Sunday 31st
January 2021
Fourth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Dear brothers and sisters,
One of the
books I’m reading during this third lockdown is a collection of homilies and
reflections written by St. Peter Julian Eymard (1811 – 1868) who founded the
Blessed Sacrament Fathers. He conveys a very beautiful image of the Eucharist
beginning with these words:
‘On that day
[Holy Thursday], our Lord remembered that He was a father, and He wanted to
make His will; He was about to die. What a solemn act this is in a family! It
is, so to speak, the last act of one’s life, and one that extends beyond the
grave...’
St. Peter Julian describes how a father approaching death
begins to share out his wealth, property and possessions amongst his children.
He does this to demonstrate his love for them but also to pass down some form
of financial security for the next generation of his family. So what is St.
Peter Julian Eymard trying to say to us about the Holy Eucharist through this
image?
‘A father gives
what he has. He cannot give himself because he does not belong to himself. He
bequeathes something to each of his children as well as to his friends. He
gives what he prizes the most. But our Lord would give His very self!’
St. Peter Julian in this homily wanted to remind his listeners
that the greatest wealth a person may inherit will always be poor in comparison
to what Jesus, our Lord, leaves for us his children. A man may have mansions
and castles, gold and silver, but he never truly possesses himself. The Lord
when he died on the Cross had nothing. His garments were stripped from him and
in a cheap game of dice won by a Roman Soldier. He has no monies for his own
tomb and so was placed in another man’s grave! St. Eymard further stresses the
poverty of Jesus saying ‘...His Cross, three nails, His crown of thorns,
these are the only material things He had to bequeath.’
However despite Jesus’ lack of material wealth he did write
out a will, a last testament, on the day before his death because he had
something very precious to leave us – Himself! In the upper room at the Last
Supper our Lord instituted the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. It is the
Eucharist that is His gift, His legacy, His inheritance left for us until He
comes again. As soon as He sacrificed His life on the Cross and died for our
salvation, as soon as He breathed His last breath on the Cross out of utter
unconditional love for us, our inheritance was bequested to us in the
Eucharist.
The gifts of property and finance are always only temporary
donations in the sense that they soon loose their value and currency and
materially wear our and deteriorate over time. Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist
still continues - 2000 years later – to feed, nourish and sustain our souls.
Frequent reception of Holy Communion, in a state of grace, continues to allow
the disciple to have a share in the supernatural life that will never die and
bring them to Heaven. It is the Eucharist that connects and roots us into the
very being of God Himself.
Brothers and Sisters, next time you are at church I invite
you to take a few moments to gaze upon the Tabernacle and see the heavenly
inheritance bestowed on you in the Blessed Sacrament. You may not be able to buy
the fast car, the flashy clothes or the opulent lifestyle with it but you will
definitely receive the intimate companionship of the Good Shepherd who will
lead you to paradise for eternity.
Jesus said: ‘I
am the bread of life.
Your fathers ate
manna in the desert, and they are dead;
but this is the
bread which comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die.
I am the living
bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats
this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’ (Jn 6:48-51)
Lent and Easter
With the Covid-19 pandemic and the various lockdowns that
have accompanied it, keeping track of dates, times and liturgical seasons has
been difficult for all of us. On Friday I found myself ordering the ashes in
readiness for Ash Wednesday and the new Easter Candle! Just a ‘heads up’, Lent
begins in just over two weeks time commencing with Ash Wednesday on the 17th
February 2021 and the Great Easter Vigil falling on Saturday 3rd
April 2021. What prayers, devotions or spiritual reading do you intend to take
up this Lent to deepen your relationship with the Lord?
St. Blaise & Blessing of Throats
As you know each year I carry out the ancient prayer of
blessing peoples throats on the feast of St. Blaise (Wednesday 3rd
February 2021) using the two candles tied with a red ribbon. The Bishop has
written to say that under the present circumstances with the Covid-19 pandemic
the blessing should be adapted for health and safety reasons:
I understand that a
number of parishes include the blessing of throats on this feast day each year.
It is suggested that the prayer of blessing (with or without crossed candles)
be prayed once over the assembly and that there is NO coming forward of people
to receive individual blessings. This reduces personal contact and avoids
lengthening the Mass. Given that the virus can pass from the throat into the
air and from the air into the throat, there is something quite timely about
this feast this year. (Bishop of Salford)
Prayers for the Priesthood
So far Adam, our resident Shrewsbury Seminarian, has survived
my cooking experiments! Let’s continue to pray for him and all the seminarians
studying at Oscott College for the priesthood. Let us also pray for the repose
of the soul of the Rector of Oscott Seminary, Canon Giles Goward, who died
earlier last week.
Prayer of St.
Therese of Lisieux for Priests
O Jesus, I pray for
your faithful and fervent priests;
for your unfaithful and tepid priests;
for your priests labouring at home or abroad in distant mission fields.
