THE PARISH “FAMILY”
The idea of the family has always been an important one in our Christian faith. Jesus himself grew up in the loving care of a devoted family, there he learned to pray and learned the values of his parents. The Holy Family has been seen as an icon, or image, for all families and of the Trinity itself. From the Holy Trinity we learn that God is a divine communion of loving persons who calls us to share in a life of grace and mutual support.
The Church takes her identity from this communion and is herself a ‘holy family’ extending over the whole of the world. This weekend we are celebrating our parish feast day by holding a special family day at Willesden Sports Centre. This event marks both the importance of the families of our parish and also the sense that as a wider community we are also a family. This coincides with our novena of prayer for our family focussing on reverence for the lives of the unborn.
All that we do in our families, in our parish groups, amongst our Sunday congregations and in the wider community are inter-related. By the grace of God they feed into each other. We need each other. Through the Mass, Christ at the hear of our parish family, He fosters and feeds all our communities. The more we become aware of that the more he can build us up in joy and peace.
As our patron St Mary Magdalen can inspire us for she shared in the great mystery of living alongside the Son of God made man. Even though we live 2000 years later, we too are living with Jesus in our midst. He is at the very centre of our parish life in the Eucharist and also uniquely his image is in each one of us. By his grace we can know and love one another and by his Spirit we journey together with him to the Father. Each of us is called to have a special relationship with our Saviour and so to ‘carry each other’s burdens.’ (Gal 6;2)
May Our Lady, St Mary Magdalen and all the saints continue to pray for our parish and all families that we may share in the life of God.
The Church takes her identity from this communion and is herself a ‘holy family’ extending over the whole of the world. This weekend we are celebrating our parish feast day by holding a special family day at Willesden Sports Centre. This event marks both the importance of the families of our parish and also the sense that as a wider community we are also a family. This coincides with our novena of prayer for our family focussing on reverence for the lives of the unborn.
All that we do in our families, in our parish groups, amongst our Sunday congregations and in the wider community are inter-related. By the grace of God they feed into each other. We need each other. Through the Mass, Christ at the hear of our parish family, He fosters and feeds all our communities. The more we become aware of that the more he can build us up in joy and peace.
As our patron St Mary Magdalen can inspire us for she shared in the great mystery of living alongside the Son of God made man. Even though we live 2000 years later, we too are living with Jesus in our midst. He is at the very centre of our parish life in the Eucharist and also uniquely his image is in each one of us. By his grace we can know and love one another and by his Spirit we journey together with him to the Father. Each of us is called to have a special relationship with our Saviour and so to ‘carry each other’s burdens.’ (Gal 6;2)
May Our Lady, St Mary Magdalen and all the saints continue to pray for our parish and all families that we may share in the life of God.
posted by Sinead Reekie at 11:42 am