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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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I Samuel |
16:1, 6-7, 10-13 |
| Psalm |
22 |
| Ephesians |
5:8-14 |
| John |
9:1-41 |
TIME AND THE WORD
The great event of the Passion of Jesus means that we can reflect on how badly wrong life went for the disciples of Jesus. In whichever gospel we read, we are confronted time and again with the failure of these, his chosen friends, to actually listen to what Jesus is saying to them about how he will suffer and die. In the words of the psalmist, “they have ears but they cannot hear; eyes but they cannot see”. And who can blame them? How could the people who loved him the most bear the burden of knowledge that he was preparing himself for such an awful fate. Their implicit and, eventually, explicit denial of him, when the crunch comes, is all too human as we read of them fleeing in fear of their lives.
However, it is these very same men who end up laying their lives down some years later once they had been given the knowledge and the strength from heaven to follow in their master’s footsteps, as he said they would. Between fear and fortitude lies an encounter with the Risen Christ and the grace of the Advocate.
We are used to thinking of our lives where we are trying to be disciples of Jesus as having a beginning and an end and we become familiar with that idea, that of linear time. But there is another and rather stranger idea of time which requires a change of thinking. Because, you see, the coming of Christ is a new start, indeed the beginning of a new time. We no longer live in relation to the simple passing of minutes, hours and years but we stand in relation to the time of communion of Christ’s offering of himself. And to the extent that we offer our lives to God by our own self-sacrifice, especially at Mass, so we are truly united with Jesus in his suffering and death. It is as if we are inserted into an outer circle with Christ in the centre and deepest point and our lives are about turning towards him and being led deeper and deeper into an encounter with him who is at the centre of our life.
This dimension of time is one which takes us a while to get our minds around but which offers us a sacramental understanding of our lives since it makes explicit that our most profound relation is to God and the following of Christ rather than going through the motions of living according to the simple passage of time. If you like, we move from a natural understanding of time to a spiritual one, that is, the deepest dimension of time itself, from chronos to kairos.
Time is given to us by God and it has purpose and meaning only insofar as we regard it in its sacramental dimension. St Augustine of Hippo reminds us that the coming of Christ is the Sacrament of the Incarnation and because of that, everything, including time and space itself, is changed forever. The Word who became flesh changes even time itself. We are reminded: Stat crux dum volvitus orbis: “The Cross stands still while the world is turning”, the motto of the contemplative Carthusian Order.
Let us then re-orientate our minds and hearts towards looking at and following Christ, the centre of the universe which is his body, and let us give him our time each day and allow ourselves to become a sacrament of his love to ourselves and to a world so much in need of it.
Fr James Campbell SJ
There are Stations of the Cross on Fridays throughout Lent at 12:30pm (this replaces Exposition on those days).
VOLUNTEERING WEEK
There are so many ways to help in the work and mission of Farm Street Church. The week of APRIL 3rd to 10th will be devoted to encouraging new recruits and there will be tables in the church with information about our many activities. Even if you only have a couple of hours a month to spare, there is a task for you! A big Thank You to all those who are already offering their time and skills.
FORTY DAYS FOR LIFE
Lord David Alton will be speaking in the Hall at 7pm on MONDAY 4th APRIL on How to Build a Culture of Life. This is part of a forty-day campaign of prayer and action in the defence of life at every stage. We urge you to support the Catholic Church’s position on this vitally important issue. www.40daysforlife.com/london
FARM STREET FILMS
Farm Street Films’ last screening of this season is on THURSDAY 7th APRIL at 6.45pm: Ordet (The Word) – a Danish film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer (1955). The film is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor, first performed in 1932. The film was the winner of the Golden Lion at the 1955 Venice Film Festival. Dreyer examines the conflict between internalized personal faith and organized religion. He sets the drama in a conservative, super-pious Danish town in West Jutland, where widower Morten Borgen (Henrik Malberg) — the father of three boys — cuts against the grain of the community and challenges their accepted understanding of faith and doubt. Free. All are welcome.
