Sunday 14th March 2021
Webmaster • March 12, 2021
This weekend we hear one of the most well known and best-loved verses in the whole of John’s gospel, a verse that proclaims “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” These words are spoken in the context of the night visit of Nicodemus to Jesus. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and Jewish leader and teacher, avoids the daylight that might reveal him as associating with a man who is unpopular with the religious institution, and so arouse suspicion of Nicodemus’ own motives and stance. To be unafraid or unashamed of professing our friendship with Jesus by the way we live every day always brings hard demands. The German theologian Eugene Drewerman gives us a memorable image of ourselves when, in the words of the gospel, we have ‘preferred darkness to light,’ to that light which is the only Son of God, given for its salvation to the world that God loves so much: “it can happen that we become like bats, like night-flying creatures who are so accustomed to the dark that our whole biorhythm is attuned to these shadowy periods, as if our eyes would be turned inside out if we were dragged out of our caves and the hidden and fearful forms of our existence were exposed to the quiet regions of light and the brightness of day.”
But we prefer the false safety of darkness to the light of Christ that exposes, for example, our selfish, racist, sexist, or violent selves. We all have our own caves that we need to name. Lent is designed to drag us out of their darkness into the Easter light of Christ through prayer, fasting, and the “almsgiving” of the gift of ourselves as well as the offer of material assistance to our brothers and sisters in many kinds of need.
To help the night visitor, Nicodemus, to come into the light of understanding something of his mystery and mission, Jesus uses a good catechetical approach: he talks the language of his listener. He reminds this “teacher of Israel”, who is very much in the dark, of a story from their own Hebrew Scriptures. In the wilderness, the people grumble against God and are struck with a plague of serpents whose bite could cause death. The people come to Moses, admit their sinfulness, and ask him to intercede for them with God. When he does so, God tells Moses to forge a bronze serpent, fix it and raise it up before those who are stricken. If they gaze on it, they will be saved. This seems a great paradox: healing and life from gazing on a creature of death! But they obey and are healed.
In our humanity, we are all bitten by death; yet Jesus tells Nicodemus, the God who is love wants to give us life that never ends. And so the flesh of the Son of Man will be brutally, senselessly twisted around the wood of the cross, forged by the fire of his passion and death, and raised up for our salvation. Tn John’s gospel, ‘raising’ or ‘lifting up’ always has the double sense of crucifixion and exaltation, death and resurrection, for the two movements are inseparable. To gaze with the eyes of faith on this mystery and commit ourselves to it will mean eternal life. Jesus does not come to judge, but as a turning on a light exposes what is hidden in darkness, so it is when the light of Christ shines upon us to expose both good and evil. The cross that will be raised up and venerated on Good Friday will give way at the Easter Vigil to the raised Easter candle, marked with the cross of fragrant ‘nails’ of incense, from which we catch fire and rekindle our baptismal commitment to the saving and universal love of Jesus Christ.
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?
Applications are now available for our Infant Baptism, First Reconciliation, and First Eucharist Preparation Programmes for the next academic year (Confirmation Applications will be made available once Bishop Richard provides a date for the celebration). PLEASE NOTE that these programmes are only for candidates from families who are Registered Parishioners who are actually regular members of our worshipping community - if this is not the case at present then talk to Fr Daryl about what can be done to rectify the situation for some point in the future.
Jesus’ Jewish listeners would have been immediately suspicious about the immense wealth of the rich farmer in the parable today. Any good Jew of the time would have known the common teaching in many Old Testament readings of the responsibility for land owners to share their excess produce with the poor, the widow, the orphans or the strangers. For example, Deuteronomy says “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow ... When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt: therefore I am commanding you to do this” (Deut. 24: 19-22). Likewise, Leviticus teaches, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien” (Lev 19:9-10). On top of these teachings were continual reminders that the first tenth of all produce should be tithed, or given back to God. So Jewish listeners probably understood Jesus’ parable as a warning against the greed of a farmer who may not have shared his excess with the poor as his religion required of him. The ending of the parable also reminds us that no matter how wealthy or comfortable we are in this life (maybe at the expense of the poor) we cannot take anything with us when we die. We’ll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul! Questions of the week What is your first reaction to this parable? How or what do you think about the rich man? What are you attached to in an unhealthy way which you would like to find freedom from before you die?
