Sixth SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year B
Jesus is never put off by our conditions.
Sometimes, life experiences can humiliate and make us feel unworthy of God’s blessings. During Jesus’ time, lepers were humiliated and forced to publicly pronounce themselves unclean and objects of defilement (Leviticus 13). From them, people turned away their faces.
God, however, reaches out to them and is never ashamed of them. In today’s Gospel (Mark 1:40-45), a leper came to Jesus and said, “If you want to, you can cure me.” He feared that Jesus would avoid him like others had done. He wasn’t expecting Jesus to touch him.
Surprisingly, Jesus touched him, and said, “Of course, I want to.” This would have been the first human touch he had in years. This touch responded to the leper’s need for love and reminded him that, regardless of his condition, he was loved and accepted. Within that atmosphere of a restored sense of being loved and accepted, Jesus pronounced words of healing, and he was immediately healed.
No matter how much our experiences may have coloured our self-worth and identity, we must always be open to commend ourselves to God’s unfailing love. In God’s healing and transforming hands, the scales of our shame fall away, and the shield of God’s healing love is restored in us. May we never forget that God is never put off by our conditions.
Happy Sunday
Fr Chinedu
ASH WEDNESDAY
This coming Wednesday 14 February, there will be Masses at 9am and 7.30pm.
LENTEN REFLECTION COURSE BOOKS
We Dare To Say Lenten Course. The books are now available at the back of the church cost £4.00 each.
MY DAY BY DAY Lent and Easter Booklet
Also available at the back of the church cost £1.00 each.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Stations of the Cross takes place here at the Annunciation every Friday at 7pm.
Cardinal’s Lenten Appeal
There is a box on the sanctuary for contributions to this appeal as well as envelopes on which you can Gift Aid your contribution. Funds raised this year will be shared between Marriage and Family Life, Youth Ministry, and Education. Funds are also used to support the work of Caritas Westminster, who work with some of the most vulnerable people in our Diocese. If you prefer you can use the QR code to make your donation on line. The QR code can be found on the envelopes and the poster. Thank you for your generosity.
BAPTISM PREPARATION
The next preparation session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised will be on Sunday 3rd March 2024 at 4pm in the church.
Evangelising post-Christian Britain
Monsignor James Shea Tuesday, 20th February 2024, 7 PM St James' Church, Spanish Place, Marylebone Tickets £5 Monsignor James Shea, President of the University of Mary (Bismark, North Dakota) co-authored the extraordinary book From Christendom to Apostolic Mission. In a lively lecture and Q&A, he will draw bridges between the different visions that the Church and the world have for our society, and suggest effective strategies to engage our own time and culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A and then refreshments will be available. Book your tickets at guild-ransom.co.uk/events
The Divine Mercy Apostolate
London is holding a Divine Mercy Lenten Retreat on Saturday 24 February 2024 from 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm at St. Lawrence Church,
1 Hamilton Road, Sidcup Kent DA15 7HB.
The Retreat will include teachings on the Message of Mercy, Stations of the Cross, Holy Mass, Hour of Mercy with Adoration and Benediction and Veneration of the Image of Merciful Jesus. All Welcome. Please call Millie on 07957594646 for more information.
ST. MICHAEL’S CATHOLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Teacher of Girls’ P.E. Salary - Main or Upper Scale. To start 1st September 2024 Email: applications@st-michaels.barnet.sch.uk
Foodbank for the community
Non – perishable food is required for the foodbank, please leave your donations in one of the marked boxes in the church porch. Thank you.
Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes
The Lourdes Pilgrimage takes place from 19th to 26th July. Join the pilgrimage as a pilgrim. Serve the pilgrimage by coming as a praying assisted pilgrim. Support assisted pilgrims by sponsoring the sick to join the pilgrimage and praying for them. For more information please go to https://rcdow.org.uk/pilgrimages/lourdes/ or contact the Pilgrimage Office on 020 7798 9173
MEDJUGORJE IRISH CENTRE PILGRIMAGES APRIL - OCT 2024:
7 Nights Apartment B&B from €273 per person sharing. Airport transfer available on request. Contact us for details and book the dates that suit you.
Tel. 020 3239 8662 or website www.med-irishcentre.com
USED STAMPS
If you have any used stamps please can you put them in the box in the porch. Just leave a border around them. They will go to the Royal National Institute of the Blind.