Sunday 13 April 6pm St Peter’s Church Peaceful service of music & Lent readings led by the 9.30am Sunday Mass music group
“The devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory...If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” ’ (Luke 4:5-8) Each temptation that Jesus faces offers insight into the spirituality we hope to develop as we keep the forty days of the season of Lent. We can trust God to provide for our material needs. We worship God because God alone has dominion over us and our world. We can trust God to be faithful to His promises. Jesus’ rejection of the devil’s temptations shows that he will not put God to the test. Grounding himself on the Word and authority of Scripture, Jesus rebukes the devil by his confidence in God’s protection and faithfulness.
Family Fast Day is on Friday 14th March with the collection on the weekend of Sunday 15th/16th March . Envelopes and prayer cards are available this weekend at the back of the church. Your donations will help hard working people overseas to support them with resources, tools and training to stay safe and feed their families.
Eucharistic Adoration from Monday to Friday after 10am Weekday Mass until 11.30am On Friday is the Rosary for Life 11am - 11.30am
Tuesday 4th March There will be a mass and veneration of the Relic of the True Cross. On 17th April 1958, His Holiness Pope Pius X11 confirmed the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus on Shrove Tuesday. “I desire that My Face which shows My Soul’s deepest anguish. My Heart’s sorrow and love, may be more honoured. Whoever gazes upon Me already consoles Me. Every time that anyone gazes at My Face, I will pour My love into hearts and by means of My Holy Face, the salvation of many souls will be obtained”. [Our Lord Jesus Christ to Sister Plerina]
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Wednesday 5th March is ASH WEDNESDAY a day of fasting and abstinence. Ashes will be distributed at both masses. *********************** LENT is a special time of the year. It is an opportunity for us all to grow and come closer to our Lord. The time of Lent is especially important for the Stations of the Cross, we shall have it at 6.00pm which may suit people better. An extra Mass in the week is a big blessing, as we can dedicate it to our family or those we know who are ill. We are led to pray more, to sacrifice something at this time. So how about thinking more creatively? Give up some TV time or screen time on the mobile, and read the Bible or a prayer magazine. Change our TV time to looking at ‘The Chosen’, a You tube film series about the gospels of Jesus which has been highly acclaimed. Go for a prayer walk and visit a church or say the Rosary as we walk along. Just some thoughts to make our lives more Catholic, more spiritual.
STATIONS of the CROSS Every Friday during LENT at 6pm Different versions of meditations and prayers will be said each week
Jesus reuses the metaphor of the tree and the fruit but focuses on action or production of fruit, to reflect on people’s deeds. Jesus has moved from considering eyes, mouth and ears to the practical activities of hands and feet. No part of the potential disciples is exempt from attention. There is to be no blind spot. Instead, the transformation of the whole person is in view. By this transformation, the disciple sees, speaks, hears and acts in accordance with the way of blessedness that Jesus has just exposited in the beatitudes.
THE GOODNESS OF GOD The mercy of God, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, the voice of the Lord who speaks to us from the throne of mercy: Come to Me, all of you. Jesus: Be not afraid of your Saviour; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart. Soul: Lord, I hear your voice calling me to turn back from the path of sin, but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do so. Jesus: I am your strength, I will help you in the struggle. Soul: Lord, I recognize your holiness, and I fear You. Jesus: My child, do you fear the God of mercy? My holiness does not prevent Me from being merciful. Behold, for you I have established a throne of mercy on earth – the tabernacle – and from this throne I desire to enter into your heart. I am not surrounded by a retinue or guards. You can come to me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace. Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright. Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace. (Diary, 1485) (Reference: Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy in My Soul, Marian Press, Stockbridge, MA 01263, 2005)