A message from Fr John

Dear Friends

Good morning - one of the surprises this morning was a queue of men (of later years) outside a barber's shop at 7.30am! And just up the road - a ladies’ hairdressers already open. Everyone seems so fearful of pubs being open and reportedly all police leave cancelled in anticipation of problems. Let’s pray and trust the majority of people’s common sense.

Following on from Thursday:
It is said that the Jesus Prayer, long treasured by the Orthodox Church, sums up the whole of the Gospel. It is: ‘Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner’. The first part is not only a declaration of faith, it is also everything that we believe about the our desire for right relationship with God; the second part is our plea that the relationship can only be given, only be nurtured, by our sense of utter dependence on the love of God.

In terms of the breathing exercise that we considered a couple of days ago, it is suggested that as we exhale we could have the words of the first part in our hearts: ‘Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God’. And so we express from the depths our hearts that which means most to us.
And as we inhale, we take in the love, the mercy and the joy which God offers us, and which gives us life: ‘Have mercy on me a sinner.’ We are praying for a deeper sense of conversion - conformity to God’s love in Jesus.

I suppose in its simple repetition it’s rather like the rosary - a way of focussing our attention when we get those quiet moments for prayer. It doesn’t have to be done for long - even just a few times - but it can take us into the ‘place of stillness’ we yearn for.

Let us pray for those who are sick
Adela, Winnie, Sylvia, Joe, Susan, Irene, Paddy, Maureen, Jimmy and Audrey

And for those who have died
Fr Peter, Michael, Roy, Alf, Malcolm, Elsie, Matthew, Anne, Stella, Chris, Kenneth, Carol Ann, Ingeburg, Winnie, Patricia, Eileen, Maureen, Joan, Frank, Robert, Lynda, Cecilia, Lourdes, Dale, John, Eileen, Michael, Graham, Maria, Andrew, Gladys, Ellen, Patrick, Pauline, Michael, Alice, Gordon, Mary, William, Elsie, Lynn, Pauline, Richard, Tom, Paula, Michael, Susan, Denis, Tony, Antoinette, Sheila, Michael and Marion

Thank you for you continuing generosity to the Food Bank - It’s important they build up their stocks before the school holidays. There is a box at the back door of the presbytery at Christ the King.

As you know we opened Christ the King for a few hours this week. A total of 20 people came across the three session. It was lovely to open the doors again and we shall do the same next week. Thanks to the volunteers who stewarded the church.

Please stay safe - especially if you are driving later today

St Joseph, pray for us and teach us how to pray

Every blessing

Fr John