Dear Friends in Christ

Much of the Gospel of St Mark — which is being read at Mass these weeks — is concerned with the question of who Jesus is. In the particular Gospel of this Sunday, Jesus gives His disciples a lesson in how they are to govern. The word authority proceeds from the Latin word auctor, that is to say, the author or promotor, or source of something. It suggests the function of someone who has an oversight over a group or enterprise. In the Church, authority has to be exercised according to the model Jesus gives us: as one who has come to serve and not be served. Therefore, all authority in the Church is at the service of the greater good of assisting us to reach Heaven. Primarily this is the duty of the Pope, Bishops and Priests who have been given this mandate by the Church and who rule and govern in the name of Christ. This is why we should pray continually for those entrusted with this important but delicate charism.

Please pray especially for the Bishops of England and Wales this week, as they begin their visit Ad Limina Apostolorum. This takes place periodically and is the occasion when the Bishops of a country go on pilgrimage to Rome, to pray at the Tombs of the Apostles to meet the successor of St Peter, the Pope. It is also the occasion when they meet with the various Dicastories of the Holy See — the Roman Curia — and present reports of the work in each Diocese. They will meet and celebrate Holy Mass with the Pope in the course of the week too.

I wish you every blessing for your own work in this coming week!

God bless you!

Msgr Kevin Hale

Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org