Fr Philip writes...
in 2018
December
This month I want to highlight some simple points about Christmass:
Why is Christmass important?
Why is Christmass important?
- Because it was the day Jesus Christ, who is God made man, was born as a baby, to save all people from the power of evil. By dying he would destroy death, and by rising to life again at Easter he would restore eternal life for us all. The word “Christmass” means ‘the Mass of Christ’ and reminds all Christians of our own birth into God’s Family.
- The Angel Gabriel had appeared to the Virgin Mary 9 months before in Nazareth and told her she would have a Son through the power of God’s Holy Spirit and should name him Jesus. Mary had said “Yes.” …So much hung in the balance on that single word.
- Mary showed courage, faith and sensitivity in agreeing to be Mother of Jesus. She spoke the truth when she said humbly: “from this day forward all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1v.48) Let me say “Yes” to God, too.
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- Joseph is the “unsung hero” of Christmass. The Bible shows him as considerate, protective and caring… but Joseph never speaks a word in the Bible - he simply does what he is told. “Lord, make me more like Joseph, more eager to listen than to talk, and always willing to obey you.”
- Just before Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to take part in a census. Unable to find anywhere to stay there, they took shelter in a cave where Jesus was born. His cot was an animal’s feeding trough - a manger.
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- Bethlehem means “House of Bread”. Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life.” At the last supper with his friends before his death, he said, “The bread is my body and the wine is my blood… Do this in remembrance of me.” The Mass is where Christ is born again under forms of bread and wine and so in a church like St Mary’s where Mass is celebrated daily, Christmass happens every day.
- At Christmass we celebrate Christ’s Three Births:
- in Eternity - “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1)
- in Time (Christmass) - “The Word was made flesh.”
- in our Hearts - “To all who accepted him, he gave power to become children of God.”
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Salvation is not something that is done for you But something that happens within you. It is not the clearing of a court record but the transformation of a life attitude. (Albert W. Palmer) Happy Christmass! |
November
November is a month of prayer for the dead, hence we have a number of Requiems in our calendar of prayer. At St Mary’s we pray for the dead in Christ and all the dead whose faith is known to God alone. Very few of us are ready for the intense joys of Heaven at the moment of death and so we are prepared for them in a state of enlightenment, growth and purification between earth and heaven which we call ‘Paradise’.
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After his death on the cross, Jesus went into that state and preached the good news to those who had no opportunity of hearing him on earth. In the old version of the Apostles Creed were the rather misleading words, “He descended into hell,” which thankfully have now been revised to: “He descended to the dead.” In the Bible, 1 Peter 3 v 19 gives support to this belief, which was the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise to the thief on the Cross: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23 v 43) |
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Paradise is a word for God’s garden of rest. It does not mean the same as Heaven, to which Jesus ascended 42 days after his death on the cross. Jesus promised the penitent thief that he would not leave him when he passed into Paradise, that state of preparation for Heaven which his belated act of faith had opened to him. One term for this state is commonly known as Purgatory, associated with the cleansing of a soul from the tendency to sin, but unfortunately the word has a lot of negative baggage associated with it from the Middle Ages.
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A more positive way is to see it as a state of ever-increasing light and peace. Hence we pray for those who have died: ‘Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, And let light perpetual shine upon them.’
Some people think this state is painful and others that it is joyful. Both are true. Let us consider a convalescent home. It can be seen as an alarming place where unpleasant medicines and painful physiotherapy is given, but on the other hand it is a happy place as each day a patient is becoming stronger and getting better. The Church has always prayed for its departed members. In pre-Christian days Judas Maccabeus believed that prayer and sacrifice could benefit the dead. (2 Maccabees 12 v 43-44) |
‘Judas [Maccabeus]… having seen the effects of the sin of those who had fallen; after this he took a collection from them individually, amounting to nearly two thousand drachmae, and sent it to Jerusalem to have a sacrifice for sin offered, an altogether fine and noble action, in which he took full account of the resurrection. For if he had not expected the fallen to rise again it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.’
