Category: Todays Mass Readings

The Gift of a Mother

God, in His infinite mercy, has given us a mother. Some of us still have our mothers around; some might have lost their mothers after birth, but the point remains, which is we all have a mother. A mother is a gift that God has given to all of us, and we must appreciate and cherish them because their role is vital. A mother is an excellent gift from God himself and He alone. God has bestowed on us many gifts, but the gift of a mother is unique, which is why it is important to cherish and celebrate.

God made the Blessed Virgin Mary a mother through the Holy Spirit’s power; through this, we receive salvation. The Blessed Virgin Mary sacrificed everything for the baby Jesus, which is what every mother does: sacrifice everything for the child. At the birth of a baby, all that the mother thinks of is the child’s well-being, even to the detriment of her own life. 

 No mother can say that she does not go through trials; every mother goes through it. To be honest, mothers have worries, challenges, struggles, pains, failures and many more, but they are always focused, and their main aim is to make their children better people. Because of this, they put all their difficulties aside and press on to reach their goals. Amanda Idleman, contributing to the article ‘5 Ways Mothers are Truly a Gift from God’ (April 19^th, 2023), wrote “Mothers lay down their bodies, give up their sleep, cry many tears, pray so many prayers, and hope daily that God writes a good story for our kids. Sometimes, we hope this despite our failings.” While reading this, I began to reflect on how my mother could take care of me and my five siblings. A mother is a gift indeed. Mothers, you are indeed a blessing.

Other News

The funeral services of the late Wayne Campbell is on This Tuesday 12th March at 11:00 am and that of the late Simone Gomez is on this Wednesday 13th March at 1:30 pm, here in St. Anselm.

If you want to be baptized or know somebody who want to be baptized on Easter Sunday, please see Fr Josiah for a baptism form.

Please take note of the services for Palm Sunday and Holy Week: 

24th March – Palm Sunday – 10am, The Children will be building the Easter Garden after Mass

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week – 3pm, Stations of the Cross, 7pm Confessions and 7:30pm High Mass

28th – Maundy Thursday – 8pm High Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Washing of feet

29th – Good Friday – 3pm Liturgy of the Passion with Veneration of the Cross

31st – Easter Sunday, Easter Mass with Procession – 10am

Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving

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Lenten Sacrifice

Lenten Sacrifice is when we decide to give up something we love eating or doing. When we give up those things, we can save a few coins that we then give to the less privileged. In the community, many people find it challenging to get standard well-being kinds of stuff like clothing to keep themselves warm and even food to eat. We are encouraged to give alms and support the less privileged during Lent. Our Lenten sacrifices will help us save some coins, and we must give these out to support others. What is little for you is many for someone; nothing to you is something to a brother or sister, and what is old is new for the other.

God first demonstrated giving by giving unto us His only begotten Son so that we will receive salvation. We must support others not only when we feel comfortable but whenever the opportunity arises because through giving, we receive the blessings of God. 

Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Every child of God must be able to give freely to support others because giving is a virtue.

It is the will of God that we give, and whenever we give, we become more prosperous. “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25). During this lent, let us make our Lenten Sacrifices a blessing to others because whenever we bless others, we bless ourselves.

Fr. Josiah

Other News

The funeral services of the late Wayne Campbell is on Tuesday 12th March at 11:00 am and that of the late Simone Gomez is on Wednesday 13th March at 1:30 pm, here in St. Anselm.

There is Sunday School after Mass

Fr. Matthew and Family are extending an invitation to us for his Leaving Party, drop by and say farewell to Fr. Matthew, Catherine and Edmund this Friday 8th March at Hayes Working Men’s Club. Time is 7pm.

