SERVICES
AND GATHERINGS
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, public Church services and gatherings
are suspended till further notice. Father
Duncan
will celebrate Holy Mass privately every day and assures you of his prayers
for you and your family.
A READING FROM THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - 2:14.36-41
On
the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd
with a loud voice "The whole House of Israel can be certain that God
has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." Hearing
this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles "What
must we do, brothers?" "You must repent" Peter answered "and
every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise
that was made is for you and your children and for all those who are far away,
for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself." He spoke to
them for a long time using many arguments and he urged them "Save yourselves
from this perverse generation." They were convinced by his arguments
and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three
thousand were added to their number.
A READING
FROM THE FIRST LETTER OF SAINT PETER - 2:20-25
The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you
are punished after doing your duty. This, in fact, is what you were called
to do because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow
the way he took. He had not done anything wrong and there had been no perjury
in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults. When he
was tortured, he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge.
He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross so that we might die
to our faults and live for holiness. Through his wounds you have been healed.
You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd
and guardian of your souls.
A
READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN - 10:1-10
Jesus
said "I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold
through the gate but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The
one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock. The gatekeeper
lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and
leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them and
the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger
but run away from him. They do not recognise the voice of strangers."
Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by
telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again "I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands
but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through
me will be safe. He will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they
may have life and have it to the full."
FOOD
PARCELS
If you
know anyone who needs a parcel of food essentials left at the door, please
get in touch with the Parish Office on 01294 464063, with the name and address.
RECENTLY DECEASED
Please pray for the repose of the souls of James Terence McHugh who died in
Canada on 18 April and
Joseph McIver - wee Joe the baker - who died in on 27 April. May they rest
in peace and rise in glory!
VOCATIONS
SUNDAY 2020
To mark Vocations Sunday this year, Father Martin Chambers, our Diocesan Vocations
Director, will lead a Holy Hour at 4.00pm on Sunday 3 May. Please join in
that prayer at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTax4U-0XnRvKDWbByv4QlQ.
In the nine days leading up to Vocations Sunday, several priests of our diocese
and our two seminarians will present a short reflection each day on what Vocation
to the Diocesan Priesthood might mean. You can follow them each day on our
Facebook page.
PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
Please pray this prayer for Vocation every day this week.
Lord
Jesus, once you called the first disciples in order to make them fishers of
men. Continue to let resound today your powerful invitation - Come and follow
me. Grant to young men and young women the grace of responding promptly to
your voice. Sustain our bishops, priests and consecrated souls in their apostolic
work. Give perseverance to our seminarians and to all those who are fulfilling
an ideal of a life of total consecration to your service. Enkindle in our
parishes a missionary zeal. Send Lord, workers into your fields and do not
let mankind be lost because of a lack of priests, missionaries and people
dedicated to the cause of the Gospel. Mary, Mother of the Church, Model of
Vocations, help us say "Yes" to the Lord who calls us to collaborate
in the Divine Design of Salvation. Amen.
POPE
FRANCIS PRAYS FOR FAMILIES GOING HUNGRY AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Pope Francis asked people to pray
for families who are struggling to put food on the table during the coronavirus
pandemic. "In many places, one of the effects of this pandemic is that
many families find themselves in need and they are hungry. Let us pray for
these families, for their dignity" he added. The Pope said that the poor
are suffering from 'another pandemic' - the economic consequences of layoffs
and furloughs. He said that the poor also suffer from the exploitation of
unscrupulous money-lenders, and prayed for their conversion. In his homily
in the Chapel of Casa Santa Marta, his Vatican residence, Pope
Francis reflected on Christ as our intercessor before God. "We are
accustomed to praying to Jesus to give us this grace, that other, to help
us, but we are not accustomed to contemplating Jesus who shows the Father
the wounds, to Jesus, the intercessor, to Jesus who prays for us" the
Pope said. "Let us think about this a little. For each of us Jesus prays.
