In this week’s newsletter, you will find the text of the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter with a short commentary. These are particularly, though not exclusively, included for those who do not have access to the internet. There are also details of the life and work of the saints of the week. In our busy pre-lockdown lives we may not have had time to consider the contribution to our faith made by these individuals. Now is the time to learn more about them. There is a quiz at the end to test your knowledge of biblical events at this time of the church’s calendar. This will be the sixth Sunday without Mass in our little church. The picture on the left shows us what we are missing. We pray that it will not be too long before we are able to gather there once again. Please do continue to keep in touch with each other by phone – without doubt the sound of a familiar voice can do wonders for morale – or by email.
Third Sunday of Easter
Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 and concerns bearing witness to the "name" of Jesus, and the implications which this witnessing necessarily brings with it. Peter and the apostles answered their inquisitors by stating firmly their faith in Christ, and the lesson ends with reference to their joy at having been found worthy to endure trials for the name of Christ.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. “My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”
The second reading is from the first Letter of Peter 1:17-21. St. Peter says that we are sons of God because of his infinite mercy in sending Christ to us as our brother. So we can rightly call God our "Father." But we must behave as true, loyal sons, during our "time of exile" on this earth, for our merciful Father is also the absolutely just God who will judge each one of us "impartially according to our deeds" when we lay down our earthly life.
Beloved: If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
The Gospel is from St. Luke 24:13-35.
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
It is the first day of the week after the great Jewish feast of the Passover and Jerusalem is trying to return to its normal routine. The shop keepers count their profits and the Temple priests congratulate themselves because they were able to kill the ‘Galilean’. For the disciples and those who were ‘foreigners’ in Jerusalem, it is time to start to return to their own homes and their normal lives.
Curtains were closed and lights were dimmed not only due to the celebration of Jerusalem’s solemn festival but also because everyone had hope that the man Jesus ‘would be the One to redeem Israel’ (Lk 24:21). The two disciples from Emmaus are to be found, along their journey, talking to ‘Jesus in person’, ‘but their eyes were prevented from recognising Him’ (Lk 24:16).
Why did the Lord not tell the disciples straight away who He was? Indeed, in the dialogue that the liturgy presents to us today, it almost seems that Jesus did all He could to avoid revealing His true identity. Firstly, He pretended not to know what Cleopas and his companion were discussing and then He went on to ‘explain to them the passages throughout scriptures that were about Himself’ (Lk 24:27) but without making direct reference to Himself.
At the end of the journey, ‘He made to go on’ (Lk 24:28). Jesus didn’t want to play games with His disciples, but He sought to educate their hearts, and also ours, so that we won’t be ‘slow’! In fact, when faced with the Lord’s Presence, we find that the heart quickly ‘burns’ upon hearing His words as we are grateful of the fact that we were freed not by ‘gold and silver but by the precious blood of Christ’ who is the ‘blameless and spotless’ lamb (Cfr. 1 Pet 1:19).
The Risen Lord uses so much gentleness with us! He doesn’t oblige us to ‘believe’ but He offers us the instruments that enable us to judge based on the infallible measure of our own hearts. As St Augustine extraordinarily wrote in the opening of his Confessions ‘our heart is restless until it rests in you’ (St. Augustine, Conf. 1,1,1:PL 32,659-661)
There is still one more detail that calls for our attention and raises many questions: why did the eyes of the disciples open to recognise Jesus whilst they were at table with Him? The Eucharistic context is undeniable. The disciples are at table, the Lord is with them; He took the bread and saying the prayer of benediction, broke it. It was during the last action of the breaking of the bread that the companions recognised Jesus. It was not only the action in itself but finally Cleopas and his friends could see, with their own eyes, the hands pierced by the nails of the passion that until that very movement had remained hidden from them during the long journey on the road.
It was in that very moment in which they recognised the presence of the Crucified One, that He ‘disappeared from their sight’ whilst their eyes remained fixed on the broken bread, that was left to fall ‘onto the altar’. Is it not the same experience that every one of us can have every Sunday?
