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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
|
Nehemiah |
8:2-6,8-10 |
| Psalm |
18 |
| I
Corinthians |
12:12-30 |
| Luke |
1:1-4,
4:14-21 |
This
year C is the Year of St. Luke. We hear readings
from St. Luke's Gospel from now until Lent, and
again from June until the end of November, in what
are known as “Sundays in Ordinary Time”. Each gospel
has its special flavour in presenting Christ Our
Lord to us. That is why the Church has vouched for
four gospels, not just one. Each one is inspired
by God to give us saving knowledge, so that we may
follow Jesus in our lives and become more and more
his disciples. The mystery of God made Man is so
deep, one portrait could not capture him sufficiently.
We need to approach Our Lord from different angles,
to recognize the special skills and qualities of
each gospel presentation.
We
have an opportunity to do this in the Year of Luke.
I
would like to suggest some bullet points for you
to look out for when you hear Luke's Gospel Sunday
by Sunday.
1.
What a good story-teller Luke is. As he says in
the introduction we hear today: 'I in my turn, after
carefully going over the whole story from the beginning,
have decided to write an ordered account for you,
Theophilus, so that your Excellency may learn how
well-founded the teaching is that you have received.'
2.
Luke presents Our Lord as Saviour of the World.
That is what the Greeks (for whom he was writing)
were looking for, and they needed to have the Jewish
background explained to them.
3.
He emphasizes the mercy and forgiveness of God,
as we see in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which
is only in Luke.
4.
He is particularly interested in Jesus as Healer.
Traditionally Luke, who is associated with this
gospel, was a medical doctor.
5.
He places a special emphasis on the part women have
to play in the ministry of Jesus. It is from Luke
we have most of the information about Our Lady.
6.
He shows the importance of prayer in Our Lord's
life, and so in the life of a disciple.
7.
He shows Our Lord's special love and care for the
poor and for those on the margins of society.
8
. His gospel is continued in a second book, the
Acts of the Apostles, which depicts the growth of
the Church.
If
you keep these points in mind as you listen, they
could give you fresh insights into the meaning of
Jesus for you.
Fr
Tony Nye, SJ
WEEK
OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
This
annual ecumenical occasion begins today with a pulpit
swap at the 11am
Mass. Canon Mark Oakley from the Grosvenor Chapel
will be preaching her and Fr William will be preaching
there. On Sunday 24 th , our guest preacher will
be the Reverend Roddy Leece from St
George's Hanover Square .
Everyone is invited to an ecumenical celebration
at the Methodist Central Hall near Westminster Abbey
on Thursday 21 st January at 7pm
.
CORRIDOR
During
the period of refurbishment in the basement rooms
at 114
Mount Street ,
the ground floor will house the kitchen and dining
facilities for the Jesuit Community. For reasons
of safety, we will be obliged to close off the corridor
on Sunday mornings and we apologise for this inconvenience.
The work is due for completion by Easter.
ANN
WIDDECOMBE
The
Annual General Meeting of Churches Together in Westminster
takes place on Monday January
25 th at Methodist Central Hall at 6.30pm
. The guest speaker will be
Ann Widdecombe who is now retiring after many years
in Parliament. She will be speaking on her experiences
as a Christian (Anglican and Catholic) in public
life. There is a buffet afterwards. All are welcome.
No tickets needed. Please let Father William know
if you wish to come.
A
WELCOMING PARISH
One of the
reasons people give for coming to Farm Street is
the welcome they receive. Help us to be a welcoming
church. If you would like to be a greeter at the
doors or a helper at morning coffee, please see
Fr James Campbell. Schedules can be arranged to
suit your availability.
HAITI
We
continue to ask for contributions to the appeal
for emergency relief for the victims of the earthquake
in Haiti .
We thank our Justice and Peace group for organising
this. Your donation will go directly to Jesuits
working in the region through Jesuit Missions Please
keep Haiti
in your prayers as they face the task of reconstruction.
So far we have raised about £5,000.
FILM
CLUB
On
Thursday 28 th January at 7pm
in the Hall we will be showing
Koyaanisqatsi:
Life out of Balance ,
a 1982 film directed by Godfrey Reggio with music
composed by Philip Glass and cinematography by Ron
Fricke. All are welcome. There are refreshments
and a chance to discuss the film. We begin a Latin
American season soon. Details in the next newsletter.
FAITH
MATTERS
This
series of public lectures at the Cathedral Hall
celebrates the Year of the Priest with a special
Lenten programme on the Priesthood starting in late
February. Speakers include Archbishop Vincent Nichols.
See the notice boards for details.
We
are pleased to announce that our children will be
reading regularly at the 9.30am
Mass starting in February.
There
will be no rehearsals of the Children's Choir until
after Easter
MOUNT
STREET JESUIT CENTER
The
Centre is offering some varied and exciting courses
and workshops for those who wish to develop their
knowledge of the Faith and their awareness of the
spiritual dimension to our lives. The very popular
Sadhana meditation course starts in February and
there is a repeat of the equally popular “Finding
God Through Art” workshop also in February. Scripture
stud continues with our look at St
Paul (see below). There are
many other events on offer so pick up a leaflet
at the doors or a copy of the Programme. We encourage
all our Farm Street
regulars (and visitors, too) to continue to support
our joint enterprise with the Mount Street Jesuit
Centre.
THE
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST PAUL
An
Introduction to the Letters of Paul
A
five week course on Mondays: 18 th January – 15
th February 7-8.30pm
Presented
by Brian Purfield, a member of the MSJC team. This
short course focuses on Paul's letters and seeks
to understand the man, his mission and his message.
Please
use Gift-Aid envelopes for your donations if you
are a UK
Tax-payer .
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