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Fr Barnabas' first School Mass

It was wonderful for Fr Barnabas to meet the school children at their first Mass together on Tuesday.
The pupils had written prayers to hang on their class prayer trees which were brought up to the Altar during Mass.
They led the readings and reflections beautifully and are a credit to their parents and the staff at St Augustine's Primary School.

Thanks Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

1st Reading from the book of Exodus 17: 8-13.

This rather crude story is to illustrate the power of prayer to God. It also illustrates how the Prophet Moses is not the power, he is God’s intercessor for the people of Israel, from God comes the victory. Israel had not declared war on the Amalekites; the Amalekites decided to attack the people of Israel, and we witness the completion of the experiences of Divine Providence. The early Christians reading this in Greek via the Septuagint translation would not have missed that Joshua in Greek is Iesous, which comes into English as Jesus. As stated at the beginning the real essence of the story is the power of prayer and trust in God, something for us to remember in this very cynical time.

Psalm 120

God is faithful, he watches by day and by night, the companions on the road to Emmaus are accompanied by Jesus, but they do not recognise him. This is a song for recalling before starting some difficult or arduous task or the commencement of a vocation. It is re-establishing our trust in the abiding presence of God in our lives.

2nd Reading from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy 3: 14-4:2.

Paul is anxious to convey to Timothy that in Holy Scripture we are given the tools with which to teach and refute, to improve and training the man of God to be proficient and prepared for any good work. Paul points to his own example in keeping going in the face of all sorts of difficulties. Paul knows he is nearing the end of his earthly life and wants to pass on as much as he can to Timothy of his own experience. He is encouraging Timothy to keep running the race to gain the imperishable crown that awaits the loyal servant. We can almost feel the urgency with which Paul is conveying this message to Timothy and ourselves, as his awareness that the end of his life is imminent. If Holy Scripture was the foundation of Paul’s life in Christ, how much more should we follow his example and pray the Scriptures to form our lives.

The Holy Gospel according to Luke 18: 1-8.

We continue the theme of prayer as we listen to Jesus encouraging us to keep praying and not to relent. This story is only found in Luke’s Gospel, and it is beautifully crafted. In my translation the judge is worried that the widow will come and give him a black eye. What a wonderful vision. She is looking for justice, and Jesus is saying that God will give justice and if he is slow to act on our behalf, don’t give up, keep praying. The ending of this parable conveys Jesus’ sorrow that at his coming the Old Testament seems to end with failure, few believed in him and later most were influenced by the confusion, the false saviours, and the violence which precipitated the fall of the nation forty years after the death of Jesus. Let’s make sure that when he does come again, he will find us burning brightly with our lamps well-trimmed and with plenty of oil. May God give us the grace and inspiration to keep running the race and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to the world around us.

God Bless us all on our journey. Deacon Vincent.

St Augustine's Primary School VACANCY:

A Cleaner is wanted for 15 hrs a week: 3:30-6:30pm on weekdays.

If you are interested in joining their friendly team please call the office on 01454 866690 for information or to apply.