Saturday 22nd July – Saturday 29th July 2023
- jonathonrouth
- Jul 22, 2023
- 4 min read
JULY IS THE MONTH OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time.
Dear parishioners,
The Darnel in the Wheat.
‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from? ‘Some enemy has done this’ He answered. From Mt 13, 24-30, this Sunday’s gospel.
The Church, founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, is the sacramental sign of his body on earth. Having called the apostles, He sent them out into the world to be the sign of his presence among human beings, bring all humanity to Him and so save souls from eternal damnation. This is the mission of the Church. We are built on Apostolic Foundations but this does not mean that all the apostles are saints – because significantly one of them, Judas, was tempted by the world to betray his Lord. The Church is holy, but we also live in the world and at various times and places, instead of going out into the world and calling it to Christ, we have let the world in and we become more and more like it. The darnel (weeds) have always grown among the wheat since Apostolic times, but there do seem to be periods in the Church’s history, when it gets harder to see the wheat for the darnel, made harder because darnel looks very like wheat. This suggests that not all that appears like the Church, is the Church. This has been the case with many of the biggest heresies and schisms the Church has faced through history. The greatest of false teaching, always sounds very reasonable and credible. The Lord also put it like this: ‘beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing!’
This week there have been three pieces from a variety of sources about the Church which are causing great concern to many and is now being noted in the secular media. These are voices which are not only those who have been deeply hurt by restrictions placed on access to the Traditional Latin Mass but from many others too. I thank the parishioner who sent me the SkyNews report, attached below (1) but you may also like to look at a summary of the current trajectory from Ralph Martin (2) and a report from the correspondent, Jules Gomes, in Rome (3). In a recent survey, it has been noted that only about 13% of people in Italy attend church, and of that 13% only about 3% hold Catholic teaching. This means that, incredibly, in the country of the mother church, only about 1% of Italians are fully practising and believing Catholics .(How does that compare, do you think, with mosque attendance in Saudia Arabia, the birthplace of Islam?) In the street where Mr Gomes lives in Rome, only one household attends church on Sunday and that is to an evangelical one. The clear teaching of the Evangelicals is gaining ground as the Catholic Church loses it, even in Italy, under the very nose of the Vatican, and many Italian Churches on a Sunday are attended mainly by migrants and not native Italians.
Now is not the place to explore the crisis of faith in the world, but to highlight the crisis of Faith in the Catholic Church itself. People are leaving it in droves, and the more we try to follow them by embracing the values of the world by ‘watering down’ Catholic worship, doctrine and morals, the less we have to say or offer or give them any reason to stay. What is the point of us if we do not preach Jesus Christ to the world and try to save souls for the Lord? St Paul says, ‘We will have none of the reticence of those who are ashamed, no deceitfulness or watering down the word of God: but the way we commend ourselves to every human being with a conscience is by stating the truth openly in the sight of God, for it is not ourselves we are preaching, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake’. (see 2Cor4, 1-7)
We have the resources to do as the Apostle says. We have the richest Treasury of Faith and Sacred Tradition to draw upon and which the people will find nowhere else than in the Catholic Church. Yes, as the Apostle says, ‘we are earthenware jars that hold this treasure’ but the treasure itself is sacred, it belongs to the Church; it is not ours to jettison to accommodate the world because our Sacred Tradition is from God and we must and shall pass it on.
This Sunday, our parish celebrates the confirmation of our young people and a mother and I have just booked a couple more baptisms this week. This is good news! In a world around us which is anti-Christ, for our young people to ask to be confirmed in discipleship of Our Lord and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is something to celebrate. We need to own the grave crisis in the Church and not pretend everything is fine, yes, we have to engage in spiritual warfare and not just reach for a nice familiar spiritual comfort- blanket, but we can also thank God that in our own parish, Faith, Hope and Charity are still alive. If we continue to live our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, in our love and witness to Him by attending Sunday mass, in our personal prayers and in our good works and be guided by The Light of the Lord in the darkness of the world, we can still rejoice.
