Our Lady of Lourdes,Newent
A Community of worship, love and service
Newsletter 25th July 2010
Catholic Parish of Our Lady of
and St Michael’s, Blaisdon
Priest in Charge: Fr Aidan Murray SDB,
Drumlanrig,
Phone/Fax: 01531 821647 aidansdb@newentbb.co.uk
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C 25th July ‘10
God is in his holy dwelling; he will give a home to the lonely, he gives power and strength to his people.
SECOND COLLECTION – DAY FOR LIFE
Diocesan Prayer Link: St Peter’s, Swindon
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Please Pray for the Welfare of our Sick People:- OUR LADY OF |
The collection for weekend 18/7/10 was £310-65. Many thanks.
Gospel Reflection for the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time -
Just Ask
We hardly dare to pray. Something in our psyche tells us that it’s a naïve activity, especially if we have had negative results in the past. A nagging voice questions whether prayer might be the last ditch strategy employed by the desperate. In truth many of us turn to prayer when everything else has failed. Sometimes we turn to prayer in situations where human endeavour has proved futile and we need a miracle. Today’s gospel gives tremendous encouragement to those who have forgotten how to pray, or who have lost faith in prayer, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
The problem with prayer is that we tend to treat God as though he were a genie in a magic lamp, asking him to help our football team score four goals in the closing minutes of a match, or help us win huge amounts of money to sort out our financial difficulties. Then when God doesn’t answer we imagine that he doesn’t care about us, or that prayer doesn’t work. Perhaps Jesus’ disciples shared some of our frustration when they say, “Lord teach us to pray.” In response Jesus gives us a model by which to pray. It’s important to recognise it as a model and not a prayer as such. Reciting a prayer is not the same as praying. The model prayer Jesus gives us, ‘The Lord’s prayer’, invites us to pray to God as our Father, acknowledging his holiness and praying with the shared commitment to have his will done on earth. We are invited to pray for our ‘daily bread’, in other words, for the things we genuinely need. Pray for forgiveness, and promise to forgive others. Pray with persistence. Prayer is about building a relationship with God, speaking to him often throughout the day.
Lastly, and most importantly we should approach God with the faith we approach a loving parent. “What father,” reasons Jesus, “would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?” or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?” Even parents with very average parenting skills know how to give children what they need. “How much more,” says Jesus, “will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Today we are invited ……. Just ask!
Day for Life 2010 - 25th July
“Lord, for your faithful people,
life is changed, not ended.”
Day for Life, initiated by the late Pope John Paul II, is the day of the year the Catholic Church in
Day for Life 2010 aims to present the Church’s teaching on death; it will highlight the importance of the Sacrament of the Sick, of praying for the dead and of accompanying the dying person as they journey towards God. It will also point towards the consoling presence and support of the community of faith and all of those who ‘have gone before us marked with the sign of faith’.
No matter how short it may be, or whatever its condition, every life has a purpose and contains a grace. This is why we should not allow ourselves to be persuaded that incapacity or impairment somehow lessen the value of a person’s life or make them less able to enrich others and give glory to God in whose image they are made and continue to grow. We do not possess our lives as we possess some material object, to be used and then disposed of at will. Life is a gift we hold from God, who not only gives life but redeems it. - You are worth more than you think
The Collection will assist the work of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre and other life-related Charities supported by the Church.
Sts. Joachim and Ann "Celebrating Grandparents" 26th July
In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the names Joachim and Ann come from a legendary source written more than a century after Jesus died.
Whether or not Joachim and Ann are the real names of Mary's parents, this date is a good opportunity to celebrate grandparents everywhere. It reminds grandparents of their responsibility to establish a tone for generations to come and it reminds the younger generation that older people’s greater perspective, depth of experience and appreciation of life’s profound rhythms are all part of a wisdom not to be taken lightly or ignored.
MONTHLY J & P MESSAGE No 70 –JULY 2010
Schools are closing. The kids are at home all day. Summer holidays are here, or almost here. So many things to think about and organise. Can't I give a rest to thinking about other people's problems? I've got more than enough of my own!
Do bankers and hedge fund managers take summer holidays? Isn't this the very time, when we are tired, and preoccupied with coping with all the variations in our usual routine, that's their very best time to push their betting on hunger. The public will never notice at this time!
The World Development Movement has alerted me about bankers from companies like Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital. They are betting billions of pounds on food and oil markets in secret, unregulated deals.
While they collect a tidy profit, their big-money gambling has made food prices around the world more expensive and more unpredictable. This directly affects millions of people in developing countries who often struggle to feed their families and are forced deeper into poverty.
The European Commission, French, German and
Ordinary people in this country and around the world rely on secure, affordable food prices. We need the Treasury to promote stable, transparent commodities markets.
WDM, (from whose convenient action card I've copied much of this material) is asking us to write to the Chancellor, George Osborne MP, HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Rd., London, SW1A 2HQ. Ask him to support regulations that:
1) Require all deals on food derivatives to go through a central, transparent clearing house, and
2) Impose tough limits on commodity speculation by banks and hedge funds who are not part of the real food economy.
To join with thousands of other people in this campaign will only take you 2 minutes, just to copy these two sentences on to your own note paper. Even in your present busy state, surely you can manage this!
(If you do have time for more, just go to www.wdm.org.uk/food.) Enjoy the hols wherever you may be! See you next in September. JMM
DISCOVER ….. YOUR JOURNEY WITH GOD
Overworked and overstretched? Before you book an expensive spa break or a holiday in the sun, why not consider a few days of tranquillity in one of
Peace, silence, comfortable accommodation and good food are more or less guaranteed. That said, you can generally call upon the listening ear of a resident monk or nun if a personal problem is at the core of your need to escape.
