Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 25/26 February 2017
Fellow Parishioners
In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear Jesus’ voice telling us “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.
It is easy to say to another “Don’t worry it will get easier/better/be okay” but how can we understand how the other person is really feeling. Even if we have experienced a similar experience as the other person – our own perception of our own situation will be very personal to us.
We need to listen to the voice of Jesus as He tells us our heavenly Father knows all our needs.
It is so affirming to hear Isaiah telling us that the Lord will never forget us and in St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we hear him enlightening the people of Corinth by saying the Lord alone is our judge; He will light up all that is hidden in the dark we just need to be open to His call to us.
We are very fortunate in our Parishes that we have parishioners across the district loving and supporting each other through prayer and practical support at home, the workplace and neighbourhood by being the people God created us to be – loving creatures to be here for each other.
In a changing landscape the certainty that God loves us, that we can talk to Him in prayer enables us to continue the work we are here to do. Pray for the support for our families, nurture and care for them in good and bad times and be ready to receive love and care from others. In this mysterious way, we become God’s hands and feet and His voice in the world.
Please pray for continued blessings on our Parish,
Sheila Wright
Sunday Smile
A parishioner was talking to their family about their wishes for their funeral. They mentioned a headstone and the wording which went along the lines of the normal name, dates etc. with the phrase “S/he tried” and a family member added “S/he was very trying!”
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 18/19 February 2017
Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
Many thanks for all your good wishes and offers of prayer. If all goes according to plan, I should have arrived at hospital on Saturday 18th, and be awaiting surgery on Monday 20th. Anne has promised to keep you updated on my progress – I am sure you will keep her in your prayers too.
My grateful thanks go to all those parishioners who will be taking on extra responsibilities whilst I am away. To avoid being accused of invidiousness, I will not attempt to mention them all by name, but forgive me if I single out our Stewards of the Gospel for a special mention: among other things, they will be writing this letter, and preparing our Sunday intercessions. I am also thankful to those priests who will be celebrating our Sunday Masses: Frs Lee Bennett, Bill Nix and Michael Rear.
My thanks also go to Fr Michael Rear (01206 392695) and Mgr Bill Nix (07472 617368) who have kindly offered to deal with pastoral matters, including funerals. Please feel free to contact them direct.
In the case of general parish or administrative matters (both parishes) could you please contact Jane Dunbar in the Parish Office. For all other matters; children’s liturgy, first holy communion preparation, confirmation preparation, sick parishioners, parish ministries etc please contact the usual co-ordinators.
And finally, during my absence, could you please forward all items for inclusion in the Newsletter direct to Jane Dunbar at the Parish Office, 129 Fronks Road, Dovercourt, 01255 503383 or Catholicchurchharwich@talktalk.net
May God bless you now and always, and keep you in his special care until we meet again.
Fr Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
Remember when priests always wore a soutane (cassock)? One day in that dim and distant past, a priest, off duty and in his ‘civvies’, was queuing at the bus stop. He saw a parishioner approaching: “Ah! Good morning Mrs Brown.” “Oh! It’s you, father,” she replied, “Sorry, I didn’t recognise you with your trousers on.”
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 11/12 February 2017
Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
At all Masses this weekend I shall read a letter from Pope Francis, in which he speaks of the 11th February (The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) as a day for the sick and for those who care for them.
The Pope writes movingly of the gaze of Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted, the one who brightens the face of the Church in her daily commitment to the suffering and those in need. He writes of Christ, the Son of God born of Mary, as the expression of God’s merciful omnipotence, which is made manifest in our life – above all when that life is frail, pain-filled, humbled, marginalized and suffering – and fills it with the power of hope that can sustain us and enable us to get up again.
It is the Pope’s wish that the World Day of the Sick may inspire renewed efforts to defend the integrity and dignity of persons, not least through a correct approach to bioethical issues, the protection of the vulnerable and the protection of the environment.
May the God of love and compassion bless you now and always.