(1)"‘Going woke, going broke’: Catholic Church losing members and lacking spirituality" from Sky news, on YouTube
(2) Ralph Martin - It is Now Unmistakably Clear Where We Are Being Led
(3) 1 in 10 Italians Are Catholic | Rome Dispatch
God Bless
Fr. Jonathon
UPCOMING EVENTS
ST THOMAS MORE GOLF DAY to be held Thursday 21st September 2023 at Birchwood Park Golf course, Swanley. Anyone interested in taking part please contact Tony Brooke. 07833707016. There will be the usual charity raffle attached to the day in aid of taking sick / disabled to Lourdes. You will be offered a chance to be involved in the raffle in early September.
PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES. Monday 23rd October to Friday 27th October 2023. Please contact the parish office if you are interested in joining us.
ESCORTED PILGRIMAGE TO KNOCK SHRINE, Ireland, 2nd October 2023. £699.00 per person sharing. Price includes flight, all transfers, 4 nights’ in Knock House Hotel with full board. All entertainment and excursions included. Day trips to Westport, Ballintubber Abbey, Croagh Patrick, Fr. Peyton Centre & National Museum. Single supplement £150.00. Contact Patricia or Natali on 01268 762 278 or 07740 175557 or email knockpilgrimages@gmail.com.
PARISH NOTICES
MASS IN CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE, Sept. 23rd, 3pm, at St George’s Cathedral
Message from Marriage and Family Life South East, RC Archdiocese of Southwark:
‘If you are celebrating your 1st/10th/25th/40th/50th/60th + wedding anniversary this year, please let your parish know as soon as possible, and no later than the end of July, providing the following details: your names in the format John and Mary Smith, your home address, the anniversary you are celebrating, so you can receive an invitation from the Archbishop for the renewal of vows during Mass. Spaces are limited. You can also get in touch with us at mflse@rcaos.org.uk As the title of your email, please write your parish location e.g. Clapham, Beckenham’.
PASTORAL COUNCIL:: Next meeting on Saturday 29th July at 12.00 noon.
THE TABLET The International Catholic Weekly. Four copies are available to purchase in the Narthex price £4.50. Please let me know if you are interested in purchasing this weekly and we can place an order.
THE UNIVERSE is available online but many people have requested a return of the paper edition. If you are interested in taking ‘The Universe’ paper, please let me know.
DAYS WITH MARY
1. Saturday 22nd July 2023 at St Anselm’s Church, Tooting Bec from 11.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
2. Saturday 29th July 2023 at Westminster Cathedral, starting at 9.45 and ending at 5.00 p.m. After tea and coffee, you are welcome to stay to attend the Cathedral’s Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m. and First Mass of Sunday at 6.00 p.m. Bring a packed lunch. Tea and Coffee provided. Recommended.
EXTRAORDINARY MINISTERS OF HOLY COMMUNION AND LECTORS - Formation Day 2023
Saturday 14th October 2023, 10.00 a.m.-4.00 p.m.
For Parishes in the Deaneries of Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich
Venue: St Stephen’s Church, 26 Deepdene Road, Welling, Kent DA16 3QL
If you are a lector or extraordinary minister you are encouraged to put this in your diary and attend it. Please let me know if you are going so I can let them know numbers.
FOOD BANK. The Bexley Food Bank currently particularly requests (please notice the new items at the end):
CARRIER BAGS/ TINNED TOMATOES / RICE / NOODLES / JAM / CUSTARD /TOOTPASTE / SHOWER GEl/ DEODORANT/ TOOTHPASTE/ SUGAR / WASHING PODS/ LONG LIFE MILK / BISCUITS / SWEETS- CONFECTIONARY.
Please follow the link below to view the food donations page of the Bexley food bank website. https://bexley.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/
Notice from Marriage and Family Life South East: Planning a catholic marriage? Marriage preparation courses are available by emailing mflse@rcaos.org.uk.
EXTRA HELP NEEDED FOR THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB: The Lunch Club are needing some extra help putting out tables and chairs and especially putting them away again at 2.30 p.m. Could you help us out with this?
BEXLEY CRISIS CAFÉ Experiencing emotional or psychological distress? Access mental health support and advice after hours. Open every day from 6.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. including bank holidays. MIND IN BEXLEY at 2A Devonshire Road, Bexleyheath DA6 8DS.
THE SOCIETY for the PROTECTION of UNBORN CHILDREN (SPUC) wishes to recruit a part-time Executive Assistant (21 hours p.w) whose role is to work with the Executive Director (Internal Operations) in ensuring the smooth and successful operation of SPUC's governance, administration and finance departments.