So, ‘they set out that instant’ (Lk 24:33). They started to understand that death is not the last word on the life of each one of us as we can not be ‘held in its power’ (Acts 2:24). This is a sign of great hope that gives us irreprehensible joy! In so much as we journey to Jerusalem — each on his own road, it must often seem long and tiring. However, now with our eyes fully opened it appears that we have the privilege to say to all the world, ‘the Lord has indeed risen’ (Lk 24:34).
St Peter Chanel:
St. Peter Chanel was born in France in 1802. He was ordained a priest in 1827, and engaged in the parochial ministry for a few years; but the reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marists), and in 1836 he embarked for Oceania. He died a martyr's death on the island of Futuna, Melanesia. He is called the apostle of Oceania where he spread the Gospel.
St Catherine of Siena:
Catherine, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born in Siena on March 25, 1347. During her youth she had to contend with great difficulties on the part of her parents. They were planning marriage for their favourite daughter; but Catherine, who at the age of seven had already taken a vow of virginity, refused. To break her resistance, her beautiful golden brown tresses were shorn to the very skin and she was forced to do the most menial tasks. Undone by her patience, mother and father finally relented and their child entered the Third Order of St. Dominic. The reputation of her sanctity soon spread abroad; thousands came to see her, to be converted by her. The priests associated with her, having received extraordinary faculties of absolution, were unable to accommodate the crowds of penitents. She was a helper and a consoler in every need. As time went on, her influence reached out to secular and ecclesiastical matters. She made peace between worldly princes. The heads of Church and State bowed to her words. She weaned Italy away from an anti-pope, and made cardinals and princes promise allegiance to the rightful pontiff. She journeyed to Avignon and persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. Even though she barely reached the age of thirty-three her accomplishments place her among the great women of the Middle Ages.
St Pius V:
In December of 1565, Pope Pius IV died. His one monumental achievement was the resumption and successful conclusion of the Council of Trent. The man chosen to succeed Pius IV and upon whose shoulders rested the responsibility for carrying out the decrees of the council was Michael Ghislieri, a Dominican friar. It was the late pontiff's nephew St. Charles Borromeo who had been the driving force in the election of the new pope, for he recognized that a remarkable leader would be needed if the decrees of the council were to bear fruit. Michael Ghislieri was a poor shepherd boy, born in 1504, who entered the Dominicans at the age of fourteen, became a lecturer in philosophy and theology at Pavia, and very early became involved in the reform movement in the Church. His reforming labours brought him to the attention of other members of the reform movement, and he was given important positions in Como, Bergamo, and Rome. In 1556, he was consecrated bishop of Sutri and Nepi, and then to the diocese of Mondevi, lately ravaged by war. In a very short time, the diocese was flourishing and prosperous. His views on reform were often asked by the Holy Father, and he was noted for his boldness in expressing his views. His holiness and austerity of life were notable, and he succeeded in bringing simplicity even into the papal household. He refused to wear the flowing garments of previous popes and insisted upon wearing his white Dominican habit even as head of the Church. To this day, the pope wears white, a custom begun by this Dominican pontiff. The announced intention of St. Pius V was the carrying out of the decrees of the Council of Trent. He insisted that bishops reside in their diocese under pain of losing their revenues; he made a systematic reform of religious orders, established seminaries, held diocesan synods, and reformed the Breviary and Missal. He brought unity into divine worship, published catechisms, ordered a revision of the Latin Vulgate and revitalized the study of theology and canon law. Pius V died in 1572, at the age of sixty-eight, deeply grieved by the troubles besieging the whole Church. He was canonized by Pope Clement XI in 1712.
