SCRIPTURE READINGS (A)
Hosea
6:3-6
Psalm
49
Romans
4:18 -25
Matthew
9:9-13
THE
PAINTER, THE TAX COLLECTOR,
AND THE SAVIOUR
You
may have seen the recent collection
of sixteen pictures painted by the artist during the last
four years of his life. He was darting from place to place,
on the run after killing a man in a brawl. Drunkard, brawler,
murderer. Maybe not the type you would want to invite
home to tea. But what pictures!
Looking
carefully at them we can not only admire the technical
skill with which they were executed but ponder on what
was going through his mind as he painted them, what feelings
in him were transferring themselves onto the canvas with
such creative force?
It
does not seem wildly speculative to suggest that no-one
could paint those particular images of Christ who was
not beginning to feel how much he needed that same Christ.
Caravaggio
knew he was sinful and weak and knew he needed the redemptive
grace of Jesus Christ. It is not the healthy who need
the doctor, but the sick, says Jesus in today's gospel,
and he continues, I did not come to call the virtuous,
but sinners. Those words must have come to mean so
much to Caravaggio as he came to understand himself more
deeply, to realise what kind of life he was living, where
he had gone wrong. Christ's offer of forgiveness and new
life must have come to seem to him what it really is:
the truest thing in existence, the one thing in which
we can place all our hope and trust.
And
yet Caravaggio's earlier work had already touched on this
theme in a glorious picture to be found in the French
church in Rome : the call of Matthew, today's gospel scene.
Christ with his arm outstretched, Matthew, his face bathed
in light, pointing to himself, as if to say, "Who,
me?" He could not believe that Jesus was inviting
into his company someone of such disrepute. Maybe Matthew
too had wanted some kind of way out of his unsavoury lifestyle,
but had not dared hope it possible. But
that possibility appeared not merely through circumstances
but in the form of a definite person, Jesus Christ.
He
is the one who can change and transform our lives by the
sheer force of his forgiveness and acceptance of us. He
is the one who opens up to us new possibilities for living
and for knowing ourselves loved by God.
Let
us joyfully accept these gifts of God and let us not be
sanctimonious about the company Jesus keeps; you and I
are the company he keeps.
Hugh
Duffy, S. J.
EVENTS
CALENDAR
Mass
for Young Adults
Anyone
between the age of 16 – 35 (roughly!) is welcome to this
popular Mass which is held on the first Sunday on each
month. There is one today Sunday, 5 th June at 7pm in
Farm St Church . Contact: davestewart@jesuits.net
EVENTS
CALENDAR
VATICAN
II: FORTY YEARS ON
A
series of talks every Tuesday on this council will take
place at the Sacred Heart Church , Ruislip, Middlesex.
All talks begin at 8pm. The contact no is 01895 632739.
MUSIC
& LITURGY SUMMER SCHOOL
Featured
workshops are: Choral Singing, Young People and Web building.
For details call 01903 812480 or em bookings@ssg.org.uk
A
DAY WITH MARY
A
day of instruction, devotion & intercession beginning
at 9:45 , Westminster Cathedral, Saturday 11 th June.
There
is also an International Marian Conference at Worth School
, Sussex from 20 th – 24 th July. Contact 8641 6418.
BEHOLD
THE LAMB: YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST CONGRESS
Led
by the Cardinal, this will take place at Newman College
, Birmingham from 14 th – 17 th July. Contact: Fr John
Edwards, S.J. at Mount St, Tel: 7493 7811.
CATHEDRAL
GIFT SHOP
Two temporary part-time sales
assistants are being sought between June and September.
Email juliedauncey@rcdow.org.uk
, or call 7798 9167.
WANTED:
ALTAR SERVERS
We
are urgently seeking boys and girls to train as Farm St
Altar Servers for the 9.30am Sunday Family Mass. No experience
is needed as Fr Campbell will provide a short training
course. All that's required is to let Fr Campbell know
either in person or leave a note for him to contact you.
VOCATIONS
GROUP
A
talk for young adults in their 20's and 30's will take
place at 7:30pm on Friday 17 th June in the Hinsley Room
at Westminster Cathedral. Contact: 01277 373959.
Website:
vocationsgroup.org.uk.
BUILD
THE KINGDOM – A PARISH WORKSHOP
This
will take place on Tuesday 12 th July at 7:30pm in Bp
Challoner School, E1 and will be looking at the liturgy.
If you would like to attend, please let Fr Pearsall know.
SADHANA:
A WAY TO GOD
Those
who have just completed the six-week beginner's course
have asked that we continue. We will therefore be running
for a further six weeks from 2 nd June until 7 th July,
6:30-7.45pm . Beginners are welcome to join this new course.
See notice board for details or ring 8374 6959 or leave
a message at Mount St reception for Lynne.
FOUR
TALKS ON CONTEMPORARY ISSUES FOR THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY
These
will be held each Monday in June from 7:30-9:30pm in the
Mount St Jesuit Centre. Topics include: Faith & Politics,
Jewish-Christian Relations; The Church since Lumen Gentium
and Catholic Social Teaching. Each will be given by a
visiting Jesuit. Admission is £5 .
For
information and booking:
brianpurfield@hotmail.com
tel: 020 7495 1673
Back
to the Homepage
The
Church Team
Fr
William Pearsall SJ (Parish Priest)
Fr
James Campbell SJ (Asst Priest)
Fr
Anthony Meredith SJ (Asst Priest)
Philip
O'Brien (Parish Council Chairman)
David
Graham (Director of Music)
Patrick
Mallon (Sacristan)
Fr
Hugh Duffy SJ ( Superior
of the Jesuit
Community)
NOTE: Fr William
will be in the USA until June 4th.
All business to Fr James, please.
