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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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Deuteronomy |
8:2-3, 14-16 |
| Psalm |
147 |
| I Corinthians |
10:16-17 |
| John |
6:51-58 |
CREATION BEING BORN
“I don’t think the Priest should be smiling when he is giving out Communion – it’s a very serious business.” This observation was made to me by a member of our congregation and I have been thinking about it a lot. I can’t speak for others, but it is certainly true that giving out Communion is one of the happiest things that I do. Perhaps the happiest. And we certainly had a church full of happy people two Sundays ago when we celebrated our children’s First Holy Communion. Let’s be clear about one thing: it is the Risen Christ we are receiving in this Sacrament. Corpus Christi doesn’t mean “the corpse of Christ.”! Of course we believe that the Body of Christ is indeed the same body that once was crucified (and the Mass is a continuation of this Sacrifice until He comes again) but it is because His body - now risen, transformed and glorious - has become “life-giving Spirit” that we are able to receive Him in this way. In His Real Presence matter and spirit are no longer separated. The Eucharist is the memorial of His passion and death which we keep as He commanded us to, but it is above all the celebration of His resurrection and in that sense every Sunday is an Easter celebration. If the Priest and ministers of Holy Communion look happy while distributing Communion, it is because in saying “the Body of Christ” they are also saying “Happy Easter!”.
The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is our communion with Him but it is also a sign of something we may sometimes be unaware of. It is a sign of God transforming the whole of Creation and making it holy by his presence. The miracle of the Real Presence is also the miracle of creation being reborn. It is a tremendous affirmation to say that this material substance is now holy. Only persons can be holy in this way – the embodiment of God’s presence. Can matter become divine? Is this the beginning of some kind of pantheism? In a sense, yes. We are not reducing God to the level of a material thing, but rather affirming that all creation is being raised to a new level. Just as we speak (in the tradition of the Eastern Church) of the “divinisation” of the human being incorporated into Christ, so we can affirm the divinisation of matter itself as a part of God’s plan for the whole universe. The bread and wine at Mass represent creation. Their consecration is a sign of the consecration of the world – and of the universe itself – as we look to that final age when God will be “All in All”. The whole universe is, in St Paul’s phrase, “groaning in the act of being born.”
Creation therefore is the first sacrament of God, God’s first act of self-revelation. There is a strong tradition in biblical theology that forbids us to identify God with his creatures in a literal way. This is to avoid idolatry. The sun and moon are not gods. But the biblical story also reveals that creation is blessed by the Creator: “He saw that it was very good”. In Christian thought, it is from an outpouring – an abundance - of the divine love that God creates the universe: “ex abundantia amoris creavisti omnia” (St Augustine); “the love that moves the sun and all the other stars” (Dante); “See God living in his creatures: in matter, giving it existence…” (St Ignatius, Contemplation for Divine Love). What response should this divine presence elicit? Adoration and Thanksgiving! We adore God as we discover Him in and through His creation. We thank the Creator who has made all things and blessed them. And we thank the Word “through whom all things were made” - the “Word made flesh”. Should we adore the Host? An incarnational and sacramental vision of the world exposes us to the charge of idolatry. There is the story of an eighteenth-century English gentleman visiting Italy when a procession of the Blessed Sacrament passed one day beneath his window. In protest he emptied a bowl of spaghetti over the participants - a blow for the Enlightenment. But it is not a piece of bread that we adore. It is Christ present to us in this bread and in this wine. It is not creation that we adore, but its Creator present to us in His work. If we lose this vision, we lose a great deal.
At Farm Street we have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every weekday. Today we will be celebrating Benediction as part of our parish open-day festivities. And every day at every hour the Blessed Sacrament is present in the tabernacle. Why not take a moment to come into this Presence. We need to be near the One who comes so near to us. Happy Feast of Corpus Christi! And Happy Easter!
Fr William Pearsall SJ
SS PETER AND PAUL
WEDNESDAY 29th JUNE is a Holy Day of Obligation as we honour the Apostles Peter and Paul. The Gregorian Chant Association (which meets here every Tuesday evening) will be providing music at the 6pm Mass.
POPE'S PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
The Feast of Ss Peter and Paul marks the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s priestly ordination. The Holy Father has asked that we spend an hour before the Holy Sacrament to pray for vocations to the Priesthood. Here at Farm Street we have a Holy Hour dedicated to this intention every First Friday of the month from 5 to 6pm. Why not come to the church on Jully1st to join in this prayer.
YOUNG ADULT RETREAT DAY
Bishop Alan Hopes will be leading a day retreat at Worth Abbey (West Sussex) for those aged between 17 and 35 on JULY 23rd. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet other Catholics, to experience the unique environment of a Benedictine Abbey and to deepen one’s own spiritual life. 9am coach departure from Westminster Cathedral, 6pm return. £15. For more details, contact Dave Burke 0207 798 9357 or davidburke@rcdow.org.uk.
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.
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!
FARM STREET
SUMMER GARDEN PARTY
AND OPEN DAY
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.
FARM STREET CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Calling all budding singers and musicians. Any children who would like to join (rejoin) the Farm Street Children's choir, please contact Patsy Cummings on pcummings@rcdow.org.uk or see her after Mass this Sunday in the meeting room. Parents and parishioners who would also like to take part or assist with this wonderful ministry should also contact Patsy.
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!
READERS: THE NEW ROTAS ARE READY IN THE SACRISTY AND IN YOUR E-MAIL BOX
FARM STREET FILMS
It is not too soon to be putting dates in your diary for the next season of films at Farm Street. This is a line-up of the programme:
Of Gods and Men (22 September)
I Confess (6 October)
Iris (20 October)
My Afternoons with Marguerite (3 November)
Travels with my Aunt (17 November)
Make Way for Tomorrow (1 December)
Coming my Way (15 December)
These sessions take place in the Church Hall at 114 Mount Street with an introductory talk at 6:45pm, screening at 7pm and discussion with refreshments following. No cost. All are welcome!
ABSENCE: Fr James Campbell will be away from JUNE 27th till JULY 31st. We welcome Fr Ray Gawronsky SJ from the US who will be helping us in the second half of July.
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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This year’s programme of courses and workshops is drawing to a close and we want to thank everyone who has participated in any way. The brochure for the 2011-12 programme is being printed now and will be ready in July.
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