WALSINGHAM
The annual parish pilgrimage to Walsingham will take place on SATURDAY 28th MAY. The coach leaves from 114 Mount Street at 8.30am. Lunch on arrival is booked for 12.30pm. After lunch we will visit the Anglican Shrine with some free time in the village. At 2.15pm we assemble in Friday Market Place and from there make the pilgrim walk along the Holy Mile to the Slipper Chapel for Mass at 3.30pm. Fr Dominic Robinson will be leading the group. Cost for the day including lunch is £30. Cheques payable to Farm Street Church or contact Joan Hammett on 0208 657 6367 (after 6.00pm) or email farmstreet@rcdow.org.uk.
If you have never been to this historic pilgrimage site, this is a great opportunity.
BHATTI MASS
The 1.05pm Mass on MONDAY 11th APRIL will be offered for the repose of the soul of Shahbaz Bhatti who was killed on FEBRUARY 30th and we welcome Pakistani Catholics from St Anselm’s, Southall, who will be with us for the Mass.
“FAITH MATTERS”
Please note the last event at Westminster Cathedral Hall. WEDNESDAY 6th APRIL: Diplomacy and Faith; Speaker: Mr Francis Campbell. For information: faithmatters@rcdow.org.uk or 020 7931 6078.
ACCOUNTS
The accounts for 2010 are posted at the doors of the church. We thank everyone for their generous support of Farm Street over the past year. We had major expenses to meet but with your help we were able to end the year with a surplus. Most importantly, we were able to assist a good number of worthy causes at home and abroad and your contribution continues to make a difference to many lives. Please use gift-aid envelopes for all your donations. A big Thank You!
SOUP RUN BY-LAW
Westminster City Council is proposing a by-law which would criminalise rough sleeping and distributing food to the homeless via "soup runs" within a restricted area in Victoria. The Farm Street SVP operates a soup run in Mayfair which sees between 30 and 60 homeless people each Monday. The SVP, along with many charities, opposes the by-law. If you feel strongly about this, please consider writing to your local councillor or MP. If you would like to volunteer with the SVP, please come to 114 Mount Street at 8pm on Mondays.
BOXES
Please return your Catholic Children’s Society box with its donation anytime at your convenience. Many thanks.
CHILDREN'S MASS
The 9:30am Mass this morning will be especially devoted to the children, who will be taking an active part in the Liturgy of the Word in the church. The readings and sermon will be adapted for their use. Please note that there will be children’s Stations of the Cross NEXT SUNDAY (10th APRIL) at 10:30am in the church.
THE PASSION IN ART
Fr Geoff Wheaton SJ is well known for his special ministry in bringing people to Christ through art. We are privileged to have him in our community and he has agreed to present a slideshow reflection on the Passion of Christ in art. This will be from 5pm till 6pm on SUNDAY 17th APRIL (Palm Sunday) in the Hall and will be repeated on WEDNESDAY 20th APRIL at 6:30pm in the Hall.
“Praying the Mass” sheet 3 is available at the doors.
There are Stations of the Cross on Fridays throughout Lent at 12:30pm (this replaces Exposition on those days).
Happy Mother’s Day to all our Mothers and all who fulfil a Motherly role!
We are very fortunate in the UK to receive an automatic 25 % tax refund on every gift-aided donation to our church. It makes such a difference yet less than 10% of our Sunday donations are put in gift-aid envelopes. Please take a moment to put your offering in an envelop and fill it in. In the present economic climate, every penny counts!
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MOUNT
STREET JESUIT
CENTRE
114
Mount Street , London W1
www.mountstreet.info
Bookings: msjcbookings@gmail.com
Information: Lynne
Galloway 020 7495 1673 or lynne@mountstreet.info
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THE TRUTH THAT SETS US FREE – A GUIDE TO READING THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Presented by Brian Purfield
Six Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm from May 10th – June 14th
Repeated six Wednesdays from 7 - 8:30pm from May 11th – June 15th
The course will examine the most beautiful and powerful stories we know of Jesus, some of his best-known sayings and some of the most profound and mystical teaching in the Scriptures. See leaflet for details.
WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?
Presented by Fr Dominic Robinson, SJ
Eight Thursdays from 7 - 8:30pm from May 12th – June 30th
A series of sessions devoted to the life of Jesus and his message with an overview of the Church’s understanding of the identity of Jesus over the ages. Full information can be found in the leaflet.
ONE-DAY WORKSHOP:
SHARING MEMORIES WITH CHRIST
Facilitated by Brian Purfield
Wednesday 4th May from 10am to 2pm
To help participants draw meaningful and personal connections between Scripture and their own experience. Take a leaflet!
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