Fr Philip writes...
February
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the forty days of Lent – the period in the year that both recalls the 40 days Christ spent being tempted in the wilderness at the start of His ministry and which serves as a preparation for Easter. Last year’s Palm Crosses are burnt and at the Ash Wednesday Mass the priest dips his thumb into these ashes, which are moistened to a paste with holy water, and makes the sign of the Cross with them on the forehead of each person, saying, ‘Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.’ Lent actually spans 46 days, but the six Sundays are, as always, commemorations of Christ’s Resurrection, so are not days of self-denial and fasting.
After 3 years of fundraising, the work of redecorating St Mary’s should begin in mid-February. The church will be used for Saturday and Sunday services but weekday Masses are likely to be held in St Joseph’s Centre. Please consult the church notice sheet in the porch and our weekly bulletin for precise details. Thank you to all who have generously contributed to this project. I hope by Easter we shall have a church building worthy of the worship of Almighty God
------oOo------------oOo------------oOo------------oOo-----------oOo------------oOo------
This month we have two very important days to observe: Candlemass & Ash Wednesday, which heralds the start of Lent. For a number of years we have been supporting the Additional Curates’ Society, which is currently supporting 105 men considering offering themselves for ordination. That is not to say that they will all be ordained, because the process is slow and difficult and the standards set are high. Between 2010 and 2015 the C of E predicts that over 700 paid clergy will retire and that the number of candidates entering the priesthood will be insufficient to replace those retiring. This Lent we need to pray for more vocations to the priesthood, which begins with God calling and not ourselves. The Additional Curates’ Society is doing a grand work with Vocation Conferences, but all this needs resourcing, which is where our Lent boxes come in. A sacrifice of some luxury in Lent could help fill a box that will be dedicated in the Mass of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday (4th April).
Almighty God, give us priests:
To establish the honour of your holy name;
To offer the holy sacrifice of the altar;
To give us Jesus in the holy sacrament;
To proclaim the faith of Jesus;
To baptise and to teach the young;
To tend your sheep;
To seek the lost;
To give pardon to the penitent sinner;
To bless our homes;
To pray for the afflicted;
To comfort mourners;
To strengthen us in our last hour;
To commend our souls;
Almighty God, give us priests!
January
When I was at theological college we took turns at reading the Scriptures in our chapel and ordinarily it was a fairly easy task, but when one of the biblical genealogies (family trees) turned up there was a panic, particularly amongst those who stuttered!
One such genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1: 1-25) is featured on Christmass Eve and a weekday in Advent. What is the value of this passage?
It shows that God can and does work through unexpected people and situations. There can be no exclusiveness where God deals with mankind. There are four women mentioned in that family tree: TAMAR – the temple prostitute; RUTH – a foreigner; BATHSHEBA – the woman who seduced David and RAHAB – another prostitute. One commentator writes: ‘These women were held up as examples of how God uses the unexpected to triumph over human obstacles on behalf of His planned Messiah.’
Christ cannot exclude from His kingdom sinners, or those whom the religious authorities deemed unorthodox. Jesus is Son of David and also Son of Sinners. So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember He came for all of us sinners, to save us and set us free.
God needs our co-operation and can use the unexpected to triumph over human obstacles. Sin and unorthodoxy does not have the last word, as can be seen from the family tree in St Matthew’s Gospel. Christ needs to be born in the world today and he calls us to be His hands and His feet.
------oOo------
The Feast of Epiphany is commemorated on Sunday (8th Jan) rather than 6th Jan this year. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men to the ‘House’ (Matthew 2: 1-12), which is why the representation of the stable in our crib is changed to that of a house. The Wise Men were the first Gentiles (non-Jews) to believe in Jesus. The Bible says: ‘Some wise men came from Jerusalem from the East.’ It does not record there were three – we assume there were three because they gave three gifts. The idea that they were kings first appears in Christian tradition through Tertullian (AD 160 – 220) who calls them ‘almost kings’. The names C(G)aspar, Melchior & Balthasar are first mentioned in the 6th Century.