Please take note that the new parish whattsapp number has changed to  07452709238 (It’s whattapp only, no texts) 

The Torfaen Male Voice Choir, The Internationally acclaimed Welsh Male Voice Choir Present an Evening of Amazing Male Voice Music on this Saturday 9th March at 7pm here in St. Anselm. Early Bird Ticket is £3 Standard Ticket is £4 and On The Door Ticket is £5. Tickets and more information at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/

Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving

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Praying in Lent

It is essential to note the importance of prayer in the spiritual life of every Christian. When we are in Lent, Prayer becomes even more crucial because our focus is always on God.

Lent is a period where we focus on prayer, penance, fasting, and almsgiving. Most of the time, when we hear about Lent, all that may come to mind is fasting, and we tend to forget about the other things that come with Lent to make this holy period blissful. Prayer is an integral part of Lent and is essential in our Christian journey. 

We pray during Lent to ask for God’s unmatched mercy and love. When we pray, we establish a relationship with God, allowing us to tell Him who he is to us, praise Him, present our humble request to Him, and express our appreciation. When we fail to pray, our relationship with God breaks down. 

Our relationship with God, i.e. the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is that of speaking to him and listening. When we pray during Lent, we meditate on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that led to man’s salvation; this helps us connect and cement our relationship with God.

It is worth noting that prayer is the lifeblood of every Christian and must be the foundation of our spiritual life. Martin Luther wrote this clearly: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” Let us not belittle the importance of prayer because it is our way of communicating with our maker and opening ourselves up for his response. Let us not worry too much, rather, we must speak to the Lord in prayer because “the fervent prayer of the righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16b)

Fr. Josiah

Other News

The Torfaen Male Voice Choir, The Internationally acclaimed Welsh Male Voice Choir Present an Evening of Amazing Male Voice Music on Saturday 9th March at 7pm here in St. Anselm. Early Bird Ticket is £3 Standard Ticket is £4 and On The Door Ticket is £5. Tickets and more information at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/

The funeral services of Lisa Welch is on Friday 23rd February, Late Wayne Campbell is on Tuesday 12th March at 11:00am and that of the Late Simone Gomez will take place on 13th March at 1:30pm, here in St. Anselm.

We need more people to read in church, so if you are interested please sign up on the sheet at the entrance or speak to Susan.

We are encouraging those who would like to be volunteers of the Boys’ Brigade to please speak to Fr. Josiah. Ladies and gentlemen are welcome.

Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving

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Ash Wednesday: Lent Begins

Lent is about to start all too soon and will begin with Ash Wednesday. We will collect all the palms blessed and distributed on Palm Sunday last year. Fr. Matthew and I will collect all the palms and make ashes out of them for Ash Wednesday, which occurs this 14th of February. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our Lenten period, leading to Easter or Day of Resurrection. Lent is a period where we exhibit repentance and show signs of remorse. 

The essential things that help us experience Lent’s holy nature and not like any other period are fasting, prayer, giving, and penance. During Lent, our focus must always be on God; therefore, whatever we do must be jeered towards things that will enhance our relationship with God. Lent is a period where we seek the face of God and, most importantly, his mercies. Pope Francis once said, “God never tires of forgiving us: we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy”. We must always know that humans are frail; we always make mistakes, which is when we seek God’s mercy through penance.

During Ash Wednesday, the imposition of the ashes on our forehead reminds us of what God said to Adam in Genesis 3:19b: “… for out of it you were taken; for you are dust,” and to dust you shall return.” This is a time of grief; we must not be happy with our misdoings but grieve over them and get the opportunity to reflect on our errors, pray, and repent from them.

It is our prayer that we make this lent a very blissful one, humble ourselves and seek the face of God. 

Fr. Josiah

Other News

We are encouraging all those who would like to read in church to please sign up on the sheet at the entrance or speak to Susan.

We are encouraging those who would like to be volunteers of the Boys’ Brigade to please speak to Fr. Josiah. Ladies and gentlemen are welcome.

We will be making the Ash for Ash Wednesday  immediately after Mass so we will collect the palms after Mass today. 

We are very low on food at the foodbank, all are welcome to donate.

Please support the church generously through your giving at stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving

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