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Thank you for participating in offering up a decade of the Rosary at each Mass this month. By the end of October, we will have prayed all twenty of the Mysteries of the Rosary as a community and I hope this exercise will inspire us to continue with this prayer at other times. October is the month of the Holy Rosary and so it is fitting that we should reflect on the power of the Rosary as a means of prayer and of the important part it can play in our spiritual life. God's grace comes to us through our praying the Rosary and that is why the saints prayed it faithfully and why Popes have endorsed it through the ages. Our Holy Mother has urged the praying of the Rosary wherever she has appeared in recent times. Surely this should be an encouragement to us to try and pray, at least, a decade of the Rosary daily. To this end, it can be useful to carry a Rosary with us always and to have one at our bedside. If anyone requires instruction on how to pray the Rosary, I will be happy to help.
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Making a Spiritual Communion *
Sunday 28th February
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Mavis Bailey (RIP)
Create a prayerful setting through the placing of a crucifix, Bible, statues, icons, etc Then follow this order of service:
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Read the Entrance Antiphon
Of you my heart has spoken:
Seek his face.
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
hide not your face from me.
In silent prayer call to mind your sins then make the following penitential act:
You were sent to heal the contrite of heart: Lord have mercy
You came to call sinners: Christ have mercy
You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us:
Lord have mercy
Pray the Collect (the Opening Prayer of the Mass of the day)
O God, who have commanded us
to listen to your beloved Son,
be pleased, we pray,
to nourish us inwardly by your word,
that, with spiritual sight made pure,
we may rejoice to behold your glory.
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.
First Reading: From the book of Genesis 22: 1-2; 9-13; 15-18
Responsorial Psalm:
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord
in the land of the living.
I trusted even when I said:
‘I am sorely afflicted.’
O precious in the eyes of the Lord
is the death of his faithful. R.
Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;
you have loosened my bonds.
A thanksgiving sacrifice I make;
I will call on the Lord’s name. R.
My vows to the Lord I will fulfil
before all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem. R.
Second Reading: From the letter of St Paul to the Romans 8: 31-34
Gospel: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus: ‘Rabbi,’ he said, ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
Reflection
When one has the grace to live a strong experience of God, it is as if one is living an experience similar to that of the disciples during the Transfiguration: a momentary foretaste of what will constitute the happiness of Paradise. No one, however, is permitted to live “on Tabor” while on earth. Indeed, human existence is a journey of faith and as such, moves ahead more in shadows than in full light, and so is no stranger to moments of obscurity and also of complete darkness. While we are on this earth, our relationship with God takes place more by listening than by seeing…And so, this is the gift and duty for each one of us during the season of Lent; to listen to Christ, like Mary. To listen to him in his Word, contained in Sacred Scripture. To listen to him in the events of our lives, seeking to decipher in them messages of Providence. Finally, to listen to him in our brothers and sisters, especially in the lowly and the poor, for whom Jesus himself demands our concrete love.
(Pope Benedict XVI)
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us
Saints Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, pray for us
St David, pray for us
St Chad, pray for us
Blessed Robert Grissold, pray for us
Pray the Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen
Offer up Prayers of Intercession for the Church, for the world, for our community, for the sick and for those who have died - and offer up your own intentions.
A Prayer in time of sickness and disease:
All powerful and merciful God,
our refuge and our shield,
bring healing to all those suffering as a result of sickness and disease.
Guard and protect us from all harm
and assist those whose skill and art can put an end to this affliction.
Through Christ our Lord.
Ask for Our Lady’s prayers, saying the Hail Mary…
Pray the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father…
Pray the Agnus Dei:
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Make a Spiritual Communion* - asking Our Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and feed you with heavenly grace so that you might be one with Him. You can use the following prayer of St Alphonsus Liguori:
My Jesus, I believe that You are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as being already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Ask for God’s blessing and protection:
May the Lord bless us and keep us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen
Make the sign of the Cross saying:
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Finish with the Prayer to St Michael:
Holy Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust down into hell Satan and all other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen
+++
* A Spiritual Communion can be made if one has a deep desire to receive Our Lord and to be one with him - even if one cannot, for whatever reason, receive him sacramentally. Spiritual Communion is an act of love and desire to be united with Christ and is a means of drawing on the life of the Holy Spirit dwelling within our souls.
The Church teaches us that we can receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in spiritual communion if we have a great desire to receive him and to feed on him, the spiritual heavenly bread, through our longing for the Blessed Sacrament. In spiritual communion we invite Our Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts.
