Margaret was born in 1473, at Hungerford, in Somerset. Her father, the Duke of Clarence, was brother to both Edward IV and Richard III. This meant that all her life she was seen as a threat to the crown, as she had a legitimate claim to the throne. Indeed as soon as the Tudors came to power they imprisoned Margaret’s brother, the Earl of Warwick, and eventually executed him. The king had her marry Sir Richard Pole, who was related to Henry VII. She became lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, starting a lifelong friendship, and she became governess to Princess Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine. At first Henry favoured Margaret but this came to an end at the time of his divorce from Catherine. Her loyalty to the queen, and to Mary, as well as to her Catholic faith, brought her into conflict with the King at the time of his divorce and remarriage to Anne Boleyn. If her own opposition to Henry’s behaviour, and her position as a possible contender for the throne when the dynasty was looking shaky were not enough, her son Reginald Pole was needling the King from overseas and encouraging opposition to him. This made Margaret’s position very dangerous.  Although the King described her as ‘the holiest woman in England’ she was arrested on the grounds of treason, and imprisoned for some time at Cowdray in 1538-9, although she never faced trial and there was no credible evidence against her. In spite of this she was executed in 1541, at the age of 70. Reportedly the inexperienced executioner took ten blows to sever her head.

There are two main parts in the Gospel passage today. In the first, Jesus continues emphasizing what we heard last week-that if we love him, we will act like him. It is a challenging reminder that we need to back up our words with our behaviour and actions. It is not enough to “talk the talk;” we also need to “walk the walk.” The second part is meant to be consoling to the apostles who know they are about to lose their leader after the Last Supper. Jesus understands the apostles are afraid and will feel lost once he is gone. Thankfully, the passage offers consolation for us when we feel afraid, lost, or unsure of what to do or say. The promise of the Holy Spirit is followed by “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” which is then followed by “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  Jesus isn’t promising that everything will be easy and smooth for the apostles after he leaves them. He doesn’t promise them that they won’t struggle just because they have the presence of the Holy Spirit within them. What he promises is that they can face their struggles with the assurance of God’s ongoing presence of peace and love at their core. There is much debate among Christians about which parts of the Bible should be read literally. What if we take these lines literally? What if we trust that Jesus meant what he said here? Questions of the week  What can you do in this upcoming week to demonstrate your love for God by your actions? How can you “walk the walk”?  Is there a situation in your life now in which you are being invited to trust more fully that Jesus is offering you peace and that he wants to free you from fear?

OUR PARISH SUPPORTS THE COBHAM AREA FOODBANK Please can you help local people in crisis by purchasing items on the list below and placing them in the Foodbank’s collection point in the narthex when to come to Mass at the weekend? 

Anyone may request a Mass to be offered for a variety of reasons. These reasons may include thanksgiving, praying for someone’s intentions (such as on a birthday), for the repose of the soul of a deceased person, for the well-being of someone who is ill, or nearly any other intention. To book a Mass Intention, simply complete a Mass Intention envelope (available at the back of the church or from the Parish Office). If you prefer to keep the intention private, you can write ‘Private Intention’ on the envelope. Please return the completed envelope to the parish office or put it through the Presbytery letterbox. The custom of offering Masses for specific intentions is an ancient tradition in the Church. The Mass is the perfect prayer of Christ and the Church, and it is considered the greatest possible prayer of intercession. This is because the Mass makes present the paschal mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and offers it to the Father. When a member of the faithful requests a Mass, they generally make a donation to the priest, who then celebrates the Mass according to their intention. This offering allows the faithful to associate themselves more closely with Christ by parting with something of their own. Additionally, the stipend helps support the clergy. To ensure that this practice remains sacred, the Church regulates the receiving of stipends. Normally, a priest may only accept one stipend per Mass, even if he is offering the Mass for several intentions.  It is important to understand that offering a stipend does not mean “buying a Mass,” which is impossible. Rather, the priest is committing to celebrating a Mass for the specific intention requested by the person making the offering. Masses can be offered for various intentions, such as thanksgiving, anniversaries, memorials, or petitions.

Born of a noble family near Glastonbury, England, Dunstan was educated by Irish monks and while still a youth, was sent to the court of the King. He became a Benedictine monk about 934 and was ordained, about 939. After a time as a hermit at Glastonbury, he was recalled to the royal court and appointed the abbot of Glastonbury Abbey in 943. He developed the Abbey into a great centre of learning while revitalizing other monasteries in the area. He became advisor to King Edred and began a far-reaching reform of all the monasteries in he realm. He was also deeply involved in secular politics and incurred the enmity of the West Saxon nobles for denouncing their immorality and for urging peace with the Danes. The next king in 955, became his bitter enemy for Dunston’s strong censure of his lifestyle. The king confiscated his property and banished him from his kingdom until his death. The new king appointed Dunstan Bishop of Worcester and London in 957. When the civil strife ended and the country was reunited Dunstan was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. Dunstan was made legate by Pope John XII, restoring clergy discipline, rebuilding several monasteries.  When the king died, Dunstan helped to elect Edward the martyr king. When his influence began to wane he retired from politics to teach at the Cathedral school and died there. He is the patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewellers. His feast day is May 19th.