A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in God when she was 14, Edith Stein was so captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of Avila that she began a spiritual journey that led to her baptism in 1922. Twelve years later she imitated Saint Teresa becoming a Carmelite, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau, Germany - now Wroclaw, Poland - Edith abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the University of Göttingen, Edith became fascinated by a branch of philosophy, earning a doctorate in 1916. She continued as a university teacher until 1922, when she moved to a Dominican school in Speyer; her appointment as lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich ended under pressure from the Nazi regime. After living for four years in the Cologne Carmel, Sister Teresa Benedicta moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, in 1938. The Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for being denounced by the Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had become Christians. Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz on August 9th , 1942. Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta of the Cross in 1987 canonising her 12 years later.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . A slightly less busy time around The Presbytery this week as more parishioners go off on their summer holidays . . . . After the 11.00 Mass on Sunday our Tea & Coffee Team were working in the Parish Centre for the last time until September - now taking a well-earnt rest during August. Fr D (after a quick change) went off to St Joseph’s in Epsom where he had ben invited to the Epsom Catenians’ Presidents Sunday Lunch. It was good to see many of our own parishioners who are members of the Catenian Circle present. Following on from Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D was off down to the diocesan offices in Crawley to continue his work on a Penal case that he has been working on for the bishop. He was delighted that he completed his work and it now waits for the bishop to return from the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Staying later at the office than he would normally do to get the bishop’s case completed by the time he got home in the evening Fr D found himself falling asleep as he ate supper! Having celebrated Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday morning Fr D was delighted to hear that the ‘tree man’ had spoken to Sarah in the Parish Office and said that he thought he might be starting on the hedge removal on Tuesday of next week. This will require keeping all the parking spaces along the hedge free from vehicles so that he can get the necessary works done. Once he has done this the spaces can be used again until the fencing people need the spaces to erect the new fence. Fr D has also instructed the rebuilding of the car park wall where a car caused damage to it a couple of weeks ago. All of these jobs were not even on the horizon in June - but things do seem to sometimes change very quickly! In the afternoon Fr D began work on his parts of the newsletter, ready for Sarah to do hers. Fr D was off to the diocesan offices again on Thursday after celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass. Having got the bishop’s special case out of the way he was able to start work on the next marriage case to ‘hit his in-tray!’ Friday morning there was no celebration of Morning Prayer due to the requiem Mass of a parishioner taking place in the church. Saturday Fr D had a young couple coming to see him for their next marriage preparation session . . . . . .
The Diocese is gathering on Saturday 20th September (10.00-16.30) to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope, the 60th Anniversary of the Diocese, and our continuing mission in these present times. The celebration will be taking place at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, which has a capacity for 1,200 people to attend. We have a number of guest speakers scheduled to inspire and uplift us during the day; topics covered include: • Communities of Hope - Michelle Moran (Sion Community) • Scriptures of Hope - Dai Woolridge (Bible Society) • Missionaries of Hope – Rev. Greg Bakker (Church Mission Society) We will also be joined by the ‘One Hope Project,’ a Catholic Worship Collective who will assist us with our music and those involved in our diocesan Schools Singing Programme will also be with us for the day. Families are encouraged to attend, as there will be a special ‘youth stream,’ allowing the younger members of our communities to engage with the virtue of hope in a way that is meaningful for them. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will also be available throughout the day. The day will finish with Mass. Tickets have been allocated proportionally to each parish according to Mass attendance; Sacred Heart Parish has 11. The festival is free to attend, members of the Parish attending are asked to travel by coach, leaving from the Sacred Heart (the cost of this is covered). Those people with disabilities/access issues will be able to travel independently and parking for this will be available on site. If you would like to receive one of our Parish tickets to attend please get in touch with the Parish Office within the next two weeks (by 13.00 Monday 11th August) - first come first served (no additional tickets available).
The theme of asking God with boldness for what one needs runs through the first reading and the Gospel today. As a Jewish boy growing up, Jesus would have learned the stories of the many Old Testament figures who were unafraid to ask God directly and boldly for what they wanted: Isaiah, Moses, Hannah, Jeremiah, and here, Abraham, to name just a few. Jesus internalized the message, came before his Father with honestly and boldness (“take this cup from me”), and taught his disciples they can ask with confidence for what they need too. For all Christians out there who believe it is selfish to pray for what they want and need, today’s Gospel reading challenges that. First, Jesus teaches his disciples, and us, some brief lines we can always use when we don’t know what to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is a brief summation of praise, openness to God’s will, request for what we need, and desire for forgiveness as well as a willingness to forgive. It is a perfect prayer to focus on or to fall back upon when we are otherwise at a loss for how to pray. Jesus also gives us great freedom in not limiting us to the words of the Our Father. He gives us permission to ask, seek, and knock, without telling us what we can or can’t ask for. Fifteen hundred years later St. Ignatius taught that our deepest desires are also God’s deepest desires for us and it is okay to ask for them! The challenge is to identify the true desires beneath the superficial desires. Sometimes we desire food when we aren’t hungry, or mindless entertainment when we are lonely. In those situations, we can ask “What is the desire behind those desires?” and then bring that to prayer. “God, what I really want is a greater sense of meaning and fullness in life,” or “I want a friend, a partner, a companion.” God may not answer us with chocolate cake or a Netflix series, but Jesus assures us that we will find what we are really asking for. Questions of the week When have you asked God for something and received it, even if it didn’t come in the form you imagined? What are you asking God for these days? Or, what do you want to ask God for that might seem like a “big ask”?
