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Dear Friends in Christ, 

With our twenty-first century mind-set, Jesus’ instructions to his disciples when he was sending them out to spread the gospel, can seem somewhat quaint: not to take anything for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bad, no extra tunic; to stay in a welcoming house, but if none could be found. To shake the dust of that town or village off their feet! Charming! A modern-day disciple wouldn’t get very far without a bank account, possibly a credit card, a car a hotel reservation, a mobile phone and email address. How times have changed!

We get that disciples have always preached repentance and anointed the sick with oil, but the command to drive out demons is a tricky one, as we largely think of demon possession or deliverance as an ancient or at least medieval concept. Current thinking tends to regard the symptoms of demon possession as some kind of psychiatric disorder or mental illness, and looks to psychiatrists and trained professionals for the answer.

Although the idea of duality – good versus evil, the power of God versus the power of the devil – is rather foreign to us these days, it is integral to the teaching of Scripture and the Church. Indeed, around the world on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday we renewed our Baptismal promises and renounced Satan, the Prince of darkness. Do our words have any real meaning or are they simply a ritual or formula we repeat as part of the liturgy? Are we in truth rejecting Satan or the devil? These are questions that deserve due consideration.

Thankfully, we don’t simply rely on our own light and reason on this matter: we have the teaching of the Church, which in our own day is powerfully expounded in The Catechism of the Catholic Church published in 1994; and by Pope Francis himself, and of course many others. The Church has always taught that evil is real and that the devil exists. Although a powerful adversary, he cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign, and we overcome him through the cross and the name and blood of Jesus. Furthermore, like the apostles, priests, by virtue of their ordination, have received the ministry of deliverance and exorcism.

Dear Friends in Christ, 

It isn’t really possible to be a believer of Jesus and not believe in miracles – the Gospels are full of them. The four Evangelists were authentic witnesses: they didn’t make things up; they testified to what they saw and heard with their own eyes.

In any event, we struggle with miracles – and many people do – we should know that the Church doesn’t: it believes in miracles. We know, of course, that in order for someone to be declared Blessed (Beatus) a miracle needs to occur as a result of their intercession and for someone to be canonised, made a saint, two miraculous interventions need to occur as a result of their intercession. Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII were declared saints and John Henry Newman was declared Blessed because the Church was able to verify miracles had occurred through their intercession. Lourdes especially is a place or miracles, and these wonderful miracles have occurred through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady. And, to top them all, every time we celebrate the Eucharist, through the miracle of grace, the priest is able (by a miracle of grace) to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Not only do we believe in miracles but we are People of Miracles. True, we don’t hear reports of signs, wonders and miracles emerging from our parishes after Sunday Mass, but maybe that’s because we aren’t expectant of them. Maybe when a loved one is seriously sick or ill, our first thought isn’t to make available to them the anointing of the sick, the healing and therefore the miraculous sacrament of the Church

If you don’t believe in miracles, change the way you think. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you that miracles are the way of the Church. Blessed John Henry Newman said: ‘The incarnation is the most stupendous event which ever can take place on earth; and after it and henceforth, I do not see how we can scruple at any miracle on the mere grounds that it is unlikely to happen.’ Perhaps today we might make a simple proclamation for faith by saying, ‘I believe in miracles.’

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Sickness, tragedy and death are unwelcome, sobering realities. They make us feel vulnerable, needy and often desperate. They can also overwhelm, crush and even break us. This was the experience of Jairus, the ruler of the Capernaum synagogue. Indeed, so desperate was he that he fell as if in prayer at Jesus’ feet. As John Bunyan once said: ‘The best prayers have often more groans that words.’

The same homage was given by the woman who was suffering from a bleeding disorder – some mind of haemophilia, we can presume. She was satisfied with merely touching the hem of Jesus’ garment: ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Her faith is remarkable. Sickness bring us into the harsh reality of human existence: we understand our limitations, we come into contact with our own frailty and we sense our own mortality. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, ‘Every illness can make us glimpse death.

Sickness also creates its own special temptations. On the one hand, we can be inclined to give into anguish, self-loathing, despair and even rebellion against God. On the other, suffering can make us more mature and patient both with ourselves and others It can also refine and focus our search for God and be the cause of a deeper turning back to God and the gospel. In Salvifici doloris Pope St. John Paul II said that ‘each person in a special fashion becomes the way for the Church when suffering enters their lives.’ (para 3).

God has a preferential love for the sick. They are, if you like, his VIP’s. Jesus identified himself with the sick when he said, ‘I was sick and you visited me’ (Matt. 25:36). Through his passion and death he made their suffering his own. In the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, Jesus continues to touch us in order to heal us. This anointing is not just for those on their death-bed but for everyone whose health is seriously impaired by sickness and old age. Don’t be shy or reluctant in seeking this blessing: throw yourselves on your knees, touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and receive the sacrament of healing.

