Our Lady Queen of Heaven
Catholic Church, Harwich, Essex

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.