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St Paul had similar beliefs (2 Timothy 1 v 18):
‘May it be the Lord’s will that he shall find mercy on that Day.’ There are lists on the table at the back of church for names to be read at various Requiems. Please visit the Holy Cross Chapel to pray for the departed that they may find light, rest and peace in God’s kingdom of Heaven. |
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October
‘If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him? My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active’
(1 John 3 v 17-19)
Harvest calls us to open our eyes to people in need. When we see people in need, our first reaction is often to judge them; we may say ‘it’s their fault’ or we may be sorry for them but turn away. A Christian who does not care is like a lamp that doesn’t give light. The passage from St John’s first Epistle above calls us to have loving, caring hearts.
John Henry Newman wrote the words:
(1 John 3 v 17-19)
Harvest calls us to open our eyes to people in need. When we see people in need, our first reaction is often to judge them; we may say ‘it’s their fault’ or we may be sorry for them but turn away. A Christian who does not care is like a lamp that doesn’t give light. The passage from St John’s first Epistle above calls us to have loving, caring hearts.
John Henry Newman wrote the words:
God has created me to do some definite service. He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have a mission.” |
St Teresa of Calcutta said that material poverty is often the only poverty which most
people are aware of, but there is a worse poverty than that and it is to be lonely, unloved or unwanted. It is possible to be materially well-off and yet be amongst the poorest of the poor.
At Harvest we shall be supporting the poorest of the poor by supporting St Martin’s Housing Trust in Norwich as we have done for many years.
people are aware of, but there is a worse poverty than that and it is to be lonely, unloved or unwanted. It is possible to be materially well-off and yet be amongst the poorest of the poor.
At Harvest we shall be supporting the poorest of the poor by supporting St Martin’s Housing Trust in Norwich as we have done for many years.
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On 7th Oct at the 9.30 Parish Mass I shall be blessing toiletries, blankets and good clothing; on 12th Oct Mendlesham School will have their Harvest Thanksgiving and presenting gifts of food, and further gifts will be blessed at the 9.30 Parish Mass on Sunday 14th Oct. |
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I appeal to you all to be generous. St Martins is doing great work in helping some of the most vulnerable in our society to face life again.
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The last Sunday in October is our Dedication Festival (28th Oct) when we thank God for St Mary’s and dedicate our Friends of St Mary’s boxes. Please give generously as we embark on further restoration of the Church. Mendlesham is very fortunate to have such a well-cared for and well-used 900 year-old church, which adds to the beauty of worship and has such an atmosphere of prayerfulness in it.
The Mass & daily Morning & Evening Prayer are integral to its witness. I have recently received a lovely letter from someone who came to a healing service: |
“Just a few lines to thank you for two hours of bliss. (N) never thought that he could be moved so much. He wants to thank you for making us welcome and says he has waited 20 years for what he received yesterday to be truly welcomed in a church.” |
From 8th October we begin Bible Study in the Old Schoolroom on Monday evenings, which is open to all, beginning with a bring & share supper. We invite you to come, irrespective of your religious convictions, to learn more about God’s Word, so that the light of Jesus in each of us may shine more deeply in our lives.
September
Each September we observe a feast in honour of the Cross of Christ (14th Sept) and this month I will have been in Holy Orders for 50 years, since I was ordained a deacon. Next year (DV) I will be keeping my golden jubilee of ordination as a priest. In all that time I have been a member of the Priests’ Society of the Holy Cross, so this month I am offering a reflection from the book of Genesis which illustrates one reason why the Cross of Christ is so significant. Genesis has a profound message and this is what is far more important than worrying about taking every word literally.
