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SCRIPTURE
READINGS
|
Acts |
2:1-11 |
| Psalm |
103 |
| I
Corinthians |
12:3-7,
12-13 |
| John |
20:19-23
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GOD'S
DREAM
In
his speech to the crowds on the day of Pentecost,
Peter quoted the Lord's words to the prophet Joel,
‘In the last days, I shall pour out my Spirit on
all humanity. Your young people shall see visions,
your old people dream dreams'. On the Sundays after
Easter this year, we heard passages from the Book
of Revelation, which describes a vision, or dream,
full of symbols and often strange imagery, about
the end of the world and the victory of God over
evil. It leads to a description of the ‘new Jerusalem',
‘a new heaven and a new earth', where God has united
himself with his people as closely as a new bridegroom
to his bride. ‘Here God lives among men. He will
make his home among them; they shall be his people,
and he will be their God; his name is God- with-
them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes
...'
This
dream, being inspired Scripture, is not just a human
dream; it is God's dream for humanity. And already
that dream began to come true in the coming of Jesus,
Emanuel, God with us. For Jesus came to show us
how to live that dream, and left us his Holy Spirit
as the power, the driving force, to make the dream
fully a reality in our world.
Dreams
can indeed be powerful forces for good. Martin Luther
King famously described his dream of racial harmony
and equality in a world and at a time where such
a hope did indeed seem like a dream. But he persuaded
people to share that dream, and by sharing it they
began to make it come true, however slowly and imperfectly.
A dream, a vision of this sort can have a dynamic
effect in our lives. A young person dreams of being
a great athlete, musician, scientist, actor, dancer.
It can be an idle daydream, or it can be a source
of power, giving direction to their lives.
The
dream that Jesus came to share with us is that sort
of dream. And the power that drives it is the Holy
Spirit. For Peter, the Holy Spirit enabled people
to see a vision, to dream a dream, and to begin
to live that dream. The Spirit who made that dream
possible is the Spirit of Jesus, who lived that
dream perfectly and shared it with us – a dream
of what humanity could be like if we were able to
live like Jesus, to love one another as he loved
us.
We
need to share this dream. In the face of
wars, starvation, racial hatred, terrorism, disenchantment
with politics, scandals, we can be tempted to despair.
We need the dream – not a daydream that allows us
to live in a fantasy world, ignoring the realities
around us, but a vision, a dream, that gives us
courage, power, direction and confidence to tackle
those realities in the sure hope that in doing so
we are sharing a dream which will become a reality
because it is the dream of God himself.
Fr
Bernard Walker SJ
INTENTIONS
FOR THE MONTH
That
the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings,
which sadly involves millions of women and children,
may be ended. That ordained ministers, religious
women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic
work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm
into the communities entrusted to their care.
REFLECTION
FROM THE CHURCH FATHERS
The
countless lamps which are burning were all lit at
the same fire, that is to say they were all lighted
and are all shining through the action of one and
the same substance. Thus Christians shine brilliantly
through the action of the divine fire, the Son of
God. Their lamps that have been lit are in the depth
of their heart and they shine in his presence during
the time they spend on earth, just as he himself
shines brilliantly. Does not the Spirit say, ‘God,
your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness'?
(Psalm 45.7). He was called Anointed (Christos)
in order that we might receive the unction of the
same oil with which he was anointed, and might thereby
become ‘christs' also, being of the same nature
as he and forming a single body with him. It is
written likewise: ‘He who sanctifies and those who
are sanctified have all one origin' (Hebrews 2.11).
Pseudo-Macarius
- Great Letter (PG 34,3772)
CHURCH
CELEBRATIONS
This
Saturday, we celebrated the union between PAUL GRANT
and RENDAH BESHOORI. May God guide them in their
life together. We also welcome ISABELLA von WESTENHOLZ
and Isabella GOODALL into the Church. May her parents
raise her in the love of God.
MONTH
OF MARY
During
the month of May there is Rosary following the 6pm
Mass
Monday to Friday. We ask for flowers to help decorate
the altars and especially the altar to Our Lady.
PAPAL
VISIT COLLECTION
There
will be a special second collection for the forthcoming
Papal visit on PENTECOST SUNDAY. Please, be generous.
