Category: Announcements

We sometimes let disagreement ruin our lives. We hold onto it like some sort of special thing that needs protecting. It doesn’t, let it go…

Matthew expounds us to have it out with our brothers and sisters who have upset us in this weeks Gospel. 

“If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother.”

matthew 18:15

The central message of this reading is to try to win your brother and sisters back if you have fallen out or if they’ve done something with offends you. If they don’t listen, check with others and if they agree with the offence – they can come with you and support you. But, if they don’t… listen to what they say – perhaps it’s you who is wrong. 

If they do support you, and your brother or sister will still not listen then let them go, let them get on with it and concentrate on your own relationship with God. 

Your own relationship with God does call on you to engage with others who disagree with you, but if that disagreement cannot be healed then simply walk away from it. 

That disagreement will grow, will fester and it will become a thing all of itself. It does you and the community of God no good at all.

Holding on to offence or upset can become its own idol. 

We concentrate more on the offence than on the love of Christ in our relationships with others. If someone else is wrong and wont correct themselves – so what! Treat them like a tax collector!

Fr. Matthew

In last week’s gospel Jesus praised and rewarded St. Peter for identifying him. This week Peter is rebuked for opposing the cross, what does this mean for us?

In stark contrast to last week’s gospel Peter couldn’t have got it more wrong this week. But it’s understandable. Having just identified Jesus as The Messiah, Son of God – he now wants to protect Jesus and doesn’t want him to go to Jerusalem where he knows what he will face.

In doing this Peter is denying what must happen. Indeed so powerful is the temptation to Jesus to stay he says to Peter ‘get behind me Satan!’

He goes on, ‘You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

We are often faced with choices in our lives about our faith. Choices that result in bringing people to Jesus, and choices that perhaps make us more comfortable. 

Perhaps we don’t enjoy talking about Jesus with people outside church. But if God expects his Son to endure temptation, discomfort, derision, hatred, and death – what then does he expect of us? 

Should our discomfort in talking about Jesus to others stop us from doing so? Should that discomfort prevent us from picking up our own cross and following Jesus? Should we avoid these discussions simply because it is uncomfortable? 

No!

We should embrace our cross, we should embrace the discomfort and learn to LOVE sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ every day with everyone we know!

Fr. Matthew

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My dear friends,

Sometimes praying for one person to come to know Jesus is the most powerful prayer there is.

On Thursday we will celebrate the life and work of St. Monica. She is one of the lesser know saints – which is a huge shame because the example of her life and her prayers are vital to our understanding of what being a christian is all about.

She was born in Africa to a Christian family and married quite young to non-Christian family. She retained her faith and had several children. One of those children was called Augustine. 

Augustine was a very intelligent child, but as he grew his morals came more from his father than his mother. He was… shall we say… wayward. 

Monica watched her son and cried for him. Through those tears she prayed that her son would come to know Jesus and would leave his wayward life behind. 

She didn’t just pray for a short while. She didn’t pray for him during lent or advent. She didn’t offer a novena for him. She prayed for him each and every day, several times a day every day of his life.

Shortly before she died Augustine came to her and offered himself to Jesus. He converted to Christianity on her deathbed and in that moment her prayers were answered. 

Thanks to her unceasing prayer for the conversion of one man The Church was given one of its greatest thinkers, theologians and apologists. Without her love for her son and her faith in prayer we would be so much poorer. 

Who are you praying for?

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23rd August 2020.pdf

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23rd August 2020 Sunday Message.pdf

With all my love & prayers,

Fr. Matthew

Busy busy busy…

There’s a lot going on at St. Anselm at the moment, but in the middle of that busyness we must not lose sight of why we are here.

When a new Priest arrives in a parish there are often a great number of changes. Simple things – like new ways of praying or following the mass – to more complex things – like a new sound system or live streaming cameras. There are lots of meetings and ideas, hopefully there are lots of new people putting their head around the door to see what all the fuss is about… but in the midst of all this business and excitement we must not forget why we are here.

This Sunday’s celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary reminds us that in all things we must try to be like Mary. She is the perfect model of how we should live our lives in dedication to and following Jesus.

In the midst of a busy life when God calls on us we must respond ‘be it unto me according to thy Word’.

In the coming weeks and months there will be many opportunities to respond to the call of God in our lives. I will stand up front and ask you to explore that call and to try to identify what it is we have been called to do here in Hayes – in a very practical way. But, the only way we can hear that call – the only way we can discern what it is that God wants us to do is if we listen to Him in prayer.

So this week, I ask you to do this for me. Find some space and time to offer yourself in prayer before God our Father. To listen and to be calm, to prepare yourself to hear His Voice and His Word.

With all my love & prayer,

Fr. Matthew

What a busy week it has been. We’ve installed new security fencing at the back of the church building, we’ve agreed a path forward on the redevelopment of the Our Lady of Walsingham Chapel (more news to come) and we’ve agreed to install a new sound system (thanks to a fortuitous discovery of cash). 

But most importantly this week we have come together everyday to celebrate the mass and to pray together. Even if you’re not able to be with us in person you are prayed for each and every day. You are held at the altar and your life is held before Christ in the sacrament. 

