Thought for the week: May to August 2006 in reverse order
It started in Christ's lifetime. The great preacher and miracle worker drew
great crowds. He looked a winner. It was fashionable to be seen with him.
Then, the tide turned. His preaching demanded faith in him as son of God
who could give himself under the form of bread. That was hard to take. Many
could not or would not accept it and left him. He even wondered would his
closest friend desert him.
It is a story that has been repeated again and again since Christ's time.
The Church has enjoyed periods of popularity and prestige. It was the side
to be one. At times, the tide turned. Persecution or suffering meant that
it was only those close to Christ who remained faithful.
Our own time is one of challenge and cross-currents especially for the young.
Church practice is not as fashionable as it used to be. Christ's teaching
demands justice for all, care for the deprived, generosity and fidelity in
relationships, faith in Jesus as Lord of all aspects of life. Some find the
message and practice too hard and walk no more with him. As he says to Peter
in today's gospel, he says to each one of us: 'Will you also go away?'
We can try to make our own of Peter's reply: 'To whom shall we go Lord? You
have the words of eternal life.'
Promises must always hold out a prospect of something above and beyond the
ordinary and preferably be unique. Otherwise the strand of joyful hope that
marks a promise is missing. On the other hand, if the pledged future is too
rash, the matter is seen as fantasy rather than something open to fulfilment.
So when Jesus promised to give us his Body and Blood, the hearers were
incredulous as we read in today's gospel. Since they could not see how it
could happen they decided that it would not happen. They restricted the power
of God to their own limited understanding of reality. They reckoned without
the awesome creativity of a God who loves each one beyond our wildest dreams.
It is an arena of life that can only be glimpsed at through faith or not
at all. The temptation is to retreat into our own world and accept only what
we understand. The opportunity is to trust ourselves and God and allow him
to open us up to wonders the human heart could never conceive.
The promise now is that all who are nourished by this bread of life will
live forever. To risk all for his promise is the vocation of every follower
of Jesus.
The command of Jesus, 'Do this in memory of me' is the focus and challenge
of every Eucharist. It is the command to repeat the ritual of the Last Supper
where Jesus becomes really present under the form of bread and wine. It is
this, but it is more, as we are reminded in today's gospel where Jesus
unequivocally says that the bread, which he gives, is his flesh for the life
of the world. He is giving his total self for the good of all people and
his challenge to us, and all his followers is to do the same.
The social consequences of the Eucharist are enormous. True, there is a precious
personal privilege of receiving Jesus, but the call to imitate him through
self-giving is also unmistakable. The danger is that we sometimes separate
devotion from dedication, faith from fidelity, prayer from practice, the
practice of justice, service and care. Some receive for themselves alone.
Others give themselves heroically to others without receiving Jesus. Both
are impoverished. Our receiving consumes Jesus. Our giving consumes us. The
receiving gives us a share in the life of God. Our self-giving makes the
love of God tangible in the world.
Respect for the Lord must mean respect for his brothers and sisters, especially
the most disrespected of them, for we are all the body of Christ. We must
all be given the life of the world. It is truly an awesome vocation.
For some time the Bishops have been considering the celebration of Holy Days
of Obligation in England and Wales. They have responded to requests from
Diocesan Councils of Priests and many others, deeply concerned at the diminishing
observance of these days.
In order to foster the celebration of the rhythm of the liturgical year and
to celebrate more profoundly the mysteries of the life and mission of the
Lord, the Bishops have decided to transfer to Sunday those Holy Days of
Obligation which are Solemnities of the Lord (other than Christmas Day).
This means that the Epiphany, the Ascension of the Lord and Corpus Christi
will now be celebrated on Sunday.
The current practice is retained with regard to other Holy Days of Obligation.
In other words, Christmas Day, the Apostles Peter and Paul, The Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints will continue to be celebrated
at present. With the exception of Christmas Day, the discipline in England
and Wales is that when these days fall on a Saturday or Monday they are
transferred to Sunday. The Bishops call on all Catholics to observe their
celebration.
These changes will take effect on 3 December 2006, the first Sunday of Advent.
Prayer
" They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles.
Nation will not lift sword against nation, no longer will they learn how to make war." Isaiah 2:4
God of peace, bearer of hope, we seek your help for the people of the Middle
East.
Quiet the clamour of war and guide us towards peace.
Where there is hatred and division sow seeds of calm and openness.
Where there is destruction, help us to rebuild.
Where children are crying, bring an end to tears.
Shelter your peoples and protect them
Guide them and keep them from harm.
Show us how to break down the barriers of history and fear
And breathe whispers of hope.
