The church is open all day from dawn till dusk. Have you seen it, apart from on Sunday? SUNDAY OCTOBER 26TH 2003 30TH WEEK OF THE YEAR HALF-TERM HOLIDAY Today's Gospel: We've all been there. What seems like the 300th. attempt to get out of the door, only to be called back to answer the phone, referee a domestic crisis or whatever. Jesus was leaving Jericho for Jerusalem, the place of his destiny. He could be forgiven for his mind being elsewhere. But as in so many cases, the interruption can turn out to be our real work of the day. Jesus, surrounded by endless requests and wearied by miles of walking, looked human need again squarely in the face and asked: 'What do you want me to do for you?' Not a callous request to an obviously blind man who needs his sight. The question was whether Bartimaeus knew this. Jesus simply asked the man to be specific in his prayer. Have you ever named that need – precisely, squarely? Do you ask in a single-minded way and without distraction? Or is your prayer a lot of 'Bless this' and 'Help that' and 'Strengthen him' and 'Encourage her'? Vague and general? Want to be a better person, mother, father, priest? Then in what way – name that need. 'What do you want me to do for you?' How we answer that question could say a great deal about how well we know ourselves – and our real needs. |
Word of Wisdom from Sheila Levett: "An egg without salt is like a kiss without a squeeze." (At Mass on Friday!)
Counters this week: Sheena Pike and John McNicholas.
Next week: Jean and John Gray.
Great News! "Dear Mr. McNicholas, Our Humber Advisory Panel and the Directors of this Company have now considered carefully your application for aid under the above scheme (The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme). I am pleased to inform you that Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd has decided to allocate a grant of up to £20,515.00 towards the eligible costs of your project, subject to the following: Your project being registered with the scheme's regulator ENTRUST. WREN will apply for this registration on your behalf and the process will take at least one month. It is very important that you do not start work on your project until you have indicated your agreement to WREN's terms and conditions by signing and returning our contract. Failure to act in accordance with this note will result in this allocation being withdrawn……"
Engraved Bricks: We haven't been able to proceed with the engraving of the bricks until we received the news of the grant from WREN. So it's all go now! The engraving will take up to two months so we must as soon as possible send off all the details to the firm doing them. You've only got a couple of weeks at the most to make up your mind if you want your family name to be on the inside wall of the room, forever! (Or any other name for that matter). Once the wall is up, that's it! Can I again thank Peter Dyas for coming up with the idea, through it we have raised over £15,000! (Not to mention his swimming either!).
P.S. On the last count we have over 250 bricks paid for!
Italy sees red: "Sir, Having spent six years in Rome, I can advise that mingling with a group of priests will not assure safe passage across Roman roads, but may hasten passage to the Pearly Gates."
October – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: A parishioner writes: "As a parishioner who has been there with a very positive result, please do check yourself regularly."
"You don't stop doing things because you're old. You grow old because you stop doing things."
Family Fast Total: Leo tells me that you gave £734.82 of which £515 was gift-aided, which added another £144.20 making a total of £879.02. Many, many thanks!
Autumn Fayre Total so far: Again Leo says that on the day we raised £1,313 plus another £50 from the Hull City tickets that Peter Dyas disposed of, and to this will be added what we made at the Parish Quiz on Friday.
Money Out this week: Three parishioners are doing the Diocesan Catechists Course. This is a parish expense and Unit Three costs £72.50 each = £217.50. The recent Formation Talks on prayer at the Endsleigh Centre attracted 26 people from here at a cost of £3 per head = £78. The latest issues of Word for Today, 150 copies at 50p = £75.
Letter in The Times this week: (for Judy Harrington)! "Sir, I understand that, with a print order of 130 million, the Ikea catalogue for 2004 is likely to be read by more people this year than will read the Bible (The Sunday Times, Oct 5th). If that is the case, do you not agree that the press is devoting too many column inches to the irrelevant problems of the Anglican and Catholic Churches?"
Blessed Mother Teresa: The Hull Co-Workers of Mother Teresa invite you to a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Bede's Church, Staveley Road on Saturday 15th. November at noon. After the Mass and lunch at 2.00 p.m. there will be two speakers. Mrs. Janet Tempest, the former regional link of co-workers and Brother Ben who works with alcoholics and drug addicts in Manchester. Please being a packed lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided. More details from Frances Brady on 815723.
"Our last fight was really my fault… My wife asked: 'What's on the TV?' and I replied 'Dust'.
Holy Cross Parish Catholic Women's League: This year we celebrate our 50th. Birthday since our foundation in the parish. Our 10.00 a.m. Mass today is in thanksgiving for all the work done by the League and for all the support given to us by the parishioners over the years, without which we couldn't have done half as much!
The Beast of Bolsover has a new line in gags. Veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner told the Parliamentary party meeting last week that they are getting overexcited about spin doctors: "What's all the fuss about spin? Major had spin doctors, Thatcher had them, even Jesus Christ had them… in fact, he had twelve… and one of them stabbed him in the back!"
Finding God:
I searched the churches, he was not there.
I looked at the faces in the street, he was not among them.
I sat in the park, where was he?
I asked but no one understood the questions.
I prayed, and the words produced an echo, but where was God?
I gave up and wept, lonely, cheated, desolate, aching.
And then someone saw me, came and shared my grief.
It was then that I knew God was there in the heart of all who care.
He had heard my prayer, knew about the questions, knew the grief blinded me to enjoying his beautiful world – the trees and the flowers in the park. He had heard my prayer and answered.
The second half of this week's newsletter will follow shortly!
Posted by Father Pat at October 26, 2003 12:00 AM