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God gave Adam and Eve a precious gift – free will to choose what is right or wrong – and they chose evil. To choose evil is to abuse freedom but they both tried to hide rather than to face the consequences. God asks Adam, “Where are you?” This is a disturbing question that is addressed not only to Adam but to every person in every age. God says, “Where are you… in your relationship with me, to others and with yourself?” |
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Adam tried to escape responsibility for what he had done and so often we, too, are afraid. God loves us enough to forgive our sins but wants us to take responsibility for them. It wasn’t God who brought punishment on Adam and Eve; they brought it upon themselves. We are not punished for our sins but by our sins.
This sad scene in Genesis ends with the promise of salvation, for God takes pity on Adam and Eve. He promises them a saviour, when he says,
This sad scene in Genesis ends with the promise of salvation, for God takes pity on Adam and Eve. He promises them a saviour, when he says,
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“I will make you enemies of each other, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He (that is, the man) will crush your (the serpent’s) head (i.e. the man will crush evil) and you (that is, the serpent) will strike his heel.” |
In other words: Jesus (God become Man) will overcome evil, but in doing so he will be wounded (i.e. the Cross).
Sin is rebellion against God and choosing our own way rather than what is right. It divides each of us in two: part of us pulling with God and the other part pulling against him. God calls, “Where are you?” and says this to you and to me. How do we answer?
Sin is rebellion against God and choosing our own way rather than what is right. It divides each of us in two: part of us pulling with God and the other part pulling against him. God calls, “Where are you?” and says this to you and to me. How do we answer?
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I hope work will begin on the next phase of restoration of St Mary’s during September. Our churches are very expensive to maintain and that is why there is a National Ride and Stride Day (which began in the Stowmarket Deanery about 40 years ago). You can cycle, ride, walk or drive between churches and chapels. 500 will be open in Suffolk. You can also sit in church to welcome visitors and be sponsored for the number you sign in.
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Why are people keen to restore our churches? I quote from HRH the Prince of Wales in the book, ‘Lincolnshire Churches Revisited’:
“Despite the fact that in these days they may be redundant owing to declining rural populations and dwindling congregations, they are nevertheless extremely important monuments and a vital part of our national heritage… they were built literally to the glory of God and in a sureness of faith which may seem strange nowadays. The very stones they are built with seem to have a soul of their own… I need hardly say that I believe we must do everything in our power to ensure that these great monuments and symbols of living faith are preserved for generations yet unborn."
I hope as many as possible will participate on this day.
“Despite the fact that in these days they may be redundant owing to declining rural populations and dwindling congregations, they are nevertheless extremely important monuments and a vital part of our national heritage… they were built literally to the glory of God and in a sureness of faith which may seem strange nowadays. The very stones they are built with seem to have a soul of their own… I need hardly say that I believe we must do everything in our power to ensure that these great monuments and symbols of living faith are preserved for generations yet unborn."
I hope as many as possible will participate on this day.
August
Our Summer Festival - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Patronal Festival of our parish church is the highlight of August in Mendlesham. I want to consider the meaning of this feast in 3 ways:
1: Life after death; 2: bodily resurrection and 3: our final union with Christ.
First:
Life after Death. In the 1960s a man’s only son was killed in a road accident and the effect was such that his father had a nervous breakdown. The curate visited him frequently, but the father couldn’t accept life after death. His illness grew worse and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where there was a radical chaplain who didn’t uphold the traditional Christian faith. The distressed patient told the chaplain how kind the curate had been, but said he couldn’t believe there was life after death, to which the chaplain replied, “Don’t worry, nor do I.”
1: Life after death; 2: bodily resurrection and 3: our final union with Christ.
First:
Life after Death. In the 1960s a man’s only son was killed in a road accident and the effect was such that his father had a nervous breakdown. The curate visited him frequently, but the father couldn’t accept life after death. His illness grew worse and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital where there was a radical chaplain who didn’t uphold the traditional Christian faith. The distressed patient told the chaplain how kind the curate had been, but said he couldn’t believe there was life after death, to which the chaplain replied, “Don’t worry, nor do I.”
The Assumption of Our Lady by Boticelli
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When the man’s wife visited him he said, “You know, dear, we have a strange chaplain here who told me he doesn’t believe in life after death.” His wife replied, “Don’t worry, dear, that’s why he’s in here.”
