15 November – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
Parishioners
Holy Souls NDL
Holy Souls NDL
Holy Souls NDL
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WELCOME TO THE NEW WEBSITE FOR SS PETER & PAUL, MAWDELSEY! 2nd NATIONAL LOCKDOWN: Ss Peter & Paul Church is now closed for public worship for the time being. However, it is possible to visit for private prayer on Sundays only, between 11am and 12 noon. Please wear a mask. |
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PARISH NEWSLETTER
BERNARD BROOME RIP: Of your charity, please pray for the repose of the soul of Bernard Broome, who died recently. May he rest in peace.
JOHN REDMOND RIP: Please also pray for the repose of the soul of John Redmond, whose funeral service takes place on Friday 20 November. May he rest in peace.
THE CLOSING OF OUR CHURCHES & OPENING FOR PRIVATE PRAYER
The latest restrictions announced by the government last weekend mean that our churches can no longer open for services / masses. Weddings and funerals can still take place, subject to specific guidelines.
However, we are able to open for private prayer, with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament each week (Sundays only), as follows:
Sunday 15, 22 and 29 November : 11am to 12 noon
Our volunteer stewards will be on hand to help with sanitising and to guide you to your place.
You will not be required to book in advance (unlike for Mass)
Please note that the main doors will be left open to allow for proper ventilation – you may wish to dress warmly!
MASS ON SUNDAYS
Don’t forget that Masses will continue to be live-streamed and televised for many months yet, so you can still take part in Sunday worship and the Act of Spiritual Communion will continue to be an important part of people’s worship for the foreseeable future. Please remember that the Sunday obligation remains lifted. This is especially important for those over 70 and those with underlying health issues, who may be wary of attending public events.
If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
READINGS FOR 15 NOVEMBER
1st Reading: Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20, A perfect wife – who can find her?
Psalm 127, O blessed are those who fear the Lord
2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Let not the Day of the Lord overtake you like a thief.
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30, You have been faithful in small things; come and join in your master’s happiness
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Even if you have to die, says the Lord, keep faithful and I will give you the crown of life. Alleluia!
Communion antiphon: Amen I say to you: whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive, and it shall be given to you, says the Lord
SPIRITUAL REFLECTION FROM ‘OUR FAITH ON SUNDAY’ – 15 NOVEMBER
This Gospel, in which Jesus tells the parable of the talents may seem very harsh. But it is a clear warning to all of us that there is a purpose in life and that whatever talents or gifts we have, are not given to us for our own self-satisfaction, but to be put to good use in serving God and neighbour.
It fits in well with Jesus’ teaching that we are all sons and daughters of the same heavenly Father. If we are all members of the same human family, then we cannot simply make ourselves rich and ignore our brothers and sisters who are starving. At the end of our lives, we will be asked to give an account of how we have loved others. Did we feed the hungry, cloth the naked etc. If we spent our lives feathering our own nests, we will be like the man who buried his talent in the ground.
We may not be wealthy, but we all have talents of one sort or another: we may be good listeners, or good carers, or positive thinkers – none of which require money, but are given to us to share with others.
Our ‘talents’ if not shared, produce no fruit and we run the risk of suffering the fate of the good-for-nothing servant in today’s Gospel.
THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL REFLECTION FROM THE ARCHDIOCESE
This reflection is from Chris Thomas of the Irenaeus Project.
In 1957 my cousin Betty emigrated to Canada. She went with her husband and two children to start a new life. Her mother Sadie decided that she would go as well. Aunt Sadie was 68 and told Betty she was coming with her so that she wouldn’t die by herself in England. On the way to Canada Aunt Sadie became very ill and was taken off the plane and spent two weeks in Boston. When she arrived in Toronto, she was a very sad lady who thought she would simply exist there until she died. Family stories tell me that Aunt Sadie had been a fine woman in England. She had brought up her family well. She was an accomplished person who played the piano, was well read and was always the life and soul of the party. She made lace and crochet. In Canada she sat in the chair and didn’t use any of her gifts, despite the fact that she was asked on many occasions to show others how to do the things that she could do. Sadie lived until she was ninety-one and died a very sad old lady, for whom life in Canada had been far less than it could have been. If only she had used the gifts she had been given!
