Weekly Bulletin 12th July 2020

Sunday 12^th July 2020

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PLEASE TAKE THIS BULLETIN HOME WITH YOU AND DO NOT LEAVE IT IN THE CHURCH.

(It is important that possible infections are curtailed)

Today is the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Today in the Gospel, Jesus, uses the image of a farmer sowing seed on different kinds of soil. The seed is His Word. For the seed to grow it needs to be planted in good soil. What kind soil do we offer God’s word? How many birds, rocks and thorns are in the field of my personal life and how can I allow myself to be turned into a well-tilled, well-weeded, well-fertilised field for the receiving of God’s word? The odds are three to one against me! However the story is not about us. It is a story about the generosity of our God. It is a story about the extravagance of a sower who does not seem to be fazed by the birds or rocks or thorns. He flings his seed everywhere. He wastes it with holy abandon! He feeds the birds, whistles at the rocks, picks his way through the thorns shouts hallelujah at the good soil and just keeps on sowing, confident that there is enough seed to go around and when the harvest comes at last it will fill every barn in the neighbourhood to the rafters. We are told in today’s short first reading from Isaiah 55:10-11 that God’s word has power “The word that goes forth from mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do” In the very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1:3) God said, “Let there be light” and there was light” God did what was proclaimed!  Words have power – even our words have power. Words, I learned from experience, can be weapons, and words can be healing. Words can unite in friendship or sever in enmity. Words can unlock who I am or mask me from others. Two words, “Sieg Heil,” bloodied the face of Europe; three words, “Here I stand,” divided the body of Christendom. Words have made slaves and freed slaves, have declared war and imposed peace. Words sentence to death (“You shall be hanged by the neck”) and words restore to life (“Your sins are forgiven you”). Words covenant a life together in love, and words declare a marriage dead. Words charm and repel, amuse and anger, reveal and conceal, chill and warm. Words clarify and words obscure. A word from Washington rained down atomic hell on Hiroshima; words from an altar change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. However we live today in an age where the truth of one’s word is being devalued. It is no accident that Oxford Dictionaries select the word “Post-Truth” as its word for the year 2016, defining it as shorthand for “circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief” It seems that there is no such reality today as facts. The former President of the US Barrack Obama in his farewell address in January 2017 said: “We become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that is out there” We see this reality today on social media. In a world of fake news, untruths, lies, spin, misinformation, and deception we repeat the words of the opening prayer of today’s Mass “O God who show the light of truth to those who go astray…may we have the grace to reject what is contrary to the name of Christ

Thanks to our ushers for doing such sterling work in assisting the return of the faithful who come to Mass in the Graan.  I am so grateful to all who have helped to organise our seating arrangements for the opening of the Church. Please obey the instructions of the ushers who will greet you at the door and point out to you our sanitising equipment and show you where to sit. The seats in the main body of the church are reserved for families or those of the same household. The seats in the wings/side-aisles of the Church and at the back of the altar and the gallery are kept for individuals. All the seats are marked so please ONLY SIT IN THE SEAT THAT HAS A GREEN MARKER. We have had the Church “deep” cleaned over the past few days. The carpets, seats, and furnishings were all cleaned.

We hope to have our webcam up and running soon. We will be installing a radio transmitter to assist those who cannot get into the church because of reduced numbers.  Our Church building can take smaller numbers than heretofore because of the rules on social distancing. However one can join the celebration of Mass in their car, on their radio, parked in our car park. One tunes their radio into the frequency of the transmitter and this will enable them to join in our services. If they wish to receive Holy Communion this will be facilitated. Our normal confessional duty times are the same as normal, however Mass time on the weekday from Monday to Friday is changed to 7:00 pm. Thanks for the many people who have sent in their donations in lieu of the time they have been in lockdown. We are so impressed by your kindness, generosity and good will towards us and we do remember you in our community prayer. Fr. Charles C.P.

Standing Order Form Link attached HERE. Please note if you complete a form please return it to your own bank. 

DUTY FOR THE WEEK:  Sun &  Mon No Duty. Mon Mass @ 7pm – Charles. Tues –  Charles Wed: Arthur Thurs – Charles. 

Fri –  Arthur.  Sat –  Charles.

Shop Opening Hours: Mon to Sat: 9.30am – 7.30pm. Sunday – 9.30am – 5pm. Due to Covid 19 restrictions we are allowing one person at a time into the shop.

Guild Mass Cards: We have a wide selection of cards for Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Birthday, Special Occasion, Wedding, Thinking of You  and Exam Mass Bouquets which cost £2 / €2.50 each. We value your support.