The Assumption speaks of the Christian’s future hope: Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you… I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.” (John 14 v 2-3) |
Second:
The Assumption speaks of the resurrection of the body as well as the soul. A Norfolk grave digger of over 80 years was digging a grave when the Vicar came along for a chat and asked how deep he dug graves. “Them I don’t like I put down another 2 feet so they’ll be late for the resurrection,” he replied. We know the resurrection of the body isn’t meant in the way that gravedigger implied. It is a bodily resurrection but with a difference. If you were to ask whether your present body is the one derived from your parents, the answer would be yes – and no.
The Assumption speaks of the resurrection of the body as well as the soul. A Norfolk grave digger of over 80 years was digging a grave when the Vicar came along for a chat and asked how deep he dug graves. “Them I don’t like I put down another 2 feet so they’ll be late for the resurrection,” he replied. We know the resurrection of the body isn’t meant in the way that gravedigger implied. It is a bodily resurrection but with a difference. If you were to ask whether your present body is the one derived from your parents, the answer would be yes – and no.
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Your present body was derived from your mother’s womb, but it completely replaces itself every 7 years, so in one sense it is the same and in another it isn’t. Our resurrection body will bear characteristics of our earthly body and we will be the same person but will be recreated - like a caterpillar-chrysalis-butterfly transformation.
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We know Jesus in his resurrected body could eat and was still recognisable to his friends, but he had new powers and could appear and disappear at will. The Church believes Mary was assumed into heaven after her death as it is unthinkable that the body from which Our Lord’s body was derived should moulder in the grave.
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Third:
The Assumption is the fulfilment of Mary’s life, which consisted of several episodes of losing and finding Our Lord. She was at Bethlehem giving birth, but into exile in Egypt to hide from Herod. She lost the 12 year-old Jesus in Jerusalem but found him in the temple. She was with him at the wedding at Cana but lost him when his ministry began. She ‘found’ him on the Cross at Calvary but lost him when his lifeless body was placed in the tomb. |
She found him when he rose from the dead but lost him when he ascended to heaven. She found him in the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and when she died, her Assumption was her call home to Jesus, never to be lost or parted from him again.
This feast is as much a festival of Our Lord as it is of Our Lady. It is he who takes her body to heaven and he who gives her everlasting life. As Mary said when she was carrying Jesus before he was born, “He that is mighty has done great things for me.”
This feast is as much a festival of Our Lord as it is of Our Lady. It is he who takes her body to heaven and he who gives her everlasting life. As Mary said when she was carrying Jesus before he was born, “He that is mighty has done great things for me.”
July
“As the Father sent me, so am I sending you…. Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus calls each one of us to witness by our lives to our faith. When we were Baptised and Confirmed we received the gift of the Holy Spirit and every time we say the words ‘Thy kingdom come’ in the Lord’s Prayer we are called to fulfil them and help bring about God’s Kingdom.
I have often told the story of 2 businessmen; one was very keen on playing golf and often begged the other to join him for a game on a Sunday morning, but always received the reply, “I’m churchwarden of my church; I can’t join you.” After this had happened a number of times the golfer said, “Golf means everything to me, so I’ve invited you several times. I take it that church means little to you as not once have you invited me.”
Jesus calls each one of us to witness by our lives to our faith. When we were Baptised and Confirmed we received the gift of the Holy Spirit and every time we say the words ‘Thy kingdom come’ in the Lord’s Prayer we are called to fulfil them and help bring about God’s Kingdom.
I have often told the story of 2 businessmen; one was very keen on playing golf and often begged the other to join him for a game on a Sunday morning, but always received the reply, “I’m churchwarden of my church; I can’t join you.” After this had happened a number of times the golfer said, “Golf means everything to me, so I’ve invited you several times. I take it that church means little to you as not once have you invited me.”