It is a tradition to bless chalk at Mass on this day and for people to take this chalk home to mark the brickwork or lintel of their main door with the initials of the wise men and the date of the current year, whose numbers are interspersed with crosses:
20 + C + M + B + 12
Another explanation of the initials CMB are that they are the first letters of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat – ‘May God bless this house’.
The Plough will also be blessed at Mass – a mediaeval custom to ask God’s blessing on the land at the beginning of the year, and we again welcome the East Suffolk Morris men to dance in the Mass and in procession with the plough through Front Street and Old Market Street after Mass.
Everyone is invited to the festivities, concluding with a buffet lunch at St Joseph’s Centre.
December
I want to reflect on the true meaning of Christmass – the birth of Christ in history and His birth in our hearts:
C stands for CHRIST. If we leave Him out of Christmass it is like celebrating a wedding without a groom;
H stands for the HOPE He gives us – Life without end;
R stands for the REVOLUTION He began; Jesus turned HATE to LOVE, WAR to PEACE. Everyone was turned into everyone’s neighbour;
I stands for ISRAEL, the land where Christ was born, but it also stands for I – ME. Christmass is pointless unless He is born in me as He was in Mary.
S stands for SALVATION to those who are in darkness – which is all of us before we accept Christ;
T stands for THANKS – for the gift of Jesus;
M stands for MARY, who brought Him to birth;
A stands for the ANGELS who sang at His birth and who guard us now;
S stands for the STAR which led the wise men to Bethlehem. The star we now follow is Christ.
S – the second S which is often omitted – is for SACRAMENT – the means by which we are specially united to Jesus. John Betjeman wrote in his poem ‘Christmas’:
‘No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.’
Sadly so many people today act as if there is simply no room for Christ in our festivities, just as there was no room for Him when He was born in Bethlehem. But though the inn-keeper refused to take Him in, Christ still came to those who were waiting for Him - Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. We need to make space for Him in the ‘manger’ of our hearts and lives as they did. If we do, Christmass will be no mere commemoration but a reality.
November
A former parishioner has written to me recently on the subject of lighting candles in church: ‘… I really missed not coming into church and lighting a candle – we had candles at home but it was not the same… I think a little flame speaks volumes.’
We are all fortunate to live in a parish where the church has candle stands before the Blessed Sacrament, the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham and in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Lighting a candle in prayer is a powerful symbol, full of meanings:
i) It reminds us of our Baptism, and the way we share in the Life of Christ;
ii) The candle continues to burn when we leave the church – a symbol that our prayer continues too;
iii) An important element is prayer for other people. A candle is not a substitute for prayer, but an accompaniment. The money we give to pay for it is a small sign that we have given something of ourselves.
During November, the month of the dead, the Church calls us to pray especially for the dead. How is this done at St Mary’s?
i) Large candles burn in the Holy Cross chapel in daylight hours for the whole month;
ii) On Sunday 6th Nov each member of the congregation is given a 4 hour candle to place on the Lady Chapel altar to remember and pray for departed relatives and friends;
iii) On Remembrance Sunday (13th Nov) a candle is placed on the Lady Chapel altar for all from Mendlesham who died in the 2 World Wars and the Korean War, candles are lit for all who died in the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and 190 candles lit for the American servicemen from the Mendlesham airfield who gave their lives in WW2.
iv) Candles are lit by individuals who can visit the Holy Cross Chapel between 9.00 and 4.00 each day.
The month of November does not only focus on the dead but also is a focus of prayer for the bereaved, the dying and a reminder to prepare for our own death. We do this at Night Prayer every evening when we say, ‘May the Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.’ For a Christian, this ideally includes anointing, confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion, which is why we pray that God will deliver us from death that is sudden or unprepared.
