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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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II Samuel |
12:7-10,
13 |
| Psalm |
31 |
| Galatians
|
2:16,
19-21 |
| Luke |
7:36-8:3 |
BEING
A CHEERFUL RECEIVER
At
Mass today Jesus tells the parable that God is like
someone who decided generously to forgive two debtors,
one who was deeply in trouble, another not so much.
And Jesus asked, Which of the two was more grateful?
Gratitude
was the point of the parable, and also of the event
which prompted Jesus to tell it, a prostitute coming
into the dining room where he and other guests were
reclining at table and beginning to wash Jesus'
feet and perfume them. The message of the parable
was to show that the more we are forgiven, the more
grateful we should be. And the application of this
to the woman who had been a sinner wasn't that all
the care she was giving Jesus was the cause of her
being forgiven her sins. It was actually the other
way about: she was expressing her feelings in this
extravagant manner because she had already received
forgiveness for her many sins and she was now dramatically
giving thanks for it.
I
often think that it is easier to give than to receive.
We can get satisfaction out of showing kindness
because we are acting out of our strength – it shows
our richness and magnanimity and can make us feel
good! By contrast, to accept a kindness can be difficult,
and something we may even resist. It is an admission
that we cannot do everything for ourselves, that
we actually need help. And that can be bad for our
self-esteem, not to mention our pride. I once wrote
to a rather strict cousin in hospital gently encouraging
him to be a kind receiver, that is, a good patient,
and to have the generosity to allow people to help
him. I'm reminded of the story of the person who
once said “I don't understand why X dislikes me
so much. I never did him a good turn”!
St
Paul once quoted a saying of Our Lord which is not
to be found in any of the Gospels, that “it is more
blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) True,
no doubt; but I also think it is often harder to
receive than to give. We don't like being indebted
to others. Paul also wrote once that “God loves
a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). God wants us to be
glad to be generous, because in this way we are
imitating him. But I like to think that it is also
true that God loves a cheerful receiver. It takes
real humility to be grateful, to acknowledge that
we need others, starting with God. So perhaps we
can use this Mass to ask God to teach us to be really
grateful, as the forgiven sinner was grateful. We
should ask God to make us cheerful receivers!
Fr
Jack Mahoney, SJ
FIRST
HOLY COMMUNIONS
We
congratulate the fourteen young members of our parish
who made their First Communion last Sunday. There
will be a celebration for them and their families
in the Hall following the 9:30am
Mass
today. All are invited to join.
MARTYRS
WALK
A
Walk in honour of the Martyrs of England who died
to uphold the Catholic Faith will take place on
SUNDAY 20th JUNE. Meet at 1:30pm
for
a 2pm
start
at St Sepulchre's Churchyard (opposite the Old Bailey,
tube station: St Pauls). Walk along the Tyburn
Way
by way of St Anselm and St Cecilia's, St Giles-in-the-Fields
finishing at Tyburn Convent, near Marble Arch (approx
2½ hours). Confessions, Benediction. A Reception
will be held by the Tyburn Nuns. See flyers for
details.
JESUS
CHRIST FULNESS OF LIFE
This
is an ecumenical group which we support and it is
made up of people from all ages. We invite you to
join the prayerful worship which the group organizes
once a month. We will meet in the church on the
first Thursday of July, August and September at
7:30pm
and
there will be a fellowship meal at 8:30pm
. Join
us on JULY 1st! For further information, see Fr
William or see their website www.jcfllondon.wordpress.com
.
MEET
YOUR NEIGHBORS
We
announce our next event: Churches Together in Westminster
invites
you to visit the French church (Notre Dame de France,
Leicester
Place ,
off Leicester
Square ,
Soho
) on
WEDNESDAY 14th JULY at 6:30pm
. Talk,
tour and refreshments. The event is free. See Fr
William for more information.
CHARITY
CONCERT
The
Japanese Catholic Community invites you to a concert
in support of the Jesuit Refugee Service on WEDNESDAY
14th JULY at 7:30pm
. Harpist
Yuko Tomonaga with ensemble will perform music by
Bach, Respighi, Elgar, Debussy and others. Admission
£10 (students £5). For further information,
contact Mr Matsuo on 0207 240 4250 or see Fr James.