There are teachings of Jesus that seem to sum up his message perfectly. The Golden Rule-“Do unto others as you would have them do to you”-is one example. Another appears in the Gospel passage from John today. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” ( Jn. 13:34 ). If Jesus had left this new commandment at “love one another,” it would have been open to more interpretation. What one person might consider love (“I beat my child to teach him a lesson because I love him”) would be offensive to another person’s understanding of love. If we think only in terms of “love one another” we might be tempted to reduce it to something like “Do no harm.” That could let us off the hook for not being proactive to help others, as long as we aren’t actively making someone’s life harder. Adding the line “as I have loved you, so you also should love one another” calls us to measure how we define love against how Jesus lived it out. Jesus was honest and direct in calling people to accountability for their actions, and he challenged them to stretch to be better. But he didn’t shame people. He didn’t withhold forgiveness, no matter what the sins were. He always moved to bring people back into the community rather than condemning them to be out casts. He stood up for those being cheated or exploited by the wealthy and powerful. He reached out to the sick and the lame, offering his healing presence no matter how grotesque their illness or disfigurement was. Let us then love one another as Jesus showed us how.  Questions of the week  Share an example of something done under the guise of “love” when deep down you know that is not what Jesus would have done.  What changes for you when “love one another” becomes “love one another as I have loved you”?

The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Fr D arrived back home on Friday evening having been away since Monday at the annual Conference of the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Despite its name the conference is a really international affair with many participants travelling from Australia, India, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Italy, Malta, Africa, Canada, and the USA. Whilst on the conference (this year taking place in Harrogate) the participants take part in lectures which cover many of the different areas of Church Law - Education, Marriage, the Sacraments, Church structures, Religious Life, Temporal Goods, Penal Law . . . . This year the topics covered:- Dr. Philip Milligan , Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life ‘Taking Recourses Seriously. Promoting the Rights of the Faithful through Canons 57 and 1732-1739.’ Professor Chad Glendinning, Professor of Canon Law at St Paul’s University, Ottawa ‘Together for Mission: Exploring Possibilities for Greater Participation of the Lay Faithful in "Ecclesial Discernment" and the Decision-Making Process.’ Professor Hildegard Warnink , Professor Canon Law, Catholic University, Leuven ‘The relationship between matrimonial consent and faith, especially deficiency of faith as a possible ground for nullity.’ Monsignor Shane Kirby , Substitute Promoter of Justice, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura ‘Ten Years of the Processus Brevior: reflections on law and praxis.’ Father Thomas Kulandaisamy, Diocese of Clifton ‘Recourse to the Apostolic Signatura: Challenging Administrative Decrees of Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, with a focus on DIVCSVA for Dismissal from Religious Institutes.’ Also during each conference there are two Question and Answer Sessions, one for General Subjects and One for Marriage. The Annual General Meeting of the Society also takes place during the week. Over the years it has become customary for the conference to take place on a four-yearly cycle between England (Harrogate), Ireland (Galway), Scotland (Stirling), and Rome. . . . . .

Today’s Gospel reading emphasizes that Jesus is the ultimate good shepherd. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” We might wonder how we can recognize Jesus’ voice as humans living in the 21st century, not sheep following a shepherd in the first century. It begins by trusting that the shepherd wants what is best for the sheep. Do we believe that God wants what is best for us? Because he does. Jesus also said, “I have come that they may have life in abundance.” God wants us to have joy, freedom, fulfilment, and love, not deprivation, emptiness, and loneliness. If we have internalized the latter message, we have been tricked into following a shepherd who is not interested in our care and protection. In that case, the first step is to ask God for a greater trust that he wants us to have life in its fullness, here and now, not just after we die. When we believe that Jesus loves us enough to have our very best interests at heart, we can practice listening for invitations that bring us more energy, excitement, joy, and peace. Maybe a new job offer is particularly invigorating-that is probably Jesus’ voice calling us to follow. Perhaps an invitation from a friend or acquaintance leads us to a sense of greater joy or contentment than what we are currently spending our time on. That could be the voice of Jesus calling us to follow.  Maybe an activity or relationship we are engaged in is contributing to depression, anxiety, self-hatred, or substance abuse. In that case, the thought of ending that activity or relationship may give us a glimpse of freedom and relief. If that is the case, perhaps it is the voice of Jesus calling us to leave that behind us. There are many ways Jesus can call to us. If we listen for and follow the invitations that lead to greater life, then we can trust we are following Jesus’ voice. Questions of the week  Share about a time when you have followed an invitation that you felt was from Jesus. How did you know the “voice” was from God?  Describe a time when you went astray by following another shepherd who didn’t care for you as a good shepherd cares for his sheep. How did you realize you were astray? How did you find your way back to God’s path?

In 1964, Pope Paul VI, launched Vocations Sunday, which we celebrate on the fourth Sunday of Easter, also called Good Shepherd Sunday. This year it falls today (11th May 2025), which marks the 62nd Anniversary of World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As Catholics and the ‘People of God’ we all know that God is calling us and has a plan for each and every one of us. He called each of us by name through our Baptism to holiness; and he continues to call and cry out to us each day to be his disciples, some to the married life, some to the priesthood, some to religious life or to live as single people. Everybody is called! What is God calling you to? Along with the whole Church, let us pray for vocations today. Let us take time to stir the hearts and minds of the people around us to think about the topic of Vocation. The National Office for Vocation (NOV) invites you to talk and encourage children, young people, grandchildren, students, family members to respond generously to the calling of the Lord.  Today’s Retiring Collection is for the Ecclesiastical Education Fund which provides the Bishop with funds to train the future priests of the diocese; please be as generous as possible with your donations.