Jesus is the intercessor. Jesus wanted to bring his wounds with him to show
them to the Father. It is the price of our salvation" he said. Pope
Francis recalled an event in chapter 22 of the Gospel of Luke when Jesus
said to Peter at the Last Supper "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded
to sift all of you like wheat but I have prayed that your own faith may not
fail." This is Peter's secret" the Pope said. "Jesus' prayer
- Jesus prays for Peter so that his faith may not fail and he can, Jesus says,
confirm his brothers in faith. And Peter was able to go far, from cowardly
to courageous, with the gift of the Holy Spirit thanks to the prayer of Jesus"
he added.
CROWNING OF OUR LADY FOR MAY
It's been a month since we went into lockdown and our Churches were closed.
We have entered the month of May, a month traditionally dedicated by the Church
to Our Lady. We know that the Mother of God has been given great power and
therefore we can feel confident in asking her to come to our aid during this
crisis, petitioning for an end to this grave situation, for comfort while
we are threatened by disease and away from the sacraments, and for the conversion
of the world. The statue of Our Lady will be crowned on this first Sunday
of May at Saint Peter's. We will crown our Blessed Lady years for deliverance
from Coronavirus, for all the NHS staff and carers, all the sick, those presently
in hospital and all who have died recently. May Mary, the Health of the Sick
and the Refuge of Sinners intercede for us and pray for us.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Every day this week, Father Duncan
will celebrate Holy Mass privately, focusing on these Thoughts for the Day
taken from Answering the Questions of Jesus by Father Andrew Apostoli.
A message from Father Duncan on Sunday 3 May 2020
Today, I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish.
Pope Francis has said that our Faith is found not
just in lists of doctrines but in relationship with a person - Jesus Christ.
What better way to deepen that relationship than to enter into conversation
with him? And what better way to enter into conversation with Jesus than to
answer the questions he asked throughout His ministry? Every day this week,
we will reflect on some of the questions asked by Jesus that gently guides
us into a deeper understanding of the wisdom of who he is and what he is asking
of each one of us. Please be assured of my
daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Monday 4 May 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish,
Geralyn McGarvey and Mandy Dillon. First question
- Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? When Jesus asks his
parents why they didn't go directly to his 'Father's house,' he is, first
of all, as we've said, revealing His relationship to his Heavenly Father.
He continues to be Mary's and Joseph's son. As we saw in the Gospel, he went
back to Nazareth and 'was obedient to them.' This is a great reminder that
Christ spent three decades with the Holy Family, living in Nazareth. He was
getting ready for his mission work. But He was also the Son of the Eternal
Father. His parents can't quite grasp this but Mary ponders it in her heart
- and there's a second takeaway from this question of Jesus - He is telling
us where to find him.". Please be assured
of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Tuesday 5 May 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, Jean
McLellan in thanksgiving and John McLaughlin who died recently. Second
question - Why are you afraid, have you no faith? Faith also has a second
aspect, this one related to the heart - or, more specifically, the confidence
we have to live according to the faith. In this sense, faith is like trust.
This is a similar message that we read in Paul's Letter to the Hebrews. Again,
let's take the idea of Heaven. Not only do we believe it exists, but we also
have confidence - 'assurance' - that we will achieve the Kingdom of Heaven
with God's grace. When Jesus dealt with people, he wanted them not only to
believe in the truth that he taught, but also to have confidence in organising
their lives around those truth. Jesus had to teach that kind of trust to his
disciples. If the people were going to follow him, they had to trust him.
