The faith of the first community of believers [in the Resurrection of the Jesus Christ] is based on the witness of concrete men known to the Christians and for the most part still living among them. Peter and the Twelve are the primary "witnesses to his Resurrection", but they are not the only ones - Paul speaks clearly of more than five hundred persons to whom Jesus appeared on a single occasion and also of James and of all the apostles (1 Cor 15:4-8; cf. Acts 1:22.).
Given all these testimonies, Christ's Resurrection cannot be interpreted as something outside the physical order, and it is impossible not to acknowledge it as an historical fact. It is clear from the facts that the disciples' faith was drastically put to the test by their master's Passion and death on the cross, which he had foretold (cf. Lk 22:31-32). The shock provoked by the Passion was so great that at least some of the disciples did not at once believe in the news of the Resurrection. Far from showing us a community seized by a mystical exaltation, the Gospels present us with disciples demoralized ("looking sad”, (Lk 24:17; cf. Jn 20:19) and frightened. For they had not believed the holy women returning from the tomb and had regarded their words as an "idle tale" (Lk 24:11; cf. Mk 16:11,13). When Jesus reveals himself to the Eleven on Easter evening, "he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen” (Mk 16:14). Even when faced with the reality of the risen Jesus the disciples are still doubtful, so impossible did the thing seem: they thought they were seeing a ghost. "In their joy they were still disbelieving and still wondering” (Lk 24:38-41). Thomas will also experience the test of doubt and St. Matthew relates that during the risen Lord's last appearance in Galilee "some doubted” (Cf. Jn 20:24-27; Mt 28:17). Therefore, the hypothesis that the Resurrection was produced by the apostles' faith (or credulity) will not hold up. On the contrary their faith in the Resurrection was born, under the action of divine grace, from their direct experience of the reality of the risen Jesus. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paras. 642 - 644
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The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark Palm Sunday tells us that it is the Cross that is the true tree of life Easter Ceremonies St Alphege Tuesday of Holy Week (Reconciliation Service) ..19.00 Maundy Thursday ………………………………….19.00 Good Friday (Children’s Stations of the Cross) …10.30 Good Friday …….…………………………………..15.00 Easter Vigil ………………………………………….19.00 Easter Sunday …………………………………….. 11.00 This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The 11 o'clock Mass will start in the parish hall for the commemoration of the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem. The palms (provided) will be blessed and then we will process to the church. The Passion of the Lord according to St Mark will be read in three parts. RECONCILIATION SERVICE at 7pm on Tuesday 26 March in preparation for the Easter Tridium. Everyone is encouraged to come. Maundy Thursday and Easter Vigil: Please do bring a bell with you which you are invited to ring during the Gloria. There will be a Children's Stations of the Cross on Good Friday at 10.30am in the Church. All are welcome. Easter Ceremonies 2024
Palm Sunday 24th 11.00 Mass & Blessing Palms Tue of Holy Week 26th 10.00 Mass Maundy Thursday 28th 19.00 Mass (watching at Altar of Repose until 10 pm) Good Friday 29th 15.00 Easter Vigil 30th 19.00 Easter Sunday 31st 11.00 (Remember the clocks go forward!) No 6 pm Mass Easter Monday 1st No Mass Tuesday 2nd 10.00 Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. The 11 o'clock Mass will start in the parish hall for the commemoration of the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem. The palms (provided) will be blessed and then we will process to the church. The Passion of the Lord according to St Mark will be read in three parts. Maundy Thursday and Easter Vigil: Please do bring a bell with you which you are invited to ring during the Gloria.
