Newsletter for Sunday 29 July 2018

27 Jul

How do we Know the Bible is True?

As Catholics we can often be challenged to defend the truth of the Bible since we believe it is the inspired word of God. Of course, not all the stories in the Bible are meant to be read as history, since it contains many different types of literature – poetry, proverbs, the psalms etc. The Parables of Our Lord, for example, are to help us have a deeper understanding of God’s Kingdom. They are not intended to be read as historical events. However, in the New Testament, when the Gospels present something as historically true, then it really did happen.

The Gospels are authentic.  From the second century onwards there exists an unbroken line of Christian writers who state there are four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  It is also possible to piece together the greater part of the Gospels from quotations found in the writings of first century Christian authors. Even pagan writers give evidence as to their authenticity, such as Pliny the Younger. Born about 62 AD, he testifies that the divinity of Christ was a central doctrine of Christianity.  The writers of the Gospels also say that what they had written is historical.  St Luke, at the beginning of his Gospel says that he has gathered eyewitness testimonies of what happened, so that we may know the truth concerning JESUS (Luke 1:1-4).  And the fact is, there are far more manuscripts of the New Testament available than for other secular writings whose authenticity sceptics never call into question – there are only five surviving manuscripts of the works of Aristotle who lived hundreds of years before Our Lord!

Matthew and John were both Apostles and therefore eyewitnesses to what they wrote.  Mark was a disciple of St Peter and Luke a disciple of St Paul. It is impossible that these were all deceived.  If they had written nonsense or told lies about JESUS, there would have been an outcry.  No such thing ever happened.  They also gave their lives for preaching the truth of the Gospel and they themselves worked many miracles.  They would never have shed their blood for something they knew to be a fraud.

Our Lord and the Catholic Church have become public enemy number one in modern society, and this is the reason many wish to discredit the Gospels.  But Christianity will survive because it is of God.  How many civilisations and empires have come and gone since Our Lord founded His Church?  How many regimes have persecuted and tried to annihilate the Church? And they have all failed and gone, but the Catholic Church remains, sometimes thriving, sometimes suffering, but it will always remain. “Behold, I am with you always, till the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20)

Fr Paul Gillham IC

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Newsletter for Sunday 22 July 2018

20 Jul

Anointing of the Sick

There is an important line from last Sunday’s Gospel which I didn’t want to let pass without comment. “So they [the Twelve] set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them (Mark 6:13). This is a reference to what would later become known as the Anointing of the Sick which is one of the Seven Sacraments. As with all the Sacraments, the Anointing of the Sick was personally instituted by Christ. He Himself cured many while on this earth, and the healings were always connected with the forgiveness of sins. Our Lord then handed on this healing ministry to the Apostles. St James writes in his Epistle, “Is any among you sick? Let them call for the priests of the Church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick persons, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven (James 5:14-15).

To receive the Sacrament validly, there does not have to be a fatal illness, but it should be grave. A person about to have surgery may be anointed too, and the elderly may be anointed even if there is no immediate danger of death. The Church encourages us to receive the Sacrament long before there is an imminent danger of death. And God often uses this Sacrament to restore people to bodily health who have been expected to die, although this is not its primary purpose.

The Anointing of the Sick forgives venial (less serious) sins. More importantly, it also forgives mortal (grave) sins, but the person has to be sorry for them. However, the sorrow for the sin does not have to be present at the time of anointing. The sorrow may go back even years before a person is in danger of death. Just one condition must be fulfilled – the now sick and dying person, at least at some time between having gravely sinned and the time of Anointing, must have been sincerely sorry for having offended God by grave sin. Then the grace lost by mortal sin is restored to the soul. What a gift! How great is God’s mercy! This Anointing can ensure salvation and save someone from the eternal punishment of Hell. It is also possible for this Sacrament to remove all temporal punishment and thereby a person may completely bypass Purgatory.

