JULY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST/ AUGUST IS THE MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.
THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Dear parishioners,
You Can’t Take It With You.
In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 12: 13 -21) the rich man laments his lack of storage space for all his abundant harvest. He’s got more stuff than he knows what to do with. ‘What am I to do? I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones’, he says.
St Basil asks,‘ Is not his cry like that of one hard pressed by poverty? What am I to do?’ The poor man in modern Britain may cry ‘How can I afford food, heating, clothing, a home? Of course, if we don’t have those things, the rich man’s problem seems like one we’d like to have. The immediate solution to the rich man’s problem is in his power, because in this life, riches give us the power of choice which poverty may deny us. The solution to his problem is in his hands. Remember what the Lord said to the rich young man who wanted to follow him?: Go sell all you have and give it to the poor, but the rich man went away sad, because he couldn’t let go of the things of this world.
For us, how do our possessions limit our freedom to make major decisions in life? Are we fettered in our decision making by our worries about stuff, most of which we never look at or use? This Sunday’s gospel may help us reflect on how we may free the mind by putting our possessions into the perspective of our own mortality and eternal life because true enough, we can’t take it with us.
Showing wonder, awe and reverence to the Lord.
Thanks for the comments regarding receiving Holy Communion on the tongue and for those are able, kneeling. This is the traditional catholic way of visibly demonstrating our belief that at Holy Communion we do not just receive bread, but the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, given to us on the Cross at Calvary and at every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To quote one senior parishioner who prays, ‘May we never lose our wonder, awe and reverence in Your Presence O Lord!’ , I hope and pray with her that as a parish, more and more of you will join in unity to show your wonder, awe and reverence to the Real Presence of the Lord in this authentic Catholic way.
Another parishioner raised a helpful concern about hygiene. The Host is placed, or gently dropped, on the tongue and there should be no priest – to - communicant physical contact. This is made even easier when the communicant is kneeling. It is noted by many priests that communion in the hand often causes more physical contact when people move their hands which then touch the priest’s hands. It is worth remembering too that during the pandemic we were constantly being told about hand cleanliness as we are more likely to have dirt and germs on the hands than anywhere else, and so on the question of hygiene it can be argued that communion on the hand may be less hygienic than communion on the tongue.
Regarding the hands of the priest, these should always be very clean for the Mass. He thoroughly washes them whilst saying a prayer as part of the ritual for vesting before mass, and they are washed again during the mass at the end of the offertory before he touches the host at the consecration. After the consecration, the priest will touch nothing else with his thumbs and forefingers except the sacred host, before his and the people’s communion. In this way, through the ages, the Consecrated Hosts have only ever been touched by the priest’s washed hands before being received by the communicant. Although our forefathers and mothers may not have known about bacteria, the traditional ceremonies of the church have always paid great heed to cleanliness.
Devotion to the Precious Blood
Our wonder, awe and reverence to the Real Presence can be extended this Sunday during one hour of Silent Adoration with Benediction at 5.00 p.m. This will include our July devotion to the Most Precious Blood poured out for us on Calvary and given to us at the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Bring all your worries to the Lord and come spend one hour in silent adoration in his presence. To be in the Divine Presence is the purest healing for the Soul and as close to perfect peace as we can get in this life.
DAY WITH MARY
1. Saturday 30th July 2022 from 11.00 a.m at St Anselm’s Church, Balham High Road, Tooting Bec SW17
2. Saturday 7th August 2022 from 12.10 p.m. meeting at the Friday Market in Walsingham and processing along the ‘Pilgrim’s Way’ to the National Shrine of England.
3. Saturday 13th Augsut 2022 from 9.30 a.m. at St.Saviour’s, Lewisham.
MEETING YOUR PARISH PRIEST. Following the good reception of the invitation to speak about matters concerning you in the life of the parish and the positive response to our conversations last week, the invitation is extended to the evening of Monday 1st August and/or Monday 8th August. Please come by yourself or with a fellow parishioner who worships here and talk with your parish priest and a pastoral councillor. Please call or email the parish priest to make the appointment, or speak with a member of the pastoral council.
