, 2013

Syria

I had this week my homily prepared but I feel that I need to say something about the persecutions in Syria. Over the last few weeks I have been keeping up with the news from Syria especially concerning those of our Christian brothers and Sisters that are under extreme persecution. I have been reflecting on how lucky and how much we take for granted here in England with the freedom of religion. And yet we are often complacent about our faith. Using the sacraments as an excuse to have a party coming to Mass when it suits our social calendar. And yet there are Christians in the world who are dying for the faith. I would like to draw your attention today to some of the things that are going on in Syria. There have been reports if Priests being murdered outside their Churches young women being raped and sent out of their towns and villages. When you read the reports one gets the feeling that you are reading some sort of history book but it is happening today. I would like to share with

Home Mission Sunday

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Home Mission Sunday   In the Catholic primary schools there has been a change in the curriculum for RE. The old programme called Here I am has been replaced by a programme called “Come and see.” It is a programme that over the Summer I have been looking at especially with my role as a Governor of St Mary’s. The opening Introduction to the programme outlines the objectives and why the title come and see was chosen. The opening line sums it all up “Come and see is an invitation to exploration and a promise of live for everyone”. It seemed to fit into what we are looking at today which is Home Mission Sunday. We know that the invitation to come and see was by Jesus to his disciples and they spent the whole day with him. He was an attractive character and had a message of hope and the love of God for all. This hope still attracts people today and we can see a tangible sign of this by the number of people that are received in the Church every Easter. They come because the mes

A Prayer for peace in Syria

God, Our Father, have mercy on the Middle East.   Your faithful servants, young and old alike,   are called to witness to Christ.   May they be strengthened during this time of turmoil   as they seek to follow your beloved Son,   who Himself walked their ancient homelands.   In union with Francis our Pope,   we pray that Christians in the Middle East   may be enabled to live their Faith in full freedom.   Embolden them to act as instruments of peace and reconciliation,   united with all the citizens of their countries.   Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,   Amen.

Taking up the Cross? What is it?

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I remember when I was in hospital for my first pacemaker operation I was pretty scared and so I asked to see the Chaplin. When he came I was explaining a little about my medical history.   He listened very attentively but then he gave me what I thought at the time and still think today as a bit of Pious Claptrap. He looked me straight in the eye and said “ We all have our cross to bear and this one is yours” I remember thinking at the time and have also had time to think about it that this maybe was not the most useful advice that could have been given. For maybe this cross is too heavy to carry and actually I don’t want to carry it. We read in today’s gospel that if you want to be a disciple of mine then you must take up the cross and follow me. So what does this mean? When I think of the cross I think of that final journey to Jesus he carried that burden and struggled with it. He found it hard and tough going. He did not complain about the burden he was carrying but went on.

Is it right for the Church to tell me how to Pray?

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I was recently looking through various catholic blogs and getting more and more angry ( these blogs do nothing for my blood pressure.) They were basically telling the reader that there was no other way to pray than the traditional rite. This both angers me and upsets me. Now i quite enjoy the traditional Mass in fact on my holidays when I get the chance I go to Brompton Oratory for Mass. I find it both uplifting and reunites with me the sense of the sacred. I feel that it is an important aspect of the Church to keep alive this tradition with the plain chant and the Latin. These churches and I can think of a number of them around the country have a rich tradition of music and worship. On the whole the people that have go to these Churches have lived with this tradition for most of their lives. IT would be a scandal to change the worship in these places. There is as I have said a time and a place for this and we have had it here in the parish and many people have enjoyed it. B