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
25 February 2024
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 Lent
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflections for the coming week
Gospel : Mark 9:2-10
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus, ‘Rabbi’, he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say; they were so frightened. And a cloud came, covering them in shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him. ‘Then suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.
As they came down the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.
Gospel Reflection : “Glory Be To God For Dappled Things……..”
When on the mountain Jesus began to shine like the sun, he showed to his disciples his glory. It was a splendour that turned into absolute beauty, in fact the glory and beauty all of us are meant to share.
It is the glory and beauty we can trace in poetry and music, in dance and architecture, in sculpture and painting. It is the glory we sometimes touch in our prayers and liturgy, and at a moment of reconciliation and forgiveness.
But it is also what we experience throughout our lives, in friendship and in love. For we are destined to shine in glory and beauty, not just when we have reached perfection, but now, in our relationships and in our sensitivity to the world around us. At this time of Lent, however, let us remember where our praise is due. As Gerard Manley Hopkins ends his beautiful poem : – “He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change : Praise Him” !
We Remember In Our Prayers Maureen Lynch, who died last week, but whose Funeral at St. Teresa’s has yet to be arranged. We remember her, and her family and friends, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they all be in God’s love and care.
This Sunday at the 10 am Mass we warmly welcome, along with their parents, the children who will be celebrating their First Holy Communion this year. We thank them for being here where we can all show our support. As always, straight after the Mass there will be the introductory meeting, for the children and parents, with a lovely group of people we call our Parish catechists. First Holy Communion for both our parishes will be celebrated at the 10 am Mass at St. Teresa’s on Sunday, 12th May, 2024.
CAFOD LENTEN FAMILY FAST : A big thank you to those who are returning their CAFOD envelopes which were given out last Sunday for this year’s Lenten Family Fast Day, which was last Friday, 23rd February. As Sue, our CAFOD parish representative, told us last week, our donations are going to support, amongst hundreds of other projects, hardworking people like James in Liberia who need our support for them to get the tools they need to feed their children and families. Of course your CAFOD donation envelopes can be returned to church next Sunday. There are plenty of spare envelopes at the back of church now.
Another Big Thank You : On behalf of herself and her family, Becky Connor wants us to know that £440 was raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust last Sunday, in the Coffee Morning they organised. As Becky said, “It was a great turn out, and we thank everyone so much for supporting us.” Thank you too Becky for all the hard work you put in to organise it.
The SVP (The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Teresa’s) would also like to thank people for their generous support in their regular collection they took last Sunday. In total £198.23 was given for those ‘in need’ locally, a very good amount, especially considering all the other demands on our charity.
Stations of The Cross This Sunday (25th February), and each Sunday in Lent, we have the Stations of the Cross, with Benediction, at 3 pm at St. Teresa’s. This is a short Service which is very suitable for our Lenten reflection.
Appeal : For a future Parish project we need to collect lots of plastic milk bottle tops (white only). These can be left at the back of St.Teresa’s Church, or in the church shop, in batches when you have them available. Thank you for your help.
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.
The Church Shop, in the porch at St. Teresa’s, is open before and after each weekend Mass. You are very welcome to go in and browse.
A CAFOD LENT PRAYER
Plant in us, Lord, seeds of solidarity, so that rejoicing in your gifts we may cherish your presence in each other and in all creation
Root us, Lord, in compassion and justice. Pour your Spirit down like gentle rain, softening our hearts, and washing away division and selfishness.
Cultivate in us, Lord, attentiveness to your call. Give us hope to dream a better world, and strength to play our part to make it really happen.
Grow in us, Lord, your ways of peace and courage, so that in this time of Lent we may bear witness to your way of love revealed to us in Jesus, our Lord. Amen
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Fr. Richard Rohr.)
Was it dread or desire that I was feeling? I was not sure which emotion dominated me as I left for the six weeks plus of Lent in a hermitage. All I knew was it was time to “cleanse the doors of perception.” After a while in solitude, God had a much better chance of getting through. The rich daily Eucharists and meditation on the Scriptures lead me to a new encounter with Jesus as the image of the Beloved that has most taught and guided my soul.
Scripture (Mark 9:2-5)
Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain on their own, by themselves. There in their presence he was transfigured: his clothes became brilliantly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses and they were talking to Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus “Rabbi, it is wonderful for us to be here.” A cloud came, covering them in a shadow; and from the cloud there came a vice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him.’
Tuesday (Carlo Carretto)
If you cannot go into the desert, you must nonetheless “make some desert” in your life. Every now and then, leaving people and looking for solitude to restore, in prolonged silence and prayer, the stuff of your soul. You must leave everything and everybody and retire, alone with God. If you don’t look for this solitude, if you don’t love it, if you do not withdraw in order to enjoy intimacy with God, the fundamental element of the relationship with the All-Powerful is missing: love. And without love, no revelation is possible.
Scripture (Exodus 34:28-29)
Moses stayed with Yahweh for forty days and nights, eating nothing, and on the tablets he wrote the words of the covenant. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets in his hands, as he was coming down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant because he had been talking to Yahweh.
Wednesday (St. Teresa of Avila)
When the soul collects together all its faculties and enters within itself to be with God, it is called ‘recollection.’ Those who are able to enclose themselves within the little heaven of their souls where dwells the Creator of heaven and earth, and who can accustom themselves not to look at anything nor to remain in any place which would preoccupy their exterior senses, may feel sure that they are travelling by an excellent way, and that they will certainly come to drink of the water from the fountain, for they will journey far in a short time.
Scripture (Matthew 6:5-6)
When you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites; they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and on the street corners for people to see them. But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
Thursday (John Main, OSB)
We need to leave thoughts of self behind: to live no longer for ourselves but for Him. To do this, we must have seriously undertaken the pilgrimage of prayer. This is not a theoretical, abstract undertaking. To make this pilgrimage, we have to put our prayer first, and do this in a very practical way. In planning our day we must see to it that we leave time and space for our meditation. We must come to see this time not as our own time but as God’s time. The essential meaning of Mary, I think, is, above all, in her being a model of simplicity of heart,
simplicity of faith. With this condition of simplicity comes that directness of encounter with the power of God within us that deepens and fulfils us. This process is continuous because there is no end to the power of God. And no end to our capacity for love.
Scripture (Colossians 1:9-11)
We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants, and always do what pleases him. Your lives will be fruitful in all kinds of good works, and you will grow in your knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength which comes from his glorious might.
Friday(C.S.Lewis)
To love God we must know Him: and if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces. If we do not, well that only shows that what we are trying to love is not yet God. Yet the call is not only to protestation and awe, it is to a reflection of the Divine life, a creaturely participation in the Divine attributes which is far beyond our present desires. We are bidden to “put on Christ”, in order to become like God. That is, whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want.
Scripture (Ephesians 1: 3-5,7-9)
Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Thus he chose us in Christ before the world was made to be holy and faultless before him in love, making us out for himself beforehand, to be adopted children, through Jesus Christ. Such is the richness of the grace which he has showered on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of his purpose, according to his good pleasure which he determined beforehand in Christ.
Martin Bennett