I hope that our candles during the drear month of November will bring us light, warmth and hope.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the forty days of Lent – the period in the year that both recalls the 40 days Christ spent being tempted in the wilderness at the start of His ministry and which serves as a preparation for Easter. Last year’s Palm Crosses are burnt and at the Ash Wednesday Mass the priest dips his thumb into these ashes, which are moistened to a paste with holy water, and makes the sign of the Cross with them on the forehead of each person, saying, ‘Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.’ Lent actually spans 46 days, but the six Sundays are, as always, commemorations of Christ’s Resurrection, so are not days of self-denial and fasting.
After 3 years of fundraising, the work of redecorating St Mary’s should begin in mid-February. The church will be used for Saturday and Sunday services but weekday Masses are likely to be held in St Joseph’s Centre. Please consult the church notice sheet in the porch and our weekly bulletin for precise details. Thank you to all who have generously contributed to this project. I hope by Easter we shall have a church building worthy of the worship of Almighty God
------oOo------------oOo------------oOo------------oOo-----------oOo------------oOo------
This month we have two very important days to observe: Candlemass & Ash Wednesday, which heralds the start of Lent. For a number of years we have been supporting the Additional Curates’ Society, which is currently supporting 105 men considering offering themselves for ordination. That is not to say that they will all be ordained, because the process is slow and difficult and the standards set are high. Between 2010 and 2015 the C of E predicts that over 700 paid clergy will retire and that the number of candidates entering the priesthood will be insufficient to replace those retiring. This Lent we need to pray for more vocations to the priesthood, which begins with God calling and not ourselves. The Additional Curates’ Society is doing a grand work with Vocation Conferences, but all this needs resourcing, which is where our Lent boxes come in. A sacrifice of some luxury in Lent could help fill a box that will be dedicated in the Mass of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday (4th April).
Almighty God, give us priests:
To establish the honour of your holy name;
To offer the holy sacrifice of the altar;
To give us Jesus in the holy sacrament;
To proclaim the faith of Jesus;
To baptise and to teach the young;
To tend your sheep;
To seek the lost;
To give pardon to the penitent sinner;
To bless our homes;
To pray for the afflicted;
To comfort mourners;
To strengthen us in our last hour;
To commend our souls;
Almighty God, give us priests!
January
When I was at theological college we took turns at reading the Scriptures in our chapel and ordinarily it was a fairly easy task, but when one of the biblical genealogies (family trees) turned up there was a panic, particularly amongst those who stuttered!
One such genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1: 1-25) is featured on Christmass Eve and a weekday in Advent. What is the value of this passage?
It shows that God can and does work through unexpected people and situations. There can be no exclusiveness where God deals with mankind. There are four women mentioned in that family tree: TAMAR – the temple prostitute; RUTH – a foreigner; BATHSHEBA – the woman who seduced David and RAHAB – another prostitute. One commentator writes: ‘These women were held up as examples of how God uses the unexpected to triumph over human obstacles on behalf of His planned Messiah.’
Christ cannot exclude from His kingdom sinners, or those whom the religious authorities deemed unorthodox. Jesus is Son of David and also Son of Sinners. So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let us remember He came for all of us sinners, to save us and set us free.
God needs our co-operation and can use the unexpected to triumph over human obstacles. Sin and unorthodoxy does not have the last word, as can be seen from the family tree in St Matthew’s Gospel. Christ needs to be born in the world today and he calls us to be His hands and His feet.
------oOo------
The Feast of Epiphany is commemorated on Sunday (8th Jan) rather than 6th Jan this year. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Wise Men to the ‘House’ (Matthew 2: 1-12), which is why the representation of the stable in our crib is changed to that of a house. The Wise Men were the first Gentiles (non-Jews) to believe in Jesus. The Bible says: ‘Some wise men came from Jerusalem from the East.’ It does not record there were three – we assume there were three because they gave three gifts. The idea that they were kings first appears in Christian tradition through Tertullian (AD 160 – 220) who calls them ‘almost kings’. The names C(G)aspar, Melchior & Balthasar are first mentioned in the 6th Century.