Duties include:
- Taking Minutes and maintaining accurate files
- Drafting correspondence
- Maintaining the diary of the Executive Director and coordinate meetings
- General administrative support
Salary details are available on request.
For a full job description and application form, please email jobs@spuc.org.uk or call 020 7091 7091.
The closing date for applications is the 15th July 2023. Applications may close early if a suitable candidate is found.
MESSAGE FROM SPUC
(The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children)
'Please contact your MP and implore them to reject the British Pregnancy Advisory Service's call to completely decriminalise abortion. BPAS successfully campaigned for the pills by post scheme (active during covid) to be made permanent. We argued that without proper examination women would be sent the pills after the cut off period. BPAS have done just that, leading to the death of a totally viable child and a prison term for the mother. BPAS have made a tool for people to contact their MP so we need to respond. There is advice about this on www.spuc.org.uk but no tool as it's important you use your own words.
Rob Hills
Bexley SPUC Branch Chairman'
PETITION: THE SOCIETY for the PROTECTION of UNBORN CHILDREN (SPUC) are collecting signatures for their petition against the UK government sending aid to China.
Over £60 million of taxpayers' money (your money) was sent in 2020-21 and all to a country whose population control polices have led to 30 to 40 million 'missing women', and which routinely imposes enforced abortion, sterilisation and infanticide on its own population, notably the Uyghur minority. The petition itself can be seen on the notice board and sheets with QR codes can be found at the back of the church ( or on the pews?) along with hard copies. Alternatively, please visit www.spuc.org.uk
Please sign and pray hard for our success
PARISH YOUTH NOTICES
‘SUMMERTIME 2023’: Altar servers and young people’s summer break, Tuesday 1st August – Friday 4th August at the Oratory School, Reading, cost £169. . A few days to meet up in a holiday atmosphere with activities including talks, discussions, prayer, daily mass, sport, a visit to Thorpe Park and swimming. For more details, contact Fr Stephen Boyle dartford@rcaos.org.uk . ‘Summertime’ is open to any teenagers up to 17years old who are attending mass every Sunday.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH for infants: The Liturgy of the Word for our little children will meet again in September after the summer break.
CONFIRMATION 2023. This Saturday, 22nd July, we meet at 11.30 in the church for confessions and practice.
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:
Bridget Daghini, who died on Tuesday 4th July, aged 79. Her funeral requiem is on Friday 28th July at 11.00 a.m. (TBC) followed by committal at Eltham crematorium.
Anthony Daniel Da Silva Modos, who died on 13th June 2023, aged 35. His funeral is on Thursday 27th July at Eltham Crematorium, following a Requiem mass at church at 9.00 a.m.
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 SIXTEENTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME
Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "to restore all things in Christ."
Saturday 22nd July St Mary Magdalen, penitent [TC]
9.00 a.m. Confessions
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary at home.
+ 10.00 a.m. Flory Pereira TG for \her 90th Birthday.
[+ 6.30 p.m. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Patrick Joseph Meehan R.I.P.
Sunday 23rd July
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 9.00 a.m. SUNG. Erlinda Nethercott R.I.P. (1st anniversary)
+11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (missa orbis factor) with rite of confirmation. The people of the parish.
7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome.
Monday 24th St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest.
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+9.00 a.m. Roy D’Cunha R.I.P.
Tuesday 25th July St. James the apostle, feast.
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+9.00 a.m. Melissa Goes TG on her birthday.
Wednesday 26th July St. Joachim & Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, memorial.
The Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
Thursday 27th feria.
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+9.00 a.m. Requiem. Anthony Daniel Da Silva Modos R.I.P. With Funeral Service and committal at Eltham 12. 30 p.m.
12.30 p.m. Lunch Club in the Hall
Friday 28th feria
The Daily Rosary at home.
+11.00 a.m. Funeral Requiem for Bridget Daghini followed by committal at 1.15 at Eltham Crematorium.
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 29th July St. Martha, virgin. [TC]
9.00 a.m. Confessions
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary at home.
+ 10.00 a.m. Hilda Fernandes R.I.P. (birthday anniversary)
[+ 6.30 p.m. SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME Lloyd & Sharon D’Souza T.G.
JULY PRAYER TO THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