St. Joseph the Worker:
"May Day" has long been dedicated to labour and the working man. It falls on the first day of the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labour and would bring a spiritual dimension to labour unions. It is eminently fitting that St. Joseph, a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the universal Church, should be honoured on this day. The texts of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours provide a catechetical synthesis of the significance of human labour seen in the light of faith. The Opening Prayer states that God, the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others. The Office of Readings, taken from the document of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the modern world, develops this idea. In every type of labour we are obeying the command of God given in Genesis 2:15 and repeated in the responsory for the Office of Readings. The responsory for the Canticle of Zechariah says that "St. Joseph faithfully practised the carpenter's trade. He is a shining example for all workers." Then, in the second part of the Opening Prayer, we ask that we may do the work that God has asked of us and come to the rewards he has promised. In the Prayer after Communion we ask: "May our lives manifest your love; may we rejoice for ever in your peace."
The liturgy for this feast vindicates the right to work, and this is a message that needs to be heard and heeded in our modern society. In many of the documents issued by Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, reference is made to the Christian spirit that should permeate one's work, after the example of St. Joseph. In addition to this, there is a special dignity and value to the work done in caring for the family. The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realise God's plan in history".
St Athanasius:
A champion of orthodoxy! He did not die a martyr, but his life was martyrdom in the truest sense. Athanasius was the Church's greatest hero in the battle against Arianism (a heresy that denied Christ's divinity). Even as a young deacon at the Council of Nicea (325), he was recognized as "Arius' ablest enemy" and the foremost defender of the Church's faith. After the death of his bishop (328), "the entire Catholic congregation with one accord, as one soul and body, voiced the wish of the dying bishop Alexander that Athanasius should succeed him. Everyone esteemed him as a virtuous, holy man, an ascetic, a true bishop."
There followed fifty years of constant conflict. Under five emperors and by exile on five different occasions, he gave testimony to the truth of the Catholic position. His allegiance to the Church never wavered, his courage never weakened. As consolation in the face of horrendous calumnies and cruel persecution, Athanasius looked to the unwavering love of his Catholic people. Even time brought no mitigation in Arian hatred. For five years he hid in a deep, dry cistern to be safe from their raging wrath and their attempts to assassinate him. The place was known only to one trusted friend who secretly supplied necessary food. That Athanasius enjoyed God's special protection should have been obvious to all. On one occasion when the emperor's assassins were pursuing him, Athanasius ordered the ship on which he was fleeing to double-back and sail upstream so that he might meet and by-pass his persecutors. Not recognizing the boat upon meeting in semi-darkness, they naively asked whether the ship carrying Athanasius was still far ahead. Calmly and truthfully Athanasius himself called back, "He is not far from here." So his persecutors kept sailing on in the same direction, allowing the saint to complete his escape.
Preserved by divine Providence through a lifetime of trial and danger, he finally died in his own quarters at Alexandria during the reign of the Emperor Valens (373). Athanasius enriched Christian literature with many important works, some pointed toward piety and edification, others polemical and dogmatic in nature. He ruled the Church of Alexandria for forty-six years.
Justice & Peace Group: You will recall that the 2019 Advent Charity chosen and organised by the Youth Group was Loughborough Town of Sanctuary so we thought you may welcome an update on their work in these most difficult times.
The Home Office has relaxed some of the regulations, such as the requirement of asylum seekers to report at Loughborough Reporting Centre at the beginning of the lockdown. This has helped the asylum seekers with regard to travel. However, this pause in reporting means there will be no face-to-face asylum interviews which will inevitably lead to delays in initial decision making and asylum appeals taking place. This can only increase the anxiety felt by many of them. The work of the LTOS volunteers has had to be suspended but there is now a greater need for asylum seekers to be supported in their locality. Many of them are at great risk of contracting Covid 19 as they are living in shared accommodation with no space for social distancing and they cannot attend the regular support groups and activities in our main cities. As LTOS is not incurring costs during the suspension, donations have been made to Leicester City of Sanctuary, Derby Red Cross and Nottingham Refugee Forum. The Home Office has also announced that for the next three months, people will not be asked to leave their asylum accommodation. This applies to both people whose asylum cases are refused and those who are granted status. Hopefully this will stop the evictions we hear about from time to time. There is little more practical action that we as parishioners can do at the moment but please keep all asylum seekers in the East Midlands in your prayers.
