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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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Exodus |
34:4-6, 8-9 |
| Psalm |
Daniel 3:52-56 |
| II Corinthians |
13:11-13 |
| John |
3:16-18 |
THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
The dogma of the Holy Trinity is a mystery we can never fully understand, at least in this life. How can there be only one God yet three separate persons each with their own nature and equal to each other? But it does teach us one very clear truth, crucially important and with practical consequences. The very essence of God's nature is not a mystery of isolation or individualism but of sharing, of mutual outpouring, of giving and receiving. The exchange of love between Father and Son is what Jesus called the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love.
This is why, apart from the philosophical definition given to Moses in the Bible "I am who am", the only true definition we have of God as a person is that given us by St John "God is love". And it is because of this love that you, me and everything else exists. We were created by love in order to love. And this is where the practical consequences come in. Our whole purpose in life is to learn what love is or, better put, to learn how to love. This is why we are in the world, and if we miss out on this, whatever else we might learn, whatever else we might do or achieve, we have missed out on the most important thing of all. This is what Jesus described to Martha in the gospel as the “one thing necessary".
This is explained very clearly by Pope John Paul II in a letter he wrote to families. "God created man in his own image and likeness: calling him to existence through love. He called him at the same time for love. God is love and in himself He lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image and continually keeping it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion. Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being."
The great Jesuit palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin also saw this very clearly and declared that love is the fundamental law of the universe, the prime and indispensable motor of its progress. "Love has always been carefully eliminated from the realist and positivist concepts of the world, but sooner or later we will have to acknowledge that it is the fundamental impulse of life or, if you prefer, the one natural medium in which the rising course of evolution can proceed. With love omitted, there is truly nothing ahead of us except the forbidding prospect of standardisation and enslavement; the doom of ants and termites. It is through love and within love that we must look for the deepening of our deepest self, in the life-giving coming together of humankind."
There is however a fly in the ointment. God's love consists in a total gift of self and we can only share in this, the purpose of our existence, when we too are able to give ourselves totally. Yet we are all born with a love that is selfish, turned in on self. And it is no easy task to rid ourselves of the selfishness or egoism we all have. In fact the whole of our life can be considered as a long gradual struggle to achieve a love that is ever more selfless, more geared towards the other. And the extraordinary thing is, the more we give and go out to others, the more we ourselves receive and the richer our life becomes. As Jesus taught, if we die to ourselves, we become alive in others and in God. Let us make an effort today, the celebrate this feast of the Holy Trinity, to perform one act that makes our love less centered on self, more unselfish, more open to another.
Fr Michael Campbell-Johnston SJ
CATHOLIC NEWSPAPERS
We are very fortunate in this country to have so many Catholic titles to choose from when it comes to current affairs. Each week we provide copies of The Catholic Herald, The Universe, The Catholic Times and The Tablet as well as regular copies of the diocesan news sheet, the Cathedral magazine “Oremus” and the splendidly illustrated Catholic Life. Alas, demand for these publications seems remarkably low considering the number of people who come to Mass and the high superior calibre of our congregation! For years these publications have been a loss-maker for the parish as we provide the left-over copies for free. We cannot really afford this loss so either our demand must increase or we reduce the number of copies which we make available (currently about 20 for each title). These publications are of a very high standard and represent a lot of hard work on behalf of the Catholic community. Please support the Catholic press! Thank you.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
A parishioner is collecting children’s books (new or old) for children in Africa. If you have any to donate, please drop them off at 114 Mount Street. Many thanks!
FIRST COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION PARTY
Our young people who have recently celebrated these Sacraments will be having a party in the Hall following the 9:30am Mass. Do come along to wish them well and to help them experience the love and support of their new “extended family”. Many thanks to our catechists and parents for their work in preparing these wonderful members of our church.
PRAYER IN THE CITY
We remind those of you who regularly attend the weekday evening Mass that on Mondays and Wednesdays there is an opportunity for a half an hour or so of guided prayer with an experienced prayer guide immediately following the Mass. This takes place in Parlour 3 at 114 Mount Street and we recommend this opportunity to explore the possibilities of prayer and to deepen your spiritual life.