LITURGICAL
DATES
MONDAY
21st JUNE: ST ALOYSIUS GONZAGA SJ
TUESDAY
22nd JUNE: SS JOHN FISHER AND THOMAS MORE
TUESDAY
29th JUNE: SS PETER AND PAUL (Holy Day of Obligation.
There will be music at the 6pm Mass.)
FARM
STREET
SUMMER
GARDEN PARTY
AND
OPEN DAY
SUNDAY
4 TH JULY, 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). Punch and Judy show, children's games,
cakes and jam, bookstall and a band! Tour of the
church at 3pm , Benediction at 4pm .
Bring friends!
VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED FOR SVP
The
Farm
Street
branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society organizes
a ‘soup-run' for homeless people in the local area
on a Monday evening. New volunteers would be very
welcome. If interested, please come along to 114
Mount Street
any Monday at around 8pm
or
contact Dominic Beary for further information at
svpfarmstreet@gmail.com
.
BOOK
SIGNING
In
1910 Pope St Pius X imposed an oath against Modernism
to be taken by all Catholic priests. At the forefront
of the Modernist movement was an English Jesuit,
Fr George Tyrrell
(at Farm
Street
1896 – 1900). He died excommunicated from the Church.
Fr Oliver Rafferty, SJ is a member of the Mount
Street community and will be signing copies of his
new book George Tyrrell and Catholic Modernism
on SUNDAY 27th JUNE in the Hall following
9:30am and 11am Masses.
ST
IGNATIUS MASS AND CELEBRATION FRIDAY JULY 30th
The
Feast of St Ignatius, Founder of the Jesuits, is
celebrated on the 31st, but in order to ensure that
as many as possible can be with us for the Mass
and reception, we are having a Solemn Mass on Friday
at 6pm
. The
choir will be performing and we will be welcoming
Jesuit alumni and alumnae from all over the world
for a reception in the gardens. A very special event!
MOUNT
STREET JESUIT
CENTRE
114
Mount Street , London W1
Bookings
and information:
Lynne
Galloway 020 7495 1673 lynne@mountstreet.info
TWO
TALKS IN PREPARATION FOR THE VISIT OF POPE BENEDICT
XVI
Presented
by BRIAN PURFIELD
7
- 8:30pm
Cardinal
Newman: The “Father” of Vatican II
Monday
14th June
One
hundred years before Vatican II, Newman, often called
the “Father” of the Second Vatican Council, was
teaching the ideas that would come to fruition at
the Council. This talk examines how the whole Church
is challenged to live out the roles of priest, prophet
and king in our own day .
Pope
Benedict XVI: “Charity in Truth”
Monday
21st June
Love
or charity is at the heart of the Christian vision
and is the key to the fulfilment and development
of the human person. This talk offers an overview
of the main points of this profound and powerful
vision of the Christian faith applied to the complex
problems involved in human development.
EXPLORING
PRAYER THROUGH DANCE
SATURDAY
WORKSHOP – 3 rd JuLY
11
am - 4 pm
Led
by Sr LORRAINE
PRATT
Using
modern choreography, this workshop involves participants
in exploring the spiritual dimension of dance: ‘a
meditation in movement, where every step becomes
a prayer.' For details see leaflet.
DEEPENING
OUR AWARENESS OF GOD WITH US
from
SEPTEMBER 2010 to JULY 2011
Once
again Fr TONY HORAN SJ is offering his popular course
on the Spirituality of St Ignatius. You can either
apply for the course on Tuesday evenings, 7pm to
9pm , or on Thursday mornings, 11am to 1pm. Nearly
100 people have done this course since 2006, as
one of them said, “ The course is a very special
time to reflect, pray, explore, and share with others.
We come together as a group, sensitively and gently
guided -- all of us seeking to deepen our lives
with God. It is a time for going further into the
heart of things, and for lesser things to fall away.”
Application Forms can be obtained from the MSJC
(see contact details above) or at tony.horan@btinternet.com
. Limited number for each course . It is important
to fill in the application form carefully and submit
it by 15th JUNE 2010 to the above
address.
Details
of these programmes can be found in the leaflets
at
the doors of the church.
If
you would like us to put on a course or a one day
workshop on a particular topic of interest to you
now is your opportunity to make your requests.
Please
use Gift-Aid envelopes for your donations if you
are a UK
Tax-payer .
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