9 AUGUST – 19th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
MASS INTENTIONS THIS WEEK – Both parishes
Parishioners
Tom Cookson RIP
The People of Beirut
In Thanksgiving
LATEST UP-DATE |
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OUR LADY’S and Ss PETER & PAUL’S – Both churches are now open for Sunday Vigil and Sunday Masses. Social distancing rules require all parishioners wishing to attend, to contact the relevant parish office in order to reserve their place at Mass each week. Please wear a mask |
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E. Minister | Reader |
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JOINT NEWSLETTER
WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM FR ANDERS
It was wonderful to see some of you last weekend for the celebration of Sunday Mass together.
Please continue to contact the parish office on Thursdays to reserve your place(s) at Our Lady’s on 01772 812242 or email olhct@rcaol.org.uk –
and on Fridays to reserve your place(s) for Ss Peter & Paul on 01704 822618 or email ssppm@rcaol.org.uk
Thank you to those who have kindly been supporting the parish financially too, throughout this period, by your standing order donations and those who have sent cheque donations. I am very grateful.
If you haven’t already done so, please consider taking out a standing order with your bank. Again, please contact the parish office on Thursdays (Our Lady’s) or Fridays (Ss Peter & Paul) to arrange this.
It is important to note that we cannot accommodate anyone who does not contact us on Thursday or Friday for a place at Mass.
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
It is important to note that we cannot accommodate anyone who does not book in advance.
If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
GDPR Forms: There are still some forms outstanding so please can you return them as quickly as possible, or you risk missing out! Our apologies if you’ve not received one of these forms. Please can you email / ring either the Tarleton or Mawdesley office and Diane will send one out to you asap.
PRAYER FOR GOD’S MERCY DURING THE PANDEMIC
Archbishop Malcolm invites us to pray together with him through these times
God Our Father,
each person is precious to You.
You are the Giver of life.
Have mercy on us and protect us at this time,
as the coronavirus threatens health and life.
You are an ever-present Helper in time of trouble.
Watch over those who are suffering,
give strength to those who are aiding the sick
and give courage to all in this time of anxiety.
We ask this of you in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ
Amen
READINGS FOR 2 AUGUST
1st Reading: I Kings 19:9-13 – Stand on the mountain before the Lord
Psalm 84 – Let us see O Lord your mercy and give us your saving help
2nd Reading: Romans 9:1-5 – I would willingly be condemned if it could help my brothers
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33 – Tell me to come to you across the water
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia, alleluia! Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens! Alleluia!
Communion antiphon: O Jerusalem, glorify the Lord, who gives you your fill of finest wheat.
PRAYER INTENTIONS THIS WEEK
For all those who are suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19, their families and those who care for them,
Lord, in your mercy…
For those in authority as they make important decisions on our behalf, that the Spirit will guide them in wisdom and compassion,
Lord, in your mercy….
That all citizens throughout the world will recognise their responsibility to protect others by observing medical advice at all times,
Lord, in your mercy…
THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL REFLECTION
The reflection on the Gospel is provided by Eamonn Murphy, a parishioner in St Bartholomew’s Parish, Rainhill.
If asked to describe a picture of our world today most of us would mention our fears for our children, violence, the environment, the political situation, and indeed fears about our health, if our next pay cheque will suffice or the seeming pointlessness of daily life. At the same time many of us enjoy a standard of living that the wealthy of previous ages could not even dream of: access to transport, shops, exotic holidays, life expectancy and of course being able to view the world in our homes on a screen. Opportunities unheard of… We have so much to be grateful for!
Yet, a storm is raging. We are desperate, often alone and far away – feeling we are in darkness with a strong wind against us. We are being battered by the high seas, threatened from without by a hostile world and from within by fear and little faith. It is as if Matthew is describing our situation in 2020. And then Jesus comes walking towards the disciples. They do not recognize him because of their fear. They think he is a ghost. Likewise, fear keeps us from recognizing, loving, and following Jesus as he walks with us and saves us in times of crisis. ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Jesus wants to give them – to give us – his strength, his absolute trust in the Father.