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Dorothy Day was an American writer in the last century who converted to Christianity at the age of 30 after a bohemian lifestyle and became a well-known social reformer. She had often returned from taverns in New York at 6.00 am and began stopping at St Joseph’s church in Sixth Avenue. What attracted her there was the sight of people praying at the early Mass. She wrote, “I longed for their faith… so I used to go in and kneel at the back.”
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People at prayer can be a converting experience. We have received the Holy Spirit, so let us use the tools we have for mission:
- Prayer – to pray for people to be led to Jesus and to help us to know him better.
- Our voice – to invite people to worship.
- To open our minds – to the Scriptures and the Blessed Sacrament, where Christ comes to us in this very special way.
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This month, as well as the daily Mass and daily Morning and Evening Prayer there will be several opportunities to sit or kneel in silence in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and allow God to speak to us… 3rd July (2.00 – 2.30pm); 17th July (8.00 – 8.45pm) and 31st July (8.00 – 8.45pm). On 30th July there will be a conducted meditation on the Annunciation to Mary by Gabriel that she would be mother of Our Lord.
Many visitors remark that St Mary’s Mendlesham is a very special church with a wonderful atmosphere of prayer and mysticism. It is your parish church and I invite you to come and experience it, even if you have never entered before. |
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June
“This is what I received from the Lord and in turn passed on to you…”
The feast of Corpus Christi is a day of thanksgiving for Holy Communion. When we celebrate the Mass Christ is present in a special way and we re-enact the death by which he saved us. One of the Gospels appointed for Corpus Christi (Luke 9 v 11-17) gives the feeding of the 5,000 a Eucharistic significance, for Luke uses the same words at the Last Supper and the Emmaus story: “Jesus took bread… blessed… broke… and gave.”
The feast of Corpus Christi is a day of thanksgiving for Holy Communion. When we celebrate the Mass Christ is present in a special way and we re-enact the death by which he saved us. One of the Gospels appointed for Corpus Christi (Luke 9 v 11-17) gives the feeding of the 5,000 a Eucharistic significance, for Luke uses the same words at the Last Supper and the Emmaus story: “Jesus took bread… blessed… broke… and gave.”
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At every Mass the Church continues the mission of Jesus to touch, heal and feed the people of God. On the first day of the week - the day of Jesus’ Resurrection - the early Christians met to break bread - and from that day to our own the Mass has been the centre of the Church’s life. We are the new people of God and Jesus is in our midst when we hear his voice in the scriptures.
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These words are not dead but living words to inspire and challenge us. Then we are nourished by food – the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus said,
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“Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you shall not have life in you.” (John 6 v 53) At the end of the Mass of Corpus Christi we have a Procession of the Blessed Sacrament to remind us we are sent out as bearers of Christ’s life to others. At Mass we are able to enter into deep intimacy with Jesus in Holy Communion. It helps us to live as Jesus lived, willing to go out to others. |
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The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The heart symbolises God’s love which is free and cannot be forced – and by loving us so completely, God takes the risk that this love may not be received. God offers us the gifts of forgiveness and mercy, but for some mysterious reason we find it hard to receive, probably because we want to control our lives and hold on to the reins and put ourselves in the centre.
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50 years ago some Belgian divers discovered the wreck of the Spanish warship ‘Girona’ off the coast of Ireland which sank at the time of the Armada. One of the treasures they found was a man’s wedding ring with a human hand clutching a heart. Etched on the gold band was a hand holding a heart.
Around the ring was a moving inscription in Spanish: |
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‘No Tengo Mas Que Darte’ … “I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO GIVE YOU.”
Jesus on the Cross gave us everything he had…. He, too had nothing more to give us.
May
Whitsun, or Pentecost – the end of Eastertide (20th May) is the birthday of the Church. On that day the apostles and disciples of Jesus received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not give the apostles any gifts they did not already have. Let us take, for example, the season of Spring. Spring does not give anything to the trees, but it does bring out what is already within them in a germinal state. What the Holy Spirit did to the apostles and disciples was to awaken them to gifts God had already given them.