In this way we can receive the graces and blessings of the Blessed Sacrament even in those circumstances where we are unable to receive Christ in Holy Communion. And the good news is that we can make a spiritual communion several times a day. Indeed, St Maximillian Kolbe endeavoured to make a spiritual communion - asking Our Eucharistic Lord - to come to him every fifteen minutes - every time his clock chimed.
St Teresa said: “Spiritual Communion is very profitable, therefore do not omit it for by it the Lord learns how much you love him.”
I will post the Sunday Collects, and Readings week by week on the parish website.
I hope this has proved helpful. Please don’t feel bound by these suggestions
- if you have your own better way of staying in prayerful and close spiritual communion with Our Lord then, of course, follow it.
Be assured of my prayers - please keep me in yours. Remember that the Rosary is a most powerful means of prayer.
With all good wishes and every blessing
Fr Frank
***
Weekday Spiritual Communion
You can use the format for Sunday’s Spiritual Communion for daily worship and prayer. The Sunday Collect and scripture readings can be used throughout the week but if you prefer you might like to use the Gospel of the day - I will supply the scripture references for these. Also, please don’t forget the supreme value of praying the Rosary daily.
Gospel readings for the Second Week of Lent
Sun 28 SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Mark 9: 2-10
Mavis Bailey (RIP)
Mon 1 March Feast of St David
Matthew 5: 13-16
Tues 2 Feast of St Chad
Luke 10: 1-9
Wed 3 Matthew 20: 17-28
Thurs 4 Luke 16: 19-31
Fri 5 First Friday. Women’s World Day of Prayer
Matthew 21: 33-43; 45-46
Sat 6 Luke 15: 1-3; 11-32
Sun 7 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
John 2: 13-25
Maureen O’Gorman (RIP)
Car sharing is not permitted with someone from outside your household or your support bubble unless your journey is undertaken for an exempt reason. For example, if car sharing is reasonably necessary as part of your work. It is difficult to socially distance during car journeys. Where it is essential to car share, you can reduce the risk of transmission by:
Bethany Food Bank Appeal
Please find below information about an appeal from G&T SVP. Can you please bring it to the attention of all the parishioners you are in contact with, and if they can donate any food etc it would great. It can be delivered to Lesley Murtagh at 36 Arden Close Balsall Common. If they can't get there if they let Joe Martin know he will go and collect it and take it around. There is also a collection box in Tesco in the Village. Please help us to help disadvantaged families in the area.
The Bethany Food Bank Appeal has produced a weekly newsletter showing their progress. You can find there below:
Parish Events
Date
| Title | Description |
---|---|---|
24.07.2016 | Consecration candles | We would like to thank those who donated the four consecration candles put up in the church. These are in memory of the following. Bridge and Perry family, Cotterill family, McLean family, Daniel Mark Lester and Amy Pullen |
24.07.2016 | Fr Frank on holiday | Father Frank is on holiday this week. There will be a Eucharistic Service at 10.00am on Tuesdays while he is away. There will be no Mass with the Anointing of the Sick in July and no First Friday Mass in August. |
24.07.2016 | Baptism of Eve Elizabeth Ryder | We pray for Eve and for her family, godparents and friends as they gather, after Mass today, for her Baptism.CAFOD Collection |
24.07.2016 | CAFOD Collection | Thank you so much for the generous CAFOD donations collected in the last two weeks. An exceptional total of £382 was raised and that is without the Gift Aid extra reimbursement which will make the final total well in excess of £400. Thank you especially to all who took the time to fill in their details |
17.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is Richard Brennan |
17.07.2016 | Car Park | Thank you to Paul Ryan for his generous donation of time and materials in repairing the gulley in the car park. If anyone would like to talk to Paul about driveways, paving or landscaping please call him on 07831 386621 |
12.07.2016 | Mass time change for this week | Please note that this week's Tuesday Mass is earlier than usual and will be at 9.30 am to allow Fr Frank to attend the monthly Deanery Meeting of clergy |
10.07.2016 | Candle of Dedication | The dedication for this week is Francis Clements |
10.07.2016 | Prayer Life | The meditations and instruction on prayer in the Christian spiritual life continue on Wednesday during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament |
10.07.2016 | Ethiopia Appeal and Collection | There is a serious food crisis in Ethiopia. Extreme weather shifts, part of the El Nino effect, mean severe drought has left millions of people in need of emergency food aid. 400,000 children are already suffering from malnutrition and we need to act now to prevent a far more terrible crisis. Please give to the collection today for CAFOD's emergency humanitarian response. And please pray for those who are suffering. |
10.07.2016 | Consecration | A huge thank you to all those who worked to make the Consecration of our church such a blessed occasion yesterday. There will be a more in depth write up of the mass and celebrations soon! |
