Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This week's Mass
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This week's newsletter and Mass Sheets (click on the small images at the side to view the next page)
Thought for the week from Father John
Another Gospel in which Peter is a central character, together with Jesus. What kind of man was Peter? There they were, in the midst of a storm, I’ve seen a storm on the Sea of Galilee, they can be very severe. In addition, they’ve just been frightened by the sight of Jesus, as it turned out, walking on the water. Peter responds to all this by asking Jesus to call him to walk on water towards him! Reckless, foolish, courageous, full of faith – and yet he will shortly be called ‘man of little faith’. We know more about Peter than anyone else in the New Testament apart from Jesus of course, and maybe St Paul.
Do you ever feel afraid? So did Peter. Do you ever say the wrong thing? So did Peter. Do you ever have doubts? So did Peter. Do you ever deny knowing Jesus? So did Peter. Do you ever feel Jesus keeps asking you, ‘Do you really love me?’ He asked Peter three times. Do you ever need forgiveness? So did Peter. This was the man appointed as the first Pope, our leader, to lead and inspire the Church in its crucial early years. What a wonderful choice, what a brilliant choice. Not a man to frighten us away with perfectionism, not a man demanding impossibly high standards, although of course in the end he gave up his life for Jesus. But a man who followed Jesus all the way in getting stuck into this messy imperfect world. A man who got it wrong many times but never gave up. A man who knew the in the depths of his being what God’s forgiveness was all about.
‘Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man’ were Peter’s words when he first met Jesus. Jesus knew then that he was the right man to lead the Church. He knew he was a sinner and so he knew he needed saving, his heart was open to Jesus, our Saviour. The Pharisees, in contrast, thought they were very good, thought they had it all worked out, and so their minds were closed to Jesus, our Saviour. We need to know we are sinners, know we need saving, before Jesus can get to work in our lives. God’s love, God’s grace is completely gratuitous, free, abundant, unearned and undeserved. Sin abounds, as we are painfully aware, but as St Paul reminds us, ‘Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more’.
There are some great simple prayers in the Scriptures. I like Thomas’ ‘My Lord and my God’, born from his understandable doubts. In today’s Gospel we have Peter’s prayer, born from his understandable fear, ‘Lord! Save me!’ A great prayer, whenever we feel afraid, ‘Lord! Save me!
Another Gospel in which Peter is a central character, together with Jesus. What kind of man was Peter? There they were, in the midst of a storm, I’ve seen a storm on the Sea of Galilee, they can be very severe. In addition, they’ve just been frightened by the sight of Jesus, as it turned out, walking on the water. Peter responds to all this by asking Jesus to call him to walk on water towards him! Reckless, foolish, courageous, full of faith – and yet he will shortly be called ‘man of little faith’. We know more about Peter than anyone else in the New Testament apart from Jesus of course, and maybe St Paul.
Do you ever feel afraid? So did Peter. Do you ever say the wrong thing? So did Peter. Do you ever have doubts? So did Peter. Do you ever deny knowing Jesus? So did Peter. Do you ever feel Jesus keeps asking you, ‘Do you really love me?’ He asked Peter three times. Do you ever need forgiveness? So did Peter. This was the man appointed as the first Pope, our leader, to lead and inspire the Church in its crucial early years. What a wonderful choice, what a brilliant choice. Not a man to frighten us away with perfectionism, not a man demanding impossibly high standards, although of course in the end he gave up his life for Jesus. But a man who followed Jesus all the way in getting stuck into this messy imperfect world. A man who got it wrong many times but never gave up. A man who knew the in the depths of his being what God’s forgiveness was all about.
‘Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man’ were Peter’s words when he first met Jesus. Jesus knew then that he was the right man to lead the Church. He knew he was a sinner and so he knew he needed saving, his heart was open to Jesus, our Saviour. The Pharisees, in contrast, thought they were very good, thought they had it all worked out, and so their minds were closed to Jesus, our Saviour. We need to know we are sinners, know we need saving, before Jesus can get to work in our lives. God’s love, God’s grace is completely gratuitous, free, abundant, unearned and undeserved. Sin abounds, as we are painfully aware, but as St Paul reminds us, ‘Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more’.
There are some great simple prayers in the Scriptures. I like Thomas’ ‘My Lord and my God’, born from his understandable doubts. In today’s Gospel we have Peter’s prayer, born from his understandable fear, ‘Lord! Save me!’ A great prayer, whenever we feel afraid, ‘Lord! Save me!
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Watch this video about celebrating public Masses in the current restricted circumstances.
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The Order of the Mass
In a new series of videos, Father Michael explains more about the Order of the Mass, covering the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites.
In a new series of videos, Father Michael explains more about the Order of the Mass, covering the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist and Concluding Rites.
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Videos to watch (see also our Parish YouTube channel):
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