Our Church and parish communities are also fearful and are struggling to overcome fear: fear of losing followers, losing prestige, fear of rejection by society. Like ourselves our leaders fear taking risks. And yet playing in the background are Jesus’ words ‘Take heart, it is I; do not afraid.’ It is as if we don’t know if Christ is a ghost or a real living person, raised up by the Father for our salvation. It is as if we feel that we don’t have all the arguments to prove what we say we believe. We are committed but we doubt. Peter, responding to Jesus’ invitation to ‘Come,’ walks – until he forgets Jesus’ words and becomes frightened. Paralysed by fear he feels himself sinking into the depths. Just in time Peter cries out, ‘Lord save me!’ In that moment of letting go, in that moment of acceptance, Peter’s eyes were opened as ours can be too. In that moment of crying out, we can see Christ as a hand, held out to sustain our faith, to save us while saying at the same time: ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ Why do we doubt?
The reality is that sometimes our convictions fade away. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the uncertainties of life. Sometimes life is just like that. Jesus understood this as he invited Peter to ‘Come.’ Life is like walking on water. It’s not firm ground, certainties are absent. It’s a scary business. It is then when we are at our weakest, our most selfish selves, our sinful selves, when there is nothing left to do but to cry out ‘Lord save me.’ It is then we notice that our doubts and insecurities will not defeat us.
Our search for God is a journey through risk, insecurity, overcoming doubt and accepting that God is with us: ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Our questions and doubts remain and won’t be resolved. Yet, we can cry out ‘Lord save me’, trusting that faith means walking on water, always expecting a hand to save us when we begin to sink. I think of the Liverpool anthem; ‘Walk on, walk on, with hope in your hearts and you’ll never walk alone.’ That tangible hope we believe in is Jesus’ presence with and within us: ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’
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 BOXES / GIFT AID THANK YOU LETTERS
Please consider using the Standing Order Mandate forms (with this newsletter) for your offertory donations.
The Archdiocese is currently up-dating its soft-ware and therefore is not yet able to give out the Thank You letters to let you know how much you have kindly donated over the last financial year. Please contact the Parish office if you would like to know the amount in the meantime.
Offertory boxes for this next year will be available for collection from 22 / 23 August.
AID TO LEBANON: Aid to the Church in Need is one of a number of international agencies struggling to raise urgent funds during the pandemic, so the recent disaster in Beirut has made the situation even more desperate. Your prayers and generous donations are urgently needed for the shell-shocked victims of this very troubled region. ACN Lebanon expert Father Samer Nassif, said that the Christian zone of Beirut was “completely devastated”, with at least 10 churches destroyed, 300,000 people homeless and many others suffering, with livelihoods “totally destroyed” by the blast. Please use the following link to see how you can contribute to the emergency work being carried out at this moment: www.acnuk.org/news/beirut-charity-offers-emergency-food-package/
MAKING 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 either your 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 either ‘Our Lady Help of Christians Church’ or ‘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.
FEAST DAYS THIS COMING WEEK
10 August – St Lawrence: Deacon and martyr, 3rd century
11 August – St Clare d. 1253 – Founder of the Poor Clares at San Damiano
12 August – St Jane Frances de Chantal, co-founder of the Visitation Order in France, with St Francis de Sales 1604
13 August – Ss Pontian & Hippolytus – 3rd century martyrs
14 August – St Maximilian Kolbe – a Polish Franciscan friar who saved the life of a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz death camp in 1941, by taking his place in the starvation cell.
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSE & TIMES: SPECIAL OFFER! Weekly editions of The Universe (incorporating The Catholic Times) are on special offer at the moment: only £18 for 3 months! To order your own copy of The Universe/Catholic Times, please ring 0203 538 9753 or email: sales@bluemarketmedia.co.uk
CATHOLIC PICTORIAL: To order your own copy of the Catholic Pic please ring 0151 709 7567 or email Kim O’Brien at kim.obrien@cpmmmedia.comSt John Fisher, scholar and bishop
Please use this link to access July’s edition of the Pic: https://catholicpic.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0c53c885ba6459a91db50c18c&id=9a4891ad1a&e=be09e47358
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR NEED ANY HELP, PLEASE CONTACT FR ANDERS AT THE PRESBYTERY IN TARLETON ON 01772 812242, OR EMAIL EITHER OFFICE.
WITH EVERY BLESSING FOR THE COMING WEEK