Matthew’s Gospel is the only one of the Gospels to reflect on Church. Matthew wants his community to have the best experience of Church that it can. He knows the truth that this will only happen when those who make up the Church use their gifts for its up building. Unless we’re prepared to use that which we have been given to bring life to our communities, then those communities will be less than they could be. So, he tells the story of the talents to try and encourage members of his community to use the gifts they’ve been given.
A friend of mine often says that she doesn’t have any gifts to use and I guess many people feel like that. Matthew makes it very clear that the truth is, every one of us has a gift even if that gift seems very small in comparison to the gifts of others. “To one he gave ten talents, to another five, to another one.” Whether you have one talent or ten, you are very important. The Second Vatican Council picked up that truth when it acknowledged the Baptismal calling and vocation of every person, lay and clergy alike. Our own Archbishop Worlock said of the Council, ‘the Second Vatican Council was a powerful call for renewal spiritually, liturgically, socially and politically. It was the occasion for new insights and understanding of the nature of the Church, of shared responsibility, of true relationships between distinct ministries, of equality, of dignity of all in the sight of God, and of the need to reach out with the good news of the gospel towards those bewildered or misled in a self-centred world.’ I wonder whether many of us priests and people alike have really reflected on those truths. We are each uniquely gifted. We all share in the responsibility to acknowledge our giftedness. We all share in the responsibility to use those gifts and whether we be priest, religious or lay person, we are equal in the sight of God and it is together that we build our church communities. A phrase that has come to mean a great deal to me is this; none of us have it all together but all together we have it all.
The Church is not bricks and mortar. The Church is a living body which will only become more alive if you use what God has given you. Don’t run away from the challenge of the Gospel. Use your gifts and bring life to the Body of Christ.
PRAYER INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
Almighty and merciful Father, who show your love to all your creation. We come before you asking for a quick control of the coronavirus currently ravaging our world. Hear graciously the prayers we make for those affected by the virus in various parts of the world. Grant healing to the sick, eternal life to the dead and consolation to the bereaved families. We pray that an effective medicine to combat the sickness be speedily found. We pray for the relevant governments and health authorities that they take appropriate steps for the good of the people. Look upon us in your mercy and forgive us our failings. Amen.
“A light shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.” (John 1:5)
Loving, ever-living and compassionate God,
You understand the pain of loss, the heartache of bereavement,
May we hold in our hearts all those whose families or friends have died.
You are a light that shines in the darkest times,
Guide us and heal us in our sickness and sorrow.
You comfort us in times of fear,
May we comfort each other, even as we keep apart.
You console and lead us in times of doubt and confusion,
May we follow the light of your love and spread hope.
POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR NOVEMBER: We pray that the progress of robotics and artificial intelligence may always serve mankind.
THE ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
OFFERTORY DONATIONS DURING THE LOCKDOWN
Many thanks to generous parishioners who have sent in donations to our churches. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.
Instead of putting money in offertory envelopes each week, those who are able to make an offering are asked to complete a Standing Order Mandate for your bank, from the parish office. We can email the document to you, if you wish, so that you can print off, complete and send to your bank.
Alternatively, you may still wish to write a cheque (payable to ‘Ss Peter & Paul Church Mawdesley’) and post to the presbytery with a covering letter and one offertory envelope for gift aid purposes.
Donating by text / online: Please check the May Newsletters and use the links provided
MASSES ONLINE WILL CONTINUE TO BE STREAMED INDEFINITELY
Locally, there is St Clare’s, Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood: www.saintclares.co.uk which streams Mass daily at 10am. Please follow the easy links on the website.
https://www.vaticannews.va/en Pope Francis
https://www.churchservices.tv/whats-on-now/ Great selection of Masses and other Church services https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/tv-lourdes/ Mass and daily at 2pm, the Rosary in English
https://www.livemass.org Extraordinary Form (1962 Missal)
Use the website links to EWTN, those who have Sky can tune in on Channel 588, or the Archdiocese to access daily Masses
On the radio: Catholic Radio Channel 0147
Also, you may wish to try the Pray as you Go phone app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.foxcode.prayasyougo&hl=en
PRAYERS from the Archdiocese, for Stations of the Cross etc: https://www.liverpoolcatholicresources.com/
Please email the Parish Office with details of any other online services you know of that may help parishioners at this very difficult time. We will try to include them in next week’s Newsletter.
