Monthly Archives: July 2016

Newsletter for Sunday 17 July 2016

15 Jul

SPENDING TIME WITH OUR LORD

In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear about the arrival of Our Lord and His disciples at the house of the sisters Martha and Mary in Bethany. Our Lord was very well received by them but Martha was distracted with much serving, and became very preoccupied with the small details. Mary, on the other hand, sat down at Our Lord’s feet and listened to Him speak. Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was leaving all the work to her causing Our Lord to give Martha a gentle rebuke. “Martha, Martha, you worry and fret about so many things…It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.” So Our Lord is telling Martha He would be much happier with her if she too spent the time with Him rather than running all over the house! This could be translated into Our Lord will be much happier with us if we spend time in prayer with Him each day as well as doing good, rather than being someone who spends the whole day running around and not spending any time in prayer at all. In fact He describes Mary as not only doing the better part, but as doing the one thing necessary. Elsewhere in the Scriptures, Our Lord insists on the primacy of prayer: “Pray always” (Lk.21:36).

Last Monday we celebrated the Feast of St Benedict, the Founder of the Benedictines whose motto is “ora et labora”, “prayer and work.” Priority should be given to time spent in prayer and we will probably find we work better after having done so. We might find it difficult to spend a long period in prayer, but it is not so difficult to raise our minds to God countless times a day for a minute or two. If we make an effort to spend time with Jesus in prayer, we grow in grace and holiness and we will be much better off afterwards. Time spent in prayer is always worth the effort!

Fr Paul Gillham

Click here to view/download the complete newsletter

Related Images:

Newsletter for Sunday 10 July 2016

9 Jul

“WHAT MUST I DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE?”

This is the question a lawyer asked Jesus in this Sunday’s Gospel. The answer is already given by Moses in the First Reading from Deuteronomy and so the young lawyer states correctly, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” Jesus tells him “Do this and you will live.”

Our Lord then gives us the parable of the Good Samaritan which reveals God’s infinite mercy when we were steeped in and wounded by sin and unable to pick ourselves up again. The well-known nursery rhyme explains our predicament very well:

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

Since the Fall, man was like a broken egg and unable to put himself together.  So God came in the person of Jesus.  He became man, and by His being beaten and left for dead and then crucified on the cross, reconciled us to God and to each other. We need God to put us back together again.  “Like the Samaritan He pays the price for us, heals the wounds of sin, pours out on us the oil and wine of the sacraments, entrusts to us the care of His Church until He comes back for us.” (Scott Hahn)

So we must do the same, and love with the same love with which He has loved us. This is the love that leads to eternal life.

                                                                                           Fr. Paul Gillham

Click here to view/download the complete newsletter

Related Images:

Newsletter for Sunday 3 July 2016

2 Jul

ARE YOU READY FOR THE JOURNEY?
(PART 2)

‘Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.’ (Lk 10:12)

The paradox of strength through weakness is never more apparent in the gospels – as in life in general – than in today’s reading from St Luke’s gospel.  The followers of Jesus were to be unencumbered and totally reliant on him and his grace as they set out on their journey.  With the power of his word in them (‘the Lord having appointed them’) they were to manifest and make present the kingdom of God .

Paul had first-hand experience of this ‘strength through weakness’ which is why he wrote: ‘But Jesus said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.’  (2 Cor 12:9-10)

The Preface of Holy Martyrs says: ‘For the blood of your blessed Martyr(s) poured out like Christ’s to glorify your name, shows forth your marvellous works, by which in our weakness you perfect your power and on the feeble bestow strength to bear witness …’

And all this is beautifully captured in hymns such as ‘Guide me O thou great redeemer’ and ‘O strength and stay upholding all creation’ by W Williams and St Ambrose respectively.

Ask God to fill you with the strength of the Holy Spirit so that the power of Christ may work through you.

Fr Philip Sainter

Click here to view/download the complete newsletter

Related Images: