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Dear Friends in Christ, 

Pope Francis caused quite a stir when, at the beginning of his Pontificate, with a memorable turn of phrase he encouraged the clergy to be ‘shepherds living with the smell of the sheep’. Later on in Evangelii Gaudium he said the same call extends to every believer because we are all called to be missionary disciples: ‘Evangelisers thus take on the “smell of the sheep” and the sheep are willing to hear their voice’. Now we all know that sheep don’t smell too good – come to think of it, neither does the shepherd. Herding, feeding and watering livestock of any mind is hard, manual, sweaty labour, out in all kinds of weather braving the elements. Shepherds have to be appropriately dressed and equipped – they are roughly dressed for rough work.

So who is the shepherd and who are the sheep? The Chief Shepherd is Jesus – he described himself as the ‘Good Shepherd’ – and we are the sheep. To be likened to sheep isn’t a very flattering comparison. In Animal Farm by George Orwell the sheep are easily led, in contrast to the pigs (very intelligent animals by all accounts) who are leaders. Sheep aren’t known for being especially intelligent – they wander, they stray, they graze all day, oh and they smell – but they are endearing, especially the baby lambs, and they provide us with wool and meat.

Nevertheless we are like sheep because we all go astray. We all wonder from the path of righteousness, we all follow the herd, and we all need the guidance of the Good Shepherd. We are all lost sheep and can only be found by the Shepherd. We have the smell of the sheep about us.painThe Good Shepherd leads us out of our cold indifference into the warmth of God’s merciful and compassionate love for everyone, but especially the little ones: the poor, the vulnerable, those who grieve and those facing difficult challenges. The Good Shepherd guides us to live not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit and to produce the good fruit of the Spirit: ‘love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law’.

Dear Friends in Christ, 

We recently celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord, the most important event within the whole history of creation. Never before or since, has anyone triumphed over death & sin, and these facts are fundamental to our Catholic Christian faith!

One of the most difficult parts of Priestly Ministry is to try and ensure that all the faithful people of God remain engaged with the Lord Jesus. Preaching and teaching are the key components to ensure that the Gospel message continues to be proclaimed; but if many people are not present to hear the Word of God, if people who have fallen by the wayside through the lapsation of the practice of the faith; how do we engage these people once again? This is the sixty-four thousand dollar question! The saddest thing I have found as a priest of 37 years, is when I see young children not accompanying their parents to Mass anymore, the parents stand alone in the Church! I have had many parents speak to me through the years, telling me all sorts of things like – ‘I can’t get them to go anymore’; ‘I don’t want to force them’; ‘I can’t get them out of the bed’; ‘I don’t want to be fighting with them before mass’; ‘they’re playing sports on Sunday morning now’. Perseverance and continued example are important! Trying to talk about the importance of the practice of faith, not in a heated discussion, but rationally and calmly! Encouraging our children and young people to become more involved, can help them realise that they also have something very valuable to offer to God and the Church; whether it be through altar serving, reading at mass, being part of the welcome ministry at mass, helping with the Sacramental Preparation Programme of First Holy Communion, Joining one of the Uniform groups or training to be a leader in the groups, joining the Choir or Contemporary Music Group. These are just some suggestions.

When people actually really understand what their faith is all about, it really does help the individual to deepen their commitment. Having a wishy-washy attitude to the practice of faith doesn’t help anyone. Knowledge and understanding are the key to ingredients to having a lively faith and a commitment to Christ. 

Talk about the Faith.

May God Bless You All,

Dear Friends in Christ, 

One of the remarkable things about today’s post-resurrection appearance of Jesus is that he ate broiled fish! Quite why the resurrected body infused with the very life of God, a body which had conquered sin and death, needed the nourishment of the broiled fish is hard to know – one to ponder for sure. As fascinating as this would be as a theme for our reflection today, our focus is going to be elsewhere. Our focus is on how, despite appearing to his disciples, despite the hard physical evidence, Jesus nevertheless ‘opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures.’

From this Scripture we see that in order to graps the reality of the resurrection, the event of the bodily resurrection of a human being, suffused and transfused with the immortal life of God, it remained imperative that the disciples devoted their lives to understanding the Scriptures. In other words, the actual witness in real life and real time of the Risen Christ wasn’t enough for this profound transcendent reality to take root in their hearts and minds. It was through the Bible, the sacred Scriptures that the disciples encountered the Risen Christ, and this is still true for us today.

This is why reading the Bible is so foundational and essential in living the Christian life. Never was there a truer saying than ‘Bibles that are falling apart are read by people whose lives are not’. When Paul cried out, ‘I want to know Christ – yes to know the power of his resurrection’, God’s response was ‘If you want to know the power of the resurrection, read the Scriptures, devote yourself to devouring the Word of God.’ For Paul this would have been only the Hebrew Scriptures – he couldn’t have realised that his letters would one day be declared the sacred Word of God by the father of the Church.

So there we have it; if we want the resurrection of Jesus to take root in our lives, if we want to experience God’s transforming us by the renewing of our minds; then we need to read the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to warm our hearts and bring its truth alive.

