4th October, 2014 – First Mass (Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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WELCOME

Times of Mass and Devotions

HA = Holy Angels Church, Ash GU12 6LU   HF = Holy Family Church, Farnham GU9 0LH

Sat  4 Oct  5.30pm HA First Mass – Fr. John Nuttall Harry Tewkesbury (RIP)
Sun  5 Oct  9.15am HF 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Harvest Thanksgiving) Special Intentions of the people of the Parish
  11.00am HA   Mr. & Mrs. Tony O’Connell (RIP)
Mon 6 Oct     NO MASS  
Tue  7 Oct 9.30pm HA Liturgy of the Word  
Wed  8 Oct  9.30am HA Liturgy of the Word  
Thu   9 Oct  6.15pm
 7.30pm
HF Adoration
Liturgy of the Word
 
Fri   10 Oct 12.45pm HA Liturgy of the Word  
Sat  11 Oct   5.30pm HA  First Mass – Fr. John Nuttall Special Intention of the people of the Parish
Sun  12 Oct   9.15am HF 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Anna Maria Ford (RIP)
   11.00am HA  Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Rita Linnane (RIP)

 

Liturgy

Responsorial Psalm for 5th Oct. 27th Sunday (A)

Collections for 28th September, 2014

Holy Angels Offertory:                  £ 260.90
Holy Family Offertory:                     £ 262.00

Confirmations

If you will be 13 or over NEXT YEAR and would like to join the Confirmation Discovery Programme, please fill in a leaflet TODAY or speak to Deacon, John, Gloria or Hilary or call Rita at the Parish Office.

Baptisms

If you wish to have your child baptised before Christmas you must hand your application in as soon as possible. This is to enable the arrangements for the Baptism course evening and other administration. It is recommended that you have you child Baptised as soon as possible preferably before 9 months old. Please speak with Deacon John.

Information

Request for medium/large plastic flower pots

It is hoped to hold a Flower Sale in the spring to help raise money for some of our Youth to go to Tanzania and we have been requested to ask if you have any flower pots (large please or 6” diameter) which are surplus to requirements, and if so if you could please kindly donate them for use at the Flower Sale. A box will be made available at both Churches for this purpose.

Holy Angels

Prayer Group: takes place once a month on a Tuesday at Holy Angels Church in the Parish Office: 7.45pm for an 8.00pm start. Next Dates are: 7th Oct. and 4th November.

Holy Family

Harvest Soup and Cheese Lunch – 7th November

Holy Family J&P team are holding a Harvest soup & cheese lunch in aid of Disability Africa, on Friday 7th November at 12.00noon.

Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal

J&P will be doing the Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Appeal this Christmas 2014. The boxes are now available and need to be returned by end of October please as they need to be dropped off to the nearest centre between 1st -18th November

Leaflets will be provided explaining how to fill the boxes, together with the boy/girl stickers.

Prayer Requests for the sick

Deacon David Morgan, Newton Abrew, Linda Weston Michael Brandon, Patrick Quinn, Maureen Cosgrove and Sean Flynn.

We pray for all those in our two Parishes who are sick and need our prayers at this time.

Today’s Second Reading Phil 4: 6 – 9

St. Paul warns the converts at Philippi against anxiety, and advises them as to how they should live in order to enjoy the peace of God.

St. Paul urges the Philippians not to be anxious. He tells them, ‘There is no way to avoid all worry. Good and sincere people are naturally worried about many things. It is part of the burden they carry precisely because they are people who care, who care about loved ones, and many other things.

But Paul is not talking about normal concerns. He is talking about anxiety. Nothing is more debilitating or fruitless than anxiety. Of itself it does nothing to solve our problems. Rather, the opposite is the case. By dissipating our energy, anxiety weakens us and makes it more difficult for us to find a solution to our problems.

The root of anxiety is lack of trust – lack of trust in oneself, in others, and especially in God. Hence, the first piece of advice Paul gives the Philippians is to pray. They must learn to commit their cares to the Lord: ‘If there is anything you need, pray for it.’

He is not suggesting that prayer should take the place of action. Nor is he implying that their payers will always be answered. What, then, does prayer do? Prayer implies a willingness to do what we can, and then to leave things in the hands of God. To accept what happens then as his will, even though we may not understand it.

Then Paul tells his readers to think positively. People who are over anxious tend to think very negatively. They imagine the worse scenario. This is disastrous. We must concentrate on the good, not on the bad.

Many people devour the newspapers every day. It’s hard to read the newspapers these days without coming away depressed, so full are they of bad news. Instead of filling our minds with all kinds of trash, Paul says, ‘Fill your minds with everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honour, everything that can be thought virtuous and worthy of praise.’ The power of positive thinking is well known.

However, it is not just a question of thinking nice thoughts. We must try to do these things. Thoughts alone will not suffice. We must pursue goodness in our actions. Paul says, ‘Keep doing the things you have learned from me.’

In Jesus parable of the vineyard a lot of ugly things happen. But evil does not have the last say. In the end good triumphs. This shows us that there is only one way to overcome evil, and that is with good. Jesus didn’t answer evil with more evil. He triumphed over evil by good.

If we do what we can, and put our trust in God, then Paul assures us that ‘the peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.’

Peace comes, not from having an easy and tranquil life. We can have peace even in the midst of struggle and turmoil provided we are on the side of right. Then the God of peace will be with us.

A Prayer at this such a time as this

When we gather around the table and eat from the same loaf and drink from the same cup, we are most vulnerable to one another. We cannot have a meal together in peace with guns hanging over our shoulders and pistols attached to our belts. When we break bread together we leave our arms – whether they are physical or mental – at the door and enter into a place of mutual vulnerability and trust.

The beauty of the Eucharist is precisely that it is the place where a vulnerable God invites vulnerable people to come together in a peaceful meal. When we break bread and give it to one another, fear vanishes and God becomes very close.
(Taken from Bread for the Journey by Heri J M Nouwen)

 

PLEASE NOTE: The Parish Offfice will be closed from Friday, 3rd October until Thursday, 9th October inclusive. Please ring the office telephone number during normal office hours with any enquiries unless urgent. [Emails will not be dealt with during this time]