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Gospel of the Day (St John 6:22-29)

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, His disciples saw Him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with His disciples in the boat, but only His disciples had left.

Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks.

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found Him across the sea they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for Me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

"Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."

So they said to Him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one He sent."

Thank you Martin Le Poidevin for sharing your musical talents with us.

GrassRoots: Suicide Awareness

An important message from our Parish Project charity, GrassRoots, in order to help those who are feeling suicidal.

"Suicide is not inevitable"

Please ask for help.

Please talk if you are worried about someone.

Prince Philip RIP

An official online Book of Condolence is still open for people to leave a message, a selection of which will be shown to members of the Royal Family and all messages will be kept on the records for prosperity. This link will take you to the Royal Website

You can also see the official Order of Service from the funeral on Saturday by clicking here

May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace.

Amen.

The Sanctuary of Lourdes

We have heard from the Rector of the sanctuary that due to the unfortunate new lockdown in France, they are still not able to accept pilgrimages. So, until visitors from outside the local area are allowed, the chaplains will be offering Masses and Rosaries throughout the day which can be viewed either on their website https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/tv-lourdes/

or on their You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/LourdesWebTV

or on your smart TV You Tube app.

The rector is inviting all our intentions and petitions which again can be requested through their website https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/ . "This is a difficult time for all of us, but please pray for the local people of Lourdes, along with the Chaplains and those who serve at the shrine." The Rector assures us of his prayers.

Thank you Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for 3rd Sunday of Easter – Year B

1st Reading from the Acts 3: 11-15, 17-19.

This is Peter’s second speech, and we can see how he is growing in confidence, and he is transformed from the man we meet in the Gospels. This is how the Spirit works. Luke, actually, gives him the awkwardness of speech to let us know that it is the same Peter. Peter is talking about how the Spirit has worked through the scriptures from Moses, through the prophets to the present, when the prophecy of how the Messiah would suffer.

The Resurrection is the guarantee, if we are repentant, of the forgiveness of all our sins, and indeed the sins of the whole world. But Peter is insisting on a complete turning around of our lives, to live according to the commandments, and to realise that the people were responsible for the death of Jesus, and how the Apostles role is as the witnesses to the Resurrection.

This speech is also for us today. We have the opportunity to turn our lives around and serve the Lord as true witnesses to his life within us through the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 4: 2. 4. 7, 9.

This is a night prayer of confidence in the goodness of God and how he always hears our cries for help. We can sleep in peace knowing he is always near and ready to listen to us.

2nd Reading from St. John’s first letter 2: 1-5.

John combines the desire for us never to sin, but the realisation that, in fact, we do. He describes Jesus as the “Paraclete”, “The Advocate”, which in the fourth Gospel is the Holy Spirit. John also insists on the humanity of Jesus, and on his death, and how this is the expiation sacrifice, that takes our sins away. The true test of a follower of Christ is, do they keep the commandments and are they a people of truth.

It is a real challenge for all of us, and we all rely upon the mercy of Jesus to save us.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 24: 35-48.

This passage has two themes, that Jesus is different, as he can suddenly appear in their midst, and they are not too sure about him, secondly, he has a body with the marks of the crucifixion, and he can eat. Luke is telling us that the Resurrection is not just a feeling that Jesus is still with us, it is much, much more than that.

He is sending us out into the whole world to preach the Good News, starting at Jerusalem. That is important for us Gentiles. We need to comprehend that the Judaic people are not our enemies but the source of where the message begins. We should always be thankful for their preservation of Holy Scripture, which gives us the true scope of God’s merciful plane for those of us who acknowledge Jesus as “Lord”. Alleluia.

God Bless you all and keep safe.

Deacon Vincent.