Dear Friends in Christ, Second Sunday of Easter 2018

Today we hear in our gospel the post resurrection story of Thomas, who was not present when the Lord first appeared to the Apostles. Thomas is the typical stereotype of those who refuse to believe unless they have physical proof; hence the expression ‘doubting Thomas’. But on his encounter with the Risen Lord, his doubt turns to faith, his fear turns to hope. But Jesus quite rightly says to Thomas, ‘You believe because you can see me, happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ In the Life of faith, there is much that we will never fully understand completely, but the fact that Jesus rose from the dead, and showed himself to his disciples and many hundreds of others, is a testament to the power of God, and evokes faith as a response!

Faith is God’s gift to each one of us, how we respond to that faith is something which is very personal. In an age that is far less conscious of the sacred and the holy, we see many people walking away from the practice of any kind for formal faith. What we learn and glean form our parents in the practice and understanding of our faith is invaluable; you will never be able to quantify everything learnt along the journey of life and faith, this will help our understanding, and more importantly the commitment that we make to the practice of the our faith. WE will hopefully be able to echo the words of our Lord to Thomas: ‘…happy are we who have not seen, and yet believe!’

Dear Friends in Christ,

On the 5^th October 1938, a young religious by the name of Sister Faustina (Helen Kowalska) died in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow, Poland. Having been born into a very poor farming family, Sister Faustina received only basic education, and so, on entering the convent, she was assigned the most humble and lowly tasks, usually in the kitchen or the vegetable garden.

On the 22^nd February 1931, however, she began to experience visions of Christ in prayer. She wrote of her first vision in a diary: ‘In the evening, when I was in my cell, I became aware of the Lord Jesus clothed in a white garment. One hand was raised in blessing; the other was touching the garment at the breast. From the opening of the garment at the breast there came two large rays, one red and the other pale. In silence I gazed intently at the Lord; my soul was overwhelmed with fear, but also with great joy. After a while Jesus said to me, “paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the inscription: ‘Jesus, I trust in you.’”

In another vision Jesus explained the image to her: ‘The pale ray stands for the water which makes souls righteous; the red stands for the blood which is the life of souls. These two rays issue forth for the depths of my tender mercy at that time when my agonising heart was opened by a lance on the cross…fortunate is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him.’ Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, and through the intercession of St. Faustina we ask for th grace to plumb the depths of God’s mercy and love.

Pope Francis has made God’s mercy almost a motif of his pontificate. He has transformed the noun ‘mercy’ into a verb, explaining that by receiving God’s love, we are ‘mercyed’, and in showing God’s mercy to others, we mercy. ‘Mercy’, then, is our watchword. Are we merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful?

Dear Friends in Christ,

In ancient time, on Easter Sunday morning, Christians greeted their neighbours with the salutation ‘Christ is risen’, and their neighbours answered, ‘Christ is risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon.’ Perhaps this ancient custom should be resurrected today. Christ has risen indeed! The Easter Liturgy leads us in an exultant hymn of praise. The tomb is empty! Jesus is the Risen Lord, the Victor, the Lord of Life, the Living One who conquered sin and death.

Today we put our lives in a missionary key and take the message that Christ is risen into the world, courageously bearing witness to the truth that death is not the end but merely the door through which we enter into the fullness of eternal life, with God. The resurrection of Jesus is the central and crowing truth of our faith, handed down to us first from the apostles, who witnessed it with their own eyes, and then passed on to the apostolic fathers, and through them into the living tradition of the Church today. We are a resurrection people: ‘Alleluia Christ is risen!’ is our hymn of praise. But do you really believe this? Do you really believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Has this profound mystery of our faith taken root in you? Do you cry out, as Paul cried out, ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection’?

Today of all days presents us with a God-given opportunity to reflect on what we understand by the statement that ‘Jesus Christ is risen today’. The following words from Pope Benedict provide us with food for thought: ‘We could regard the resurrection as something akin to a radical evolutionary leap, in which a new dimension of life emerges, a new dimension of human existence. Indeed, matter itself is remoulded into a new type of reality. The man Jesus, complete with his body, now belongs totally to the sphere of the divine and eternal.’ In Jesus of Nazareth, God-made-man, the God-man, a new humanity was revealed, a new creation. This message turned the world of the first century upside down, and it can do so again in the twenty-first century if we will take courage and proclaim it.

As we begin the Sacred Triduum, I would take this opportunity of encouraging all of our parishioners to enter into this most sacred time, by participating in the beautiful liturgies of these three holy days.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper, remembering the Mandatum – the example of service shown by Jesus to the apostles with the Washing of Feet.  This sacred action is r-enacated at Holy Mass. We remember the Ordination of the Priests in the Apostles, and finally the eternal gift of the H?oly Eucharist, given to us on this night.  There will be watching in the Church until midnight.