PEDAL
AGAINST POVERTY WITH CAFOD
Join
CAFOD for a sponsored bike ride to help raise funds
for CAFOD's poverty-fighting work overseas. The
family friendly sponsored bike ride will take place
on SUNDAY JUNE 13th in the beautiful Lee
Valley
Country
Park
, Hertfordshire
(10 or 19 mile routes available). For further details
and a registration form, please contact CAFOD on
0208-449-6970 or westminster@cafod.org.uk.
Closing date for applications: MONDAY MAY 24th.
WALSINGHAM
There
are still a few places for the annual parish pilgrimage
to Walsingham on SATURDAY MAY 29th.
This year's pilgrimage will be in memory of Philip
O'Brien, our Parish Council chairman, who died last
summer. The coach leaves from 114 Mount Street at
8.30am and returns to the same spot at around 8:30pm.
Fr Dominic Robinson will be leading the group. Cost
for the day including lunch is £30.
Cheques
payable to Farm Street Church. For further information,
contact Joan Hammett on 0208 657 6367 (after 6.00pm).
SPIRIT
IN THE CITY
3-5
June 2010
in West End Churches and on the streets. Come and
join us for the three-day celebration of our Catholic
faith. Inspiring speakers: Archbishop Vincent Nichols,
Fr. Stan Fortuna from the Bronx
, NY;
processions, prayer and evangelisation events. Saturday
5th June : Catholic festival in Leicester
Square
with an entire afternoon of performances, live music,
prayer and workshops. For detailed programme see
flyers or www.spiritinthecity.org
. For more details email: info@spiritinthecity.org
Tel: 0207 025 1596 .
YOUNG
ADULTS RETREAT
Join
Bishop Alan and other Young Adults on a Retreat
Day to St Jude's shrine, Faversham on JULY 24th.
Meet, Pray and Relax with other Young Adults from
the Diocese. All Young Adults (17-35) are welcome
to attend. Cost: £15 includes coach travel.
For more information and to book your place, contact
David Burke on 0207 798 9357 or davidburke@rcdow.org.uk
.
APPEAL:
NEW CATECHISTS!
We
need new volunteers! The work is very enjoyable
and rewarding and only requires being with the children
on Sunday mornings (not necessarily every Sunday)
and special occasions. Training will be provided
by the team. If you are interested, contact Patsy
Cummings pcummings@rcdow.org.uk.
DATES
FOR YOUR DIARY
PENTECOST
SUNDAY
MAY 23rd
At
the 6:15pm Mass we welcome the St Patrick's Gospel
Choir. St Patrick, Soho Square, is closed for a
year for major works. The Gospel Choir performs
a variety of musical styles.
SUMMER
GARDEN PARTY SUNDAY JULY 4th
This
is our annual social get-together with lots of food
and drink and good fellowship. We call this our
Open Day and we make a special effort to introduce
new friends to our church. The event takes place
in Mount Street Garden and begins at noon , finishing
with a tour of the church at 3pm and ending with
Benediction at 4pm .
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 Vigil Mass on Friday
at 6pm
. The
choir will be performing, there will be a guest
preacher and we will be gathering Jesuit alumni
and alumnae from all over the world. A very special
event!
MOUNT
STREET JESUIT
CENTRE
114
Mount Street , London W1
Bookings
and information:
Lynne
Galloway 020 7495 1673 lynne@mountstreet.info
JOURNALING:
Finding
God in all Relationships
TWO
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS - 5th and 26th June 11
am - 4 pm
Led
by BILLY HEWETT SJ
Practical
applications in daily life of the Ignatian principle
of finding God in all “things”, i.e. relationships
to world around us, between us, within us, beyond
us. Theoretical input will be followed immediately
at each stage by private, written exercise/response
. No
previous knowledge required.
FINDING
GOD THROUGH ART
ONE-DAY
WORKSHOP
THURSDAY
10th JUNE, 10 am - 2 pm
Facilitated
by MICHAEL BARROW SJ and ANNIE BROMHAM IBVM
Many
people without any expertise find the use of paint
or clay or even dance, a wonderful way to deepen
their prayer. This day offers a chance to look at
paintings as well
as to use colour to find God in your own particular
way.
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.
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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