Mass online: Several parishioners have used the link on the Home Page of the parish website which allows them to view Mass being celebrated at the Cathedralin Nottingham on each day of the week. The schedule is as follows:
On Saturdays and Sundays: Mass at 10.00am
From Monday to Friday: Mass at 1.00pm
Also on the parish website, an additional link has been added to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsinghamwhose new website provides live streaming 24/7 of Masses, Prayers (Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet), Exposition, Spiritual Readings and Talks. This is a rich source of material in these extraordinary times.
Mass celebrated daily by Pope Francis from the Vaticanis also available: vatican.va
Let us all pray a hymn together:
If we all were to read (or sing) the parish “favourite of the week” what a great way it would be of reminding us of the community to which we belong. Some parishioners will remember the Rosary Crusade of Fr Patrick Peyton in the 1950s. He popularised the saying: “A family that prays together stays together”. We could easily adapt this to read: “A parish that prays together stays together”. Let’s give it a try.
All over the World: (chosen by Terry and Sheila Breed)
If you would like to sing along, please click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR4tE1kh-mE#action=share
1. All over the world the Spirit is moving,
All over the world
As the prophets said it would be.
All over the world there’s a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
2. All over the land …
3. All over the church …
4. All over us all …
5. Deep down in my heart …
Lord of the Dance: (chosen by Bridget O’Dwyer)
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth:
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
They came with me and the dance went on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame:
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
And they left me there on a cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone;
But I am the dance, and I still go on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you if you'll live in me:
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
Sick List: Please continue to pray for the following members of our parish: Bernard Moyers, Patrick Hodgson, Tod Smith, Angela Doyle, Ida De Melo, Maurice Nixon, Eva Shirreffs, Stefania Stasior, Irene Pallot.
A DAILY PRAYER
Please say this prayer every day, together with the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Glory be. It is adapted from a prayer written by the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge, archbishop of Brisbane.
Almighty and all-merciful God, lover of the human race, healer of all our wounds in whom there is no shadow of death, save us in this time of crisis, comfort the sick and the dying, the isolated and the afraid; be with us in our need. Grant wisdom and courage to our leaders and all who are responsible for the common good. Watch over everyone who is working in our National Health Service as they tend the sick, all who are supporting the vulnerable, and those who are working for a cure. Stir in us a sense of solidarity beyond all isolation; if our doors are closed, let our hearts be open. By the power of your love, destroy the virus of fear, that hope may never die, and grant that the light of Easter, the triumph of life, may shine upon us and the whole world; may we, like the Paschal Candle, marked with the sign of the Cross, give of ourselves and burn yet more brightly, for love conquers everything, light transforms darkness. By welcoming Christ into our hearts each and every day, may we always spread your love far and wide by valuing in all in the name of Jesus the Christ and being the people you have made us to be. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Lady Immaculate, Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady Health of the Sick, pray for us.
St Joseph, guardian of Jesus, guardian of us all, pray for us.
St Hugh of Lincoln, Patron of the Diocese of Nottingham, pray for us.
QUIZ
1) Early Friday morning, Jesus was brought before Pilate for trial. Why did Pilate condemn Jesus to death?
Where was Jesus crucified?
Answers:
1.c 2.b 3.c 4.d 5.a 6.a 7.d 8.c 9.b 10.c
Thank you: A big thank you from Wilf to all those who sent him cards or messages after the death of Belle, his faithful dog.
What is your favourite hymn?Let us know and we shall publish it in the next newsletter.
The new school term: Even if schools have not reopened for most pupils, let us remember in our prayers all parents who are supervising home schooling, teachers who are providing a wealth of material via online lessons and, of course, the young people themselves who are having to deal with this difficult period in their young lives.
Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 and concerns bearing witness to the "name" of Jesus, and the implications which this witnessing necessarily brings with it. Peter and the apostles answered their inquisitors by stating firmly their faith in Christ, and the lesson ends with reference to their joy at having been found worthy to endure trials for the name of Christ.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. “My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”
The second reading is from the first Letter of Peter 1:17-21. St. Peter says that we are sons of God because of his infinite mercy in sending Christ to us as our brother. So we can rightly call God our "Father." But we must behave as true, loyal sons, during our "time of exile" on this earth, for our merciful Father is also the absolutely just God who will judge each one of us "impartially according to our deeds" when we lay down our earthly life.
