AUGUST IS THE MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.
THE TWENTY- SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Dear parishioners,
He said this ‘’ When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour’’ (from this Sunday’s gospel: Luke 14:1, 7 -14)
God’s ways are not our ways. We know that from the gospel of the hired servants (Matthew 20: 1-16) in which the labourers who arrive at the end of the day receive the same wages as those who came at the beginning. It does not seem fair to us. It is saying that Heavenly rewards are given using different criteria to those we use on one another in the world. So too, this Sunday’s gospel goes against normal worldly values that accept the seeking of recognition and respect as normal. Against this world, the Lord tells us not to seek respect but to humble ourselves. However, it is a complex picture because some people may play a double game by seeking the last place at table in order to proclaim how humble they are and so gain respect for their great humility.
On Thursday at mass last week, we heard the words of St Louis, King of France to his son to accept tribulation as from God ‘if however, the Lord confers some benefit on you, you must humbly thank him and be on your guard not to become the worse for it, either through vainglory or in any other way. You must not offend God with the very gifts he has given you’.
Here is a future king being told to have humility in order to be great. A great leader whether secular or ecclesiastical, does not draw attention to his ‘humble acts’. If a leader chose to refuse a place in a palatial home that was a gift attached to his office for his use, his public refusal of the benefit may well be a vainglorious attempt at declaring his own great humility. In fact, it may be more humble to accept with good grace the benefits of office, perhaps bestowed by people over hundreds of years in love and honour of that office or its founder.
All holders of all great offices in church or state are unworthy. It goes without saying that beneath any crown, single or triple, and inside any palace is just another humble creature of God, a sinner. It may take real humility to accept the benefits of office with good grace and then live up to the honours bestowed. And if cameras or journalists are required to witness attentions bestowed upon lowly folk by great people, this could be a mere performance of humility to gain human respect.
It is the display of humility which is the problem. The Lord points this out when the gospel tells us of rich people who ostentatiously display their charitable giving but do not gain the same merit as the widow who secretly donates her little coins (Mark 12: 41-44). It is why Churches are often ornate and decorated with fine art, and the finest materials, sacred music and precise reverent ceremony are used for worship. Hang on! How can this be humble? It is to honour our king, Jesus Christ, whose feet were anointed with the finest of fragrent oils by St Mary of Bethany who knelt before him ( John 12:3) when yes, Judas was right, she could have sold it and given the proceeds to the poor. Those riches, given by the people to God to beautify his altar are actually genuine expressions of the peoples’ faithful humility before Almighty God. It does not show our humility if we fail to offer God the best we can and deliberately use poor materials, easy-iron polyester vestments, nice and even easier pop music, undemanding homilies that avoid anything ‘not nice’ like sin and overall informality in our worship: an example of false, man-centred and vainglorious sort of humility?
That is why earthenware altar vessels are forbidden unless perhaps a church is so dirt- poor it could not get anything better. The poor widow in Mark’s gospel offered what she could afford just as any church should offer God the best it can in materials and skills. Unfortunately, for a brief period in the seventies and eighties crude earthenware vessels were fashionable at some altars even by those communities that could afford better, but in fact all they proclaimed was ‘hey man, look how humble and down to earth we are!’ However, it is questionable how effectively those pots signified veneration of the real presence of Christ the King or whether those communities necessarily gave any more to the poor, even had they sold anything valuable in their churches and not thrown it all in the skip. This was the revolution, the great rupture, a demonstration that ‘it’s a new church! Out with the old and in with the new!’. However, in so doing they were forgetting the reverence of God. It was becoming a people- centred and not God- centred style of worship: an ever- increasing tendency of these times. This is in contrast to not so long before when poor churches really believed in the supernatural life of Heaven and considered it good to possess precious vessels to proclaim ‘Jesus Christ Our Lord, King and God is actually HERE at this altar’. A poor community possessing a gold chalice was not trying boast about how rich they were, but just how much they loved God and believed in his Real Presence in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and what devout Catholics they were.
An earthenware vessel may well be fit for us sinful creatures, but who are we to humble our Lord Jesus Christ Our Lord and God whose Most Precious Blood the chalice will contain? Likewise, in the clergy high or low, who is he to reject the honours and destroy the trust bestowed on his office by God and the church in order to display and proclaim his humble service to the earthly powers of this world? Through ordination a man is a vessel too, a channel of God’s grace and diminishing the dignity of the office is not necessarily an act of humility whatever the smiley appearance when the cameras are present.
