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
26 November 2023
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:
Matthew: 25.31-46
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on the throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you? And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’
Gospel Reflection – Jesus, The Servant King
They say about Him that He was like a shepherd who kept all his sheep in view; like a teacher keeping an eye on every student in the class; like a parent giving time to all the children, a grandparent remembering each grandchild. All are important, but especially the lost, the wounded and the weak.
When He meets us all in the final Kingdom, He will wonder how we treated others, especially the lost, the wounded and the weak.
A strange type of King this – not a collector of tax money, nor the richest one in the land, nor the one defended by his people, but the generous one, the one who became wounded and weak, the one who defended His own by dieing for them.
We Remember In Our Prayers Mary McNullty whose Funeral was last week, Kevin Savage, whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Wednesday, 29th November at 12.30 pm, and Edward Hooker whose funeral is at Lytham Park Crematorium on Monday 4th December at 12.15 pm.
We remember them and their families, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they all be in God’s peace.
Youth Sunday is celebrated this weekend on the Feast of Christ the KIng. Each year we pray for our young people, and those who care for them. We also take a Special Collection for the Youth Services of our Diocese. Our young people benefit greatly from the provision of our Youth Services, including at Castlerigg Manor in Keswick, and through our Schools. There are a lot of people, some of whom will now be grandparents +, will have happy memories of what they experienced, spiritually and socially, at Castlerigg.
This Sunday 26th November, We Have Our Christmas Fayre, 10 am – 2 pm in St. Teresa’s Parish Hall. Among all the different stalls, food and drink are available. A very big thank you to all those who have kindly contributed items which you will find in all the different sales, raffles, tombolas, and kitchen. A huge thank you too to the big team of people who have worked hard to prepare for this event, in the Hall and through the Raffle. The Raffle draw will take place about 1 pm. in the Hall. Let us hope that this weekend a modern saying comes true : ” Working as a team helps to fulfil your dream!”
Each Year The Season of Advent Helps Us In Our Spiritual Preparation For Christmas. This year the first Sunday in Advent is on 3rd December, and we are fortunate in Cleveleys to be given the opportunity to help us in our preparation. Our Catholic parishes in the Fylde are organising a series of meetings where we can meet and reflect on the Readings for the three Sundays leading up to Christmas, and these are to take place at St. Teresa’s, in the church Sacristy. They are 7 pm – 8 pm, just one hour, on the Fridays 1st, 8th and 15th of December. Please don’t pass this good opportunity by, but think about coming to all or just one of these meetings. You will be very welcome. These details are on the notice board in the church porch.
The Church Shop, in the porch at St. Teresa’s Church, is open before and after each weekend Mass. In addition to the gifts and Christmas cards on sale, we also have a daily prayer and Scripture journey through Advent booklet, ‘Walk with Me’, priced £1.
The ‘Hub in the Hall’ Meetings take place in St. Teresa’s Church Hall each Wednesday, 2 pm – 4 pm. All are very welcome.
The Food Pantry At St. Teresa’s Church is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.30 am – 12 noon, and on Wednesdays, 2.30 pm – 4 pm.
CAFOD “World Gifts” CAFOD have produced their new “World Gifts” Catalogue for this Christmas, and the following year. The gifts selected reflect some of the biggest issues facing communities around the world today – gifts that reach out to people living in remote locations who experience poverty, and injustice, especially women and children.
From people living on the front lines of the climate crisis, through refugees fleeing conflict, to families who live on one meal a day, every gift you buy through CAFOD’s “World Gifts” helps real people in real situations, and makes a massive positive difference.
The Catalogues are on the tables in the outer church porch. Please take a look, and even better, take one home if you can help.
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Dorothy Day)
In Christ’s human life, there were always a few who made up for those who refused to stir one hand’s breadth from the routine of their lives to go to Christ. We can do it too, exactly as they did by seeing Christ and serving Christ in friends and strangers, in everyone we come in contact with. We can talk about Christ’s mystical body, about the vine and the branches, about the Communion of saints but Christ himself said that a glass of water given to a beggar was given to him, He made heaven hinge on the way we act toward him in his disguise of the commonplace, frail, ordinary humanity. We should be hospitable towards people who come to stay with us, come to see us, take up our time, not because they remind us of Christ, but because they are Christ.
Scripture (Mt. 25: 34-40)
Then the King will say to those on his right “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the Kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the upright will say “When did we do all these things?” And the King will answer “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of mine, you did it to me.”
Tuesday (Henri Nouwen)
It would be sad if we were to think about the compassionate life as a life of heroic self-denial. In fact, the compassionate life is mostly hidden in the ordinariness of everyday living. The question that truly comes is not whether we imitate Mother Teresa, but whether we are open to the many little sufferings of those with whom we share our life. The suffering of the countless people who lack caring friends, satisfying work, a peaceful home; of those who wonder if life is worth living. Once we look downward instead of upward on the ladder of life, we see the pain of people wherever we go, and we hear the call of compassion wherever we are. True compassion always begins right where we are.
Scripture (Ezekiel 34: 11-12,15-17)
The Lord says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered in the mist and the darkness. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and the healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
Wednesday (Martin Luther)
The person of faith becomes willing and anxious, without any prompting, to do good to all, to serve the common good. There is something vital, energetic, active, mighty about this kind of faith! It is impossible for it not to be engaged in good works without ceasing. Nor does it ask first whether good works are to be done, but before one asks, faith has already spontaneously done them, and goes on doing them continuously.
Scripture (James 2:14-26)
How does it help, my brothers and sisters, when someone who has never done a single good act claims to have faith? If good deeds do not go with faith it is quite dead. But someone may say “So you have faith and I have good deeds? Show me this faith of yours without deeds, then! It is by my deeds that I will show you my faith. As a body without a spirit is dead, so is faith without deeds.
Thursday (Mother Teresa)
Mother Teresa: “I believe that the people of today do not think that the poor are like them as human beings. They look down on them. But if they had that deep respect for the dignity of poor people I am sure it would be easy for them to come closer to them, and to see that they, too, are the children of God. In these times of development everybody is in a hurry and everybody’s in a rush, and on the way people are falling down, who are not able to compete. These are the ones we want to love and serve and take care of.”
Malcolm Muggeridge : “And do with them beautiful things for God.”
Scripture (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)
Are there any poor among you? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against them. When you give, you must give with an open heart; for this is, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your actions and in all your undertakings. Of course, there will never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving you this command: always be open handed with anyone who is in need or poor.
Friday (C.S.Lewis)
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—these are mortal. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses for in him also Christ, the glorifier and glorified, is truly hidden.
Scripture (Ephesians 4:2-6, 15-16)
With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love. Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted together, every joint adding its own strength, for each individual part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up in love.
Martin Bennett