Monthly Archives: January 2017

THE BEATITUDES

Variously described as ‘The Compendium of Christ’s Doctrines’  or ‘The Magna Carta of the Kingdom’ or ‘The Ruling Maxims of Jesus’ Kingdom’, THE BEATITUDES refer both to those words of blessing with which, according to both Matthew and Luke, Jesus began that great discourse which is known as the Sermon on the Mount and they describe the state of being (- the way of living) which is characterised by intimate union with God (see for example, Psalm 1:1: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked”; Psalm 2:12: “Now, O kings, understand, take warning, rulers of the earth; serve the Lord with awe and trembling, pay him your homage, lest he be angry and you perish … Blessed are they who put their trust in God.”)

Thus, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read, ‘God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise. Beatitude makes us ‘partakers of the divine nature’ and of eternal life. (c.f. 2Pt 1:4; Jn 17:3)  With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ and into the joy of the Trinitarian life.  (CCC 1721)

The Catechism continues, ‘The beatitude ( – the blessedness) we are promised, confronts us with decisive moral choices.  The beatitude invites us to purify our hearts from bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else.  The beatitude teach us that true happiness is not found in riches, or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement … but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love. (1723)

Lord, grant me the grace to purify my heart, to walk humbly in your presence, to love and adore you, and to know the power of your love operating in my life. Amen.

Fr  Philip Sainter

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WHY DO WE GENUFLECT IN FRONT OF THE TABERNACLE?

Some people ask the question as to why Catholics go down on their right knee before going into the pew or when they pass the tabernacle. Well, it is an age old tradition in the Catholic Church for Catholics to show veneration and adoration to Our Blessed Lord whom we believe is really and truly present in the tabernacle. Of course, if we are unable to genuflect, we make a bow. When we do this we remind ourselves that we are literally in the presence of God, both physically and mentally. This reminded me of a story.

There was once a French priest, famous for preaching on the Eucharist, who every day after closing the church would prostrate before the Blessed Sacrament. One day he heard a commotion in the confessional and a woman appeared who said, “I’m not a Catholic, but I’ve been listening to your talks and I wanted to see if you practised what you preach. Now that I’ve seen you’re sincere in adoring God, I want to become a Catholic.” This story not only shows us that we must remember to give adoration to Our Lord, but also how we can often influence others by our actions.

In preparation for the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima in 1917, an Angel appeared to the three seers in 1916 “holding a chalice in his hands, with a host above it from which some drops of blood were falling into the sacred vessel.” The Angel left the chalice and host suspended in the air, and prostrated himself upon the ground with the children and prayed the following prayer with them three times:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of JESUS Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is offended.

Jesus is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Let us never neglect to adore Him there.

Fr Paul Gillham

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ORDINARY TIME IN THE LITURGICAL YEAR

Now that Christmas is over, we are back in “Ordinary Time” and the liturgical colour of the season is green. Ordinary Time refers to the liturgical periods that fall outside the major seasons such as Advent, Lent, Christmas and Easter, and there are two such periods – after Epiphany and after Pentecost.” Prior to the changes of the Second Vatican Council they were known as “Sundays after Epiphany” and “Sundays after Pentecost.” Ordinary Time begins on the Monday after the first Sunday after January 6^th.   There is no First Sunday in Ordinary Time since it is replaced by either the Epiphany or the Baptism of Our Lord.

While “ordinary” in everyday conversation can mean something uninteresting or dull, it can also mean customary, regular, and orderly. The root of the word comes from the Latin “ordinalis,” which means “showing order, denoting an order of succession.” Hence, Ordinary Time is the standard, orderly, counted time outside of the other liturgical seasons, and it emphasizes discipleship – what it means to be a follower of Jesus in terms of priorities, morality, money and how we will ultimately be judged by God.

It’s appropriate that the Gospel for this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time features St John the Baptist pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God. The Saviour of the World, the God Man is walking among us, seeking to transform our lives and to save us. This is far from being ordinary!

Fr Paul Gillham

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THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

On Christmas Day we celebrated Jesus’ birth and we recalled how the shepherds (representing the Israelites) were the first to see ‘the Word made Flesh’. Today, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany (Epiphany means manifestation), we recall how the Magi (representing the Gentiles and all peoples of the world) come from the East and also worship and adore him.  In this way, the Epiphany brings to perfect fulfilment all the purposes of Advent:   The incarnate Son of God, truly God and truly man, the light of the world, is revealed as Lord and Saviour of ALL mankind.

The antiphon for the Magnificat this evening reminds us that Our Lord was also ‘manifested’ / ‘revealed’ as Lord and Saviour and as the Son of God, at his baptism and at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.

There is a long-standing Christian tradition of having ones home blessed on this day.  With newly blessed chalk a cross is inscribed on the lintel (above the front door),  together with the year and the initials of the three wise men (C+M+B – Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar).  These initials are interpreted to mean Christus Mansionem Benedicat.

Fr Philip Sainter

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MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

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