A few words....
Hope all’s well. Just a reminder that the church is open today 12 noon until 3pm fir private prayer. If you’re free to call in for a short visit, please, remember, bring your face covering. There will be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s always good when we get the opportunity to come before Christ who is always there in the Blessed Sacrament. ‘It is comforting to be in the company of a dear friend. In the Blessed Sacrament we can easily converse with Jesus, our friend. It is as if he says, “I am here to console you”’ Adapted words of St Alphonsus Liguori. He is there waiting for a heart speaking to heart. He hears us. He sees us. He knows our cares, our needs, our desires. He waits for us to come before him. If you can, even just for a few moments, call in to the church today for quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. It’s good to get that knee time. Coming before the Blessed Sacrament enables us to make contact with God. If you are not free to pop in for a visit, there is live online Perpetual Adoration from Tyburn Convent. Just to sit in prayerful silence for even just five minutes is lovely and peaceful and calming. With 10am weekday Mass starting back this Monday, July 20th, and being live streamed, please note next Wednesday’s private prayer time will be reduced from 2pm - 3pm. Here's some helpful guidance from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland if you are thinking of coming along to Mass next week. Would be good if you could familiarise yourself with it ahead of attending Mass. ➡️ Read: bit.ly/BackToMass (includes video) ➡️ Phase 3 guidance: bit.ly/Phase3ScotGov And, finally, our sincere thanks to Monsignor for his poetry reflections during lockdown. I know they have been very much appreciated by many of you. Today’s is Monsignor’s final one, with us now moving into our new normal. Hope you have a good day. Take care Fr Mackle Here's some helpful guidance from the Bishops' Conference of Scotland ahead of public Mass resuming this weekPlease familiarise yourself with it ahead of attending Mass.
➡️ Read: bit.ly/BackToMass (includes video) ➡️ Phase 3 guidance: bit.ly/Phase3ScotGov Masses will begin again in St Andrew's this weekend 18th / 19th July with 5pm Vigil, 10am & 12 noon. Remember, though, you will need to have booked a seat. Remember, too, it's still okay not to go to Mass in these circumstances. There is still no requirement to attend. If you are going to be free to come along to church, it will be good to see you and I look forward to welcoming you. Please remember and bring your face covering with you. 10am weekday Mass will start back on Monday 20th July. Stay safe. Pray safe. A few words....
Hope all’s well. While doing some lockdown spiritual reading, I came across this St John of the Cross quote, ‘Consequently, anyone who today would want to ask God questions or desire some vision or revelation, would not only be acting foolishly, but would commit an offence against God by not fixing his eyes entirely on Christ, without wanting something new or somebody besides him’ The people of the towns around the Sea of Galilee had Jesus, the son of God in their midst. They saw the miracles of the blind being able to see, of the lame walking, of the dead living again. They witnessed the wonders performed by Jesus, by God, and yet they rejected him. They were blind to the truth. It can happen easily to us. We can be blind to the truth in our very midst. We can be blind to God in our midst. We can be blind to God in our lives. What are required if we are to have eyes fixed on the truth of Christ, eyes fixed on the mystery of Christ, the person of Jesus? Effort and sacrifice. Effort and sacrifice are required if we are to have hearts open to Christ’s word. We can’t just take it for granted that our hearts are open and our eyes are fixed on Christ. It takes effort and sacrifice. It means making time for prayer each day. Knee time. Church open for private prayer tomorrow from 12noon until 3pm, if you’re free to call in for a visit - for a little knee time. Remember and bring your face covering. Hope you have a good day Take care Fr Mackle A few words...
