Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

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Dear friends in Christ

The Church is like a net cast into the sea of the world which brings in a haul of all kinds.  So it is made-up of Saints and sinners, the good and the weak; there is a place for everyone in the Church.  In the Gospel of this Sunday Jesus tells us that the treasure we are searching for is to be found in his Church; this is because the Church is in fact His very self, His own Body.  According to Saint John Paul II the Church is a Mother through whom we are born to a new life in God.  A mother should be loved.  She is holy with regard to her Founder, her words and her doctrine, but she is, nevertheless, composed of sinful men.  It is our duty to make a positive contribution in the life of the Church, to help her progress along the way of faithful renewal (7.11.”82).

We have begun the Summer holidays and to those of you who are fortunate enough to be going away for a while, I wish you a joyful and relaxed time with family and friends.  Whether we are at home or away, let us remember that we need to keep God at the centre of all we are and do, so that we may genuinely find fulfilment and refreshment in the One who alone gives us life.

God bless you all!
Fr Kevin Hale