You probably don’t see that much of me but I’m the one who makes a loud noise from above and behind you! My part in the liturgy requires me to be up in the organ loft; along with 21 dedicated choir members who rehearse twice a week to be the best they can possibly be to enhance our Sunday liturgy. Their generosity of spirit in allowing me to nag and cajole them into achieving new things stuns me every single week.

But something’s not right. We are actually a choir of 22, but one of our members cannot access the organ loft. That member attends a rehearsal in our hall every week but when it comes to doing our job in the loft, they are effectively excluded. With others also who find the stairs quite difficult these days. This feels wrong to all of us and, with Fr John’s support, we’ve decided to do something about it. We’re going to buy a Stairlift!

We’ve already raised a small proportion of the funds we need but we have a long way to go. So, on 28th & 30th June I will be doing a 12-hour sponsored musical marathon to raise the rest. (Commencing at 10.30am on both days). If you’d like to come along and listen during the marathon, you’d be most welcome!) The choir has promised faithfully to prop me up with flasks of (very!) strong coffee but we need your help too. SPONSORSHIP IS STILL AVAILABLE. Are you willing to take one and ask your family, friends, colleagues (and anyone else you can think of!) to help us achieve our goal? It would mean so much to us to have ALL our members together in the loft, and we’d be sincerely grateful for your help. Special Donations will always be very welcome. Please support us! Please use Gift Aid envelopes also!”

Thank you. Sue

Dear Friends in Christ, 

St. John the Baptist is an outstanding model of faith. His presence on the stage of salvation history is vital. Apart from the story of his birth, we know nothing of his early life other than he grew strong in spirit. His simple and uncompromising message of repentance and conversion has spoken down through the centuries. Jesus affirmed his greatness; and saw in his ministry the forerunner referred to by the prophet Malachi. The Lord also identified the Baptist with the return of the prophet Elijah.

By calling all people to repent, John the Baptist’s message and ministry took on universal significance. In Tertio millennio adveniente Pope St. John Paul II referred to this summons in the context of speaking about the Second Vatican Council as a turning a point in church history: ‘The Council, while not imitating the sternness of John the Baptist who called for repentance and conversion on the banks of the Jordan, did show something of the prophet of old, pointing out with fresh vigour to the men and women of today that Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, the Redeemer of humanity and the Lord of history.

The Second Vatican Council was the benchmark, challenging believers with a fresh renewal of penance and action. Most of us do not look forward to confessing our sins, acknowledging the wrongs we have done and repenting. Peter however, offers us a different view of repentance: “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” To repent should not be a burden but a release. When we humbly acknowledge that we have done wrong, acted badly and sinned, there is rejoicing in heaven and, as the Syriac theologian Rabbula of Edessa pointed out, we are drawn back into Christ’s presence: ‘O Christ, you take the sinfulness from sinners, and when we repent you welcome us beside you.’ Sin is not a problem for God, because where sin abounds his grace super-abounds.

From the first moment Jesus gave his command to the Apostles to, ‘Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News’, the faithful people of God have responded! It is an invitation freely given by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church, on her part has tried to the best of her ability to encourage and support all the faithful in their Journey of Faith. Sometimes along that journey people can lose their way, often taking other paths. But, they are still part of the family, and we really do miss them when they’re not with us. We pray for them, and I truly believe that Jesus is constantly searching out our brothers and sisters. We can also help in this mission; if you know of anyone, it may be a family member, or a neighbour or friend, who no longer actively participates with the worshipping community, have the courage to invite them to accompany you to one of our weekend masses. Obviously, there are so many other distractions out in the world today that it’s so easy to be distracted with regards commitment in faith; but the fact is that Jesus Christ came into our world to show us the way to God, and he doesn’t want to lose anyone along the way that leads to him. Sometimes, when people have been away from the practice of the faith, they often feel nervous and embarrassed about coming home. There will always be a Big Welcome! This is real Evangelisation, because it really can enable and help all of us recognise the importance of what it means to be a member of God’s Family of Faith. Have Courage!

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Other than the Sermon on the Mount, which contains the Beatitudes, Jesus taught chiefly through parables. In doing this he revealed the profoundly human fascination with the power of the story. We all like a good story don’t we? They capture not just our imagination but also our hearts.

Storytelling and the telling of parables was common in the ancient world. However, Jesus’ parables are unlike any others the world has ever known – they are unique. Scholars (among them many atheists), specialists in linguistics and ancient languages, testify that his parables reveal a mind the like of which the world had no seen before and never will again. Of course, faith teaches us that this is because the parables of Jesus are divine. When we read or study them, we are encountering the mind of God. The parable of the growing seed captures the generous and lavish work of God’s grace in our lives because God (who is the sower of the seed) spreads his grace lavishly and generously on our world and into our lives.