Amen.
The Samaritans assure us that they are always there to listen to anyone who
wants to talk to them. To listen respectfully and sincerely to another is
to bestow a blessing beyond compare. To be listened to reaffirms our self
worth. It releases tension, eases stress, and helps to put life's problems
and opportunities into perspective. Everybody needs an ear just as everybody
needs to be a listener. But genuine listening demands a high price. It demands
full attention, ruling out everything that disrupts focusing on the central
issue of the moment. Some people are so insecure that often they talk incessantly
about their own preoccupation and are unwilling or unable to listen. But
it is through listening that relationships begin, friendships grow and love
blossoms.
This is as true of our relationship with God as it is with one another. Anybody
who is unable or unwilling to listen to a brother or sister in need of an
ear, will be incapable of praying. Praying is listening to God and being
listened to by him. Such listening needs space, a freedom from noise, distraction
and television so as to focus on God and the things of God.
Things were no different at the time of Jesus, as we hear in today's gospel.
The disciples were successfully busy about the work of God, but Jesus takes
them aside to concentrate on God himself. The gospel reminds us that our
need of God is no less today, but if we really wish to hear him, we must
create a sacred time space for him every day. We can manage to do it for
almost everything else. The choice is ours.
The world can be divided into two types of people, hoarders and scatterers.
The former focus on long-term security, holding on to anything and everything
that just might be useful. They save for the rainy day and save a little
extra in case there is a drought as well. Their motto could be, 'What we
have we hold.' The scatterers on the other hand live for today and let tomorrow
take care of itself. Sometimes they are wasteful. Other times they are simply
generous and trusting.
In every heart there is something of the hoarder and something of the scatterer.
Often one predominates while worldly wisdom dictates that happiness is achieved
by securing the right balance.
Today's gospel places the emphasis somewhat differently. It suggests that
following Jesus is like going on a journey and the recommendation is to travel
light. If we are to overcome the unclean spirit within us, the deep-rooted
selfishnesses that can destroy love, we must trust. We must trust God as
a caring Father and trust the neighbour as a sister or brother in Christ.
To grow in such an attitude, we must be continually giving away what we do
not really need and even a little more. We must be generous fools for Christ
and for his kingdom. Only the foolish can love. The cute could never risk
it.
A prayer for our Priests
| | You came from among us
To be, for us, one who serves.
We thank you for ministering Christ to us
And helping us minister Christ to each other.
We are grateful for the many gifts you bring
To our community:
for drawing us together in worship
for visiting us in our homes,
for comforting us in sickness,
for showing us compassion,
for blessing our marriage,
for baptising our children,
for confirming us in our calling,
for supporting us in bereavement,
for helping us to grow in faith,
for encouraging us to take the initiative,
for helping the whole community realise God's presence among us.
For our part, we pray that we may always be
Attentive to your needs and never take you
For granted. You, like us need friendship and
Love, welcome and a sense of belonging,
kind words and acts of thoughtfulness.
We pray, also, for the priests who have
Wounded priesthood.
May we be willing to forgive
And may they be open to healing.
Let us support one another during time of crisis.
God our Father, we ask you to bless our
Priests and confirm them in their calling.
Give them the gifts they need
To respond with generosity and a joyful heart.
We offer this prayer for our priest
Who is our brother and friend.
Amen.
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The Cross
A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped to
his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on, he said. "I have too heavy a cross
to bear."
The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your
cross inside this room. Then pick out any cross you wish."
The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did as
he was told.
Upon entering the room, he saw many crosses: some so large the tops were
not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.
"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied," My son, that
is the cross you just brought in." When life's problems seem overwhelming,
it helps to look around and see what other people are coping with. You may
consider yourself far more fortunate than you imagined.
On Thursday 22nd June we had a parish open meeting to address the possible
letting of St Elizabeth's room to the Mill Hill Society for their centre
of administration. Even though the meeting was not very well attended, it
was a good meeting. The first thing that always strikes me when we look at
the figures for the use of our parish centre is how little it is used by
the members of the parish. The parish centre was built by the parish. There
are two reasons why we let the centre, to provide a community amenity and
to help to cover the running expenses of the centre.
Last year St Elizabeth's room was only used for 110 hours by the parish,
so we can hardly say that it is the hub of parish life. Children's liturgy
is a very important aspect of Sunday morning Mass and St Elizabeth's room
is used then. If it was to be out of use, how would that group manage? Maybe
we could look at a soundproof partition between bar and hall. Could we break
up the hall with movable partitions? Should we be reducing our facilities
at a time of change with the new pastoral areas? As a parish, like most
organisations, we do not have much storage space. At the meeting there was
a real dilemma between the needs of the parish and the desire to help and
welcome the Mill Hill community to Maidenhead and especially to the catholic
community of St Joseph's.