SYNOD 2020 – PARISHIONERS’ CONSULTATION by EMAIL / POST : The Synod Office has prepared proposals on the four themes identified by the Synod that are based on the responses made by parishioners across the Archdiocese during the last year. The Archdiocese is inviting everyone to take part in a further consulation process and therefore asks that you study the proposals on each sheet and then mark (with a tick / cross / highlighter pen) those proposals that you particularly agree with. Many thanks to parishioners who have already been returning their sheets (we’d done Themes 1 and 2). Due to the new lockdown, these proposals will now be emailed out to everyone (or posted) so that everyone has the opportunity to make their views known. Please return all the sheets that you’ve marked up to either presbytery by 23 November at the latest, so that we can collate them all and give a final report to the Synod Office. You don’t need to reurn them every week – it makes sense to keep them all together and return in one envelope. Please make sure your voice is heard!
You can of course do this on line directly via the Synod Office at www.synod2020.co.uk
ORDER YOUR FUNDRAISING JOINT PARISH CALENDAR NOW!: Please start placing your orders (email or phone) for the calendars: the proceeds will be split between our two parishes and the amazing work done by Mary’s Meals, to feed children in undeveloped countries, so we’d like to sell as many of these high-quality calendars as possible
Price: £10 each (cheques payable to ‘Ss Peter & Paul, Mawdesley’).
ORDER TRAIDCRAFT CHRISTMAS CARDS: Cards can be viewed online: https://www.traidcraftshop.co.uk/christmas/charity-christmas-cards
NOVENA FOR NOVEMBER: The Liturgy Office at the Archdiocese have sent out a Novena for those who would like to take part. Please click on the link that follows, to access all the prayers.
November is the month when Catholics traditionally remember loved ones who have died and offer services and support to those who have been bereaved. This November, we are particularly aware of the millions of people who have died from Covid-19 and those whose bereavements have been particularly painful since they were unable to be with their loved one when they died.
The Novena can be prayed at any time during November but might be especially appropriate this year leading up to the Feast of Christ the King when we have the Gospel in which Jesus says to those who have lived good lives: ‘Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world’.
We know that few of us die ready to hear those words – but, equally, few of us have done enough evil to hear Christ tell us to go away. Most of us will continue our journey towards perfection – sustained by the prayers of all the saints (canonised and un-canonised) and those we have left behind whose love extends beyond death.
Our prayer, then, is that those who have died with be borne on the wings of our prayers to the moment when they are ready to enter fully into their eternal home.
file:///C:/Users/Church/AppData/Local/Temp/November%20Novena-4.pdf
IRENAEUS PROJECT: Please use the link to access the November newsletter, from Fr Chris Thomas. It provides details of a number of talks via Zoom (Advent Reflections on Isaiah, and the book of Galatians), plus some uplifting words from other contributors.
file:///C:/Users/Church/AppData/Local/Temp/November%2020%20final-2.pdf
HELP DURING OUR 2nd NATIONAL LOCKDOWN: We are now in our 2nd national lockdown and face a number of additional restrictions to help curb the pandemic. You can find details of current measures on Lancashire County Council’s website https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/coronavirus-updates/coronavirus-restrictions-in-lancashire/.
Further information can be found on the Government website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-covid-alert-level-very-high.
The Council webpage also has guidance and the link to the application form for residents who have been asked the self-isolate by NHS Track and Trace and could be entitled to financial support. Please share with members of your household who you think may be entitled to this financial support:
https://www.westlancs.gov.uk/more/emergencies/coronavirus/track-and-trace-support-payment.aspx
The NHS National Volunteer Responder Programme is still running until at least December – go to https://nhsvolunteerresponders.org.uk/services for further information
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR NEED ANY HELP, PLEASE CONTACT FR ANDERS AT THE PRESBYTERY IN TARLETON ON 01772 812242, OR EMAIL THE MAWDESLEY OFFICE.
WITH EVERY BLESSING FOR THE COMING WEEK