The Holy Spirit imbued them with courage and boldness so they were able to overcome their fear and timidity. They were transformed from a group huddled together in fear of each other and the world at large to become a people with a mission and message for the world. After Pentecost the disciples were truly living witnesses for Jesus. The Holy Spirit has been given to us, too.
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Just as Spring enables trees to blossom and grow from what appears to be dead, so the Holy Spirit enables us to be fruitful disciples of the Lord.
The feast of Pentecost brings home to us that God calls us to a deep personal relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit is ‘breathed on us’ at our Baptism and Confirmation. At Baptism we were made members of Christ’s Body – the Church – and at Confirmation we were given the power of God to bear fruit in our Christian life. The question is: “Are we open to it?” An insurance company held a cornerstone-laying ceremony for its new building/ Among the items sealed in a capsule to be opened 50 years hence were predictions by civic leaders. Before they were placed in the capsule the leaders read them to the crowd. One prediction surprised everyone: |
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“50 years from now… men and women will still struggle for happiness which will continue to lie within themselves…” |
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That happiness is Christ’s peace that he gave to his disciples. Happy are those who open their hearts to the peace of Christ.
May is traditionally known as ‘Mary’s Month’. She is our prime example of openness to the Holy Spirit. She rates a special mention at Pentecost and she was the only person present at DAY ONE – from the conception of Jesus, through his childhood, adolescence, his early adulthood, his public ministry and at the foot of the Cross – right through to Pentecost, the birth of the Church. On this great feast we must ask ourselves:
These gifts are already within us, waiting to be released… Are we open to them? |
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April
One of my favourite Easter stories takes place on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24 v 13 – 31). It is a compelling drama that includes sadness (v 17), diminished hope (v 21) and the disciples’ slowness of heart (v 25) changing to burning hearts (v 32). In their own way the Emmaus travellers have some insight about Jesus. They know he was ‘a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people’ (v 19). They had hoped that he would be the one to redeem Israel – understanding redemption as a political liberation from their oppressors.
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The two disciples have heard the women’s report of the empty tomb and expressed their astonishment that Jesus was alive but they still do not believe, as their faces are downcast. At that moment the stranger (whom we know to be Jesus, but they do not recognise) begins to explain that the Messiah had to suffer before he could enter into glory. This unrecognised companion also breaks open the Scriptures for them, but only later do the two disciples realise that as the Scriptures were being explained their hearts were burning within them.
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Being invited to join them at their home in Emmaus for an evening meal, the stranger becomes the host by taking the bread, blessing it and sharing it with them. Recalling the Last Supper and feeding of the 4,000 and 5,000, the disciples suddenly find their eyes are opened and the Risen Jesus is with them. But as soon as they recognise him, he vanishes from their sight, but this meeting has absolutely transformed them. Immediately they run back to Jerusalem to tell others what has happened!
Jesus was soon to become physically absent after he ascended to Heaven, but for ever after will be experienced as present among the community of believers in the Scriptures and Breaking of Bread. This meal is called ‘the Mass’ at St Mary’s and throughout the Western Church. I shall be explaining more about it at our Enquirers’ Group on Saturday mornings in church (7th, 14th, 21st April) at 10.00.
The challenge of Emmaus is: Are we energised like the 2 disciples and witness to the living Jesus by the way we live? One of the disciples is named - Cleopas - but the other is unnamed. Does St Luke intend this disciple to be you? You may have little experience of Christian worship, but I invite you to come so you can experience the same as those disciples and then Easter will become a present reality for you, too.
The challenge of Emmaus is: Are we energised like the 2 disciples and witness to the living Jesus by the way we live? One of the disciples is named - Cleopas - but the other is unnamed. Does St Luke intend this disciple to be you? You may have little experience of Christian worship, but I invite you to come so you can experience the same as those disciples and then Easter will become a present reality for you, too.
March
The Kingdom of Heaven is like Treasure’
King Solomon was told by God he could have anything he wanted (1 Kings 3 v 5-12). Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom so he could govern well.
