26/04/2009

Many thanks to all who enabled us to enter this Eastertide inspired and (somewhat) full of grace, though our inspired celebrations of the Holy Triduum.

That is primarily of course the Risen Christ, but also the many who came, and the very hard work of cleaners, flower arrangers, secretaries, sacristans, singers & musicians, as well as children’s catechists (see some of their work on the back pillars of the Church), servers, collectors, readers and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. Thanks to you all from Fr’s Hugh, Nimal and Kieran for your very generous Easter offerings & for the other gifts and cards. May you experience the fruit of Christ’s work amongst us.

Two inspiring, May talks here.

1. On the ‘diaconate’ by a permanent deacon of the diocese. Michael Jarmulowicz is due to be ordained to this ministry on the afternoon 20th June by Archbishop Vincent Nichols. It will be his first ordination as our Bishop. (We remember we were lucky enough to have Cardinal Hume here fro his last public engagement. May he rest in peace).

This talk will explain what it meant to be a permanent deacon. It will we are sure be a fruitful event for the development of our community. It will very probably take place on the evening of Wednesday 13th May.

2. The popular Brazilian speaker Raymond de Souza will speak here on the evening on Friday 21st May. He is based in Australia but also a present for the American Catholic EWTN TV channel and Chairman of the New Evangelization Office of the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the United States and EWTN program host. He will be speaking upon “How can I be good today?”

Please pray for these talks and for Pope Benedict and his Vatican collaborators at this time. It has been a difficult time for him, and soon he travels to Israel.

OUR SOON TO BE BISHOP MAKES A REQUEST OF US

Challenge Government’s Likely Answer To “Soaring Teenage Pregnancy”: I.E.: Advertize Abortion On Prime Time TV
From ‘The Times’ For Good Fri. Last

The newly appointed ‘Archbishop of Westminster wants the 4.2 million Roman Catholics in England and Wales to take a stand against proposals to allow abortion services to advertise on television and radio. [... and ...] protest against any relaxation of the rules on condom ads.”

‘Last month, in an attempt to cut Britain's soaring teenage pregnancy rate, the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice announced proposals to relax the rules on condom advertising and allow pro-abortion services to advertise on television for the first time.

'Archbishop Nichols, who has already forced the Government to change its mind over non-religious quotas for faith schools and campaigned against gay adoptions, said that curr-ent television advertising for condoms demeaned young people by depicting “casual sex on the street corner” and “drunken sex”. [...] “I would appeal to Catholics to respond to the cons-ultation. Two of the principles put forward are that advertisements should be truthful & tasteful’

N.B. The Catholic emphasis, increasingly supported by studies (e.g. http://www.faith.org.uk/Publications/Magazines/Jul07/Jul07EconomicsOfSecretAbortionsAndEmergencyBirthControl.html ), is that the relentlessly increasing teenage STD & unwanted pregnancy rate in recent decades is more because of, and less despite the relentless government policy. During the same decades, supported by teenage magazines etc. etc. they have been giving teenagers the message that sex is basically OK among those who consent, especially if there is ‘love’ present – marriage and family are NOT necessarily linked.
Promiscuous teenagers are encouraged by the authorities, who proactively work hard to make it easy for them to get contraceptives (and also abortions), even without parental consent. So whilst condoms make it less likely that a particular act conceive, across a population their official promotion usually leads to significantly increased promiscuity. N.B. The “failure” rate of actual condom use among the underage is acknowledged, even by the very powerful pro-abortion International Planned Parenthood, to be about 30%.

To respond to the consultation please write to Committee of Advertising Practice,Mid City Place, 71 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6QT, United Kingdom. They would prefer for a proper consultation cover sheet to be used – see yellow sheets at back or www.asa.org.uk

OUR FORTHCOMING TRIDUUM

“TRIDUUM” as in this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Holy Week, the great week for Christians everywhere, while for others it’ll be a week to head-off somewhere and get away from it all. Our Holy Week and Easter celebrations will be the same this year as they were last year, they’ll be the same in 2010, and still we can “see” or experience something new for each Holy Week and Easter celebrations if we are willing to go the extra spiritual mile: how about reflecting on your own resurrection some fine day, after judgement of course.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the centre point of our faith and worship; Our Lord promised eternal life to those who believe in HIM and do good, He said to Martha “I am the Resurrection, if anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die (Jn.11:25—26).

Have you ever discussed with your closest friend or indeed with anyone about your spiritual hopes?. I suppose the very question sounds rather ‘odd”, spiritual hopes!! what?”, yet we like to talk about our “HOPES” for the future, things to look forward to ... a summer holiday, a wedding, a graduation, Ben-Hur-Live-in-the-02, a trip to Disneyland Paris, silver and golden jubilee family celebrations etc., all good life-giving events, but all very passing, brief!! Seldom if ever do we hear of someone who is looking forward to their own spiritual eternal rebirth or the moving-on to their own state of resurrection, as though it’s taboo (’oh no! ... talk about something else, but NOT THAT!’) and yet at least four times each month during our Sunday masses we say together ‘We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come...’ but do we really??. .we may look forward to everything else but as regards the joys of eternity “...gosh!!!?..’.

Why don’t you and I use this coming week as a week of grace, a week of reflection on the greatness of God, our eternal Father who wants you, me and all of us to be part of His eternal plan? NO! I’m not talking about Death, quite the contrary, I’m talking about Life with God, life in the Spirit, the-life-of-the-world-to-come, the life that will never end. Two weeks of life in Disneyland, Paris, is certainly something big to look forward to (if you can afford it! … and I would definitely love to go there, woh!!), but again what about life eternal with God?, is that worth looking forward. to?. .think about it, pray about it, make the most of Holy Week.

“0 Lord, help us to recognize that our troubles are slight and short—lived in comparison to the glory that is to be. Amen Fr Kieran