Weekly Bulletin 26th June 2022

Today is the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Jesus makes only one journey to Jerusalem in Luke’s Gospel. Today we hear that “As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him” (Luke 9:51). The rest of Luke’s Gospel tells us what happened along that road. We are on that road also. We have all made a fundamental decision to follow Jesus and we are called to accept the consequences of that decision. There is a cost to be paid for following Jesus. St. Paul in his letter to his friends in Galatia warns them against self-indulgence “ If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence” (Galatians 5:14). The prophet Elisha left all, – his mother and father, his twelve oxen, his plough – all that was his security – to become the servant of the prophet Elijah. We listen to this story in today’s first reading (1 Kings 19:16, 19-21). It takes courage, fortitude, strength of mind and character to follow through on the decisions that alter totally our way of life. The supreme act of courage is martyrdom which is dying for what we believe. Last Monday we celebrated the feast day of the Irish Martyrs who gave their lives for their belief in Jesus between the years 1579 and 1654. We are perhaps more familiar with the stories of those who demonstrate witness to their faith when they are asked to deny it: this was the situation of the early Roman martyrs; Catholic martyrs in the Reformation were offered life if they would deny their faith; and the Jesuit martyrs in Japan were asked merely to place their foot on the Cross for their lives to be saved. We live thankfully in a different age. Nevertheless we also are tempted to allow timidity and fear to prevent us from standing up for what we believe. Today we pray for courage to be who we say we are – a follower of the way of Christ. Many times we are called to go beyond our comfort zones. We ask for the courage to deal with hindrances and obstacles we meet on our road. It takes courage not to change an opinion and it may take courage to change an opinion. Prudence will tell you. Courage has both docility and steadfastness. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along….You must do the thing you think you cannot do” (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Feasts of the Week: Tuesday: St. Irenaeus (120-203) – Bishop of Lyons. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis at the beginning this year. It means that Irenaeus has made an important contribution to theology and the understanding of our faith through his writings. Wednesday: Feast of St.Peter and St. Paul. Martyred in 64 A.D. St. Augustine said: Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; And even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith. Friday: St. Oliver Plunkett. He was the last Catholic to die for his faith in Tyburn London on this date 1681 and was the first of the Irish martyrs to be beatified in 1920. Today in the Passionist calendar it is also the feast day of the Precious Blood of Jesus. 

Thank you for the collection last weekend. It came to £1720. A word of thanks also to our Ushers, Readers and Ministers of the Eucharist for their wonderful help during the liturgy at the weekend. 

Our Shop: We have a range religious items, statues, pictures, medals, candles, rosary beads, etc.

Guild Mass Cards: Deceased, Mass Bouquets, Get Well, Wedding, Christening, Graduation, New Born, Special Occasion, etc.

Confessions & Duty: Sun & Mon – No Duty. Mass Mon (27^th June) @ 7pm: Arthur. Monday to Friday Mass @ 7pm.

Duty: Tues 2pm – 5pm  – Brian.    Wed –  Arthur.  Thurs – Brian.    Fri – Anthony. Sat 5 – 6pm. Sat – Anthony.