The Liturgy of Good Friday is so simple. The day speaks for itself, sombre and solemn! Process into the Church in silence at 3.00pm remembering the Hour of Our Lord’s Death. Listening to the Sacred Passion from St. John’s Gospel.  The Veneration of the Cross, this ancient custom, as a sign of lover and reverence to Christ for his self-sacrifice on the Altar of the Cross

Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil:  The highpoint of the Liturgical Year.  The Liturgy incorporates the whole history of Salvation, commencing with Creation and reading the climax of Resurrection.  We bless the Easter Water, Renew our Baptismal Promises, Receive new members into our Parish Family through Reception into full-communion. We celebrate the Triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death.

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS SACRED TRIDUUM

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Our Holy Week Journey has begun! This is the most sacred time in the Church’s liturgical year. We retrace the final days of Jesus’ journey that will lead to Calvery and Resurrection on Easter Day! It is a personal journey of faith also. I encourage all of our parish community to enter into the full spirit of this Holy & Most Sacred Week. It can be a real moment of grace for you and your families. This weeks’s Newsletter lays out clearly all the ceremonies and masses to help us enter into this incredible drama of Salvation history. (Also on the website & Facebook) The ultimate sacrifce that Our Lord made on Good Friday was for our Salvation, to free us from the slavery of sin, and allow us to enter into the new life of grace!

I make an impassioned plea to all of you to share in the Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday & the Mass of the Lord’s Supper; The Good Friday Passion of Our Lord, and the Easter Vigil. This is one continuous celebration with three different facets to it. Obviously the high point is the celebration of the Easter Vgil commencing at 7.30pm on 31^st March 2018. This year there will be two receptions into the Church Samantha Gell & Lorraine Leith. Please pray them There will be a reception immediately after the Easter Vigil in the Parish Hall. If anyone would like to contribute some food for a finger buffett this would be very helpful, just drop it off at the parish hall before the Vigil commences. I really look forward to celebrating this Holy Week with you this year!

If you have never participated in the Triduum, this really is a wonderful time in the Church’s Liturgical Calandar. Or if you have not entered into the full–spirit of the Lenten Season, why not make a very special effort to join us for these three wonderful ceremonies. When we think of what Our Lord did for us, the least we can do is make a special effort to join with Him as he enters His Passion & Death, but also to rejoice with Him & in Him on his Day of Resurrection. I cannot stress enough the untold graces you will receive from God in participating in these sacred liturgies.

Dear Friends in Christ: 

As Holy Week rapidly approaches, this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to ponder on the great mystery of our Salvation gained for us through Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection. Please read St. John’s Gospel Chapter 13 onwards this week.

Next Sunday is Palm Sunday of the Passion; we recall in a very vivid way the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the cries of “Hosanna to the Son of David” greet Our Lord as the people lay their palm branches before him. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of this most “Holy Week”.

THE TRIDUUM OF THE LORD is the most powerful liturgy that we experience during the church’s liturgical year. I earnestly encourage you all to participate fully in these most wonderful celebrations of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. As we begin our Holy Thursday celebration with the sign of the Cross it is important to remember that the next time we cross ourselves will be at the end of the Easter Vigil; the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday Liturgy, and the Easter Vigil, are one continuous celebration of Salvation History.

Please make every effort to enter into the spirit of this Holy Week, attend the Masses and Services organised here at St. Edmund’s. This is a truly wonderful time for parents to teach children about these most sacred events in Our Lord’s life; bring your children with you and let them experience these most wonderful events of our Salvation.

There will be a Parish Reconciliation Service on 27^th March 2018 at 8.00 p.m. There will be several visiting Priests to help with the Sacrament of Confession. Please make every effort to be there and, avail yourselves of the Sacrament of God’s forgiving Love. There will also be other opportunities for Confession throughout Holy Week, please see your Parish Newsletter.

God Bless You All,

Dear Friends in Christ, 

It is with great joy this week that we welcome our new Bishop Alan Williams to our parish for his Pastoral Visitation and the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Bishop Alan will visit St. John Fisher School for an Assembly with the children. The Mass of Confirmation will take place at 7.00pm where 40 of our young people will receive the Sacrament. This is truly a momentous occasion in their lives of faith, and it has been a great joy to have helped them over the past several months prepare for this great day.

On behalf of the Candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation, I would like to thank our six guest speakers over the past several months. They have certainly given a great insight into the importance and the sacredness of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Also I would like to thank our Catechists, who untiringly turn up to help our young people; To Mark Anthony, the Director of the Programme, Shirley Rooney, Andrew Burrowes, Ferdi Tisi, Mark Poulter, Ian Kendal, Ian McLay, & Aidan Potter. The wonderful input and example of these Catechists is truly inspiring for our young people and, for the whole parish community. Thank you!

Immediately after the Confirmation Mass, Bishop Alan will greet all the parishioners as they leave the Church. All the Confirmandi and their families are invited into the parish hall for light refreshments; this will be an opportunity to have a personal photo with Bishop Alan. This is also open to any parishioner who wishes to come in for a cup of tea.

In the afternoon I will be meeting one-to-one with Bishop Alan; we will be reviewing the whole parish. A Pastoral Visitation of a Parish is a wonderful opportunity to show the chief Shepherd of our Diocese how the Community of Faith continues to grow in this little pocket of the Lord’s vineyard.

May God Bless You All,