‘Be compassionate towards the poor, the destitute and the afflicted; and, as far as lies in your power, help and console them’, St Louis continues. But that is complicated if it is for show purposes. The same applies to our acts of service for one another. Very often no-one sees. And perhaps no-one says thank you, well done good and faithful servant! Not all the most devout people in a parish get the diocesan medal. Such is life. But if we have faith we believe the Lord sees our good works and these merit rewards in Heaven perhaps more than any other good work and because of the thanklessness and mental misery of the task in this life. And sometimes in this life too, a leader in the church may actually take the first place at the Lord’s table in order to humbly take the last in God’s eyes. It is what God sees that matters: his eye is all -seeing and God sees inside us, behind the visage. This is as true of displays of humility hiding a tyrannical ego inside or displays of gorgeous ceremony and grandeur concealing true humility inside. We are assured that, ‘a humbled and contrite heart God will not despise’ (Psalm 50:17). The hiddenness of our good works in this life may have more merit with God than we can comprehend, perhaps more than the effects of the good work itself even, but that is because they are God’s ways and not ours.
DAY WITH MARY
Saturday 27th August 2022 from 10.15 a.m. at St. George’s Cathedral.
ST BERNADETTE RELIC TOUR. September 1st – November 1st 2022.
The apparitions seen by St Bernadette in Lourdes took place over five months, and over the course of time, an intimate relationship of trust, obedience, and love developed between Our Lady and Bernadette.
In September and October this year, the relics of St Bernadette will journey on pilgrimage from Lourdes to England, Scotland, and Wales for the very first time. This very special once in a lifetime event will provide an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the special gifts and charisms of Lourdes in a church or cathedral near to their home.
The visit will provide people across our community of faith with a valuable opportunity for prayer and healing. To ensure the comfort and safety of pilgrims, and to allow venues taking part in the Relic Tour to prepare for the large numbers who will travel to them, individuals and groups are strongly encouraged to register their attendance at their earliest convenience choosing a free, dedicated timeslot at their chosen church or cathedral, as demand is likely to be high.
The reservation system is now open and can be accessed here: stbernadette.org.uk/the-tour/
Such is the importance of this tour, and such are the gifts of grace that will flow from these days that we hope that all will feel encouraged to visit. Please be assured that pilgrims who have been unable to register will not be turned away.
Details of the itinerary can be found on this page and prayers to support the tour are also there at: stbernadette.org.uk/prayers. However, if you have any questions about the tour, please feel free to get in touch at: contact@stbernadette.org.uk
Cardinal Vincent Nicholls says “The pilgrimage of St Bernadette’s relics offers us a welcome opportunity to bear active witness to our Faith, joining with one another across our many communities to encounter God’s love and find[BPP-STM1] spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing and renewal.”
The relics will visit our cathedral, St George’s, from the morning of Wednesday 19th October until the morning of Friday 21st October; they will also visit Aylesford from Monday 24th October until Friday 28th October. Please consult the website of each venue for further details.
If anyone would like to travel to the cathedral with me by train on Thursday 20th October please let me know. Otherwise, perhaps some mums and dads could organise small groups of families to go up at the weekend.
PARISH GOLF DAY 2022 We are just a few weeks away from the usual Parish Golf day which is on Thursday 29th September at Birchwood Park. There will, as always be a charity raffle to the day which will be available from Tony Brook after some masses.
Any enquiries, please call Tony Brooke 07833707016.
SOCIAL EVENING Enjoy an evening out at your St Thomas More Parish Club. Presenting a social evening for all the family, everybody welcome with Music by Annie Gee, Friday 9th September 2022, 8.00 pm till 11pm, Admission - Adults £3 at the door, Jenny 07710 527692 Mary 07749 197957
‘Children’s Liturgy’ on Sundays at 9.00 a.m. will be taking a summer break and will resume in the autumn term.
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.
THURSDAY LUNCH CLUB has now resumed on Thursday lunchtimes.
MASS INTENTIONS & CALENDAR. Outside of November, which is the month of Holy Souls when a certain number of weekday masses are reserved for Requiems for the Faithful Departed, you will notice some masses offered for Holy Souls. Very often this is because there is no particular intention requested for that day and a priest will perhaps have a ‘bank’ of Holy Souls masses to offer throughout the year which do not require particular dates. It does mean though that if you require a mass on a day when the intention is for Holy Souls, this can easily be changed to your intention. This happened on Saturday morning through some good fortune. Having said The Daily Rosary together, Josephine told me it was her birthday and because the mass intention was for Holy Souls, it could be changed to a mass for her intentions. A mass said for someone’s intentions is the best birthday present!
Incidentally, on Saturday mornings, we have the Traditional Latin Mass, which follows the traditional calendar and so we made the connection from the saint’s day to Josephine’s name. In the traditional calendar on 27th August, we celebrate St. Joseph Calasanctius, a great Spanish saint who provided the first free education to poor children in Rome in the seventeenth century. If Josephine had been born twenty years later she would have been a Monica. Anyway, Happy Birthday dear Josephine and may the prayers of St Joseph Calasanctius protect you always!