It is a tradition to bless chalk at Mass on this day and for people to take this chalk home to mark the brickwork or lintel of their main door with the initials of the wise men and the date of the current year, whose numbers are interspersed with crosses:
20 + C + M + B + 12
Another explanation of the initials CMB are that they are the first letters of the Latin blessing Christus mansionem benedicat – ‘May God bless this house’.
The Plough will also be blessed at Mass – a mediaeval custom to ask God’s blessing on the land at the beginning of the year, and we again welcome the East Suffolk Morris men to dance in the Mass and in procession with the plough through Front Street and Old Market Street after Mass.
Everyone is invited to the festivities, concluding with a buffet lunch at St Joseph’s Centre.
December
I want to reflect on the true meaning of Christmass – the birth of Christ in history and His birth in our hearts:
C stands for CHRIST. If we leave Him out of Christmass it is like celebrating a wedding without a groom;
H stands for the HOPE He gives us – Life without end;
R stands for the REVOLUTION He began; Jesus turned HATE to LOVE, WAR to PEACE. Everyone was turned into everyone’s neighbour;
I stands for ISRAEL, the land where Christ was born, but it also stands for I – ME. Christmass is pointless unless He is born in me as He was in Mary.
S stands for SALVATION to those who are in darkness – which is all of us before we accept Christ;
T stands for THANKS – for the gift of Jesus;
M stands for MARY, who brought Him to birth;
A stands for the ANGELS who sang at His birth and who guard us now;
S stands for the STAR which led the wise men to Bethlehem. The star we now follow is Christ.
S – the second S which is often omitted – is for SACRAMENT – the means by which we are specially united to Jesus. John Betjeman wrote in his poem ‘Christmas’:
‘No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.’
Sadly so many people today act as if there is simply no room for Christ in our festivities, just as there was no room for Him when He was born in Bethlehem. But though the inn-keeper refused to take Him in, Christ still came to those who were waiting for Him - Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. We need to make space for Him in the ‘manger’ of our hearts and lives as they did. If we do, Christmass will be no mere commemoration but a reality.
November
A former parishioner has written to me recently on the subject of lighting candles in church: ‘… I really missed not coming into church and lighting a candle – we had candles at home but it was not the same… I think a little flame speaks volumes.’
We are all fortunate to live in a parish where the church has candle stands before the Blessed Sacrament, the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham and in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Lighting a candle in prayer is a powerful symbol, full of meanings:
i) It reminds us of our Baptism, and the way we share in the Life of Christ;
ii) The candle continues to burn when we leave the church – a symbol that our prayer continues too;
iii) An important element is prayer for other people. A candle is not a substitute for prayer, but an accompaniment. The money we give to pay for it is a small sign that we have given something of ourselves.
During November, the month of the dead, the Church calls us to pray especially for the dead. How is this done at St Mary’s?
i) Large candles burn in the Holy Cross chapel in daylight hours for the whole month;
ii) On Sunday 6th Nov each member of the congregation is given a 4 hour candle to place on the Lady Chapel altar to remember and pray for departed relatives and friends;
iii) On Remembrance Sunday (13th Nov) a candle is placed on the Lady Chapel altar for all from Mendlesham who died in the 2 World Wars and the Korean War, candles are lit for all who died in the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and 190 candles lit for the American servicemen from the Mendlesham airfield who gave their lives in WW2.
iv) Candles are lit by individuals who can visit the Holy Cross Chapel between 9.00 and 4.00 each day.
The month of November does not only focus on the dead but also is a focus of prayer for the bereaved, the dying and a reminder to prepare for our own death. We do this at Night Prayer every evening when we say, ‘May the Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.’ For a Christian, this ideally includes anointing, confession and receiving the Blessed Sacrament of Holy Communion, which is why we pray that God will deliver us from death that is sudden or unprepared.