Beloved: If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb. He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
The Gospel is from St. Luke 24:13-35.
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
It is the first day of the week after the great Jewish feast of the Passover and Jerusalem is trying to return to its normal routine. The shop keepers count their profits and the Temple priests congratulate themselves because they were able to kill the ‘Galilean’. For the disciples and those who were ‘foreigners’ in Jerusalem, it is time to start to return to their own homes and their normal lives.
Curtains were closed and lights were dimmed not only due to the celebration of Jerusalem’s solemn festival but also because everyone had hope that the man Jesus ‘would be the One to redeem Israel’ (Lk 24:21). The two disciples from Emmaus are to be found, along their journey, talking to ‘Jesus in person’, ‘but their eyes were prevented from recognising Him’ (Lk 24:16).
Why did the Lord not tell the disciples straight away who He was? Indeed, in the dialogue that the liturgy presents to us today, it almost seems that Jesus did all He could to avoid revealing His true identity. Firstly, He pretended not to know what Cleopas and his companion were discussing and then He went on to ‘explain to them the passages throughout scriptures that were about Himself’ (Lk 24:27) but without making direct reference to Himself.
At the end of the journey, ‘He made to go on’ (Lk 24:28). Jesus didn’t want to play games with His disciples, but He sought to educate their hearts, and also ours, so that we won’t be ‘slow’! In fact, when faced with the Lord’s Presence, we find that the heart quickly ‘burns’ upon hearing His words as we are grateful of the fact that we were freed not by ‘gold and silver but by the precious blood of Christ’ who is the ‘blameless and spotless’ lamb (Cfr. 1 Pet 1:19).
The Risen Lord uses so much gentleness with us! He doesn’t oblige us to ‘believe’ but He offers us the instruments that enable us to judge based on the infallible measure of our own hearts. As St Augustine extraordinarily wrote in the opening of his Confessions ‘our heart is restless until it rests in you’ (St. Augustine, Conf. 1,1,1:PL 32,659-661)
There is still one more detail that calls for our attention and raises many questions: why did the eyes of the disciples open to recognise Jesus whilst they were at table with Him? The Eucharistic context is undeniable. The disciples are at table, the Lord is with them; He took the bread and saying the prayer of benediction, broke it. It was during the last action of the breaking of the bread that the companions recognised Jesus. It was not only the action in itself but finally Cleopas and his friends could see, with their own eyes, the hands pierced by the nails of the passion that until that very movement had remained hidden from them during the long journey on the road.
It was in that very moment in which they recognised the presence of the Crucified One, that He ‘disappeared from their sight’ whilst their eyes remained fixed on the broken bread, that was left to fall ‘onto the altar’. Is it not the same experience that every one of us can have every Sunday?
So, ‘they set out that instant’ (Lk 24:33). They started to understand that death is not the last word on the life of each one of us as we can not be ‘held in its power’ (Acts 2:24). This is a sign of great hope that gives us irreprehensible joy! In so much as we journey to Jerusalem — each on his own road, it must often seem long and tiring. However, now with our eyes fully opened it appears that we have the privilege to say to all the world, ‘the Lord has indeed risen’ (Lk 24:34).
St Peter Chanel:
St. Peter Chanel was born in France in 1802. He was ordained a priest in 1827, and engaged in the parochial ministry for a few years; but the reading of letters of missionaries in far-away lands inflamed his heart with zeal, and he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. He joined the Society of Mary (Marists), and in 1836 he embarked for Oceania. He died a martyr's death on the island of Futuna, Melanesia. He is called the apostle of Oceania where he spread the Gospel.
