St Teresa & St John Southworth Churches, Cleveleys
Fr Chris Cousens—Phone: 853340
Rev Bernard Ward (Deacon) (Tel: 858346)
Enquiries for St John Southworth: Phone: 853340
21 November 2021
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : Christ the King
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflections for the coming week
Gospel John 18:33.37
‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked. Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’ ‘So you are a king then?. Said Pilate. ‘It is you who say it’ answered Jesus. ‘Yes I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’
Gospel Reflection : What Do You Know About Me?
A big thing in life is where you are from. There is even a saying : “Your accent betrays you”. Sometimes we judge totally on where people are from. Pilate was the same with Jesus. With all he knew of him, the miracles and the speeches – where are you from? Are you really a King? What sort is your kingdom? Pilate was intrigued with Jesus, and so are we.
Our Christian life is made up of getting to know Jesus more, and taking part in his mission, so considering the type of person he was, and that he came from God and from humanity. He speaks of the best of our loving God, and the best of us, the best of heaven and the earth. He is worth our following today. Our role is to be like him. Our mission is a calling to live like him, in love and service.
As expressed in the Gospel today, there is always something of the ‘from above’ in Jesus, and much of John’s Gospel stresses the divinity of Jesus. He perhaps doesn’t look very divine, but he does look very human, and he shows to us that in the human is the divine. So we could be like him, and we become like him by reading about his life in the Gospels, and by living as he did.
We celebrate today the Feast of Christ the KIng. In one respect we could say that Jesus would not want us to celebrate the formal, set-apart, even pompous nature of Kingship. The sort of King we meet in Jesus is one of truth, justice , compassion and love – a King who came ‘to serve, not be served’.
This weekend is a good ending of one church year to begin another, with the beginning of Advent next Sunday. King and servant. We will see more of what this really means in the weeks of December. Meantime we want to live in this reign of God, and pray and live “your kingdom come”.
We Remember In Our Prayers Margaret Scott whose Funeral Service is at Carleton Crematorium on Tuesday, 23rd November at 11.45 am, Jimmy Cleary whose Funeral Mass is at St. Teresa’s on Thursday 25th November at 11.am, and Christine Dempster whose Funeral Service is at St. Teresa’s on Wednesday, 8th December, at 12.15 pm. We remember them and their families, and all those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they be in God’s peace.
This Sunday There Is The Annual Special Collection To Support The Youth Services of Our Diocese. In particular the money given today supports Castlerigg Manor, our Diocesan Youth Centre. For over fifty years, thousands of our young people have enjoyed the residential courses provided by the Castlerigg staff, and organised by our schools. Like many other places of public service, Castlerigghas not been able to be open because of Covid during the past twenty months, and is now really struggling to make ends meet. Please give what you can to help Castlerigg at this difficult time. Thank you.
JOB VACANCY : House Manager/Carer at St. Winifride’s House
An opportunity has arisen for an experienced person to provide care and support to the retired priests of St Winefride’s House, Bispham, Blackpool. FY2 0PA. We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated, reliable person with a friendly, caring and positive attitude to join the team.
The successful candidate would be responsible for the holistic care of the priests (currently 6 in number) and carry out basic day-to-day household tasks including cooking lunch for the priests. Salary to be arranged. Please contact Fr Peter Draper on 01772 725193 or parish.priest2@btinternet.com for more information or for an application form/job description/person spec. Arrangements can be made to have a look around.
The Daily Mass Times At Both Our Churches :–
Weekdays : St. Teresa’s : Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9.30 am
St. John Southworth : Wednesday 9.30 am
Sundays St. Teresa’s : Saturday (Vigil Mass) 6.30 pm, Sunday 9 am and 10.30 am (Live-Streamed)
St. John Southworth : Sunday 5 pm
The ‘Knit and Natter’ Group which had recently opened again on Wednesday afternoons in the Parish Hall, has sadly had to make the decision to close again, because of the lack of numbers. The situation will be reviewed again in the new year.