One of the greatest revolutions that still needs to occur in the Church is a paradigm shift in our thinking about baptismal grace. We need to cultivate a radical theology of baptism, for the grace we received at baptism is always at work in us, night and day, whether we are asleep or awake. Baptism is the gateway through which we all have passed into the joys of the Christian life, and God’s call and grace are irrevocable. We can often think that we are a long way from the baptismal grace we received but this is not so, for wherever sin abounds, God’s grace super abounds. The waters of baptism are more powerful than the mighty waves of the ocean.

Baptism is the precious pearl the treasure in the field, the seed sowed by the sower – baptismal sheds light on all the parables. Many, if not most of us, were baptised as babies, and as a result this incredible, amazing, life-changing event isn’t even in our memories: this is why we need to rediscover it, because the seed of baptismal grace is the key to living the Christian life.

‘The diver brings us pearls out of the sea. Be baptised and bring up from the water the purity that is hidden there , the pearl that is set like a jewel in the crown of the Godhead’ (St. Ephraem the Syrian)

Dear Friends in Christ, 

It is with great pleasure, that on behalf of the parish I would like to welcome Mr Michael Hoye, a Seminarian from the Pontifical North American College in Rome, who has come to spend a couple of weeks on pastoral placement. As you know through the years we have hosted many seminarians, many of whom are now priests back in the United States. Please extend Michael your warm hospitality. He has written a little biography as follows:

“Dear Parishioners, Greetings! My name is Michael Hoye and I am happy to follow a long line of seminarians who have studied in Rome and have served in your parish with Fr. John. I come from the United States and grew up in a small rural town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts named Sutton, which is situated in my home diocese of Worcester. Yes, both my town and diocese are named after those towns in England which you might be familiar with. I pray that being from New England does not act as a hindrance to our relationships while I am with you. I am the last of seven children and we all grew up playing soccer, sailing and working on a local farm picking strawberries and corn for our first jobs. Before entering the Seminary I graduated from Assumption College and ran cross-country and track and field while studying philosophy and theology for four years. I was sent to Catholic University of America in Washington DC to finish philosophy during my first year of Seminary; and after that short year my Bishop chose to send me to the North American College in Rome to study Theology. I look forward to getting to know you all as we worship our Lord and help to bring froth the Word of God into our world!”

I have always encouraged the seminarians to see as much of London and the surrounding district as possible. If anyone is going anywhere of interest and you want to ask Michael to accompany you, or to a football match, or if you want to invite him to your home, please feel free to do so! Michael will be with us until 25^th June; and then Matthew Duclos from the diocese of Albany, New York, will be arriving for five weeks until the 1^st August.

Tenth Sunday of the Year 2018

Dear Friends in Christ, 

‘The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is a masterpiece and a must-read. If you haven’t read it, you really should try and get hold of a copy. St. Thomas More said: ‘Satan proudeth spirit cannot bear to be mocked’, but this is precisely what C.S. Lewis does in his amusing yet deadly serious account of the training of a younger demon by an older, more experienced one. He also 

wisely counselled: ‘There are two equal and opposite errors…about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.’

Certainly today many will say that belief in demons or Satan belongs to the ancient world, a bygone era. In our more sophisticated age, medicine and especially psychiatry shed new light on behaviour that once might have been called demon possession, but today is understood to be mental illness of one kind or another. Indeed, psychiatry and psychology are sciences which do explain a wide range of human behaviour. The problem believers have is that the New Testament contains accounts of deliverance from evil, the teaching of the Church since the beginning has upheld its belief in the devil and his realm, and saints through the ages have often engaged in conflict with demonic forces.

However, it is Scripture itself that is our greatest authority for the existence of evil. The author of Hebrews wrote: ‘so that by his death Jesus might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.’ James urged us to resist the devil and he will flee, and Peter described the devil as a roaring lion on the lookout for someone to devour.

We are delivered from evil in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but also by the blood of Christ. Faith gives us confidence by assuring us that the power of Satan cannot go beyond the limits set by God. Faith likewise assures us that even though the devil is able to tempt us, he cannot force our consent. Through the power of God we are able to triumph over evil.

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Today we celebrate the great solemnity of Corpus Christi, the last and eternal gift that Jesus left to his Apostles and the world at the Last Supper. As earth unites with heaven every time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we are uniquely privileged to share in this most wonderful Sacrament of the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour . There is no more intimate expression of love that we can celebrate than to consume the Body & Blood of Jesus at the celebration of Holy Mass. We become what we eat.

The respect we should afford Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist is by making a reverential bow before we receive the sacrament. Through the miracle of the Mass, Jesus comes to us through the Species of Bread & Wine. That simple gesture which he shared at the Last Supper with his disciples was to become the means whereby Jesus, through his own self-sacrifice on the altar of the cross, would be forever present to us when we gathered together in memory of Him. There is no greater gift we could receive! Jesus wants us to be one with him in ‘Communion’. He fills us with his life giving body & blood. This is our spiritual nourishment along the journey of life and faith.