For your tempted priests;
for your lonely and desolate priests;
for your young priests;
for your dying priests;
for the souls of your priests in Purgatory.
But above all, I recommend to you the priests dearest to me:
the priest who baptized me;
the priests who absolved me from my sins;
the priests at whose Masses I assisted and who gave me Your Body and Blood in
Holy Communion;
the priests who taught and instructed me;
all the priests to whom I am indebted in any other way (especially …).
O Jesus, keep them all close to your heart,
and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.
Seven Sundays Devotions for the Year of St. Joseph
From this weekend 15 minutes before each Sunday Mass (Vigil 6:30pm/Sun 10am) we begin our prayer and meditation on the seven sorrows and seven joys of St. Joseph asking for his intercession. For those who want to participate in this devotion but are not presently able to attend the Holy Mass you will find prayers to St. Joseph on the parish website at www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk
Online Parish Events
Parishioners from different parishes have been organising
online rosaries, online sing-a-longs and virtual coffee mornings for their
churches. I think this is a wonderful idea as many children and grandchildren
have been stepping up to help older family members link up and use computers,
mobile phones, i-pads etc. Any parishioner here at St. Mary’s who would like to
facilitate this has my complete support and I am happy to put them in touch
with diocesan safeguarding department so that all correct procedures and online
safety protocol can be followed.
A Message from Global Healing
The Global Catholic Movement invites you to “Global Healing.”
In 2015, Pope Francis published his ground-breaking letter on the environment Laudato Si’. Since then, millions
of people worldwide have joined the global movement to address the
environmental crisis our world is facing. This Lent, we are inviting YOU to
join us for a series of reflective evenings with inspiring speakers, prayer and
discussion, using the film-based resource “Global Healing”. These engaging
documentaries will inform and challenge people to respond to Pope Francis’ call
to Care for Our Common Home. Suitable for all who are concerned about what is
happening to our world and who want to take action.
When? Six Thursdays from 18th February – 25th March 2021,
7.30pm – 8.30pm
How to join? Email jane@catholicclimatemovement.global
Hosted by GCCM Laudato Si’ Animators in the UK.
“Living our
vocation to be protectors of God's handiwork is essential to a life of virtue;
it is not an optional or secondary aspect of our Christian experience…Truly,
much can be done!”
(Laudato Si’, 217, 180)
Christian Heritage Centre Online
Formation
Stefan Kaminski, Director of The Christian Heritage Centre at
Stonyhurst, has emailed me the following events that are taking place to help
people in their faith and formation.
We area pleased to be offering an online series of sessions
for young adults (18-30 years old), on human sexuality and relationships. The
“Set Free Summit” is being offered by ICPE Mission, in partnership with the
CHC, and is led by a number of exciting speakers from around the world,
building on St John Paul II’s beautiful writings. It takes place (online) on
the six Sundays from 7th February to 14th March, from 4 – 5:30pm. Each session
involves a talk, sharing in small groups and a general Q&A. For info and
registration: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/set-free/
The Drama Displayed series continues with the next talk, ‘The
Naked Truth’ by Dr David Torevell, on Thursday 28th January at 7:30pm. The
series offers theological reflections on the key moments of salvation,
supported by a study of various great works of art. For info and registration:
https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/the-drama-displayed/
Recordings of the previous talks are available here: https://christianheritagecentre.com/media/video/
Covid-19 Health and Safety Reminder
The government has allowed places of worship to remain open
during this third national lockdown but we must not become complacent. The
diocese have asked us to remind people of the following procedures:
•
Please make sure you are wearing a face mask
before you enter the church building. Nobody should be putting a mask on once
they are sat down at a pew or in the entrance/foyer near the stewards.
•
Please do not remove you mask to speak to a
steward or another parishioner in church. This shows a lack of safe respect for
others. We all need to care and look out for each other.
•
Please wear your mask when you are coming
forward to receive Holy Communion. Once, and only once, you are stood before
the priest then you can remove your mask. Communion is not a race so please
take your time and do not rush. Once you have received the Blessed Sacrament
then replace your mask and leave the church building.
•
Please do sanitise your hands at the stations
provided at both entrances and exits of church.
•
Please keep the Two Meter Rule. This new strain
of Covid-19 is more easily transmitted therefore it’s important that we all
keep to this practice.
•
Please do not congregate to socialise on church
property before or after Mass/Liturgy.
• Please do not come to church if you have Covid-19 symptoms, have tested positive for Covid-19 or are in isolation.
Mass Bookings
To book a place at Mass via our telephone service then please
ring (01254) 232 433 on Wednesdays between 5pm – 6pm. To book a place at Mass
online please visit the parish website www.saintmarysoswaldtwistle.co.uk
Sadly, some volunteers have had to return to work and therefore you will only
be able to book online during the week (Monday to Friday).
God Bless and keep praying.
Our Lady of Oswaldtwistle, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
St. Peter Julian Eymard, pray for us.
Fr. O’Brien