I will meet with representatives of the Parish Centre Committee, Pastoral
Council and Parish Finance & Maintenance on the 8th July and a decision
will be made then. If anyone has further thoughts before then I would be
glad to hear from them. Finally, the above are my thoughts, not minutes from
the meeting.
Fr Tom
Miracle workers usually evoke a lively reaction. People either dismiss them completely or else totally accept them and all that they stand for. The miracle worker is seen to have access to power beyond normal human capabilities and to be able to produce the extraordinary on demand. In that scenario, the miracle worker is given acclaim, deference and reward. Jesus had trouble in escaping that fate when he was instrumental in calming the storm, in healing the sick, and even in raising the dead to life. But in all such situations, Jesus went to great lengths to point out that the power came not from himself alone but from the Father who had sent him and that the purpose of the miracle was not to win admiration but to help the neighbour and to nurture faith in God.
In today's gospel, the storm-frightened disciples expected Jesus to care for them because it was to enable him to escape the crowds that they had set out to cross the lake in the first place. In their eyes, he owed them a favour. For varied reasons, we sometimes feel we should be spared some of the trouble of life. But that is not Jesus' way. Rather, he is with us as a fellow traveller on the journey through the storms of life, calming our frenzied anxieties and enabling us to have faith-filled trust in a caring father. Such is his gift to us if we are open to cry out for it and to accept it.
On the windowsill in many kitchens you will find young plants bursting into
life. The phenomenon is repeated in schoolrooms all over the country, especially
in primary schools. The young watch in awe as the small seed they have planted
germinates, takes root and grows into blossom.
Children are often impatient and questioning during the germination that
seems so long with little to show. Even growth does not always satisfy them
as they long for flower or fruit.
In matters of faith, adults can be as impatient as children. The seed of
God's kingdom sown in baptism, nurtured through prayer and Eucharist, can
seem to be very slow in bearing fruit in service, gentleness and joyful peace.
But Christ assures us of the potential of this seed. He compares the faith-seed
in our hearts with the tiny mustard seed that has the potential to grow into
a tree. God's seed within us will always bear fruit unless it is stifled
by fear or by preoccupation with oneself. God's call is not only to nurture
one's own faith but also to sow seeds of goodness wherever we are.
Never doubt the quality of his seed, and the soil of our hearts is his creation,
too. Be of good heart and never tire of doing good.
MILL HILL MISSIONARIES
For nearly one hundred years the Mill Hill Missionaries have been based in
Mill Hill, North London. They were founded by Cardinal Vaughan to act as
the missionary organ of the Catholic Church in this country. From small
beginnings they have grown in many different directions and are now based
in many different countries. They have a proud record in bringing the catholic
faith to many different parts of the world. They now have many more overseas
members than they have English.
The site in Mill Hill has been gradually extended over the years to fit the
needs of the society. They have developed the Provincial house; which provides
a home for the provincial team, plus their administration offices. They also
built St Joseph's college, which has recently closed. I am sure that many
of us have come in contact with Mill Hill through the little red boxes that
have been part of our parish life for years.
Because of changing circumstances, Mill Hill have decided to relocate. They
no longer need the large site in North London. They have been looking for
a site, near a motorway, a railway station and finally not too far from an
airport. They found the location that fitted all these needs in Shurlock
Gardens, a new development in Cookham Road in Maidenhead. The houses on that
site will become available from the end of June from which time they will
gradually be moving in. So we will welcome them as new members of our parish.
As well as living accommodation, they will also need office space somewhere
in Maidenhead. They have approached me to ask if we have any space that we
could offer. The only space that we could think of offering would be St
Elizabeth's room. We need to ask ourselves, could we continue our parish
activities without the use of that room? How much do we use the room at present?
We need to let them know by the end of June. We will have an open parish
meeting on Thursday 22nd June at 8pm in the Parish Centre. Please come with
your ideas so that we can make an informed decision. The parish centre committee
in consultation with the diocese will then make the decision.
On the first Pentecost Sunday the disciples were gathered together for fear
for their own safety. They did not know what was to be their future, if they
had a future. Suddenly it all changed! The Holy Spirit came upon them. His
coming has been described as a mighty wind or in the form of fire. The effect
was immediate: the disciples were transformed. Fear gave way to mission;
they now wanted to tell the world about the risen Christ. They wanted to
bring people together, to be baptised and formed into a community. They were
excited and full of energy and purpose. Suddenly for them it was good to
be alive and life had a whole new meaning.
