Third
Sunday of Lent
7th March 2010
Last Chance Saloon?
I always meant to sort out that
kitchen shelf and now that it’s crashed to the floor with all the crockery it’s
too late. The same goes for that little chip in the windscreen that now looks
like a spider’s web, and of course there’s that faulty old plug on the TV set
which probably caused last night’s loud explosion during Coronation Street!
We love to put things off. Yes,
we’ll get round to them some day but at the moment I’m a bit tired, a bit busy
or a bit too distracted to do anything about them. There’s always tomorrow.
In today’s gospel, one of the
most frightening episodes according to many people, Jesus issues a real
warning. Don’t think that you can put off repentance until tomorrow because
repentance is a “now-thing” and, what’s more, you never know what’s lurking
around the corner. He reminds his listeners of two awful events that had just
taken place in and around Jerusalem: a murderous attack on worshippers in the
Temple, and a disaster that killed eighteen people when a building collapsed on
them. Do you think these people had any idea they wouldn’t return home that
day, says Jesus, and do you think they were more guilty than anyone else? Of
course not. Then, he tells them, you too must repent now or you will perish
like they did.
Lent reminds us that repentance
is not a once-and-for-all action; we don’t make a grand act of repentance and
then sit back and relax. Repentance is a constant activity of the Christian,
not continually worrying about our stance before God, but striving all the time
to be as close to God as we can by the way we treat other people. Repentance
means taking a regular reality check that what we are doing and saying is
consistent with our desire to belong to God’s family. And although we
concentrate on repentance a great deal in Lent, it is something that should be
a daily activity for all of us, and we need to pray for the gift of the Holy
Spirit to be able to repent.
Is there something in your life
that niggles at you? Something that you know you should do something about
which will improve your quality of life with God and with others? Well, don’t
worry about it; you can always do something about it tomorrow, after Easter, in
the summer or in the run-up to Christmas…. Or perhaps not!
This weekend:
Easter Chicken Cards on sale after each Mass. The cost of £1.00 each will buy a day old chicken
for a mission in Kenya run by the Sons of Divine Providence. The income from
the chickens helps to pay for a school for handicapped children.
Sunday
after 11.00 am Mass: Tea and coffee in
the Church Hall.
Sunday: Hunger Lunch, 12 noon until 2.00 pm at 17 Newgate Avenue, Appley
Bridge. (253380). £3 per person / £10 family. Proceeds to Angela Price’s
Hambantota Funds.
Sunday: ‘Living with Luke’,
a reflective workshop on the Gospel
according to Luke, 2.00 pm-4.30 pm at St
Patrick’s, Southport.
Next week:
Monday: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at St Marie’s
at 2.00 pm.
Tuesday: Lenten Service of
reflection and prayer at the Methodist Church, Standish at 2.00 pm.
Wednesday: Stations of the Cross
at St Marie’s at 6.30 pm.
Wednesday: Standish Churches
Men's Fellowship meeting at the Globe Inn at 7.30 pm. A talk by Ebrahim
Adia on "A Muslim View", followed by a buffet supper. Cost £6.00.
Contact Joe Fairhurst 402185. Ladies are also invited to attend.
Thursday: Stations of the Cross
at St Bernadette’s at 7.00 pm, followed by Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament at 7.30 pm.
Next weekend:
Saturday: Conference for
Catholic teachers and students at Liverpool Hope University interested in
teaching or returning to teaching in Catholic schools and colleges, 9.30 am –
3.30 pm. £15.00 per delegate. Contact Sheila Hayes at Hope University by e-mail
to Hayess@hope.ac.uk or telephone 0151 291 3396.
Sunday
after 11.00 am Mass: Tea and coffee in
the Church Hall.
Sunday
after 11.00 am Mass: Home made Fairtrade
cake and biscuit sale in St Marie’s Church Hall.
Thank you for your offerings
St Marie’s £973.25
St Bernadette’s £815.95
Papal visit
During the recent Ad Limina
Visit, the Holy Father announced his forthcoming trip to the UK, possibly
sometime in September 2010. Sadly, there is already opposition to this visit
headed by the Secular Society of Great Britain. The Secular Society has an
online petition which has already attracted over 20,000 signatures and yet a
petition supporting the visit only has 1,200 signatures. You are asked to visit
the website and sign the supporting petition as we welcome the Holy Father to
our country. www.petitiononline.com/PopeinUK/petition.html
Confirmation catechesis
The series of meetings
about Confirmation catechesis continues on 10th and 24th
March at St Marie's, 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm. If anyone would like to attend, please
email peteandmargjennings@hotmail.co.uk.
At the back of church…..
·
Mothering Sunday and St Patrick's
Day cards;
·
Rotas for St
Marie’s Eucharistic Ministers and Readers; and
·
APF Mill Hill Mission books.
Women’s World Day of Prayer
A big 'Thank You' to all
the ladies who read at the service at St Anne's and to everyone who came along
for the purpose of joining in prayer with other women from all over the world.
Church Development Fund
February results. £50 each: 153 F Darwin and 213 O Castelli. £30 each: 198 B. Hatton and
260 P. Kenyon. £25 each: 228 P Kidd and 122 S O'Halloran. March subs may be
paid after Masses this weekend.
The parish is looking
for a volunteer to take over the running of the Development Fund. Please
contact Bill on 422867 if you can help.
Ladies’ Section
Ladies’ Section day out
to Cheshire Oaks on Wednesday 7th April. Cost £8.00 approx. Leave
Standish at 10.00 am, return 3.30 pm. Contact Marjorie (424332) or Monica
(400558) asap.
Eucharistic Ministers
Would Eucharistic Ministers
please take copies of the newsletter and The Grapevine to the sick and
housebound to inform them of Parish news.
Youth Alive
Each month, young people
gather in different places around the diocese to celebrate their faith. Youth
Alive is a good focal point for young Catholics in the Archdiocese. It is also
worth bringing confirmation groups to the Masses and to the social afterwards.
7th March at St Mary’s, Lowe House at 4.30
pm. Workshops from 1.00 pm exploring
justice and peace issues. Adults also welcome.
28th March (World Youth Day) at St Anthony
of Padua, Queen’s Drive, Mossley Hill at 6.00 pm.
Cafod
Last weekend’s
collection at St Marie’s raised £453.32 plus £70.84 from 27 gift aid
declarations. The 2010 total is now £2,475.42, plus £233.66 from gift aid
declarations.
The collection at St
Bernadette’s raised £591.11, of which £366.86 was Gift Aided, giving an extra
£102.72.
Thank you for your
generosity and don't forget the 'give it up' campaign for the remainder of
Lent. Boxes are still available at the back of Church.
Easter egg raffle
Tickets on sale at the
5.30 pm and 9.30 am Masses on 13th and 14th and 20th and 21st March
for the Easter egg raffle. Tickets £1 per strip. 1st Prize Easter Cake and other
festive prizes. The raffle takes place on Wednesday 24th March in St
Bernadette's School.
Proceeds to HCPT and
other children's charities. If you would like to donate a prize, please leave
it at church or with Barbara or Margaret.
Cafod Sponsored Walk
CAFOD annual sponsored
walk will take place on Saturday 5th June.
Bonus Ball
No.47 - Joe
Hilton - £19.
Parish websites
The websites for both
parishes have been updated recently with additions to groups serving each
parish. Would group leaders take the opportunity of viewing the respective
websites and notify changes to the parish office.
Marriage
congratulations
Congratulations to
Richard France and Paula Smith whose wedding will take place at St Marie’s on
Saturday 13th March.