25th SUNDAY OF Year B
The background theme throughout St Mark’s Gospel is that of discipleship, being a good follower of Jesus. In today’s Gospel, the disciples learn a lesson on humility. Jesus tells them that they should be like a little child, humble and innocent. They should not seek the highest positions. In fact, Jesus emphasises that to be great, the disciple needs to be a servant. Jesus several times would speak about being a servant and he often did so by demonstrating his own acts of service.
Jesus again reveals that he will have to suffer death through the hands of men, and then rise from the dead. On this occasion, the disciples put no questions and make no comments. They did not understand and were afraid to ask. And yet taking up one’s own cross is very much part of being a disciple.
HOME MISSION DAY
The home Mission Office exists to help the local Church make the joy of the Gospel a reality in England and Wales. Today is Home Mission Day when we pray for the work of spreading the Gospel at home. We are all part of that work. The second collection today will help in the projects that the Home Mission office has set up.
JURY SERVICE
Fr Colin continues on Jury Service during the coming week but will be available in the evenings and at weekends.
Parish Council
The Parish Council meet on Thursday 23 at 7:45pm in the Parish Centre.
Recently Deceased
Please pray for the repose of the soul of JOHN O’NEILL whose funeral Mass will be on Friday 1st October at 10.30am. His body will be brought to the church at 7pm on Thursday 30th September. If you wish to attend the Viewing of John, the family have requested you go between 10am and 4pm on Thursday 30th at W.H.Putnam Funeral Directors, 6 Homstall Parade, Burnt Oak. HA8 5HX. It will be family only viewing between 4pm and 6pm. No flowers, if you wish to make a donation to John’s Charities there will be a box at the back of the church.
Please remember your face mask.
Also please pray for BENJAMIN SERRA who has recently died, his funeral Mass will be on Monday 27th September at 9.00am.
Flower Arranging
We are very grateful to those who arrange the flowers in the church. However, we do need more flower arrangers to join the rota. If you would like to help, please speak to Emilia of one of the priests.
First Communion Programme
There will be a meeting for First Communion Catechists on Friday 7pm in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre.
Application forms will be available next month and should be returned by Christmas. The programme itself will be starting in the New Year.
Confirmation programme 2022
Applications for confirmation next year will be available in November. The programme will start in the New Year.
RCIA
We plan to start sessions for adults who wish to be baptised, received into the Catholic Church or Confirmed, in October. If you know of anybody interested in this please speak to Father Colin or Father David.
MASS COUNT
We will be taking a Mass count during Masses this weekend and again on the following 3 weekends.
World Day of MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
The Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees for the Bishops' Conference has been discussing Pope Francis' message for the forthcoming World Day of Migrants and Refugees that will be celebrated on Sunday, 26 September.
Q: Tell us, in your words, how you see the importance of interconnectedness, the ever wider ‘we’ that Pope Francis talks about and what that means to Catholics here in England and Wales…
Pope Francis has spoken so often during his pontificate of interconnectedness – the interdependence which we have. It makes me think of a line from Saint Paul when he says the life and death of each of us has its influence upon others. And, of course, we know so well that that influence can be good or it can be otherwise.
We are all links in a chain. We can ask, what can the link – which is England and Wales – do to strengthen that interconnectedness when speaking of migrants and refugees? We need to explore why there ARE migrants and refugees. What reasons to people have for leaving their own country? Again, and again the answer comes back giving three outstanding reasons for the movement of people: climate change, war, and poverty.
We can then ask, have we the power, or the means, of eliminating or reducing the effects of these factors which cause migration? And we do. In England and Wales, we need to be conscious of a lifestyle which increases global warming and causes sea levels to rise in other parts of the world – impacting directly on those who live in coastal regions elsewhere and try to make a living from the sea. The waters rise, their homes are flooded, they are displaced.
We can then ask, have we the power, or the means, of eliminating or reducing the effects of these factors which cause migration? And we do. In England and Wales, we need to be conscious of a lifestyle which increases global warming and causes sea levels to rise in other parts of the world – impacting directly on those who live in coastal regions elsewhere and try to make a living from the sea. The waters rise, their homes are flooded, they are displaced.
Secondly, war. Well, we know very well the war is waged with deadly weapons. They are manufactured in one country, exported to another. War is the result. Not surprisingly, people flee. It is valid to ask: what is the source of those arms? Where did they come from? Is our own country supplying weapons? They may bring a financial profit. The real result is destruction and displacement of thousands of innocent people.
Thirdly, poverty. As we know, there’s a plan to reduce the foreign aid budget this year. Humanitarian projects funded by that aid will cease. Poverty, and need, will increase. The natural consequence is that people will remove themselves from that situation, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. And this phenomenon of human mobility is often misunderstood. There is an ignorance for the reasons for migration and in England and Wales, I think we have to become more and more aware of the reasons for this displacement and, in intervening in any way we can, we stand with and support those who are being displaced.
Pope Francis says the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth cannot be separated. At the same time, we have to be aware that in listening to the needs of migrants and refugees, we are listening to God. So this requires challenging the rhetoric which is often put forward by those who are opposed to migration and assisting refugees. This plays on people’s fears. We need to present the truth, the reality.
On the promenade in Dover there’s a plaque which bears some words of Pope Francis. “Every migrant has a name, a face, a story.” That is our starting point. And that is our conclusion. In our outreach to migrants and refugees, we’re not dealing with numbers or statistics, we are dealing with people who have endured so many trials – who live day-to-day. They have known pain, persecution, war, suffering, hunger, poverty – on land and on sea.
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. This will run until half term16th October and restart again on 1st November.