Our Lady Queen of Heaven
Catholic Church, Harwich, Essex

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 6th October 2019

Fr Frank writes:

 

My dear friends,

 

In today’s Gospel, the Apostles ask, “increase our faith”.

 

A person enters into the realm of faith through his/her openness in seeking actively to know God who invites us to make a conscious commitment to follow Jesus. In this following of Jesus we should not expect any personal benefit but, rather, acknowledge that ‘we are merely servants; we have done no more than our duty’ – humility is the fruit of faith. Further, faith needs to be nourished by a life of prayer, for, in this living contact with God our faith grows and flourishes – prayer is the root of faith.

 

October is the month of the Holy Rosary (the Memorial itself falling on Monday). To mark this month a hymn in honour of Our Lady will be sung at the end of all Sunday Masses, and during the week a decade of the rosary will be recited at the end of Mass – this is in addition to the recital of the rosary at Harwich on Thursday and after the weekday Masses at Frinton.

 

Sunday the 13th is a great day for our country as Blessed John Henry Newman is canonised. On that Sunday we will remember the contribution of St John Newman to the Catholic life of our nation by singing some of his hymns and I will reflect on his life in the homilies.

 

May Our Lady of the Rosary pray for you and may God richly bless you.

 

Frank ofs

 

Sunday Smile:

A large car pulled up outside a village church. The elderly gardener was busy mowing the grass. The window slid down and a voice with a strong American accent said, “Say, any great men born around these parts?”

“Nope,” came the reply, “only babies.”