JUNE IS THE MONTH OF THE SACRED HEART
CORPUS CHRISTI/ TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Dear parishioners,
CORPUS CHRISTI: RECEIVING THE BODY OF CHRIST WITH LOVE & DEVOTION.
This Sunday we celebrate the great feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ given to us in the Sacrifice of the Mass and fittingly on this day, having made their first confessions, our children will be making their first holy communion, receiving the Body of Christ for the first time.
The servant of God, Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote:
‘ The mass is the crowning act of Christian worship. A pulpit in which the words of our Lord are repeated does not unite us to him; a choir in which sweet sentiments are sung brings us no closer to his Cross than to his garments. A temple without an altar of sacrifice is non-existent among primitive peoples, and is meaningless among Christians. And so in the Catholic Church the altar, and not the pulpit or the choir or the organ is centre of worship, for there is re-enacted the memorial of his Passion. Its value does not depend on him who says it, or on him who hears it; it depends on Him who is the one high priest and victim, Jesus Christ our Lord. With him we are united, in spite of our nothingness; in a certain sense, we lose our individuality for the time being; we unite our intellect and will, our heart and our soul, our body and our blood, so intimately with Christ, that the Heavenly Father sees not so much us with our imperfection, but rather sees us in Him, the Beloved son in whom he is well pleased. The Mass is for that reason the greatest event in the history of mankind; the only Holy act which keeps the wrath of God from a sinful world, because it holds the Cross between heaven and earth, thus renewing that decisive moment when our sad and tragic humanity journeyed suddenly forth to the fullness of supernatural life’.
You might well think that we would all be falling to our knees before such an awesome mystery.
The Eucharist is, it can be said, the Sacrament of the Cross, for at the Mass, the Sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross is offered to God the Father and his Body given up for us and Blood poured out for our salvation. Before this we kneel in awe. And at Holy Communion, Catholics visibly demonstrate the belief that we receive the Body of Christ by kneeling too. This demonstrates our humility before God. Catholics will also receive Holy Communion on the tongue: this expresses our belief that we do not feed ourselves but that the Eucharist is given to us by God, that what is given to us is not any food, but the Bread from Heaven, the Body of Christ. To receive Holy Communion KNEELING ON THE TONGUE demonstrates to God and to the world our love and adoration of Jesus Christ, whose body was given to us and whose blood was poured out for us on the Cross. This is a witness to the world, to our children, but even more to many baptised Catholics who no longer believe in the Body of Christ in today’s church. By receiving Holy Communion kneeling on the tongue, we actively participate in the mass by helping to make visible through our actions that at Holy Communion, we are receiving the Most Holy Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
And so what does receiving Holy Communion standing and in the hand demonstrate? What belief does it communicate to the world and to our young ones? Of course, it is not bad in itself, nor good either although it is greatly open to abuse which I have personally witnessed often and saddens me too much to recall here. It is indeed, the way we would eat anything at all, like peanuts in one hand fed to the mouth by the other. It is without symbolism and demonstrates no particular belief in anything at all and shows no particular love, no humility, no intimacy, no adoration, no reverence, no care. It is a normal, neutral action. And of course, it is easy. It requires no pause for thought and little physical action and we like things that are easy and require no mental effort. And humility can be particularly difficult, even before God. And so, it has to be said, for those who are attached to receiving on the hand in the modern mass, it is not bad, because it demonstrates, symbolises and expresses absolutely nothing at all. But for those who outright reject kneeling and receiving the Body of Christ on the tongue, what are the reasons given? What does this say about their catholic belief? We clearly understand why Martin Luther introduced communion in the hands: communion on the hand for protestants was a deliberate act of rejection of the catholic belief in the sacrifice of the mass and transubstantiation, so what does it say about our belief in the Eucharist today?
As a Eucharistic community, which is what this parish is, the heart of which is the sacrifice of the mass daily offered in our church, our catholic belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist may be visibly demonstrated and witnessed in the simple and most typical catholic way of receiving Holy Communion kneeling on the tongue. Pray about it. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Yes, it can be hard to demonstrate love and humility because our inhibitions can be very strong. Pray about it and the Holy Spirit of Love will ‘bend the stubborn heart and will, melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray’ and so lead us to that venerable, most catholic and visible demonstration of our love and adoration of the Body of Christ, Corpus Christi, in the Sacrifice of the Mass in our parish. For our children above all, let’s visibly demonstrate and pass on our faith in the Lord’s greatest gift to us. They will notice and they won’t forget.
(The quotation from Archbishop Fulton Sheen is on page 95 of ‘THE CATHOLIC MASS: STEPS TO RESTORE THE CENTRALITY OF GOD IN THE LITURGY’ by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Highly recommended reading. Available through Amazon)
CHANT DAY.
Join us at St Thomas More for a day of practice with a priest from the Birmingham Oratory, in singing the praise of God through the privileged form of Gregorian Chant. We are concentrating on the mass setting for Our Lady and antiphons and hymns in her honour. The day begins with Holy Mass at 10.00 a.m. and includes coffee and a three-course lunch. You need to book, so please go to the website of the Association for Latin in the Liturgy and book your place. Cost for the day and meal £20.00. Click buy now.
‘ ‘Mass of the Ages’ Film on YouTube
On Ascension Day, the second of three instalments of ‘Mass of the Ages’ , two years in the making, was released on YouTube. These are films, each about an hour long, which have been funded by the donations of ordinary catholics and are of a high quality. Each episode of Mass of the Ages is not released on YouTube until it has first been released at cinemas in the USA.
