Month: April 2020
Today’s Liturgy – Maundy Thursday
As we won’t be able to celebrate Mass together this evening, we thought that we would upload today’s liturgy so that you might follow. You can view it by either clicking on the image above or the link below. Having done this you can either follow online or print off a copy.
Maundy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper (PDF)
🎥 Don’t forget we will be Live Streaming tonight’s Mass on Facebook and on this page. If you come to this page after 7.30 pm, please make sure to refresh the page. ✝️
Holy Thursday 9 April
Help one another: this is what Jesus teaches us and this, what I am doing, and doing with all my heart, because it is my duty. As a priest and a bishop, I must be at your service. But it is a duty which comes from my heart: I love it. I love this and I love to do it because that is what the Lord has taught me to do. But you too, help one another: help one another always. In this way, by helping one another, we will do some good. Now we will perform this ceremony of washing feet, and let us think, let each one of us think: “Am I really willing, willing to serve, to help others?”. Let us think about this, just this. And let us think that this sign is a caress of Jesus, which Jesus gives, because this is the real reason why Jesus came: to serve, to help us.
Homily of Pope Francis at Prison for Minors 28 March 2013
Become silent, aware of the awesome presence of God who never ceases to be with us.
Continue reading “Holy Thursday 9 April”Wednesday of Holy Week 8 April
The betrayal of Jesus continued…
The Jewish authorities wished to find a way to arrest Jesus without provoking a riotous disturbance. Judas presented them with this opportunity. There could be three main reasons why Judas betrayed Jesus:
- Avarice; sold Jesus out for less than £5
- Hatred based on disillusionment. Jews had their dream of power
- Judas never intended Jesus to die rather he wanted to spur Jesus into action
Judas refused to accept Jesus as he was and tried to make him what he wanted him to be. It is not that Jesus can be changed by us but we who must be changed by Jesus (Barclay, Daily Study Bible Matthew pp331/2).
Become silent, aware of the awesome presence of God who never ceases to be with us.
Continue reading “Wednesday of Holy Week 8 April”Tuesday of Holy Week 7 April
Judas Betrays Jesus
It’s very important to note that Jesus was “deeply troubled.” This shows His humanity. Jesus had a human heart and loved Judas with a divine love through His human heart. As a result of this perfect love of Judas, Jesus’ heart was deeply troubled. It was “troubled” in the sense that Jesus could do nothing more than He had already done to change the mind and heart of Judas. It’s not that Jesus was personally offended or angered by Judas’ betrayal. Rather, it’s that Jesus’ heart burned with a deep sorrow at the loss of Judas whom He loved with a perfect love. Judas had free will. Without free will Judas could not freely love Jesus. But with free will, Judas chose to betray Jesus. The same is true with us. We have free will and we are given the same ability that Judas had to accept the love of Jesus or to reject it. We can let His loving gift of salvation and grace enter our lives or refuse it.
Become silent, aware of the awesome presence of God who never ceases to be with us.
Continue reading “Tuesday of Holy Week 7 April”Monday of Holy Week 6 April
Anointing of Jesus by Mary at Bethany
There is only one anointing that is strong enough to meet death and that is the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the love of God. There is, then, something that is both exemplary and lasting in Mary’s anointing of Jesus at Bethany. It was above all a concern to keep Christ alive in this world and to oppose the powers that aimed to silence and kill him. It was an act of faith and love. Every such act can have the same effect.
Pope Benedict XVl
Become silent, aware of the awesome presence of God who never ceases to be with us.
Continue reading “Monday of Holy Week 6 April”Palm Sunday – 5th April
This ‘Mini Retreat’ is an attempt to ease the burden on those who are unable to watch streamed Masses and other liturgies. The posts we publish on this site are intended to help us journey through Holy Week by using the Gospel passages of the day taken from Holy Mass. They offer a structure for your prayer time and suggest that you choose a time during the day that suits you best. This could be the time that you would usually attend Mass or, early in the morning, midday, whatever suits you.
It is a moving experience each year on Palm Sunday as we go up the mountain with Jesus, towards the Temple, accompanying him on his ascent. But what are we really doing when we join this procession as part of the throng which went up with Jesus to Jerusalem and hailed him as King of Israel? Does it have anything to do with the reality of our life and our world?
To answer this, we must first be clear about what Jesus himself wished to do and actually did. He was journeying towards the temple in the Holy City, towards that place which for Israel ensured in a particular way God’s closeness to his people . The ultimate goal of his pilgrimage was the heights of God himself; to those heights he wanted to lift every human being. Our procession today is meant, then, to be an image of something deeper, to reflect the fact that, together with Jesus, we are setting out on pilgrimage along the high road that leads to the living God.
Pope Benedict XV
Become silent, aware of the awesome presence of God who never ceases to be with us.
Continue reading “Palm Sunday – 5th April”A Mini Retreat For Holy Week
Holy Week 2020 is being celebrated amid extraordinary circumstances. There are probably few, if any of us, who can remember such a time as this, when we have been directed by the Government and the Church to self isolate in order to protect each other from being infected with the Covid-19 virus. Hopefully our cooperation with these directives will significantly help to slow down and prevent the spread of the virus meaning that fewer people will get sick and still fewer people will succumb to the virus.
Many of our clergy have taken the initiative to live stream their Masses and prayer liturgies. This has proven to be a source of great comfort for those with access to technology and are able to use it. For others, not being able to get to church for Mass increases the sense of isolation and loneliness.
This ‘Mini Retreat’ is an attempt to ease the burden on those who are unable to watch streamed Masses and other liturgies.
The pages of this booklet are intended to help us journey through Holy Week by using the Gospel passages of the day taken from Holy Mass.
We offer a structure for your prayer time and suggest that you choose a time during the day that suits you best. This could be the time that you would usually attend Mass or, early in the morning, midday, whatever suits you.
This may supplement your usual daily prayer so please don’t stop praying your everyday prayers.
Each day is structured in the following way:
- Be still and become aware of God’s presence
- Opening prayer
- Psalm
- Thanksgiving to God
- Reading the Gospel of the day (Bible reference will be given)
- Dig out yourBible!
- Reflecting and praying with the Gospel
- Act of Spiritual Communion
- Closing prayer
Take things at your own pace, take as long as you wish, there’s no rush.
May God’s blessing be with you and on your home.
Mini Retreat – Holy Week
Wednesday of Holy Week 8 April
