This Week's News

Thanks, as always, to Deacon Vincent for his Reflections for 5th Sunday in Lent Year A

1st Reading from the prophet Ezekiel 37: 12-14.
Ezekiel was most probably deported with the first set of exiles in 597 BC. Like Isaiah ( we think) and certainly Jeremiah he was a priest, who, like them was called by God to deal with the disaster of the fall of Jerusalem, and is asking the question, “Where is God in all of this?” so this is very much a book for our times. The short passage we have before us is just after he talks about a valley of dry bones and how God will rejuvenate them. Now God announces that he will lead them out of their tombs and enliven them and put a new spirit them. God will lead them back to their own land once again and then the people will know that he is indeed still their Lord. Ezekiel’s task is to encourage the people to realise that it was their sinfulness that caused their downfall, but that God has forgiven them and will eventually lead them back to their own land and they will be more obedient and become his Holy People once again. It sets the theme for today, “Once you were in sin and dead but God forgives and brings to everlasting life with Him.

Psalm 129.
This psalm is sung in despair and leads to hope and forgiveness and a restoration in the Lord our God.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8: 8-11.
This section of Paul’s letter to the Romans is dealing with two worlds, the world of death, and the world of the Spirit, and Paul emphasises what the Spirit can do. Paul gives a central position to the Resurrection in his argument. The Spirit is the moving force for the Christian movement, it inspires and draws us closer to God and encourages to become more like Jesus and spread the Gospel wherever we are.

The Holy Gospel according to John 11: 1-45.
The story is most often referred to as, “The Raising of Lazarus”, but there is a far deeper explanation by both Martha and Mary as to the mystery of who Jesus is, and in doing so takes us with them on this journey of discovery. Jesus certainly is a mystery, he delays two days, which appear as if he is training his disciples, but when he arrives, Lazarus has already been dead for four days, so the delay was meaningless.
Martha illustrates a depth of theological awareness and is clear in her proclamation of Faith in the Resurrection and accepts quite willingly that Jesus is the “Resurrection and the Life”, and her response is a wonderful declaration of Faith, “I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Now Mary takes centre stage, she reproaches Jesus for not being there when he was needed and starts crying, which in turn makes Jesus cry with her. This is one of the beautiful illustrations of just how much Jesus interacts with our emotions. He is not a cold aloof Master; he cares and shares our grief.
Then to everybody’s shock and amazement Jesus orders the tomb opened. Then he calls Lazarus out from the tomb. Jesus really is the “Resurrection and the Life.” We have a lord who is close to us in our sorrow and is anxious to take our cares away. We just need that Faith, which is what our Lenten journey has been all about. We are on this journey of discovery with the disciples, making the same slips and mistakes as them, so let us take heart and strive for the Faith, like Martha and Mary.

God Bless us all. Deacon Vincent.

*I fully acknowledge the assist given me by Nicholas King’s Study Bible in this and all my reflections. For his insight into the books and writings of the Holy Bible. He has been my inspiration and insight into the wonders of Holy Scripture. *

2 messages from the Marriage Encouter groups

Marriage Enrichment

I’m delighted to announce that we are offering a first Marriage Enrichment Retreat for married couples this coming May. Details at the following link and in the attached flier: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/a-great-mystery-marriage-enrichment/   Please do consider promoting this, perhaps especially to couples who have married in recent years or are approaching a first significant anniversary. The retreat aims to give couples a clear sense of the beauty and dignity of the marital vocation as an icon of Christ and His Church, whilst implicitly providing a response to the secular reduction of human love and the family, in order to try and build up couples in their vocation.  We also still have places left on the upcoming weekend marriage preparation course: https://christianheritagecentre.com/events/marriage-preparation/

Stefan Kaminski, Director, The Christian Heritage Centre at Stonyhurst, T: 01254 827329, W: www.christianheritagecentre.com, E: director@christianheritagecentre.com 

Marriage Encounter

We would like to inform you of the up-and-coming dates for our Marriage Encounter Experiences and the Engaged Encounter Experiences (Marriage Preparation):

Marriage Encounter Experiences:   13/14 May 2023 – online;   10/11 June 2023 - non-residential - Macclesfield.

Marriage Preparation ( Engaged Encounter):  22-29 April 2023 - online (over two Saturdays);   3/4  June 2023 – non-residential - Sudbury Hill, Middlesex.

For more information & to book please go to:   https://wwme.org.uk  and  https://engaged-encounter.org.uk
May the Lord bless all the work that is being done through yourselves and our thanks for all your support.

Marie & Paul Kennedy ME Promotion Team