Part 1, which many of you have seen, answers the questions ‘Why are people drawn to the Traditional Latin Mass? Why do families travel miles and miles to get to one? Why and how does it change and enrich people’s spiritual lives? Such questions as these are answered by a variety of people who give moving testimony to the spiritual power of Catholic Tradition and episode 1 has now been watched by millions of people. Mass of the Ages ‘Discover the Traditional Latin Mass’ Episode 1 can be viewed on:
Part 2, released on Ascension Day, answers such questions as ‘If the Traditional Latin Mass is so powerful, why was it changed? Is the new mass just a modernised version of the old mass? Can we see a continuity between the two? Why do some people think the new mass is not in evolutionary line with Catholic tradition but something revolutionary (this is clearly illustrated with a diagram of a growing tree and the growth of its branches and what it looked like after 1970). Who wrote the new mass? What motivated him/ them to write it and who was it written for? What’s the connection between children’s cartoon music and a certain modern setting of the mass? Some of the answers to these questions may lead you to ask more questions. I’m happy to discuss any points with you. Mass of the Ages Episode 2 ‘A Perfect Storm’ can be viewed on
CONFIRMATION 2022 Next meeting this Sunday 19th June at 4.00 p.m. in the House. All confirmation candidates are asked to attend the Chant Day at St Thomas More from 10.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. on Saturday 2nd July. The day includes lots of singing and a three- course lunch. Please confirm attendance with Fr Jonathon by email this week for lunch arrangements. All confirmation candidates can attend free.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION 2022. The parish party with presentation of certificates for all First Holy Communion children will take place in the church hall on Sunday 26th June. Please note that , sadly, there will be no procession of the Blessed Sacrament at Lesnes Abbey this year and so all our celebrations will take place at St Thomas More Church and Hall.
3.30 p.m. arrive at church in First Communion clothes for ( hopefully) a procession of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.
4.00 p.m. party in hall with First Communion cake and presentation of certificates.
‘Children’s Liturgy’ . This Sunday at the 9.00 a.m. Mass.
‘CORPUS CHRISTI’ PROCESSION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT. This Sunday after Holy Communion at the 11.00 mass.
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS. The feast this year will be honoured by Silent Adoration of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with consecration to the Sacred Heart and Benediction on the vigil of the Feast day on Thursday 23rd June, 7.00 p.m. Come and spend an hour or whatever time you can in peace with your Lord and God. Holy Mass of the Sacred Heart will be said on Friday morning at the usual time. It will be offered for the late Mr. Albert D’Silva who loved the Sacred Heart of his Lord and promoted this devotion. May he rest in the peace of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
A ( local ) DAY WITH MARY. Next Saturday, 25th June 2022 from 10.00 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians, Mottingham Road, SE 9.
Deaths
For all our brothers and sisters who ate the Body of Christ, the bread of Life, that they may be raised up on the Last Day. (Drawn from the intercession of the Funeral Mass)
Please pray for the soul of:
Christopher Brook who died on Saturday 7th May, aged 45.
Alice Carrasco who died on Sunday 22nd May 2022 aged 85.Her Funeral Requiem was on Tuesday 7th June.
Norah Brady, aged 91, who died on Monday 30th May 2022. Her Funeral Requiem is on Monday 20th June at 11.00 a.m. with committal at Hillview.
Robert Melville Cruikshank, aged 84, who died on Monday 6th June at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His funeral will take place at St Thomas More on Tuesday 28th June at 1.00 p.m. with committal at Eltham Crematorium.
May the divine assistance remain with them always, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.
MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR CORPUS CHRISTI/ TWELFTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME. Let us continue to restore all things in Christ.
Saturday 18th June Our Lady’s Saturday
9.00 a.m. Confessions
9.30 a.m. Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Novus Ordo. Colin William Routh R.I.P. with First Holy Communions.
6.00 p.m. Confessions.
+ 6.30 p.m. CORPUS CHRISTI, solemnity. (C) with First Holy Communions. Sharon D’Souza W.B.
Sunday 19th June
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 9.00 a.m. SUNG. With ‘children’s liturgy’ and First Holy Communions. The people of the parish.
+ 11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (with English Readings/ missa orbis factor) with First Holy Communions and Procession of the most Blessed Sacrament. Cedric Gontier R.I.P.
7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome.
Monday 20th June St. Alban, martyr, protomartyr fo Britain.
10.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+1100 a.m. Funeral Requiem for Nora Brady followed by committal at Hillview Cemetery.
Tuesday 21st June St Aloysius Gonzaga, religious, memorial.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Bernadette and Victor Fernandes T.G. (35th wedding anniversary)
Wednesday 22ndJune ST. JOHN FISHER, BISHOP & ST.THOMAS MORE, MARTYRS, PATRONAL SOLEMNITY.
The Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
+ 2.00 p.m. Patronal Mass at St Thomas More Catholic Primary for children and staff only.
Thursday 23rd June THE NATIVITY OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, SOLEMNITY.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Alice Carrasco R.I.P. (month’s mind)
1.00 p.m. Thursday Lunch Club.
7.00 p.m. Adoration of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction and consecration to the Sacred Heart.
Friday 24th June THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, SOLEMNITY.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Albert de Silva R.I.P.
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 25th June The Nativity of the St. John the Baptist. T.C.
9.30 a.m. Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. [Latin 1962] Christopher Azodoh R.I.P. (1st anniversary)
[+ 6.30 p.m. THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Tony Bass R.I.P.]
JUNE PRAYER TO THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS An oblation to be made before a picture of statue of the Sacred Heart.
O my most loving Jesus! I,____________, in order to show my gratitude to you and to atone for my infidelities, give you my heart, and wholly dedicate and consecrate myself to you, and resolve with your help to sin no more.
With my Blessings,
Fr Jonathon