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
16 April 2023
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : Second Sunday of Easter
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflections for the coming week
Gospel: John: 20-19-31
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.
‘As the Father sent me,
So am I sending you.’
After saying this he breathed on them and said:
‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
For those whose sins you forgive
they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain,
they are retained.’
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:
‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples sawm but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.
Gospel Reflection : Is Your Post-Easter Sunday Life Going Swimmingly
Some people think that if you have enough faith, life will be plain sailing. This of course isn’t true.
The fact that you can swim does not mean that you have control over the sea. It doesn’t prevent you from getting knocked about. In the same way faith doesn’t shield us from the hard knocks of life or death.
What then does faith do? It enables us to live in a topsy-turvy world without getting completely lost or giving in to despair. It gives us bearings.
Just as swimmers trust that if they don’t panic, and if they do a few simple things, then the power of the water will uphold them, so believers entrust their lives to a power greater than themselves, a power greater than us all.
This power is the life and love of Christ always with us, always wanting to hold us up by the peace of his presence. Faith is always linked with us having a very positive hope.
We Remember In Our Prayers : Eddie Morton whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Thursday, 20th April at 10 am, Doris Sanders whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Thursday, 27th April at 12. 30 pm, and Alan Lebon, whose Funeral Mass is at St. Teresa’s on Friday 5th May at 12. 30 pm. We remember them and their families, and all those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they be in God’s peace.
‘Jesus Came And Stood Among Them’ The Sunday Readings between now and Pentecost show how the Risen Jesus was present amongst his followers, starting in Jerusalem and spreading outwards……and reaching the Fylde coast several generations later. Martin Bennett, who kindly supplies us with the weekday reflections which are printed on St. Teresa’s website along with the bulletin each weekend (www.st-teresas-church.co.uk), coordinates a group of people from different parishes, including our own, which meets online each Thursday at 7.30 pm, to discover the full meaning of the Sunday Mass readings, and how they apply to our daily lives in today’s society. All are very welcome. For further details, please email or phone Martin : martinben@gmail.com / 07931 902346.
There Is A Table Top Sale in St.Teresa’s Church Hall on Saturday 22nd April, 11 am – 1 pm, to raise money for our Food Pantry. It is not too late to book a table, or donate items such as books, unloved-but-quality bric-a-brac, cakes or raffle prizes for our various stalls. To book a table please contact Sue on 01253 858346 or 07889 532158
The Food Pantry at St. Teresa’s Church is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.30 am – 1 pm, and on Wednesday, 2.30 pm – 4 pm.
The ‘Warm Space’ takes place in St. Teresa’s Church Hall on Wednesday afternoons, 2 pm – 4 pm. All welcome.
God Gives Us Power
God has given us the power
to create beauty
to make another smile
to be a healing presence in someone’s sorrow
to bring justice to the oppressed,
to console those in difficulty
to bring peace and joy to others
to help those in need
to laugh and enjoy life
to do good and turn from evil,
to forgive those who have hurt us
and, most of all, to love.
Let us pray that God will continue to grace us with his love and mercy, and to spread that love to others during our journey.
Iris Perez
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Fr. Michael Ivens, SJ)
We are concerned with paschal joy, the joy proper to Easter, the joy which springs from a still more fundamental grace, that of a faith and love that make the risen Christ, though invisible, the very core of the believer’s existence. The prime object of the paschal joy, then, is the here-and -now reality of the risen Christ. It consists in the transforming experience of a joy which is a union in that of the risen Christ himself. Flowing from Christ, this joy always moves a person to God’s service, a source of strength, energy and courage to participate in the work of the kingdom. In its fullness, paschal joy engages the whole person, penetrates everyday experience, but its authenticity must be measured in terms of strength and depth rather than emotional exhilaration.
Scripture (Acts 2:38,41-43,46-47)
Peter said to the crowd, ‘You must repent, and everyone of you must be baptised on the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the Holy Spirit. They accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number. They remained faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. And everyone was filled with awe; the apostles worked many signs and miracles. Each day, with one heart, they regularly went to the Temple but met in their houses for the breaking of bread; they shared their food gladly and generously; they praised God and were looked up to by everyone. Day by day, the Lord added to their community those destined to be saved
Tuesday (Cardinal Newman)
To know God and Christ, in scripture language, seems to mean to live under the conviction of his presence who is, to our bodily eyes, unseen. It is, in fact, to have faith, but not faith as the heathen might have, but gospel faith. The gospel is a manifestation, and therefore addressed to the eyes of our mind. Faith is the same principle as before, but with the opportunity of acting through a more certain and satisfactory sense.
Scripture (John 20:24-29)
Thomas was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord,’ but he answered, ‘Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe. Eight days later, the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving anymore but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
Wednesday (C.S.Lewis)
The society into which the Christian is called at baptism is not a collective, but a Body. We are summoned at the outset to combine as creatures with our Creator, as mortals with immortal, as redeemed sinners with sinless Redeemer. His presence, the interaction between him and us, must always be the overwhelmingly dominant factor in the life we are to lead within the Body, and any conception of Christian fellowship which does not primarily mean fellowship with him is out of court. The sacrifice of selfish privacy which is daily demanded of us is daily repaid a hundredfold in the true growth of personality which the life of the Body encourages.
Scripture (Ephesians 1:18-20,22-23)
May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, how rich is the glory of the heritage he offers among his holy people, and how extraordinarily great is the power he has exercised for us believers; this accords with the strength of his power at work in Christ, the power he exercised in raising him from the dead, and made him, as he is above all things, the head of the Church, which is his body, the glory of him who is filled, all in all.
Thursday (Oscar Romero)
Christ arisen has put in history’s womb the beginning of a new world. To come to Mass on Sunday is to immerse oneself in that beginning, which again becomes present and is celebrated on the altar at Mass. And we who go forth from Mass know we have proclaimed the death that saved the world and proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, who lives as hope. I can imagine someone saying, “So now he thinks he is a prophet!” No, it’s not that I think I’m a prophet, it’s that you and I are a prophetic people. Everyone baptised has received a share in Christ’s prophetic mission.
Scripture (Matthew 28: 16-20)
Meanwhile, the eleven set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him, they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father , and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’
Friday (2nd Vatican Council – “The Church”)
So it is that this messianic people, though it does not include all people and may more than once look like a small flock, is nonetheless a lasting and sure seed of unity, hope and salvation for the whole human race. Established by Christ as a fellowship of life, charity and truth, it is also used by him as an instrument of redemption for all, and is sent forth into the whole world as the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
Scripture (1 Peter 2:9)
You are a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession to sing the praises of God who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Martin Bennett