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‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!’
FR ANDREW WRITES
Sometimes Jesus can surprise us, even shock us in what he says. In the Gospel this Sunday he does just that. He says that he has come to bring fire to the earth, division and not peace. So what happened to gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Here’s the point, the fire that Jesus comes to bring to the earth, to our lives, is the fire of love for us which burns in his Sacred Heart. Jesus is on fire with love for us and he wants us to burn with love for him. To really love involves making a choice. To really love Jesus means rejecting anything that gets in the way of that love and choosing him above everything. This is the division that Jesus brings. The Sacred Heart of Jesus on fire with love for us invites us to make a radical choice of love.
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FR ANDREW WRITES
This Thursday we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Assumption of Mary teaches us something very important about our lives as Christians. Throughout her life, Mary united herself with the mission of Jesus her Son, including and especially in his suffering and death in which she shared with all the compassion of a mother. Because of this, at the end of her life, God ensured that she remained closely joined with her Son in heaven. From heaven she continues to cooperate with her Son’s saving mission by praying for us.
We must imitate Mary, we must unite ourselves to Jesus, including and especially in pain and suffering. We can make an offering of any suffering we experience, joining it with that of Jesus for the salvation of souls. And because it is union with Christ in his saving death that brings about union with him in his resurrection, this is how we will follow where Mary has gone before us, to the eternal bliss of heaven.
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FR DAVID WRITES
Today we welcome back Fr Mark who will help celebrate some of the Masses. Fr Mark has just returned from the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes where he served as chaplain to the young people. Deacon David has gone on his break and will return at weekends in September. I will begin my summer holidays this week. Fr Andrew will be in charge of the parish and he will be helped for the month by Fr Michael Quaicoe. Fr Michael was until recently an assistant priest at Westminster Cathedral and is now mostly based in Rome where he is completing his doctorate in Canon Law. I am grateful to him for his help and I know we will all make him feel most welcome. Finally, many thanks for your generosity last weekend in giving so generously towards Mary's Meals. I pray that you may all have a blessed and safe summer.
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FR ANDREW WRITES
The holiday season is very much upon us! I have just returned from my summer break and now Fr David is off on his. During August we welcome Fr Michael Quaicoe who is helping us out during his holidays from his studies in Rome. Whether you are jetting off to somewhere exotic or just having a rest at home, it’s important to have a break. Holidays are a great opportunity not just to rest our mind and body but also to refresh our souls. When life is a little quieter we can rediscover simply how to take to delight in the Lord, to enjoy His presence, in the mass, in the tabernacle, in our prayer and in those we meet. After all, when this life is over and all our plans and frantic activity are finally ended, there will be only one thing to delight in, only one thing to love and that is God. Learning to delight in Him now helps to ensure that we will be able to enjoy His presence for ever. Happy holidays!
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FR DAVID WRITES
We send our thanks and best wishes to all staff and children in our parish and locality who finished the school term on Friday. Special thanks to everyone who helped to prepare and celebrate our own Leavers' Mass here on Tuesday afternoon. I will be at an ordination in Leeds Diocese this weekend but I will be around in the parish until the end of July. Together with Fr. Andrew, Deacons David and Ian, and the whole team, I send best wishes and blessings to all parishioners who are beginning their summer holidays this weekend or in the coming weeks - travel safely and have a great time!
Welcome to Fr. Samuel and Fr. John Moffatt SJ who are visiting this weekend and celebrating some of our Masses.