If the idea of several days alone in a hermitage hut isn't your thing, several centres offer courses, with themes ranging from arts and crafts to meditation, massage and yoga. Nothing is obligatory, and a number offer supremely comfortable accommodation that would shame many a country-house hotel.
The Retreat Association (www.retreats.org.uk ) has a useful website, or consult The Good Retreat Guide by Stafford Whiteaker
Summer Reading:
You Are God’s Plan ‘A’- By Dwight Robertson,
One ordinary life making a powerful difference: that’s God’s amazing Plan A. Using real life stories, Dwight Robertson shows how God’s exciting Kingdom building plan takes life literally in ordinary individuals. He explains how God calls and equips average, everyday people, even those who don’t think they have anything special to contribute to creative ministries that are as distinct and unique as the individual. (David C Cook Publishing ISBN: 978-1434764638)
Summer Viewing - The Book of Eli (Film Release)
"Eli (Denzel Washington) has been on a journey for 30 years, walking west across
It's Hollywood of course, so it's everything you might guess.... overstated, sensationalist, brash, violent ... but it does have something to say about religion – specifically Christianity – so if you like American action movies, this might make a good 'conversation starter'.
The Lord’s Larder:
We are grateful for the help and support we have received so far, and we now want to encourage people to purchase perhaps one extra item when doing their shopping and donate it via the collection points.
ALSO: There are opportunities to act as a volunteer for the project. Could you offer to help with:
· transporting food from collection points (Monday mornings)
· stacking shelves on Mondays 10.30 – 12.30
· meeting with clients and issuing food when we are open
· praying for the project
Put your name on the list in the blue box…..or if you would like further information, please contact St. Mary’s Church Office on 01531 821641.
PAPAL VISIT:
We have filled our allocated 11 places for Hyde Park and 8 for the Mass in
From a newspaper report we gather that: Four schools from the county are planning to attend the Big Assembly – an open-air event in London during the Pope's four-day visit to the
Fr Michael McAndrew, papal visit co-ordinator for the Clifton Diocese, said the experience would be something the young Catholics would never forget. "This will not happen again very soon, so it is really important," he said. "The last visit by John Paul II was in 1982. I was there and, as a young man, the experience was simply amazing. Just being surrounded by so many people of faith was something I had never experienced before.
"Catholics make up a fifth of the world's population and the Pope is our spiritual leader. His coming to Britain when we have a relatively small population is very special and not something to miss."
A letter was sent out to every school in Gloucestershire inviting them to take part in the Big Assembly on September 17. Christ College in Cheltenham, St Peter's Catholic primary and high schools in
Mr McAndrew said: "There will be about 3,000 young people in the assembly, all aged between five and 18.
As well as the Big Assembly, the Pope will also attend an open-air vigil of prayer in
"As far as the legacy goes, we will have to wait and see. It is the personal experience that the Pope will bring. People will really get a chance to see his personality.
Putting a Price on Stay-at-Home Mothers :
A mother’s work is never done and it is also hugely undervalued, according to a new study. It would cost around €60,000 a year to replace the work done by a typical multi-tasking mother. This includes jobs such as cooking, housekeeping, providing transport for children as well as being an event planner and gardener.
Replacing the housekeeping work done by a typical mother alone would cost almost €8,000 a year, the study by Caledonian Life reveals. Stay-at-home mothers perform a large range of tasks that include everything from being a tutor to schoolchildren, to acting as a psychologist to troubled teenagers.
Insurer Caledonian Life concluded that replacing a homemaker costs an arm and a leg. The national average spent on childcare alone works out at €8,000 a year. Replacing the housekeeping duties carried out by a mother or father who works in the home would come to €150 a week, based on around 10 hours a week at an hourly rate of €10. Over a year, this works out at €7,800. Seven hours a week spent cooking, at €25 an hour, works out at €175 or €9,100 a year.
Mr Dyer added that, if nothing else, the home economics study should give a better appreciation of the work carried out by mothers or fathers in the home. (Irish Independent. July 6th )
This Week Psalter 1
Mon. 26th July Feast of Ss Joachim and Anne
FANNING THE FLAME
10.00am Mass with Morning Prayer …Adoration till 11.00am
5.30pm Legion of Mary
Articles for August Newsletter ASAP
Tues. 27th July 9.40am Rosary
10.00am Mass ……Adoration till 11.00am
Wed. 28th July 9.45am Rosary
10.00am Mass with Morning Prayer
Coffee ‘n chat ….followed by DVD
Thurs 29th July Feast of St Martha
9.45am Rosary
10.00am Mass ……Adoration till 11.00am
7.30pm: Follow-up to NO GREATER LOVE DVD….
Fri. 30th July End of FANNING THE FLAME CAMP….
6.00pm Adoration/Reconciliation/Prayer
7.00pm Mass
Sat 31st July 8.30am Ecumenical Breakfast- All welcome
Followed at 10.00am by PRAYER GROUP with Tom & Colette 4.30pm Adoration – Reconciliation – Benediction
5.30pm First Mass of Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sun. 1st Aug: Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time year C.
5.00PM BOOK CLUB…. “What’s So Amazing about Grace”
All welcome!
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Fr Aidan will be in Fr Sean will cover the weekend 21/22 Aug….so that’s no problem. For the first weekend (Aug.14th/15th) we have Fr John Gilheney SDB coming by train from Farnborough. If anyone can help, please let Fr Aidan know. He will need to be collected from the station on Sat. and returned on the Sunday. Fr John was for 18 years an excellent Head-Teacher in the |
Office Address:
"Drumlanrig",
Ross Road,
Newent,
Gloucestershire,
GL18 1BG