Dear Friends in Christ
This Sunday we welcome our Bishop, Alan Williams, to the Parish. The presence of the Bishop in our midst is equivalent to that of one of the Apostles, since the Bishops of the Catholic Church are the direct descendents of those Twelve that Jesus called and commissioned to teach and sanctify in His name. During 11.30am Mass this weekend the Bishop will confirm twenty-six young adults. They have been preparing since the start of Lent for this moment, which is the completion of their initiation into the Church (begun at Baptism and nourished with the Blessed Eucharist) and now they take their place as fully adult members of the Family of the Church. Please pray for them, their families and their Sponsors, that they will be faithful to the graces and gifts that the Holy Spirit brings them on this occasion. I am very much indebted to the small group of Catechists who have been involved with the preparation of our young people for this Sacrament; I am confident that they have been given a good, solid and spiritual preparation for their Confirmation. Also, please continue to hold the Bishop in the charity of your prayers. He has a hugely important task as our Teacher of the Faith and we ask that the work that has been entrusted to him will be a cause of joy and consolation for him and for us.
Dear Friends in Christ
Next Sunday is the occasion of the Visitation of the Bishop, Alan Williams, to our Parish. This takes place every three years and it is also the occasion when the Bishop will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on twenty-six young adults, during 11.30am Mass. The visit of our Bishop is the same as the visit of one of the Apostles, since he is a direct descendent of one of the Twelve. We shall welcome him with the devotion of his spiritual children and look forward to his words of encouragement to us. The Bishop is the first Teacher of the Faith in our Diocese and has the pastoral care and oversight of Clergy, Religious and Faithful, some 240,000 Catholics in ninety Parishes. Please pray for his intentions daily, as the work of a Bishop is both vital and huge within the Church today. I frequently assure the Bishop of our prayers for his intentions. One of the great consolations of a Shepherd is the knowledge that his flock are supporting him through the prayers and sacrifices of their lives.
Dear Friends in christ
The Easter reason reminds us that every Sunday is in fact a mini-Easter Day. Back in May 1998 St Pope John Paul II wrote a beautiful Letter to the Church entitled The Day of the Lord - Dies Domini - in which he teaches the importance of this Day. It is right, therefore, to claim, in the words of a fourth century homily, that "the Lord's Day" is "the lord of days". Those who have received the grace of faith in the Risen Lord cannot fail to grasp the significance of this day of the week with the same deep emotion which led Saint Jerome to say: "Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, it is the day of Christians, it is our day". For Christians, Sunday is "the fundamental feastday" established not only to mark the succession of time but to reveal time's deeper meaning.
Dear Friends in christ
Fifty days after the Resurrection of The Lord comes His Ascension into Heaven. This Solemnity has been restored to its correct Day and is celebrated on this coming Thursday; it is a Holyday of Obligation. After Ascension Day, the Church joins in continuous and intense prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Essentially the return of Jesus to Heaven at His Ascension, moves us to keep our gaze upwards. Where Christ has gone ahead of us, there we hope to follow.