St Catherine of Siena:
Catherine, the youngest of twenty-five children, was born in Siena on March 25, 1347. During her youth she had to contend with great difficulties on the part of her parents. They were planning marriage for their favourite daughter; but Catherine, who at the age of seven had already taken a vow of virginity, refused. To break her resistance, her beautiful golden brown tresses were shorn to the very skin and she was forced to do the most menial tasks. Undone by her patience, mother and father finally relented and their child entered the Third Order of St. Dominic. The reputation of her sanctity soon spread abroad; thousands came to see her, to be converted by her. The priests associated with her, having received extraordinary faculties of absolution, were unable to accommodate the crowds of penitents. She was a helper and a consoler in every need. As time went on, her influence reached out to secular and ecclesiastical matters. She made peace between worldly princes. The heads of Church and State bowed to her words. She weaned Italy away from an anti-pope, and made cardinals and princes promise allegiance to the rightful pontiff. She journeyed to Avignon and persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. Even though she barely reached the age of thirty-three her accomplishments place her among the great women of the Middle Ages.
St Pius V:
In December of 1565, Pope Pius IV died. His one monumental achievement was the resumption and successful conclusion of the Council of Trent. The man chosen to succeed Pius IV and upon whose shoulders rested the responsibility for carrying out the decrees of the council was Michael Ghislieri, a Dominican friar. It was the late pontiff's nephew St. Charles Borromeo who had been the driving force in the election of the new pope, for he recognized that a remarkable leader would be needed if the decrees of the council were to bear fruit. Michael Ghislieri was a poor shepherd boy, born in 1504, who entered the Dominicans at the age of fourteen, became a lecturer in philosophy and theology at Pavia, and very early became involved in the reform movement in the Church. His reforming labours brought him to the attention of other members of the reform movement, and he was given important positions in Como, Bergamo, and Rome. In 1556, he was consecrated bishop of Sutri and Nepi, and then to the diocese of Mondevi, lately ravaged by war. In a very short time, the diocese was flourishing and prosperous. His views on reform were often asked by the Holy Father, and he was noted for his boldness in expressing his views. His holiness and austerity of life were notable, and he succeeded in bringing simplicity even into the papal household. He refused to wear the flowing garments of previous popes and insisted upon wearing his white Dominican habit even as head of the Church. To this day, the pope wears white, a custom begun by this Dominican pontiff. The announced intention of St. Pius V was the carrying out of the decrees of the Council of Trent. He insisted that bishops reside in their diocese under pain of losing their revenues; he made a systematic reform of religious orders, established seminaries, held diocesan synods, and reformed the Breviary and Missal. He brought unity into divine worship, published catechisms, ordered a revision of the Latin Vulgate and revitalized the study of theology and canon law. Pius V died in 1572, at the age of sixty-eight, deeply grieved by the troubles besieging the whole Church. He was canonized by Pope Clement XI in 1712.
St. Joseph the Worker:
"May Day" has long been dedicated to labour and the working man. It falls on the first day of the month that is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labour and would bring a spiritual dimension to labour unions. It is eminently fitting that St. Joseph, a working man who became the foster-father of Christ and patron of the universal Church, should be honoured on this day. The texts of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours provide a catechetical synthesis of the significance of human labour seen in the light of faith. The Opening Prayer states that God, the creator and ruler of the universe, has called men and women in every age to develop and use their talents for the good of others. The Office of Readings, taken from the document of the Second Vatican Council on the Church in the modern world, develops this idea. In every type of labour we are obeying the command of God given in Genesis 2:15 and repeated in the responsory for the Office of Readings. The responsory for the Canticle of Zechariah says that "St. Joseph faithfully practised the carpenter's trade. He is a shining example for all workers." Then, in the second part of the Opening Prayer, we ask that we may do the work that God has asked of us and come to the rewards he has promised. In the Prayer after Communion we ask: "May our lives manifest your love; may we rejoice for ever in your peace."
The liturgy for this feast vindicates the right to work, and this is a message that needs to be heard and heeded in our modern society. In many of the documents issued by Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, the Second Vatican Council and Pope John Paul II, reference is made to the Christian spirit that should permeate one's work, after the example of St. Joseph. In addition to this, there is a special dignity and value to the work done in caring for the family. The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realise God's plan in history".
