A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning - seems strange to say it but … stay warm.

We celebrate a great feast today - the Feast of the Sacred Heart.  It is a lovely devotion, a reminder of the all pervading love of God made flesh in the life and death of Jesus. We can sometimes leave it as a devotion and our to one side its real nature as a challenge. On this day, most years, I re-read an article by an old friend of mine, Fr Philip Endean SJ - a brilliant scholar who, one of his tutors once suggested to lesser mortals like me, that they did not have to read the subtitles of his work!

For him the Sacred Heart is not simply a devotion but rather about conversion, our own conversion of heart of heart and mind which takes the whole of our lives - and more - to become manifest.

"God’s solidarity in Christ with all creation is most manifest at the bleakest places, the places where we seem to be alone, and where no other source of hope can be found. Hence the links between Christ’s heart and the passion; hence the importance of limit-situations for an understanding of the devotion. Only by venturing to the margins of our humanity will we discover the length and the breadth and the height and the depth. It is only the poor who can reveal Christ’s love. Rightly understood, the heart of Christ is more than the object of a dispensable cult. What we call Christianity is impossible without it.”

This is echoed by Pope Francis so often when he says:

‘We are a church of the margins …. A field hospital ..’

We are the poor - if we recognise our true poverty.

Today is also designated as a Day for the Sanctification of Priests - please pray for us lesser mortals.

As we remember the true nature of the Church let us continue to pray for all parishioners, families and friends who are on the front-line - on the margins, in the field hospitals, and for our teachers who love and care for our children

Joseph, Lisa, Patrick, Chris, Catherine, Anne, Terry, Mark, Theo, Clare, Richard, Anthony, Jane, James, Andrew, Mary, Francis, Ruth, Tony, Sue, Dan, Fiona, Katy. Ian & Bethany

Let us also remember those who have lost their jobs or are in danger of doing so - these are vey anxious times for many people. Thank you for your continued support of the Food Bank

St Joseph, guardian of our parish in these days, pray for us

Every blessing

Fr John