Hope all’s well. I’ll tell you this I got a weight off my mind last night..........I got a haircut. The first in nineteen weeks. No more crazy curls. I could have gone to my mum’s, as she is a hairdresser, but didn’t this time. And as barbers are going to be chalkablock with bookings when they open, got my young nephew to do the business. His family have discovered during lockdown a talent and skill he has for cutting hair. He’s only second year at high school. Must be in his DNA. My grandfather was a barber, and my mum and all her nine siblings followed in his footsteps. Monsignor and I joined my nephew’s queue last night and got our barnets a good trim. There’s no doubt about it, being Christian is demanding. Christ is demanding. To follow him means to deny selfish tendencies in favour of obedience and trust. To follow means to put Jesus first in our lives. It means to take up the cross and follow in his footsteps. See the gospel for today’s Mass. It means giving the selfless ‘cup of water’ to the person in need, whatever that cup of water might be. It might be the gift of time, it might be a word of encouragement, it might be material help. The ‘cup of water’ might be a listening ear, or it might be forgiveness, or saying sorry, or understanding. If we follow, carry, give, forgive, obey, trust, we are assured by Christ that we will certainly not lose our reward. Daily Masses will be starting back a week today. Please note that this Wednesday’s private prayer will be the final one from 12 noon until 3pm. From Wednesday, July 22, private prayer will be from 2pm until 3pm. Have a good week Take care Fr Mackle Hope all’s well.
Just a reminder that the church is open today 10am until 12 noon. This will be the final Sunday for private prayer, with public Masses resuming next weekend. If you’re free to call in for a short visit today, please, remember, bring your face covering. There will be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. It’s always good when we get the opportunity to come before Christ who is always there in the Blessed Sacrament. ‘If anyone loves the Lord and seeks him, they can always find him in the Blessed Sacrament’. St Alphonsus Liguori. Jesus is there to listen to everyone who wishes to speak to him. He is there waiting for a heart speaking to heart. Who doesn’t need that wee bit of knee time from time to time? It can be one of the best de-stressers out, and it’s free. If you are not free to pop in for a visit, there is live online Perpetual Adoration from Tyburn Convent. Just to sit in prayerful silence for even just five minutes is lovely and peaceful and calming. So, public Masses start back next weekend. Great news. Sixteen weeks has been a really long time without public Mass. Remember, though, you need to register for the booking process. All part of the new normal. Those who have registered for next weekend will receive word today regarding choosing a Mass time. Grateful to Monsignor for today’s video gospel reflection, which is on this link. Plus, look out for our live streaming Masses which will be starting very soon. Have a safe and happy Sunday. Take care Fr Mackle A few words...
Hope all’s well. Once again, wonderful news that Sunday Masses will start back next weekend 18th / 19th July, with 5pm Vigil, 10am & 12 noon. If you are going to be free to come along to Mass, remember you’ll need to book a seat using the booking system, which you’ll find on here on this link. Remember, too, that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation continues to be suspended. In these circumstances, it’s still okay not to go to Mass. He’s the patron saint of Europe. He made a huge contribution to its formation. He’s Saint Benedict and it’s his feast day today. He had a huge influence in establishing Christianity on this continent. Often we hear of the need for our society to be re-Christianised. The need for and task of re-evangelisation. Today, we ask for the help of St Benedict’s prayers for this task. Pope John Paul II spoke of ‘a new missionary age, which will become a radiant day bearing an abundant harvest, if all Christians, missionaries and young Churches in particular, respond with generosity and holiness to the calls and challenges of our times’ That’s the task of us all. Again, it’s good to say often, ‘I am baptised’. I am baptised for this task to be a missionary among those with whom I live and work. I am a missionary. You are and I am called to play our parts in this new missionary age, in this new digital missionary age. St Benedict, pray for us. We look forward to Monsignor’s gospel reflection tomorrow. Remember, the church is open for private prayer tomorrow from 10am until 12 noon. Hope you have a good day Take care Fr Mackle The Church which “goes forth” is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (cf. 1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast. Evangelii Gaudium, para. 24
This is normally the time of year for pilgrimages to take place, so instead we’ve compiled our own pilgrimages video. Many thanks to all who sent in photos. Enjoy this trip through almost 20 years of our parishioners’ travels. https://youtu.be/LKnY59kgbmQ |
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