Weekly Bulletin 23rd May 2021

Today is Pentecost Sunday: The story of the building of the tower of Babel is told in the first book of the Bible. It happens just after the story of the flood. At that time they all spoke the same language and had the same vocabulary.“Come they said let us build a tower that reaches to the heaven and thus make a name for ourselves so that we may not be scattered about the whole earth. But the Lord had other plans for them: “Let us go down now and confuse their language on the spot so they can no longer understand one another. The Lord scattered them over the whole face of the earth and they stopped building the tower. It was named Babel because the Lord confused the whole language of the earth!”  (Genesis 11:1-9). St. Luke in today’s first reading takes that little story from the Old Testament and has the Spirit of God transform the story of Babel into one of unity and not of displacement and exile. Making a name for ourselves is not what the Pentecost is about. Making a name for yourself is motivated by a spirit of competition and rivalry. That is why Paul writing to a highly charismatic community in Corinth were reminded that the Spirit is a Spirit of unity. “There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit – in the one Spirit we are all baptised Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizen and ONE SPIRIT was given to us all to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:1-13). If we read about the prophets in the Old Testament they had to die to themselves so that God’s word might be proclaimed! Isaiah (6:5) and Ezekiel (1:28) died to their own glory and were told – “Now go and preach to my people!”  If we are full of our own importance and significance God’s Spirit will not work! That is why prayer is so important – it keeps us grounded.  We need to keep in touch with the source of our lives. We pray in the Sequence today: Come Holy Spirit: Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen and warm the chill. This power, the grace of the Spirit, is not something we can merit or achieve, but only receive as pure gift. God’s love can only unleash its power when it is allowed to change us from within. We have to let it break through the hard crust of our indifference, our spiritual weariness, our blind conformity to the spirit of this age. Today is the birthday of the Church brought to life by the breath and fire of the Holy Spirit.  We pray:  Come Holy Spirit, “the Lord the giver of Life”, you come on the bread and wine at the Eucharist, but come on us anew, remove the blocks in our lives that prevent your power from effectively working within us. Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.  (Eucharistic Prayer 11) 

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Feast Days of the Week: Monday: The BVM, Mother of the Church. In 2018 Pope Francis instituted this feast to be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost. Although today’s feast day is new, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Mother of the Church, is very ancient. Today’s feast  celebrates the fact the Virgin Mary, is both the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church. Wednesday: St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) Founder of religious order called the Oratorians, known as the “Apostle of Rome” He helped to convert many influential churchmen to a life of personal holiness. Noted for his joyful spirit and deep prayer life. Thursday: St. Augustine of Canterbury was a monk in Rome and was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 to preach the Gospel to the English. Saturday: St. Paul V1.(1897-1978). He was Pope from 1963 to his death in 1978. He continued the work of the second Vatican Council started by Pope John. His feast day is held at this time because on this day he was ordained priest on May 29 1920. 

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Thank you for your generous collection at all the Masses last weekend. Your kindness to us here at the Graan is very much appreciated. Thanks also to our ushers and Ministers of the Eucharist who help in the smooth running of our religious services. Thank you for following the instructions of our ushers. It is important to keep our distance, wear the mask while in our Church and use the hand sanitisers.

Our Shop is opened from Monday to Saturday 9:30 -7:00 pm. Sunday 9:30 – 4:00 pm.

May Rosary will be held at the Graan Lourdes Grotto each evening at 6:00 pm. All are welcome to attend

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held here in the Graan each Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00.

Confessions: Mon (No confessions). (24^th  May) – Mass @ 7pm –  Arthur. Confessions 2 – 5pm:Tues: Charles.  Wed: Charles. Thurs –  Arthur.  Fri – Charles   & Sat –5pm  to 6pm – Arthur.

ALONE COVID-19 Support Line for Older People is open seven days a week, 8am – 8pm, by calling 0818 222 024.