St Athanasius:
A champion of orthodoxy! He did not die a martyr, but his life was martyrdom in the truest sense. Athanasius was the Church's greatest hero in the battle against Arianism (a heresy that denied Christ's divinity). Even as a young deacon at the Council of Nicea (325), he was recognized as "Arius' ablest enemy" and the foremost defender of the Church's faith. After the death of his bishop (328), "the entire Catholic congregation with one accord, as one soul and body, voiced the wish of the dying bishop Alexander that Athanasius should succeed him. Everyone esteemed him as a virtuous, holy man, an ascetic, a true bishop."
There followed fifty years of constant conflict. Under five emperors and by exile on five different occasions, he gave testimony to the truth of the Catholic position. His allegiance to the Church never wavered, his courage never weakened. As consolation in the face of horrendous calumnies and cruel persecution, Athanasius looked to the unwavering love of his Catholic people. Even time brought no mitigation in Arian hatred. For five years he hid in a deep, dry cistern to be safe from their raging wrath and their attempts to assassinate him. The place was known only to one trusted friend who secretly supplied necessary food. That Athanasius enjoyed God's special protection should have been obvious to all. On one occasion when the emperor's assassins were pursuing him, Athanasius ordered the ship on which he was fleeing to double-back and sail upstream so that he might meet and by-pass his persecutors. Not recognizing the boat upon meeting in semi-darkness, they naively asked whether the ship carrying Athanasius was still far ahead. Calmly and truthfully Athanasius himself called back, "He is not far from here." So his persecutors kept sailing on in the same direction, allowing the saint to complete his escape.
Preserved by divine Providence through a lifetime of trial and danger, he finally died in his own quarters at Alexandria during the reign of the Emperor Valens (373). Athanasius enriched Christian literature with many important works, some pointed toward piety and edification, others polemical and dogmatic in nature. He ruled the Church of Alexandria for forty-six years.
Justice & Peace Group: You will recall that the 2019 Advent Charity chosen and organised by the Youth Group was Loughborough Town of Sanctuary so we thought you may welcome an update on their work in these most difficult times.
The Home Office has relaxed some of the regulations, such as the requirement of asylum seekers to report at Loughborough Reporting Centre at the beginning of the lockdown. This has helped the asylum seekers with regard to travel. However, this pause in reporting means there will be no face-to-face asylum interviews which will inevitably lead to delays in initial decision making and asylum appeals taking place. This can only increase the anxiety felt by many of them. The work of the LTOS volunteers has had to be suspended but there is now a greater need for asylum seekers to be supported in their locality. Many of them are at great risk of contracting Covid 19 as they are living in shared accommodation with no space for social distancing and they cannot attend the regular support groups and activities in our main cities. As LTOS is not incurring costs during the suspension, donations have been made to Leicester City of Sanctuary, Derby Red Cross and Nottingham Refugee Forum. The Home Office has also announced that for the next three months, people will not be asked to leave their asylum accommodation. This applies to both people whose asylum cases are refused and those who are granted status. Hopefully this will stop the evictions we hear about from time to time. There is little more practical action that we as parishioners can do at the moment but please keep all asylum seekers in the East Midlands in your prayers.
Mass online: Several parishioners have used the link on the Home Page of the parish website which allows them to view Mass being celebrated at the Cathedralin Nottingham on each day of the week. The schedule is as follows:
On Saturdays and Sundays: Mass at 10.00am
From Monday to Friday: Mass at 1.00pm
Also on the parish website, an additional link has been added to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsinghamwhose new website provides live streaming 24/7 of Masses, Prayers (Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet), Exposition, Spiritual Readings and Talks. This is a rich source of material in these extraordinary times.
Mass celebrated daily by Pope Francis from the Vaticanis also available: vatican.va
Let us all pray a hymn together:
If we all were to read (or sing) the parish “favourite of the week” what a great way it would be of reminding us of the community to which we belong. Some parishioners will remember the Rosary Crusade of Fr Patrick Peyton in the 1950s. He popularised the saying: “A family that prays together stays together”. We could easily adapt this to read: “A parish that prays together stays together”. Let’s give it a try.