I hope that our candles during the drear month of November will bring us light, warmth and hope.
Candles burning for the Departed in the Holy Cross Chapel
October
window of Christ the Healer - South side of Chancel
St Luke’s day falls in October. He was a doctor and I am giving some thoughts on the Minstry of Healing.
1. St Mark’s Gospel concludes: ‘And so the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them was taken up into Heaven; there at the right hand of God He took His place, while they going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by signs that accompanied it’. The Gospel is one of preaching and healing.
2. We need to be people of prayer. At one time I rarely used a bank credit card, but as soon as I used it more regularly the bank increased my credit limit. As we step out and use our faith, God will increase our credit in the bank of faith - He will increase our faith and use us more, but unlike an ordinary bank, we don’t have to pay back, except by prayer and good works! C.H. Spurgeon, a famous 19th century preacher, described the acceptance of God’s promise as: ‘A cheque book of the bank of faith’.
3. We need to pray and have faith when all seems lost and helpless, and never allow failure to let us wallow in depression and disillusionment. God can lead us through them to a more mature and realistic faith if we keep hold of Him, especially when everything else may seem hopeless. This is the time to use the bank of faith.
Trust Him when dark doubts attack you,
trust Him when your strength is small.
Trust Him, when simply to trust Him
is the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him – He is ever faithful,
trust Him, for His will is best.
Trust Him – for the heart of Jesus
is the only place to rest.
Trust Him, then, through doubt and sunshine,
all your cares upon Him cast,
‘til the storms of life are over
and your trusting days are past.
4. Jesus told St Bartholomew that he would see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending above the Son of Man (John 1 v 51). This reply reminds us of something that is so easy to forget, which is that death is also a means of healing and can be termed ‘the ultimate healer’. There does come a time to be with Our Lord and it is never right for the healing ministry to be used as if there is never a time to die. It is not for us to tell God when that time is; there are times when I have administered the last rites to parishioners and they have lived for another two or three years. We need to pray for a person to be as whole as possible and ready for full union with Jesus; to pray for more of the life of God to enter that person, and that might be everlasting life. For Christians, eternal life (i.e. life with God) has already begun, so bodily death is just an event within eternal life. The month of November is dedicated to praying for the healing of all who have died.
September
In September the Church celebrates Holy Cross Day, a day when we can thank God for what He has done to justify us – that is, make us right with Him.
Years ago, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was loaned a huge sum of money by a merchant in Antwerp. The time for repayment became due, but Charles was bankrupt and unable to pay. The merchant gave a great banquet for the Emperor, then when all the guests were seated he had a large platter placed on the table before Him an ordered a fire to be lit upon it. Taking the i.o.u. note out of his pocket, he held it in the flames and it was burnt to a cinder. The Emperor threw his arms around his benefactor and wept.
This is a picture to us of the love of God on the cross. We owe a great debt to God which we are unable to pay. Our debt is not in money but in our sins in thought, word, deed and omission (when we have failed to do what we should have done). We cannot put things right by just trying to live a good life, nor by saying we are good people because we were brought up as Christians by our parents. Of course Christian parents are a great help in upbringing, but there is only one way of having our debts forgiven – to bring our life to the Cross of Jesus. It was on the Cross that Jesus ‘burnt up the note’ of our debt. Before Jesus’ death on the Cross we were all debtors, but God wiped away our guilt by His pardon and forgiveness, and that is what we mean by justification.
I want to conclude with a story of a famous preacher of the Nineteenth century who heard a young lady called Charlotte Elliott sing at a London theatre. Very tactfully and boldly he said to her: “I thought as I listened to you tonight how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if your talents were dedicated to his cause. You know, young lady, you are as much a sinner in the sight of God as a drunkard in the ditch or a harlot. But I’m glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse from sins.”
Understandably Charlotte was furious, but at home she couldn’t sleep and at 2.00 am took her paper & pen and wrote:
‘Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidds’t me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come!’
