Dear friends in Christ

The Parable of the Sower, which is the Gospel of this Sunday, is full of rich teaching for us about the way the Word of God is received and spread throughout the world. It is also a parable for us to meditate on how we receive the word of faith that comes to us individually. God hopes that we will be good soil, that will receive His grace and bear fruit. The greater our generosity towards God, the better and more abundant will be the fruit we produce. St John Chrysostom comments: The only thing that matters, is that we should not be a beaten-down thoroughfare, or rocky ground, or thorns but that we should be good soil…Our hearts must not be that path from which the enemy, like the birds, snatches the seed trodden underfoot by passers-by. Our hearts must not be the rocky ground where the shallowness of the soil causes the seed to germinate immediately, so that it is scorched by the sun. Our hearts must not be a thistle-bed of human passions strangled by the cares of this world.

This is now the second weekend of public worship resumed. It has been a relief and a joy for many of us to be back at Holy Mass. This can only continue if there are sufficient stewards to volunteer keeping the church as a safe environment for those who come in. We have begun with a slightly reduced schedule of Masses which is necessitated due to the need to clean and air the building. I am also one priest saying all of the Masses currently. I am grateful for your understanding and your great support in making the Masses possible. A number of Parishes and churches have not yet resumed collective worship, so we are fortunate here to have been able to achieve this. Please continue to use the website for the booking-in of Mass and volunteering to steward and clean.

Please pray for Adrian Lowe who is Ordained a Priest this weekend in Colchester. Father Adrian will be going as Assistant Priest to my home Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Wanstead. God grant him a long and fruitful priestly ministry!

May God bless all of you, and thank you!

Msgr Kevin Hale