Christ and Nicodemus, Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn, 1604–1645
The Cleansing of the Temple
This is a very dramatic and startling episode in the Gospel narrative. The image of meek and mild Jesus is put into the shade by this driving out of the traders with a whip. Our Lord of course is totally justified. The commerce going on in the courtyard was supposed to be to enable people to buy animals for the ritual sacrifice commanded by God in the Law of Moses but the sellers had lost sight of the goal and turned it into a purely money-making enterprise. As Temples of the Holy Spirit each one of us also has a duty to make sure that our own 'house is in order'. The season of Lent gives us a focused opportunity to cleanse the sanctuary of our souls. We can ask ourselves what things in our life stop us from being God's Temple? What things do we let block our hearts from God and his spirit? During this season we should all take stock and if needed clear out all that stops us from being flourishing member of the Church. Father Alex McAllister The Transfiguration
The Transfiguration is one of the few Gospel narratives that is repeated more than once throughout the liturgical year. It has its own feast day in August. Why then do we hear it again during Lent? One reason is that it points towards the whole aim of the penitential season of Lent: it gives us a glimpse of the Resurrection. Jesus permits the select group of disciples to see his future glory. We are given this text about the Transfiguration to sustain us as we do penance and give us sight of the Easter victory that we are preparing to celebrate. The glory shows us that Jesus is God. The appearance of Moses and Elijah tells us that Christ himself is the fulfilment of the whole of Salvation History. It is these facts that we should not lose sight of. Whilst the solemnity of the season of Lent is important; it loses all its potency of we forget that it leads us to the glory and joy of Easter. Father Alex McAllister To Keep a True Lent
Is this a fast, to keep The larder lean? And clean From fat of veals and sheep? Is it to quit the dish Of flesh, yet still To fill The platter high with fish? Is it to fast an hour, Or ragg’d to go, Or show A downcast look and sour? No; ’tis a fast to dole Thy sheaf of wheat, And meat, Unto the hungry soul. It is to fast from strife, From old debate And hate; To circumcise thy life. To show a heart grief-rent; To starve thy sin, Not bin; And that’s to keep thy Lent. Robert Herrick 1648 What is Lent?
A few years ago, it used to be fashionable in certain circles to greet people by saying, ‘Have a happy Lent!’ This was not something I ever liked very much, because I think that it made the penitential season of Lent sound just like Easter, which really is the proper liturgical season for rejoicing. But I suppose that greeting found its origin in the Preface for the First Sunday of Lent which used to say, ‘each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery with mind and hearts renewed.’ However, the new translation of the mass puts it a bit more accurately: ‘each year your faithful await the sacred paschal feasts with the joy of minds made pure.’ This makes things much clearer; it stresses that Lent is principally a time of purification. So, it is not the season that is joyful but the fact that it leads us to purify our lives. The joy that is referred to is more like serenity than pleasure. It is the serenity that comes from having kept a good Lent, having borne the hardships of penance and fasting and having put quite a bit of extra effort into our prayer lives. We need to be attentive to the fact that the liturgy has various moods with specific emphases for each liturgical season. The same applies to the mass which is why in Lent we don’t use exactly the same music for the Kyrie, the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei as we do during the rest of the year. We use different tunes to express the very different emotions of sorrow, praise and profound devotion appropriate for the season. Lent may be a penitential time, but that does not make it a miserable season. There is joy in it but it is a sober joy, a restrained serenity that comes from being faithful to the traditional penances which are undertaken to unite ourselves with the sufferings of Jesus. Yes, it is a sorrowful season but our sadness is moderated by the knowledge that Christ has won the victory and paid the price of our redemption. Father Alex McAllister Observing Lent
The season of Lent is upon us next week. The relatively early Easter means that the gap between Christmas and Ash Wednesday is rather short. Many of us may have not even thought about how we will observe the coming penitential season. There is a little clue for us in today's Gospel. We hear how Jesus, after an intensive time of healing the people, takes himself off to the hills to commune with his Father. Perhaps this is how we should be spending Lent; taking extra time in prayer, spending more time alone with the Father. As we prepare to observe the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and alms-giving, it is essential that we do not separate them from their focus which is the person of Jesus and the Gospel he brings. If we make our penances the focus in their own right, we will not produce the spiritual fruits we desire. It is only by making Christ the centre of our Lenten observance that we will be ultimately overwhelmed by graces. Father Alex McAllister The Presentation of the Lord
The feast of the Presentation of the Lord is kept on Tuesday 2nd February and it marks the very end of the Christmas Season. This feast is celebrated forty days after Christmas and it is the day when we remove the Christmas Crib from the Church. We remember how the baby Jesus was presented by his parents in the Temple and where they made the necessary sacrifice for him. We recall how the Prophet Simeon took Jesus in his hands and sang out the song of praise we know as the Nunc Dimittis: “Now let your servant depart in peace because my eyes have seen your salvation.” This feast is also known as Candlemas because on this day we bless the candles used in the Church during the coming year. In modern times it is also kept as a special; Day of Prayer for those who have embraced the Consecrated Life. We keep this commemoration on the Feast of the Presentation because of the strong parallels between Christ’s consecration to God in the Temple and the special consecration made by those who have entered Religious Orders. Father Alex McAllister |
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March 2024
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