10.07.2016 | Consecration Pictures | Pictures of the consecration celebration are now available by clinking on the link or accessing the Parish Archive via the menu. |
09.07.2016 | Church Consecration | This is a very special year in the life of our parish, as our church will be consecrated on 9th July by Archbishop Bernard Longley. Preparations are already underway, both for the consecration service itself, and for various fund-raising activities. Updates on our progress so far are published in our Easter newsletter available online (along with our weekly Sunday bulletin) on this website For more details of how you can be involved, please speak to Joe Martin or Ian Clarke, or email enquiries@brgparish.org.uk. |
30.11.-1 | Post for Fr Frank | Please hand to one of the stewards at Mass. They will see that I receive all post, including Mass cards, after Mass. I will respond to you during the week. |
30.11.-1 | Lent Breakfasts & Talks | The breakfast talks continue throughout Lent at the Methodist church hosted by local churches. This week (29th) the speaker is Rev Dr Stuart Jennings "The Godliness of the Puritans". Saturday 7th March at 8.30am, Blessed Robert Grissold is hosting the Lenten breakfast at the Methodist church. Cost £2.00 and consists of cereals, croissants, and toast followed by the Lenten talk. The theme this year is "Moving forward by looking back". New visions for the future of Christianity. Speaker Mr Peter Larkin "The drama of Catholicism". All welcome. |
24.07.2016
We would like to thank those who donated the four consecration candles put up in the church. These are in memory of the following. Bridge and Perry family, Cotterill family, McLean family, Daniel Mark Lester and Amy Pullen
|
24.07.2016
Father Frank is on holiday this week. There will be a Eucharistic Service at 10.00am on Tuesdays while he is away. There will be no Mass with the Anointing of the Sick in July and no First Friday Mass in August.
|
24.07.2016
We pray for Eve and for her family, godparents and friends as they gather, after Mass today, for her Baptism.CAFOD Collection
|
24.07.2016
Thank you so much for the generous CAFOD donations collected in the last two weeks. An exceptional total of £382 was raised and that is without the Gift Aid extra reimbursement which will make the final total well in excess of £400. Thank you especially to all who took the time to fill in their details
|
17.07.2016
The dedication for this week is Richard Brennan
|
17.07.2016
Thank you to Paul Ryan for his generous donation of time and materials in repairing the gulley in the car park. If anyone would like to talk to Paul about driveways, paving or landscaping please call him on 07831 386621
|
12.07.2016
Please note that this week's Tuesday Mass is earlier than usual and will be at 9.30 am to allow Fr Frank to attend the monthly Deanery Meeting of clergy
|
10.07.2016
The dedication for this week is Francis Clements
|
10.07.2016
The meditations and instruction on prayer in the Christian spiritual life continue on Wednesday during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
|
10.07.2016
There is a serious food crisis in Ethiopia. Extreme weather shifts, part of the El Nino effect, mean severe drought has left millions of people in need of emergency food aid. 400,000 children are already suffering from malnutrition and we need to act now to prevent a far more terrible crisis. Please give to the collection today for CAFOD's emergency humanitarian response. And please pray for those who are suffering.
|
10.07.2016
A huge thank you to all those who worked to make the Consecration of our church such a blessed occasion yesterday. There will be a more in depth write up of the mass and celebrations soon!
|
10.07.2016
Pictures of the consecration celebration are now available by clinking on the link or accessing the Parish Archive via the menu.
|
09.07.2016
This is a very special year in the life of our parish, as our church will be consecrated on 9th July by Archbishop Bernard Longley. Preparations are already underway, both for the consecration service itself, and for various fund-raising activities. Updates on our progress so far are published in our Easter newsletter available online (along with our weekly Sunday bulletin) on this website For more details of how you can be involved, please speak to Joe Martin or Ian Clarke, or email enquiries@brgparish.org.uk.
|
30.11.-1
Please hand to one of the stewards at Mass. They will see that I receive all post, including Mass cards, after Mass. I will respond to you during the week.
|
30.11.-1
The breakfast talks continue throughout Lent at the Methodist church hosted by local churches. This week (29th) the speaker is Rev Dr Stuart Jennings "The Godliness of the Puritans".
Saturday 7th March at 8.30am, Blessed Robert Grissold is hosting the Lenten breakfast at the Methodist church. Cost £2.00 and consists of cereals, croissants, and toast followed by the Lenten talk. The theme this year is "Moving forward by looking back". New visions for the future of Christianity. Speaker Mr Peter Larkin "The drama of Catholicism". All welcome.
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Parish Calendar