VISITING THE SICK & HOUSEBOUND. ‘So vividly did St Camillus picture and honour the person of Christ in the sick that often when distributing food to them he thought of them as his ‘Christs’, and would beg of them grace and the remission of sins. Hence, he was as reverent before them as if he were really and truly in the presence of his Lord. Of nothing would he speak more frequently or fervently than of holy charity. He longed that it should take root in the heart of every man’ (from the ‘Life of St Camillus’ by a companion). Of your charity, please let the parish priest know if there is anyone housebound, sick and needing visiting. Visits cannot be made by the priest or arranged for another parishioner to visit, if it is not known who is sick and housebound, where they are and an appointment made.
LONDON CARIBBEAN CATHOLIC CHAPLAINCY invites you to THE ALL LONDON CARRIBEAN PILGRIMAGE and MEMORIAL to FR CHARLES GAILLARD to AYLESFORD PRIORY on SUNDAY 31ST JULY 2022. SOLEMN MASS AT 12.00 noon. See notice board for details of coaches and contacts or pick up one of the flyers in the porch.
THE LATIN MASS SOCIETY PILGRIMAGE FROM ELY TO WALSINGHAM. 25TH TO 28TH AUGUST. You are invited to join us for our annual pilgrimage to the Basilica shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Pilgrims arrive early on Thursday and after an early mass on Friday, begin the walk to Walsingham, arriving on Sunday. Family groups and individuals welcome. For more information & to register: www.lms.org.uk or call 020 7404 7284.
‘Children’s Liturgy’ on Sundays at 9.00 a.m. will be taking a summer break and will resume in the autumn term.
FOOD BANK. Don’t forget the Food Bank collection crate in the Church Porch! People are not managing to afford the basic essentials of life. If you can contribute some long life milk, canned food, packets of pasta, toilet rolls or any other non-perishable basics, you will be helping our neighbours in great need.
THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB There will be no lunch club on Thursday 28th July, Thursday 4th August, Thursday 11th August and will resume on Thursday 18th August. We welcome to the Church Hall for three weeks a summer camp for children.
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:
Robert Melville Cruikshank, aged 84, who died on Monday 6th June at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. His funeral was on Tuesday 28th June.
Margaret Heffernan whose funeral was on Thursday 20th July at 11.30 p.m.
Mario Pescatore, aged 89, who died on Friday 1st July 2022 and whose funeral will take place on Friday 19th August 2022 followed by committal at Eltham.
Maria Rosa Fasano, aged 87, who died on Thursday 21st July 2022 and whose funeral will take place on Tuesday 9th August 2022 followed by committal at Sidcup Cemetery.
Thomas Patrick Bromhead, who died on Monday 18th July 2022, aged 90 and whose funeral will take place at Eltham Crematorium on Wednesday 24th August 2022 (with Requiem said earlier)
Brenda Catherine Clarke, who died on Wednesday 20th July 2022, aged 78 and whose funeral will take place on Thursday 11th August at 10.00 a.m. at Plumstead Cemetery Chapel with committal at Woolwich New Cemetery (with Requiem said earlier)
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 THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME.
Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "to restore all things in Christ."
Saturday 30th July St. Bridget, religious, patron of Europe, feast/ Our Lady’s Saturday. TC
The Daily Rosary at home.
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO LATIN MASS TODAY.
+ 6.30 p.m. EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY. (C) The Fernandes Family T.G.
Sunday 31st July
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 9.00 a.m. SUNG. Remy & Betty D’Silva R.I.P.
+ 11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (with English Readings/ missa orbis factor). Johannes Franciscus Gerritsen R.I.P. (birthday anniversary)
5.00 p.m. July Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Silent Adoration, the Litany of the Precious Blood, Benediction.
7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome.
Monday 1st August St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop & doctor of the church, memorial.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Doreen Wilson W.B.
11.30 Baptism
Tuesday 2nd August St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Fr. Francis Capener R.I.P.
Wednesday 3rd August feria.
Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
Thursday 4th August St. John Vianney, priest, patron of parish priests, memorial.
9. 30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. John Asuen T.G. (on his twentieth birthday)
1.00 p.m. Thursday Lunch Club.
Friday 5th August The Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. Holy Souls.
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 6th August The Transfiguration of the Lord, feast/ FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTIONS.
9.00 a.m. Confessions
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. (Latin 1962) Alicia and Goldwyn Rodrigues R.I.P.
11.30 a.m. Baptism
2.00 p.m. Wedding
+ 6.30 p.m. NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME .Eileen Budd W.B.
With my blessings,
Fr Jonathon