We continue to pray each day for a growth in numbers at St. Anselm, that more people will come and find Christ in Hayes. Please do continue to make that your prayer this week.

The weekly bulletin is now available for you to download here. 

This Sunday’s celebration of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is more commonly referred to as Corpus Christi (or to give it the full title Corpus et Sanguis Christi). It is the day on which we can give thanks for the gift of The Eucharist – the commemoration of The Last Supper, when Jesus broke bread and shared wine with his disciples. As Matthew’s Gospel recounts: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread , and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them , saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” These are the Words of  Institution (or Words of Consecration) that the priest says during the Mass; repeating the same words that Jesus used at The Last Supper. Perhaps, one may argue, that we don’t need to keep the Feast of Corpus Christi, since we remember this special gift every time we come to Mass! But it it such a special gift, that we can never say “thank you” enough. So having a special date on which to do it seems like a very good idea. As John’s Gospel reminds us on Sunday:

“Jesus replied: … For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.”

You may have heard on the news and in the media that there are some changes due to take place regarding access to churches. From Monday 15th June, it will be possible to St. Mary’s, Kenton, FOR INDIVIDUAL / PRIVATE PRAYER ONLY. St. Anselm will remain closed for the moment.

This is not a return to anything like “normal” and there will not be opportunites to join in collective worship. St Mary’s will be open at SET TIMES. These will be published on the web-site.

It is a START and we should give thanks for this small concession and pray for a gradual increase in access, until we can once again join together and celebrate the gift of The Eucharist as one body in Christ.

As a special treat for Corpus Christi, there will be Evening Prayer, Benediction and Te Deum at 4.00pm on Sunday afternoon. Please come and join us online.

David Griffiths (St. Mary’s)

• Read this weeks Pew Sheet
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Thank goodness there was no coronavirus pandemic on that first day of Pentecost some 2000 years ago. The disciples would have only been able to meet in groups of six, and they certainly wouldn’t have been able to gather in the upper room! This weekend we celebrate “the birthday of the church” and it has been customary at St Mary’s for several years that we all wear something RED to re-create that symbol of tongues of fire appearing on the heads of the disciples as the Holy Spirit was sent to them.

From the Acts of the Apostles we read:

When Pentecost day came round, the apostles had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

We won’t be able to gather in church in a “Mass” of red clothing, but we can still wear our red garments at home and join together by watching the Mass from St Mary’s at 10.30am on Pentecost Sunday.

Father Edward writes:

We call upon the Holy Spirit to come and renew us, refresh us, and transform us – even in “lockdown”!! The Spirit hovered over the Earth at Creation, hovered over Our Blessed Lady as she said her “Fiat”, her “Yes” to God. After the Ascension Jesus promises the gift of the Spirit, and so the Spirit descends on the disciples, the Apostolic College, on Our Blessed Lady and others gathered in that room. Immediately the work of the Church begins and people began to hear the Good News of Jesus. And led by that Spirit, that work has continued to our day – and will go on until the Lord returns.

These are very strange times and it is easy to feel “alone” – even if we have family around us and are in touch with family and friends on the telephone, social media or online video messaging. Amongst all the loneliness and the “doom and gloom” there is the reassurance and comfort of the Holy Spirit who was sent by God to be with us. Let us rejoice at this time of Pentecost and pray for an end to the pandemic; that we may soon be able to come together in fellowship, just as the disciples did all those many years ago.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle in them the fire of your love. Amen.

David Griffiths

• Read this weeks Pew Sheet
• Read this weeks Readings
• Read this weeks Sunday Message

TODAY (Thursday 21st May) is ASCENSION DAY (or more formally, The Ascension of The Lord). Forty Days after Easter, Our Lord is taken up to Heaven, but he makes a promise to his  disciples: I will send an Advocate to be with you – and as we know, just a short while afterwards, the Holy Spirit comes to be with them, and us, for all time. Mass for Ascension Day is celebrated at 10.00am this morning.

For the past few years, the period between Ascension Day and Pentecost (Sunday 31st May) has been a time of prayer. The Church has used the theme “Thy Kingdom Come”, which quite aptly reinforces Jesus’ promise to his disciples. There are several different resources that can be found on an internet search, but the most important aspect is prayer. When “Thy Kingdom Come” was initiated, there were some key objectives:

During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will:

• Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ
• Pray for 5 friends or family to come to faith in Jesus
• Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in our witness

We may not be able to get to church during this period of “lockdown”, but if there is one thing that we do have is some additional time, time to pray. So please spend the next 11 days with particular focus on prayer – and of course, at this time, we can add an additional prayer focus for those with Coronavirus, for those key workers who are helping us all through the pandemic, for those who have died and for those who have been bereaved.

With so much going on, this Sunday – the Seventh Sunday of Easter – prepares us for the great gift of Pentecost which will soon be with us. However, it is appropriate that the Gospel reading also focuses on the importance and power of prayer, as Jesus himself raises his eyes to heaven and prays.

Stay safe and well.

David Griffiths.
(St. Mary’s)

• Read this weeks Pew Sheet
• Read this weeks Readings
• Read this weeks Sunday Message