That sums up justification – a loving response to Jesus who is the only one who can pay our debt.
1. St Mark’s Gospel concludes: ‘And so the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them was taken up into Heaven; there at the right hand of God He took His place, while they going out, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word by signs that accompanied it’. The Gospel is one of preaching and healing.
2. We need to be people of prayer. At one time I rarely used a bank credit card, but as soon as I used it more regularly the bank increased my credit limit. As we step out and use our faith, God will increase our credit in the bank of faith - He will increase our faith and use us more, but unlike an ordinary bank, we don’t have to pay back, except by prayer and good works! C.H. Spurgeon, a famous 19th century preacher, described the acceptance of God’s promise as: ‘A cheque book of the bank of faith’.
3. We need to pray and have faith when all seems lost and helpless, and never allow failure to let us wallow in depression and disillusionment. God can lead us through them to a more mature and realistic faith if we keep hold of Him, especially when everything else may seem hopeless. This is the time to use the bank of faith.
Trust Him when dark doubts attack you,
trust Him when your strength is small.
Trust Him, when simply to trust Him
is the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him – He is ever faithful,
trust Him, for His will is best.
Trust Him – for the heart of Jesus
is the only place to rest.
Trust Him, then, through doubt and sunshine,
all your cares upon Him cast,
‘til the storms of life are over
and your trusting days are past.
4. Jesus told St Bartholomew that he would see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending above the Son of Man (John 1 v 51). This reply reminds us of something that is so easy to forget, which is that death is also a means of healing and can be termed ‘the ultimate healer’. There does come a time to be with Our Lord and it is never right for the healing ministry to be used as if there is never a time to die. It is not for us to tell God when that time is; there are times when I have administered the last rites to parishioners and they have lived for another two or three years. We need to pray for a person to be as whole as possible and ready for full union with Jesus; to pray for more of the life of God to enter that person, and that might be everlasting life. For Christians, eternal life (i.e. life with God) has already begun, so bodily death is just an event within eternal life. The month of November is dedicated to praying for the healing of all who have died.
September
In September the Church celebrates Holy Cross Day, a day when we can thank God for what He has done to justify us – that is, make us right with Him.
Years ago, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was loaned a huge sum of money by a merchant in Antwerp. The time for repayment became due, but Charles was bankrupt and unable to pay. The merchant gave a great banquet for the Emperor, then when all the guests were seated he had a large platter placed on the table before Him an ordered a fire to be lit upon it. Taking the i.o.u. note out of his pocket, he held it in the flames and it was burnt to a cinder. The Emperor threw his arms around his benefactor and wept.
This is a picture to us of the love of God on the cross. We owe a great debt to God which we are unable to pay. Our debt is not in money but in our sins in thought, word, deed and omission (when we have failed to do what we should have done). We cannot put things right by just trying to live a good life, nor by saying we are good people because we were brought up as Christians by our parents. Of course Christian parents are a great help in upbringing, but there is only one way of having our debts forgiven – to bring our life to the Cross of Jesus. It was on the Cross that Jesus ‘burnt up the note’ of our debt. Before Jesus’ death on the Cross we were all debtors, but God wiped away our guilt by His pardon and forgiveness, and that is what we mean by justification.
I want to conclude with a story of a famous preacher of the Nineteenth century who heard a young lady called Charlotte Elliott sing at a London theatre. Very tactfully and boldly he said to her: “I thought as I listened to you tonight how tremendously the cause of Christ would be benefited if your talents were dedicated to his cause. You know, young lady, you are as much a sinner in the sight of God as a drunkard in the ditch or a harlot. But I’m glad to tell you that the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse from sins.”
Understandably Charlotte was furious, but at home she couldn’t sleep and at 2.00 am took her paper & pen and wrote:
‘Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidds’t me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come!’
That sums up justification – a loving response to Jesus who is the only one who can pay our debt.
