The Countdown is ON!
Join us on Saturday from 12noon until 3pm for our Countdown to Christmas Community Event.
We would love to see you there, enjoying lunch, cuppas & cakes, shopping at our fantastic trader stalls, playing games, trying your luck on the Bottle Stall or Gift Tombola, having a family photo taken at the photo shoot stall, or seeing the kids enjoying face painting, biscuit decorating, clay decoration modelling or visiting Santa for an early pressie!
Please remember to bring some cash with you as although some of our traders will have card facilities we are still very much a CASH event.
The charities and fundraising this year will be for;
Our Parish Funds
Our Primary School PTFA
Our Preschool funds
The Guides, Brownies and Rainbows
Our Parish Projects - Grassroots and The Patrick Wild Trust
The Polish Scouting Association
Thanks to all those groups and to the other groups helping to plan and run the event:
The Not So Young Club
The Prayer Group
The Romanian Orthodox Church
The Hong Honk RCIA Group
and the many other parish volunteers.
It will be fantastic to be back together after a few years apart!
Remembrance Sunday
We will be observing 2 minutes silence at the start of both Masses this weekend, with the last post played in Remembrance of all those who have died as a result of war and conflict.
We will also have a small garden of remembrance outside the church if you wish to place your poppy there at any time
Thank you to Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C.
1st Reading from the prophet Malachi 3: 19-20.
You might find this in some translations as 4:1-2. Malachi, we cannot be sure of his real name, but it is thought that it might be taken from 3: 1, “Look I am sending my messenger”. Malachi means, “my messenger”. Malachi has similar concerns as Nehemiah for the priests who neglect their duties and fail to instruct the people, people marrying unbelieving wives, failure to pay tithes. The exact date is unknown but thought to be after the Persians allowed the re-building of the Temple in Jerusalem. Today’s selected reading is from the section dealing with the disillusionment of the people. Those who persevere and do not despair will witness the “Sun of Righteousness rising”. It could be written for our times. The book is not very long and worth exploring, its format is as follows. God’s Love, then deals with the priests who despise God’s name. People who have embraced idolatry, those who are not serious about God, the Call to Return, and our section the disillusionment of the people. It shows us that nothing is new for those trying to follow God’s ways. We are in permacrisis always, the test is for our resilience and fortitude in staying true and passing on the Faith.
Psalm 97: 5-9.
This song continues the theme that, the Lord is coming, and the world will never be the same again. We should all sing and dance for joy.
2nd Reading from the second letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 3: 7-12.
One of the reasons for Paul’s letter is that certain Christians were thinking that if the Lord’s coming is imminent, then they no longer needed to work. Paul is completely opposed to any sort of indiscipline, so emphasises his own example and his assistants who when they were with them went out of their way to work and earn their keep, so as not to be a burden to anyone, despite the fact that they really didn’t have to do that. Once again, we see how the Church has always existed in permacrisis, it is nothing new. We must constantly persevere on the Way and be aware of giving good example to the young people, fearlessly passing on the truths of our Faith. Jesus Christ is Lord, he has risen from the dead, and will come again.
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 21: 5-19.
Here we have the prediction of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem, also it deals with what Christians can expect, namely being hunted down and cast out, sent to prison, and being brought before Kings and governors on account of the name of Jesus. You will even be betrayed by parents, siblings, cousins and friends and they will kill some of you and we will be loathed by everyone because of the name of Jesus. Well, there has not been one century since the birth of Christianity when this has not happened. The Church and its people must wake up to the fact that we will always be in permacrisis, for the name of Jesus. But we need to remember that we have the presence of the living Spirit of God within us, and he will guide us and help us to keep the Gospel message alive. God really is in charge, and he might be drawing us to a new vision, so we need to trust Him, and rely upon his infinite Mercy. As we saw on the road to Emmaus, Jesus was walking with them, and they did not realise it. He is always walking with us leading us to the Father. He loves us so much he left us the gift of himself in the Eucharist. Let us rejoice and be glad that he has chosen us as his family members.
May God grace us with perseverance in the midst of our trials. Deacon Vincent.