Making your donation to the parish on line:
NATWEST
ACC NO. 21361606
SORT CODE 517014
for the credit of: RCAS ST THOMAS MORE - BOSTALL PARK
Ref: Collection/ Donation
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:
Margaret Heffernan whose funeral was on Thursday 20th July.
Mario Pescatore, aged 89, who died on Friday 1st July 2022 and whose funeral was on Friday 19th August 2022.
Maria Rosa Fasano, aged 87, who died on Thursday 21st July 2022 and whose funeral was on Tuesday 9th August 2022.
Thomas Patrick Bromhead, who died on Monday 18th July 2022, aged 90 was on Wednesday 24th August 2022 (with Requiem said earlier)
Brenda Catherine Clarke, who died on Wednesday 20th July 2022, aged 78 and whose funeral was on Thursday 11th August.
Judith Cooke, who died on Saturday 20th August 2022 at the hospice. Her funeral will be at 2.00 p.m. on Thursday 15th September at 2.00 p.m. with a Requiem at church in the morning.
Hammond McCauley who died on Saturday 27th August at Bexley and Greenwich Hospice, aged 53.
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.
PRAY FOR THE CONVERSION OF RUSSIA!
PRAY FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE! IN THE WORLD!
&
MAKE REPARATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
with
FIRST SATURDAY FATIMA DEVOTIONS
Saturday 3rd September 2022
9.00 a.m. confessions
9.30 a.m. Rosary
10.00 a.m. Holy Mass
10.30 a.m. meditation
MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR THE TWENTY- SECOND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME.
Instaurare Omnia in Christo: "to restore all things in Christ."
Saturday 27th August S. Joseph Calasanctius, confessor. T.C.
9.00 a.m. Confessions.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary.
+10.00 a.m. [Latin 1962] Josephine De Silva P.I. (on her birthday)
+ 6.30 p.m. THE TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME. SAID. The people of the parish.
Sunday 28thAugust
8.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 9.00 a.m. SUNG. Erlinda Nethercott R.I.P.(on the fortieth day since her death)
+ 11.00 a.m. SOLEMN LATIN MASS (with English Readings/ missa orbis factor). Mr. & Mrs. Osco
5.00 p.m. An hour of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Our Blessed Lady: Parish Rosary, Litany of the Immaculate Heart, silent adoration & Benediction.
7.00 p.m. Parish Social Evening in the Hall. All welcome.
Monday 29th August The Passion of St. John the Baptist, memorial.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Lorraine D’Souza T.G.
Tuesday 30thAugust St. Margaret Clitherow, Anne Line and Margaret Ward, martyrs.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Angela Snashall in T.G. to S. Anthony.
Wednesday 31stAugust St. Aidan & the saints of Lindisfarne.
Daily Rosary at home.
NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.
Thursday 1st September St. Edmund Arrowsmith, priest & martyr.
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+ 10.00 a.m. Helen D’Souza T.G.
12.00 noon Thursday lunch club
Friday 2nd September feria
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. John Joe Corbett R.I.P. (for first anniversary)
6.00 p.m. Choir Practice.
Saturday 3rd September S. Pius X, pope & confessor. T.C. & FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTIONS.
9.00 a.m. Confessions
9.30 a.m. The Daily Rosary
+10.00 a.m. (Latin 1962) Oliver Mulvey P.I. With fifteen minutes of silent meditation at the end of mass on a mystery of the rosary. Any confessions not heard before mass will be heard after.
Confessions 6.00 p.m.
+ 6.30 p.m. TWENTY- THIRD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C). Richard & Jan W.B.
AUGUST PRAYER TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.
The Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, like unto the Heart of God, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, united to the Heart of Jesus, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, instrument of the Holy Spirit, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, sanctuary of the Divine Trinity, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, tabernacle of God Incarnate, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, immaculate from thy creation, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, full of grace, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, blessed among all hearts, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, throne of glory, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, most humble, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, holocaust of Divine Love, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, fastened to the Cross with Jesus Crucified, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, comfort of the afflicted, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, hope of the agonizing, Pray for us. Heart of Mary, seat of mercy, Pray for us
.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takesaway the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. Immaculate Mary, meek and humble of heart, R. Make our hearts like unto the Heart of Jesus.
Let Us Pray: O most merciful God, who, for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the miserable, was pleased that the Most Pure Heart of Mary should be most like in charity and pity to the Divine Heart of your son,Jesus Christ, grant that we, who commemorate this sweet and loving Heart, by the merits and intercession of the same Blessed Virgin, may merit to be found like the Heart of Jesus, through the same Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.
This litany was composed by John Henry (Cardinal) Newman shortly after he converted to Catholicism in 1845.
With my blessings, Fr Jonathon.
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