Fr Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
A little girl saying her bedtime prayers:
‘Dear God, please bless Mummy and Daddy and our cat Tibbles. And look after yourself, otherwise we’re all up the creek. Amen.’ (my thanks to Fr Bill for this one)
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 4/5 February 2017
Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
At all Masses next weekend I will read a letter from Pope Francis, in which he speaks of the 11th February being the 25th World Day of the Sick. This ‘day’ was instituted by Pope St John Paul II in 1992, and first celebrated in Lourdes on 11 February 1993. It is a day when we can pray with special fervour for the sick, for those who suffer and for those who work to alleviate suffering – families, health workers and volunteers. The Pope goes on to remind us that this celebration also gives the Church renewed spiritual energy for carrying out ever more fully that fundamental part of her mission which includes serving the poor, the infirm, the suffering, the outcast and the marginalized.
This coming Saturday, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the principal patron of our Diocese, is also the beginning of the diocese’s centenary year. To mark this significant day, the bishop is asking each parish to hold a period of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Accordingly, in both parishes there will be a period of Adoration following the Saturday morning Mass (at which there will be anointing of the sick). This Mass will be that of Our Lady of Lourdes. Please come along and unite yourself in prayer, together with all the other parishes, for our diocese and for all the sick and those who work to alleviate pain and suffering.
May God bless you, and may Our Lady of Lourdes pray for you.
Fr Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
A young priest, trying to wake up his sleepy congregation, suddenly interrupted his homily with the words, ‘I remember the time when I was in the arms of another man’s wife!’ Everyone sat up. ‘She was the wife of my father,’ he added to chuckles from the congregation.
His elderly bishop heard of this, and decided the joke would make an excellent introduction to his next homily. He stood up in a packed cathedral; ‘I remember the time when I was in the arms of another man’s wife,’ he began, with great aplomb. Then there was a long pause. The bishop stammered, ‘Just for the moment, I can’t remember whose wife she was!’
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 28/29 January 2017
Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
In our quest for happiness we seek all sorts of things, some more worthy than others. This search can lead us to explore such things as greed, drugs, alcohol, casual sex, personal possessions. Our first reading today makes a specific suggestion as to what we, as Catholic Christians, should be seeking. We are to ‘seek the Lord.’ It is in this that we find all we truly need.
All well and good, but where do we begin looking? We begin, the reading tells us, by looking at our own lives. He is to be found in integrity and humility – we find him by living a certain way.
Humility is clearly important. Our second reading is addressed to those who are humble, and, in our Gospel reading, we hear Jesus commend those who live good lives. Not those who are fortunate in the eyes of the world, but those who are truly humble and Godly.
May the Lord give you peace,
Fr Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
One chap joined a Trappist Order where the rule was that only four words could be spoken every five years to the abbot, on the anniversary of joining the monastery.
On the first occasion, the monk said: ‘I hate the food.’ The second time he said: ‘My bed is uncomfortable.’ The third time, after 15 years, he said: ‘I want to leave.’
The Abbot said: ‘Thank God for that. You’ve done nothing but moan ever since you got here.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Racial Justice Sunday 21/22 January 2017
Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
The gospel today is St Matthew’s description of the start of the ministry of Jesus. In order to get across the significance of the change that was taking place he describes it as akin to switching on a light. ‘The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light.’
People who lived in fear were introduced to a God of love. People who were full of guilt for past sins were introduced to a God of forgiveness. People who were oppressed and weighed down were introduced to a God of hope. This is the path travelled by all who hear the call of Jesus to repent – something which isn’t just a change of mind, but a change of mind and heart, a complete turning around of a person’s life, their outlook and their attitude to God and to others.
If we truly repent (and allow the light into our lives) we not only become specially blessed, but also become a blessing to those around us. We truly become a Christ in our own time.
May the Lord grant you peace,
Fr Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
Church member to minister: ‘You’ll never know what your sermon meant to me. It was like water to a drowning man.’