Moral theology, Vatican II said, should be more thoroughly nourished by Scripture, showing the nobility of the Christian vocation of the faithful and their obligation to bring forth fruit in charity for the life of the world. Alphonsus, declared patron of moral theologians by Pius XII in 1950, would rejoice in that statement. In his day, Alphonsus fought for the liberation of moral theology from the rigidity of Jansenism. His moral theology, concentrated on the practical and concrete problems of pastors and confessors. If a certain legalism and minimalism crept into moral theology, it should not be attributed to his model of moderation and gentleness. He founded the Redemptorist congregation in 1732. It was an association of priests and brothers living a common life, dedicated to the imitation of Christ, and working mainly in popular missions for peasants in rural areas. Almost as an omen of what was to come later, he found himself deserted after a while by all his original companions except one lay brother. But the congregation managed to survive and was formally approved seventeen years later, though its troubles were not over. He was made a bishop when aged 66 after trying to reject the honour, and at once instituted a thorough reform of his diocese. Alphonsus is best known for his moral theology, but he also wrote well in the field of spiritual and dogmatic theology. His Glories of Mary is one of the great works on that subject, and his book Visits to the Blessed Sacrament went through forty editions in his lifetime, greatly influencing the practice of this devotion in the Church.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Things around The Presbytery are beginning to slow down a bit, with schools now all on holiday and Bishop Richard and around eight hundred people from around the diocese on pilgrimage to Lourdes . . . . . . . After our morning Masses on Sunday Fr D was visited by a parishioner from one of his former parishes who took him out for lunch locally. As always the parishioner brought a number of Mass Offerings that Fr D agreed to celebrate over the next month or so. On Monday Fr D’s Ministry to Priests Support Group arrived for midday and were in the church for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament. When they went into the house they celebrated Midday Prayer of the Church together before moving off to a local hostelry for lunch. In the evening, after the other priests had left Fr D found himself writing a list of ‘To Do’s’ that he wanted to get completed during the rest of the week. After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition Fr D re-read the contract that we have with Euro Car Parks to administer the Car Park for us. This was because the Parish Priest of Horsham was due at midday to have a meeting with Fr Daryl, Sarah, and our Treasurer to find out how things operate; Horsham as a large car park that has become difficult to administer. In the afternoon Fr D was preparing for a requiem for a parishioner next Friday (readings, prayers, music etc.). Wednesday, after Morning Prayer and Mass Fr D Fr D continued with the preparations for the requiem before going off in the car to meet with Fr Ruslan (Walton-on-Thames) for lunch. When he arrived back home Fr D began his sections of the newsletter for the weekend. Following Morning Prayer and Mass on Thursday Fr D was off to the diocesan office in Crawley where he continued work on a current penal case he is working on. Arriving back home in the late afternoon Fr D worked some more on the requiem and completed his parts of the newsletter ready for Sarah to complete and print/publish. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Friday Fr D was out visiting a parishioner to anoint them before getting back and going through the weekend events with Sarah to make sure that all was ready. In the afternoon he spent time getting his homiles for the Masses during next week . . . . .
In recent weeks, those who care deeply about protecting the vulnerable have been dealt some devastating blows - with MP’s voting in June to legalise assisted suicide and to decriminalise abortion, allowing abortion up to birth. These are threats that we should all care deeply about. Pope Leo has already issued a call to action, saying: “No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly.” We are living in very dark times - but SPUC invites us all to join in the fightback, to make our voices heard and to stand up for the most vulnerable. If enough people stand up for the pro-life cause, politicians will have to take heed of our concern for those lives lost to abortion and assisted suicide. SPUC urgently needs all of us to join in the work to bring about real and lasting protection for unborn children and those at the end of life. If we do not fight back, we can only expect the culture of death to encroach even further on our society. As a first step, please take and fill out one of the postcards in the narthex, and SPUC will send you information about what you can do for the cause. Take some away too, for family and friends. In times like these, we need to stand up in defence of life. PLEASE leave completed postcards in the basket on the table at the back of church so we can send them on.