Since the dawn of time people have been looking for treasure. Today they look for it in the lottery, the casino, the stock market, property etc.: “If only I could hit the jackpot, win the lottery, etc, all my troubles will be over…” Yet we know only too well that so many people who have gained these things have not found contentment.
King Solomon was told by God he could have anything he wanted (1 Kings 3 v 5-12). Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom so he could govern well.
Since the dawn of time people have been looking for treasure. Today they look for it in the lottery, the casino, the stock market, property etc.: “If only I could hit the jackpot, win the lottery, etc, all my troubles will be over…” Yet we know only too well that so many people who have gained these things have not found contentment.
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Christ compared the kingdom of God to a rare pearl or priceless treasure (Matt 13. V 44-46). In other words, the kingdom is worth everything we have. The kingdom of God is a very simple concept: it means to know that I am a child of God, with a divine dignity and an eternal destiny and that I am loved by God as I am. It means to know the meaning of life and how to live it.
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The notion of selling everything one has to buy ‘the pearl of great price’ is not an illusion, for it demonstrates the unrestrained joy in finding the purpose of life and brings peace of mind and deep joy and contentment. A close relationship with God is a real treasure; it gives us a sense of who we are and where we are going.
An elderly lady in Scotland was so poor her neighbours had to support her. They were happy to do this, but what bothered some of them was that her son had gone to America and become rich. The mother defended her son, saying,
“He writes to me every week and always sends me a little picture. See, I keep them in my Bible.”
Between the pages of her Bible were hundreds of US bank notes. The woman had a treasure in her Bible, but she did not realise it. We need to ask ourselves:
‘Do I need to rediscover the treasure in my Bible: Jesus Christ?’
St Augustine said:
An elderly lady in Scotland was so poor her neighbours had to support her. They were happy to do this, but what bothered some of them was that her son had gone to America and become rich. The mother defended her son, saying,
“He writes to me every week and always sends me a little picture. See, I keep them in my Bible.”
Between the pages of her Bible were hundreds of US bank notes. The woman had a treasure in her Bible, but she did not realise it. We need to ask ourselves:
‘Do I need to rediscover the treasure in my Bible: Jesus Christ?’
St Augustine said:
"Christ is not valued at all unless he is valued above all."
A famous concert pianist was asked why he continued to practise daily. He answered:
“If I skip one day I notice it. If I skip 2 days, critics notice it. If I skip 3 days, audiences notice it.”
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The same is true about my following of Jesus, which involves total dedication. If I hold back one day, I notice it. If I hold back 2 days, friends notice it. If I hold back 3 days, all notice it. May we be totally dedicated to Jesus. So often we reveal hesitancy and half-heartedness by trying to have it both ways. |
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The ‘pearl’ is offered freely to all who open their hands to receive it, but they have to let go of other things to embrace it. May we aim to be 100% committed as we observe the season of Lent.
February
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14th February this year, besides being Valentine’s Day, is Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent. The word ‘LENT’ comes from an old English word for ‘Springtime’ – the season when new life is wrested from the clutch of Winter. Lent is our time for revival and renewal – the ‘Springtime of the Spirit’.
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We have all been through enough Lents to realise that complete transformations will probably not occur, but it is an opportunity for ‘repair work’ in a specific area of our life that might need reconstruction. The ashes put on our forehead on Ash Wednesday remind us that if we want to rise to new life now we must repent and turn from our sins and follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Leo Tolstoy said:
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“Everyone thinks of changing humanity; nobody thinks of changing himself.” |
In 1984 Velma Barfield, who had committed serial murder, was the first woman in 22 years to be executed in the United States. In prison she had undergone a conversion and evidence appears on most pages of her Bible. She once told a friend: “This Bible is where I get my strength. I couldn’t get up in the morning, much less go through the day without his word.”