The ‘Keep Fit And Dance’ Group continues to meet in the Parish Hall on Wednesday afternoons, at 1pm. This group will especially suit the ‘seniors’ amongst us, but everyone will be made very welcome.
On This Sunday Words Written By A Young Person :–
Who Cares?
Here I am, one small voice; here I am, one young soul.
Let me join your world, enjoy your world, and take it as my own.
I need your love.
Here we are, take a look at us. Here we are, can you see us at all.
Boisterous, perhaps, but alone and unsure. Can you feel our fears?
We need your love.
Do not expect me to be you. Do not take away my time to be young.
Give me room to be, and space to see.
Lend me a voice to sing my dreams.
Tell me – can I share your world?
Then why not share the world with me. I am one young dream.
I need your love.
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Bede Griffiths)
We are passing out of one world, the world of western domination, and entering a new age in which the logical, rational mind of Greek philosophy and Roman law, the economic and political order, the science and technology of the West, will pass away. Our patriarchal culture is passing away at this present moment.
Scripture (Daniel 7:13-14)
I gazed into the visions of the night. And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Tuesday (Evelyn Underhill)
Though we achieve social justice, liberty, peace itself, though we give our bodies to be burned for these admirable causes, if we lack this—the transformation of the natural order by the Eternal Charity—we are nothing. For the kingdom is the Holy, not the moral; the Beautiful, not the correct; the perfect, not the adequate; Charity not law.
Scripture (John 17:14-20,24)
I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in the truth. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see my glory which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Wednesday (Fr. Michael Ivens, SJ)
The risen Christ, Lord of the world, is at work throughout history bringing to completion the project inaugurated in his lifetime, the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the world and the conquest of every power that opposes it. If God is to effectively reign in his world, there is a ‘world’ that must be overcome, the world that is incompatible with Christ. With this world and its powers Christ must always be in conflict.
Scripture (Psalm 111:1-6,9)
I give thanks to Yahweh with all my heart, in the meeting place of honest people, in the assembly. Great are the deeds of Yahweh, to be pondered by all who delight in them. Full of splendour and majesty his work, his saving justice stands firm for ever. He gives us a memorial of his great deeds; Yahweh is mercy and tenderness. His works show his people his power in giving them the birthright of the nations. Deliverance he sends his people, his covenant he imposes for ever.
Thursday (Cardinal Newman)
We often heard it said, that the true way of serving God is to serve man, as if religion consisted merely in acting well our part in life, not in direct faith, obedience, and worship: how different is the spirit of the OurFather with its three petitions to Almighty God and four referring to the petitioner. Evil round about him, enemies and persecutors in his path, temptation in prospect, help for the day, sin to be expiated, God’s will in his heart, God’s name on his lips, God’s kingdom in his hopes: this is the view it gives us of the Christian. What simplicity! What grandeur!
Scripture (Revelation 1:5-8)
Grace and peace to you from him who is, who was, and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the highest of earthly kings. He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and has made us a Kingdom of Priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.
Friday (Oscar Romero)
The human race has climbed to moon, has uncovered the secret of the atom. The Lord’s commandment is fulfilled: Subdue the earth! But the absolute human dominion over the earth will be what is proclaimed today: bringing all things of heaven and earth together in Christ. Then humanity hallowed will put under God’s reign this world, which is now the slave of sin, and set it at the feet of Christ, and Christ at the feet of God. This is the bringing together that was God’s design before the world existed. And when history comes to its end, this will be God’s fulfilment: Christ, the sum of all things. All that history has been, all that we do ourselves, good or bad, will be measured by God’s design. All that has tried to rebel against God’s plan in Christ is false, it will not last; it will be for history’s waste heap.
Scripture (Psalm 96:4-8,10)
Great is Yahweh, worthy of all praise, more awesome than any of the gods. It was Yahweh who made the heavens; in his presence are splendour and majesty, in his sanctuary, power and beauty. Give to Yahweh, families of nations, give to Yahweh the glory due to his name! Say among the nations, ‘Yahweh is king.’ The world is set firm, it cannot be moved. He will judge the nations with justice.
Martin Bennett