PLEASE do not delay to call a priest to anoint someone if there is a danger of death – even if it is in the middle of the night! And let us never cease to pray for vocations, because ONLY a priest can administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

Fr Paul Gillham IC

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Newsletter for Sunday 15 July 2018

13 Jul

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown Scapular

Tomorrow (Monday) is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and very much associated with this feast is the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Some years ago, I promised Our Lady that if I became a priest, I would promote it. So here I go!

You may know the Scapular is part of the monastic habit. Two pieces of cloth are joined at the shoulders, one hangs down in the front and the other at the back. The Brown Scapular has a connection with England. In 1251, Our Lady appeared to St Simon Stock in Aylesford, Kent, and holding out the brown woollen Scapular towards him, she promised, “Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.”

At the final apparition in Fatima on October 13th 1917, she appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel holding the Brown Scapular in her hands. Some years later, Sister Lucia, one of the three children to whom Our Lady had appeared, (who also became a Carmelite nun), was asked why Our Lady had held the Scapular in her hands at the final apparition. Sister Lucia responded, “Because she wants everyone to wear the Scapular, and because it is our consecration to her Immaculate Heart.”

The Scapular worn by the laity is two pieces of brown wool joined by a ribbon or cord. It is Our Lady’s garment, and by putting it on we place ourselves under her protection. However, it is not a lucky charm! While there are a number of promises attached to wearers of the Scapular, this doesn’t mean someone has access to eternal life regardless of the life they live. Furthermore, the Scapular is a sacramental. If worn with faith it disposes us towards the graces God wants to give us, but we have to pray and try to lead a holy life pleasing to God.

Pope St John Paul II wore the Scapular all his life and encouraged others to do the same. He insisted that doctors not remove it from him during the emergency operation following the assassination attempt on his life on May 13th, 1981 – the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Interestingly, both St Alphonsus and St John Bosco had a great devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the wearing of the Brown Scapular. Both, when they died were buried wearing their Scapulars as well as their priestly vestments, but on opening their coffins many years later, whereas their bodies and the vestments had decayed, the Brown Scapulars were found to be intact! If any parishioners would like to be enrolled in the Brown Scapular, I will do so at Mass on Monday morning, but I am happy to enrol anyone at any time. I have already enrolled a number of parishioners in previous years. Just let me know, and also if you have any questions about it.

Fr Paul Gillham IC

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Newsletter for Sunday 8 July 2018

6 Jul

“Duc in altum” – Put out into the deep

St John Paul II during his papacy used the words above on various occasions, encouraging his hearers to Be bold in bringing the joy of the faith to people outside of the Church.  Pope Francis has echoed this call, urging us all to be willing to bring the message of the joy of the Gospel, God’s love for all, to people of other religions and none.  To ask others, ‘Have you heard, would you like to know, do you realize, there is more to life than the things you hold and own and can buy?

In our Gospel reading today we hear Jesus having difficulty getting his own local community, those whom he grew up with and lived amongst, to take on board His words and message, because they could not see beyond ‘the carpenter’s son.’  You may have come across this experience in your own families and communities, where all they see in you is, “So and so’s son/daughter, from such and such’s family and they went to school with so and so, have always lived in such and such a house or village.” But never actually seeing you as you, for who you are, with experiences, ideas, thoughts, opinions and faith.  No one listens to you!!

Jesus went to those who ‘would’ listen and did respond.  The apostles, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost found that those outside ‘the faith of Israel’ responded far more readily to the message of the God of love, than those of their own community and race.

So here is an encouragement to us to ‘Be bold’ and not be shy, in the supermarket, in the café, the pub, on the bus, you name it, while in conversation to drop in a ‘seed of faith’, an opening for others to ask, an invitation to come and see, or ‘have you thought about?’’ and so help others to find faith in Jesus.  You and I don’t know all the answers, but we do know ‘a Lord’ who does; who nourishes us in His Word and Sacraments here in St Mary’s.  Let’s ‘Be Bold’ and point others in the direction of Jesus and learn from Him, that if those closest to us don’t want to know, there are others to do and will. That’s how the Church grew in the beginning; that’s how it can grow now.

Let’s ‘put out into the deep’ with Jesus.

Fr David Jones OLW

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