Maybe today we are a little like those early disciples as our diocese launches
its new pastoral areas. We are entering into uncharted waters. We can gather
together in fear of the future and be unable to do anything and so fail in
our mission OR we can allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us like
the first disciples and with those gifts working through us, all things are
possible. Today can be a new beginning for our diocese and our pastoral area.
The time for discussion is over. We now need to move forward under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit and form the Christian life and community that we are
called to form. The full details of all the pastoral areas in the diocese
are given in this week's Portsmouth People. Please take one home for
your family so that you have all the background information.
The outlook was bleak. They had hoped for great things. But the man in whom
they placed their trust was now leaving them. Christ was leaving the disciples.
With his departure went all their life dreams. They were going to need God's
protection as never before.
Christ prayed for them in their hour of need. He prayed that united in love,
they would stick together, support each other in the trials and remain faithful
to the one true God. His followers had been given to him by the Father and
he was preparing to die to make sure of their loyalty. His prayer was not
merely words but included the greatest sacrifice of all, his life.
Today's gospel is part of his prayer for his friends in danger. He makes
the same prayer for us in our time. With Christ praying for us, how could
we ever lose hope, no matter what the cross, no matter what the danger?
Today is a reassurance of his care for us. Each of us needs it often.
Widowed at an early age and left with a young family, Brigid made a decision.
She would devote her life to her children. To provide for them and to rear
them was a full-time task. Often the going was hard and lonely but she never
regretted the decision she had made. She found a deep personal fulfilment
in giving of herself. Her giving was a giving in love. Such a giving brings
a peace that the self-centred can never know.
To be a loving giver is to be truly human. We are made in the image of God,
the giver of all. His Son freely decided to give himself in life and in death
for each of us. He invites us to follow his example. 'Love one another as
I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life
for his friends.'
It demands faith and confidence in oneself and in God to accept the invitation.
Today's gospel puts the issue plainly before us.
The truth of our lives is that we can grow from an experience, which at first
seems to limit us. We can transform what cuts away at us and bring forth
new life. Rather than allowing anger and resentment take over our lives,
because of a perceived hurt, we can, with God's grace, let go and forgive.
Rather than be consumed with jealousy and envy, we can offer gratitude for
the gift of another. Rather than always wanting more of everything, we can
be satisfied with what we have and give thanks for all that we have been
given. Rather than turn in on ourselves when we experience loss, we can grow
in compassion and understanding. The vinedresser is forming and transforming.
It is only in remaining close to God that we receive grace. Grace is the
power of God working through our lives. As the morning flower opens itself
to the warmth of the sun and the moisture of the rain, we must constantly
open ourselves to the grace of God. That grace forms and transforms us. We
reveal our beauty. We must ask the one who tends the vine to enable us to
remain close to Him. On our own we falter and fail. With the Lord, our guide,
we can produce rich fruits. We can transform and be transformed.
Good Shepherd Sunday
When you look at a flock of sheep they all look pretty much the same: it's
hard to tell one from another and yet they are all different. When the shepherd
calls them they don't all necessarily respond at the same time. There are
usually one or two who have the greatest desire to follow and so draw the
rest of the flock around them. It's not that they are the quickest or the
smartest, they simply recognise something in the shepherd that attracts them
and they want to follow his call.
Christ the Good Shepherd is calling. Amongst the flock of His Church are
people who follow Him in so many ways whether it is as a teacher, doctor
or care worker. There are others who follow Christ in their vocation to be
a parent or as a married person. But there are others who feel a call to
take a particular role of leadership in the Church's flock, as priests, deacons
or in the consecrated life. Like the sheep it is not that these people are
necessarily the quickest or the smartest, but that they too recognise something
in the Shepherd that attracts them. These are the people who simply take
the lead because of their overwhelming desire to follow.
People who have answered the call to these vocations as seen as leaders because
of their visible desire to follow Christ, to want what Christ wants. On this
Good Shepherd Sunday we pray that those people amongst us at Mass today,
who we know have an overwhelming desire to follow Christ, will be open to
the call of leadership in the Church, the flock of Christ.
For previous "Thoughts" click here
Contact Details
Parish Priest: Fr. Tom McGrath, Tel: 01628 783988
Parish Office: 01628 783988 Fax: 01628 776863 (Monday to Friday 9.am to 12 noon)
Parish Centre: 01628 636312 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm)
Web author : webmaster@stjosephsparish.co.uk
NB: E-mails sent through this website are read by the web-authors and NOT the parish priest !!!