Dear Friends in Christ

The image in the liturgy of this Sunday shows us the disciples being sent out in pairs to announce the Kingdom of God. Wherever they went miracles occurred as the blind received their sight, lepers were cleansed, sinners were moved to repentance. Even after so many centuries, we can still see that the world is in need of the peace that only Christ can give. We don’t need to look far to see the results of this lack of peace: race and class struggles, struggles between ideologies and political parties; terrorism and warfare, riots, disputes, and all kinds of violence. How can we explain such lack of peace? There are many possible explanations, which range from original sin to our own personal defects, but ultimately it is only by inviting God into every situation on this earth that we can live lives of peace and concord. The Christian who lives by faith is a person of peace who spreads serenity around them; people feel at ease with them and others will seek their company. We can each play our part by bringing into every situation the peace of Christ, a peace that the world alone cannot give.

I hope as many of you as possible will attend all or part of the parish meeting this Sunday evening followed by the garden party. This is not a business meeting, but a chance to celebrate our parish life, look back in thanksgiving over the last year, and look forward to trusting in God’s providence. It begins at 6.15pm in the Parish Centre.

May God bless you!

Msgr Kevin Hale

Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
The Sunday Homily is available as a podcast at LourdesLeigh.org