Please be assured of my daily prayers for you
and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Wednesday 6 May
2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish, Noelle
Collins at her anniversary and Shirley Currie who died recently. Third
question - Will you also go away? Jesus is telling his Apostles that if they
can't handle His teaching on the Eucharist, then they should walk away as
well. That's how insistent he is on this teaching - and that's why we say
in the Church that the Eucharist is the source and centre of the Christian
life. In response, Peter, acting as a spokesman for the apostles, affirms
their faith and trust in Jesus. At this point they probably did not understand
how Jesus could possibly feed them with His flesh and blood - just as we don't
often understand what Jesus wants from us. Even so, they believed He was the
one whom the Father had sent, so they trusted him. Unlike the disciples who
left, they believed without seeing the proof with their own eyes. That faith
was rewarded at the Last Supper, when Jesus formally instituted the Eucharist.
Please be assured of my daily prayers for you
and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Thursday 7 May
2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish,
Lorraine Docherty and Patrick McGuire at his anniversary. Fourth
question - Do you know what I have done to you? By performing the corporal
and spiritual works of mercy, we will not only be fulfilling Jesus' teaching
in this Gospel story but will also be building the 'civilisation of love'
that Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have talked about.
Remember the old saying, 'It is better to light one candle than to curse the
darkness'. If we see all the problems in the world and just throw up our hands
and walk away, then we're avoiding our responsibilities. But if we light one
candle, others will be encouraged to do the same. We can change the world,
as Mother Teresa would say, one person at a time. The second way we can answer
this question of Jesus is by honestly asking ourselves - what has Jesus done
for me? Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Friday 8 May 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish
and Jean Owens and Nora King who both died recently. Fifth
question - For what can a man gain in return for his life? We need to live
with the end of our lives in mind. Heaven will fulfil our every desire. All
the happiness, beauty and joy we can find in this life are but a tiny reflection
of the happiness, beauty and joy of God himself. Heaven is going to fulfil
every hope we've ever had - every dream will come true. And hell will fulfil
every dread we've ever had - every nightmare will come true. The stakes are
high. It's eternal happiness or eternal misery. We have to live each day making
sure we follow the way that will lead us to Christ. It can be shocking to
hear Our Lord talk about the lengths we should go to in order to see Heaven
and avoid hell. He famously said "If your right eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members
than that your whole body be thrown into hell." (Matthew 5:29). The point
is that there should be nothing in this life that we should be unwilling to
sacrifice if it stands in the way of our getting to heaven. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
A message from Father Duncan on Saturday 9 May 2020
Today,
I celebrate Holy Mass privately for the Parish
and Michael Bruin at his anniversary. Sixth
question - Do you love me? Peter's reconciliation with Christ should give
us courage. In spite of his denial, he is still entrusted with the great work
of the Church. We should never use our failures as an excuse to stop trying
to serve the Lord. The Lord restores us. He gives us the grace and the strength
because we can't do it by ourselves. Like Peter, we begin again. Pope Saint
John XXIII said that when we die, the Lord will only ask us one question -
How much did you love me? We can prepare for answering that question by asking
ourselves as if Jesus himself were addressing us - Do you love me? How would
we answer that right now? Do you love me? - that's the question. Please
be assured of my daily prayers for you and your family.
OPEN
THE ROSE
A
young, newly-ordained priest was walking with an older, more seasoned parish
priest in the garden one day and, feeling a bit insecure about what God had
for him to do, he was inquiring of the older man. The parish priest walked
up to a rosebush and handed the young priest a rosebud and told him to open
it without tearing off any petals. He looked in disbelief at the older priest
and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with
his wanting to know God's will for his life and for his ministry. Because
of his high respect for the older priest, he proceeded to try to unfold the
rose, while keeping every petal intact. It wasn't long before he realised
that it was impossible to do so. Noticing the young priest's inability to
unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older priest began to tell
him the following poem.
It
is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God's design
But I cannot unfold the petals with these clumsy hands of mine
The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I
God opens this flower so sweetly when in my hands they fade and die
If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God''s design,
Then how can I think I have wisdom to unfold this life of mine
So I'll trust in him for his leading each moment of every day
I will look to Him for his guidance each step of the pilgrim way
The pathway that lies before me, only my heavenly Father knows
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments just as He unfolds the rose