SPIRIT IN THE CITY 2011
Come along to this annual Catholic festival of faith, in and around Soho and the West End of London. Events start on WEDNESDAY 22nd JUNE in the evening with the performance of 'The Jeweller' - based on the play by John Paul II, Thursday and Friday continues with prayer celebrations, Eucharistic adoration, street evangelisation, talks by David Wells and Fr. Ian Matthew OCD, and processions. The final, 'big day out' on SATURDAY is in Soho Square: stage entertainment programme, workshops, confessions, prayer opportunities in the church, welcoming people and street evangelisation. For details see the flyers or www.spiritinthecity.org, E: info@spiritinthecity.org, T: 020 7025 1596.
RIP: Please pray for the soul of Father Anthony Berridge SJ who has died suddenly in Harare. When he was a student in the 1970s he decorated the organ pipes in the church. A splendid accomplishment!
FARM STREET
SUMMER GARDEN PARTY
AND OPEN DAY
NEXT SUNDAY 26TH JUNE
12pm – 4pm
We extend a big invitation to everyone for this popular annual event:
“Bring and share” picnic in Mount Street Gardens (additional refreshments will be available)
Children’s entertainment and games,
Musical performances (band and choir and a singing priest!)
Cakes and Jesuit jams
Bookstall (items old and new)
Tour of the church at 3pm, Benediction at 4pm.
Bring friends!
Next SUNDAY at the 6:15pm Mass we welcome the Soul Sanctuary Choir, who are also singing at the Garden Party.
AMAZING
It is an amazing fact that a very large number of those who come to Mass at Farm Street on a regular basis still do not use the gift-aid envelopes for their offertory donations! To show how easy it is, we have put envelopes in all the pews this week-end. Please fill them in with your name and full address (including postcode). It means we will receive an automatic 22% of your donation from the Treasury thanks to our charitable status. If you provide your phone number, the secretary will be able to contact you and give you a code to use for your donations and it will be the only thing you will need to write on the envelope in future. There should be some pens in the pews as well and you might like to take a moment before Mass to have your envelope ready at the Offertory.
Happy Father’s Day to all our Dads and to all who fulfill a fatherly role!
We are very fortunate in the UK to receive an automatic 22 % 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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COURSES:
DEEPENING OUR AWARENESS OF GOD
WITHIN US
Thursday evenings 7-9pm September 8th 2010 –July 5th 2012 and Tuesdays 11am -1pm September 13th 2011- July 10th 2012, with three Saturday sessions for each course
Application forms are now available for this very popular nine month course. Email Lynne Galloway for more details and an application form. Application booklets are also available at Reception. Limited number, so application does not guarantee a place. Submit your application by 26th June to Fr Tony Horan SJ at the above address.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES
Presented by Fr JAMES CAMPBELL SJ, four Sundays in June, 5-6pm
Enhance awareness of the powerful and often unreflected forces within us all so that we can grow closer to Christ and grow in freedom. Looking at: Ways of Praying; Knowing Yourself & Knowing Christ; Discernment & Deepening of Life and Finding God in All Things.
MONTHLY MSJ CENTRE MASS
This SATURDAY 25th JUNE 5pm (4th Saturday of each month at 5pm). Once you have attended any event at MSJC we like to think you are part of our ever-growing community of participants and facilitators. Our monthly Community Mass is an opportunity to meet for an informal ‘house mass’, held in the Upper Room of 114, Mount St, and to share wine and nibbles, do come along.
ONE-DAY WORKSHOP:
THE ART OF COMMUNICATING
Facilitated by MARGARET PHILPOT, Saturday 2nd July, 11am to 4pm
From birth to death, interaction is an essential feature of being human. And there is no doubt that good communication is conducive to a fulfilled life. Human relations, however, are often unsatisfactory, and total breakdown of relationships is far from rare. Employers complain that potential and actual employees lack the communication skills necessary for the job. Share your experiences and examine some of the different components involved in communication with self, and others.
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