All over the World: (chosen by Terry and Sheila Breed)
If you would like to sing along, please click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR4tE1kh-mE#action=share
1. All over the world the Spirit is moving,
All over the world
As the prophets said it would be.
All over the world there’s a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.
2. All over the land …
3. All over the church …
4. All over us all …
5. Deep down in my heart …
Lord of the Dance: (chosen by Bridget O’Dwyer)
I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth:
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.
I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
They came with me and the dance went on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame:
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
And they left me there on a cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I'd gone;
But I am the dance, and I still go on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you if you'll live in me:
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you may be …
Sick List: Please continue to pray for the following members of our parish: Bernard Moyers, Patrick Hodgson, Tod Smith, Angela Doyle, Ida De Melo, Maurice Nixon, Eva Shirreffs, Stefania Stasior, Irene Pallot.
A DAILY PRAYER
Please say this prayer every day, together with the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Glory be. It is adapted from a prayer written by the Most Reverend Mark Coleridge, archbishop of Brisbane.
Almighty and all-merciful God, lover of the human race, healer of all our wounds in whom there is no shadow of death, save us in this time of crisis, comfort the sick and the dying, the isolated and the afraid; be with us in our need. Grant wisdom and courage to our leaders and all who are responsible for the common good. Watch over everyone who is working in our National Health Service as they tend the sick, all who are supporting the vulnerable, and those who are working for a cure. Stir in us a sense of solidarity beyond all isolation; if our doors are closed, let our hearts be open. By the power of your love, destroy the virus of fear, that hope may never die, and grant that the light of Easter, the triumph of life, may shine upon us and the whole world; may we, like the Paschal Candle, marked with the sign of the Cross, give of ourselves and burn yet more brightly, for love conquers everything, light transforms darkness. By welcoming Christ into our hearts each and every day, may we always spread your love far and wide by valuing in all in the name of Jesus the Christ and being the people you have made us to be. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our Lady Immaculate, Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady Health of the Sick, pray for us.
St Joseph, guardian of Jesus, guardian of us all, pray for us.
St Hugh of Lincoln, Patron of the Diocese of Nottingham, pray for us.
QUIZ
1) Early Friday morning, Jesus was brought before Pilate for trial. Why did Pilate condemn Jesus to death?
- Jesus had claimed to be king of the Jews.
- Jesus had spoken out against paying taxes to Caesar.
- The chief priests had persuaded the crowd to demand his execution.
- The chief priests had accused Him of blasphemy.
Where was Jesus crucified?
- The Mount of Olives
- Golgotha
- Jerusalem
- The Hinnom Valley
- Darkness came over the land.
- The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
- The walls of the temple crashed down to the earth.
- An earthquake occurred.
- Mary Magdalene
- Mary, Jesus' mother
- Peter, Jesus disciple
- Joseph of Arimathea
- Mary Magdalene
- Mary, Jesus' mother
- Peter, Jesus disciple
- Joseph of Arimathea
- On the road to Emmaus
- On the Mount of Olives
- At the temple in Jerusalem
- At Gethsemane
- Andrew
- James
- Peter
- Thomas
- 12 days
- 3 weeks
- 40 days
- 3 months
- "Do not be afraid; go and tell the others I have risen."
- "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
- "You must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect Him."
- "Take up your cross and follow me."
- A dove descending from heaven
- A lightning bolt
- Tongues of fire
- A vision of Jesus
Answers:
1.c 2.b 3.c 4.d 5.a 6.a 7.d 8.c 9.b 10.c
Thank you: A big thank you from Wilf to all those who sent him cards or messages after the death of Belle, his faithful dog.
What is your favourite hymn?Let us know and we shall publish it in the next newsletter.
The new school term: Even if schools have not reopened for most pupils, let us remember in our prayers all parents who are supervising home schooling, teachers who are providing a wealth of material via online lessons and, of course, the young people themselves who are having to deal with this difficult period in their young lives.
