Saturday 28th June - Sunday 6th July 2025
- bostallpark
- Jun 27
- 8 min read
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL
PETER’S PENCE SUNDAY 29TH JUNE 2025
ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE BY POPE JOHN PAUL II (part 4)
CONTEMPLATING CHRIST WITH MARY
9. “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2). The Gospel scene of Christ's transfiguration, in which the three Apostles Peter, James and John appear entranced by the beauty of the Redeemer, can be seen as an icon of Christian contemplation. To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendour definitively revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father: this is the task of every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one of us. In contemplating Christ's face we become open to receiving the mystery of Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2Cor 3:18).
10. The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger” (Lk2:7).
Thereafter Mary's gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana (cf. Jn 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple (cf. Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).
11. Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life.
Even now, amid the joyful songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.
12. The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words' (Mt 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed”. (14)
It is worth pausing to consider this profound insight of Paul VI, in order to bring out certain aspects of the Rosary which show that it is really a form of Christocentric contemplation.
13. Mary's contemplation is above all a remembering. We need to understand this word in the biblical sense of remembrance (zakar) as a making present of the works brought about by God in the history of salvation. The Bible is an account of saving events culminating in Christ himself. These events not only belong to “yesterday”; they are also part of the “today” of salvation. This making present comes about above all in the Liturgy: what God accomplished centuries ago did not only affect the direct witnesses of those events; it continues to affect people in every age with its gift of grace. To some extent this is also true of every other devout approach to those events: to “remember” them in a spirit of faith and love is to be open to the grace which Christ won for us by the mysteries of his life, death and resurrection.
Consequently, while it must be reaffirmed with the Second Vatican Council that the Liturgy, as the exercise of the priestly office of Christ and an act of public worship, is “the summit to which the activity of the Church is directed and the font from which all its power flows”, (15) it is also necessary to recall that the spiritual life “is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. Christians, while they are called to prayer in common, must also go to their own rooms to pray to their Father in secret (cf. Mt 6:6); indeed, according to the teaching of the Apostle, they must pray without ceasing (cf.1Thes 5:17)”. (16) The Rosary, in its own particular way, is part of this varied panorama of “ceaseless” prayer. If the Liturgy, as the activity of Christ and the Church, is a saving action par excellence, the Rosary too, as a “meditation” with Mary on Christ, is a salutary contemplation. By immersing us in the mysteries of the Redeemer's life, it ensures that what he has done and what the liturgy makes present is profoundly assimilated and shapes our existence. To be continued.
PARISH NOTICES
ALTAR SERVER RECRUITMENT.
We are looking for altar servers to join our team. This invitation is open to all boys and girls who have received their First Holy Communion.
Please speak to the parish priest for more information.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DEANERY JUBILEE YEAR PILGRIMAGE ON 5TH JULY.
A pilgrimage is a physical journey that we make to a holy or sacred place and which we use to reflect upon some aspect of our inner journeys. We might have a decision to make, an act of thanksgiving to make, an act of penance, a prayer for healing (or anything) or we might simply wish to honour the Lord. For our Deanery Pilgrimage, we will have our Pilgrimage Opening Service here at 10.30am. We will then make our pilgrimage journey on foot (or by other means) to the designated sacred Jubilee Year Site, St. John Vianney in Bexleyheath, where we will join with the other parishes of Bexley deanery for our concluding service at 1pm. Maps and instructions are in the porch. There will be time to stop for refreshments on the way, and you can bring a picnic for lunch or try one of the many restaurants on the Broadway or simply leave after the service. It will be a day to bring before the Lord any special or long-term issues in your life or the lives of your loved ones. We will be carrying a pebble on the journey to symbolize that concern or burden we carry in life.
Please see the poster in the porch and sign up on the sheet on the porch table.
VOCATIONS DAY CELEBRATION with Marian Consecration on Sunday, 17th August 2025 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Bostall Park.
Highlights include Consecration/ renewal of Marian Consecration at 11am Mass, Gospel Music, Celebration of Priestly, Religious Profession or Marriage Anniversaries (1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 40th, 45th, 50th and above 50th Wedding Anniversaries. Interested couples should text their names to the WhatsApp phone number 07424269423 or email vocationpromotersGLAP@gmail.com), Speeches on Marriage, Priestly and Consecrated life, Entertainment & Refreshments.
Come, let's celebrate our vocations at the feet of Mary! Ave Maria!
For more information contact Fr Innocent Ezeonyeasi, Founder/Spiritual Director or see the poster in the porch.
SUMMERTIME 2025.
6th August – 9th August: Retreat to Westminster Pastoral Centre, £189.
For aged 11-15. Open to those who regularly attend mass on the weekend.
This event has been going on for more than 20 years and is a few days for deepening one’s catholic faith, in a great social atmosphere, including football, sports & a visit to Thorpe Park.
For more details of how to get to the venue, with a coach laid on at St. Anselm’s Dartford, see the parish priest for a form, or contact Fr. Stephen Boyle, chaplain to the Guild of St, Stephen, Dartford@rcaos.org.uk, Tel:01322 220075.
SOUTHWARK DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES.
There are still a few places available on the Southwark Pilgrimage to Lourdes from 22 to 29 August this year.
For information and booking, please go to www.tangney-tours.com/diocese-pilgrimages/diocese-ca/
Further information available from Bishop Paul (paulhendricks@rcaos.org.uk) or Canon Perera (edwardperera@rcaos.org.uk)
PARISH GROUPS NOTICES
BIBLE STUDY GROUP & RCIA.
We will be on a break until September.
LUNCH CLUB.
Meeting 10th July at 12.30pm in the hall.
UCM MEETING.
The next meeting of the UCM is Wednesday 30th of July at 7pm in the Porch. New members always welcome.
LEGION OF MARY.
Every Monday at 7pm in the porch.
New members always welcome.
MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
SS PETER AND PAUL
Saturday 28th June
W The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Holy Souls
R SS PETER AND PAUL
6.30 p.m. Holy Souls
Sunday 29th June R
8.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
9.00 a.m. Holy Souls
10.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
11.00 a.m. Aisha for Health & Wisdom
Monday 30th June
G Feria
No Public Mass Today
Tuesday 1st July
G Feria
7 p.m. Daily Rosary
7.30 p.m. Holy Souls
Wednesday 2nd July
G Feria
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Milla Goes WB
Thursday 3rd July
R St. Thomas the Apostle
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Aggie D’Sa RIP
Friday 4th July
G Feria
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.00 a.m. Mary Aikohomu TG on her Birthday
Saturday 5th July
G Feria
9.30 a.m. Adoration
10.30 a.m. Holy Souls
11.00 a.m. Deanery Pilgrimage
G FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
6.30 p.m. Mary Aikohomu TG on her Birthday
Sunday 6th July G
8.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
9.00 a.m. Cynthia Antao WB
10.30 a.m. Daily Rosary
11.00 a.m. Holy Souls