Velma’s remarkable conversion invites me to reflect on my life. I may not have committed murder, but what area in it cries for conversion and repentance? Of all human acts, repentance is the most divine, for one of the greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none of them.
Each one of us has some part of our life that needs a lift or some remodelling. Lent should not be a time for pain or punishment but a time for healing.
Velma’s remarkable conversion invites me to reflect on my life. I may not have committed murder, but what area in it cries for conversion and repentance? Of all human acts, repentance is the most divine, for one of the greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none of them.
Each one of us has some part of our life that needs a lift or some remodelling. Lent should not be a time for pain or punishment but a time for healing.
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The prophet Joel says that nobody is exempt – priests, laypeople, young and old; we all need renewal. Lent is not supposed to be a time for temporary improvement until Easter, after which it is back to business as usual. Its purpose is to make a lasting change in our life for the better. St Teresa of Avila says: |
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“God does not want our deeds; God wants the love that prompts them.”
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Lenten boxes for the Additional Curates Society (ACS) will be available from 4th February. This society fosters vocations to the priesthood and helps to pay for priests in deprived areas of the country which otherwise might not have a priest. The General Secretary is Fr Darren Smith, who has celebrated the Parish Mass at St Mary’s several times when I have been on holiday. |
At a time when there is a shortage of new priests, ACS has done sterling work, both in its conferences for potential ordinands and its mission work in poor parishes. Please consider some act of self-denial this Lent and giving the money saved to ACS.
January
The Epiphany is observed on 6th/7th January as the arrival of the Wise Men (the Bible does not say there were 3, but mentions 3 gifts) to the House in Bethlehem (not the stable) where they found Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was some time after the birth of Jesus. As I have mentioned before, it is an ancient custom on this day to bless chalk, which is then used to write the initials traditionally given to the wise men above or near the main door of the house, together with the year.
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20 + C + M + B + 18 
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Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar are first mentioned in the 6th Century. Melchior is depicted as an old European man with a long white beard and bearing the gift of gold; Caspar as a younger, Asian man, carrying incense and Balthasar an African man, offering myrrh. Another explanation of the initials CMB are the first letters of the Latin blessing CHRISTUS MANSIONEM BENEDICAT (May Christ bless this house).
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Since the 15th Century, the blessing of the Plough has been associated in England with the Feast of Epiphany. Plough Monday (the day after Plough Sunday) was the cue to start work on the land after the 12 days of Christmass and the plough was decorated and brought into church for a blessing. It was then taken on procession through the village. The pagan origin of this was to draw evil spirits from the ground where new crops were to be sown. Like many other traditions, this was later Christianised so that it became a day of asking for God’s blessing on the land.
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At Mendlesham this Plough Sunday, +Mike, Bishop of Dunwich, will bless the plough and pray that the work done on farms during the year will bring a good harvest. For many years the East Suffolk Morris Men have kindly offered their time and talents in dancing in the Parish Mass on Plough Sunday, then afterwards in procession along Front Street and Old Market Street, stopping at the village sign. Bishop Mike will pray here this year for the unity of the parish. Please come and support this celebration; in recent years some of the Morris Men have expressed disappointment that few residents have come out of their houses to watch them during the procession. |
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We are very fortunate that they choose to visit Mendlesham each year and of course anyone is also most welcome to come to see them at the Parish Mass, where we always pray that their dancing will bring inspiration and joy into our lives.
Finally, our Christian Aid Crib appeal will finish on 8th January. If you have not yet given, it is not too late to do so. Last year’s appeal raised £1069.15 (including Gift Aid) for some of the world’s poorest people. So often I hear people say that the world’s problems are so great that we cannot make a difference. As Kay Florentino wrote:
Finally, our Christian Aid Crib appeal will finish on 8th January. If you have not yet given, it is not too late to do so. Last year’s appeal raised £1069.15 (including Gift Aid) for some of the world’s poorest people. So often I hear people say that the world’s problems are so great that we cannot make a difference. As Kay Florentino wrote:
“I cannot change the world, but I can change a small part of it.”