Second Week of Ordinary Time
JANUARY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS
Dear parishioners,
Below is the obituary to Pope Benedict XVI by Bishop Athanasius Schneider released last week. It contains and endorses, more succinctly than my tribute last week, thoughts and feelings at one with my own, which also reflect a strong current of opinion in the Church at present. I recommend this to you.
The legacy of the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI. By Bishop Athanasius Schneider
With the passing away of Pope Benedict XVI, many Catholics felt that they lost a clear and sure point of reference for their faith. One can have the sensation of orphaned children. We can say that Pope Benedict XVI was a pope, who put at the centre of his personal life and of the life of the Church the supernatural view of the faith and of the perennial validity of the holy Tradition of the Church, which constitutes the source and the pillar of our Faith together with Holy Scripture. In this sense, the greatest and most beneficial act of his pontificate was the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum with the full restoration of the traditional Latin liturgy in all its expression: Holy Mass, sacraments and all the other sacred rites. This pontifical act will go down in history as epoch-making. Pope Benedict XVI states that the traditional rite of the Holy Mass was never abrogated and should remain always in the Church, because what was holy for our fore-fathers and the Saints must be holy for us and the future generations as well. In that time, as it was after the II Vatican Council, when there was within the Church an almost general movement of a radical rejection of the millennium old liturgical rite of the Holy Mass and therefore a rupture with the principle of the Tradition itself, the pontificate of Benedict XVI was worthwhile for having issued the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which began the healing of that wound in the Body of the Church; the wound which was caused by the attitude of rejection and hatred of the venerable and millennium-old rule of the prayer of the Church. In his spiritual testament, Pope Benedict XVI left us among others the following substantial short phrase, which I consider the most important of all: Stand firm in the faith! Do not be confused! We witness in our day, in the life of the Church, a process of a dilution of the Catholic Faith and of adapting it to the spirit of heretics, unbelievers and apostates by the specious and euphonic name of ‘synodality’ and by abusing the canonical institution of a synod. Such a situation is demoralizing for all true Catholics. Therefore, the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI, which is expressed in the words “Stand firm in the faith! Do not be confused!” and in his epoch-making Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, remains a light, an encouragement and a consolation. This pope was strong in faith, a true lover of the non-perishable beauty and firmness of the traditional rite of the Holy Mass, he gave primacy to prayer, to the supernatural view and to eternity. This legacy will overcome thanks to the intervention of Divine Providence, which never abandons His Church, the current enormous doctrinal confusion, the creeping apostasy especially among a worldly and unbelieving caste of theologians, who are the new scribes and among a creeping apostasy of not a few high ranking clergy, who are the new Sadducees. Pope Benedict XVI made shine brightly his episcopal motto “Collaboratores veritatis”, i.e. collaborators of the truth. With this motto he wants to say to each faithful Catholic, to each priest, to each bishop, to each cardinal and to Pope Francis as well: what really counts is the unshakable fidelity to the Catholic Truth, to the constant and venerable liturgical tradition of the Church and the primacy of God and eternity. May God accept the prayers and spiritual sufferings, which Pope Benedict XVI offered in his retired life, and grant for the future of the Church fully Catholic and fully Apostolic bishops and popes. For, as Saint Paul said: “We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth” (2 Cor. 13:8).
English is not Bishop Archbishop Schneider’s first language, which explain some features of his style. His superb book on the mass, called ‘The Catholic Mass’ which contains many thoughts in line with Pope Benedict’s ‘hermeneutic of continuity’ is available from St Paul’s Bookshop (on line or the catholic bookshop next to Westminster Cathedral) or through Amazon.
Prayer cards for Pope Benedict from the Archdiocese are available for you in the Porch (narthex).
That’s all. God bless
Fr. Jonathon
PARISH NOTICE BOARD
PEACE SUNDAY
As the Catholic Movement for Peace, Pax Christi relies on your support to continue its work of peace making.
‘The work of PAX CHRISTI is based on the gospel and inspired by faith. Our vision is of a world where people can live in peace, without fear of violence in all its forms. Rooted in Catholic Christianity, we work with all who share our values to abolish war and create communities of peace and justice’
Please pick of up your Pax Christi donation envelopes and return them next week.
WHITE FLOWER APPEAL 2023 The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) will be holding its annual appeal next weekend.
SPUC wants a world where abortion is unthinkable, and is raising awareness of the widespread problem of abortion coercion.
According to an independent poll, 87% of GPs are concerned that the Government's ''pills by post'' scheme leaves women vulnerable to coerced abortion. SPUC is calling on the Prime Minister to condemn this abhorrent tragedy.
Please be as generous as you can to help SPUC defend unborn babies and their mothers by highlighting this urgent crisis.
DIOCESAN DIRECTORIES.
If you ordered a Diocesan Directory, these are now available in the sacristy after mass.
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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOTICES FOR THE YOUTH OF OUR PARISH
DEATHS
MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
JANUARY INVOCATION TO THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS.