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Chris (email link at the bottom of each page)
Letter from Father Richard
28-10-2017, 12:51WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers and Sisters
Have you allowed yourselves to sunbathe this week? Have you relaxed in the presence of the sun’s brightness? Have you dozed in a state of contentment embraced by the warmth surrounding you?
Well, I don’t suppose many of you have, but I was not really speaking in a literal way; I was speaking in a metaphorical way. Have you allowed yourselves to relax in God’s presence this week? The first two commandments may be easy to remember, but they are difficult to accomplish.
We will be able to love our neighbour only inasmuch as we allow ourselves to be loved by God.
Afford Him some of your time – in prayer, meditation and reading.
Have you allowed yourselves to sunbathe this week? Have you relaxed in the presence of the sun’s brightness? Have you dozed in a state of contentment embraced by the warmth surrounding you?
Well, I don’t suppose many of you have, but I was not really speaking in a literal way; I was speaking in a metaphorical way. Have you allowed yourselves to relax in God’s presence this week? The first two commandments may be easy to remember, but they are difficult to accomplish.
We will be able to love our neighbour only inasmuch as we allow ourselves to be loved by God.
Afford Him some of your time – in prayer, meditation and reading.
Have a good week.
Fr. Richard
Comments
Letter from Father Richard
22-10-2017, 10:18WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers and Sisters
Jesus is explicitly religious, explicitly spiritual and fully human. When I reflect on governments, even our own, they don’t reflect the humanity that is present in the teachings of Jesus. It is not so long ago that we transported seven year old boys to Australia for stealing a loaf of bread.
Not very advanced in our humanity.
Throughout the world we see the degradation of people and peoples by governments… ethnic cleansing is not a thing of the past, and neither does remembering past sins prevent future ones. I think here of the Holocaust.
In Jesus we are reminded that the author of the world and of our being is God. Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. If we would wish to raise up our fallen world in this generation let us engage in a meaningful partnership with our God in Jesus Christ.
Let us commit ourselves to Him and His Way rather than to the world, and its values, which tends to destruction.
Jesus is explicitly religious, explicitly spiritual and fully human. When I reflect on governments, even our own, they don’t reflect the humanity that is present in the teachings of Jesus. It is not so long ago that we transported seven year old boys to Australia for stealing a loaf of bread.
Not very advanced in our humanity.
Throughout the world we see the degradation of people and peoples by governments… ethnic cleansing is not a thing of the past, and neither does remembering past sins prevent future ones. I think here of the Holocaust.
In Jesus we are reminded that the author of the world and of our being is God. Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. If we would wish to raise up our fallen world in this generation let us engage in a meaningful partnership with our God in Jesus Christ.
Let us commit ourselves to Him and His Way rather than to the world, and its values, which tends to destruction.
Have a good week.
Fr. Richard
Letter from Father Richard
13-10-2017, 15:08WitnessPermalinkDear Brothers and Sisters
Towards the end of the liturgical year the readings the Church puts before us are those to do with ‘endings’. Themes will be ‘judgement’, ‘death’, ‘accountability’. What we will discover is that God has a plan. We do not live in a random universe, without purpose or meaning.
Our history as Christians includes the history of Israel. It is HIS story. HIS being God. God’s story of His dealings with a people He has chosen for His own. That story continues in the individual lives of His people. His story is our story.
Our story is a reflection of our interaction with God and His people, our brothers and sisters. It is forever exciting, sometimes having us on a knife edge, sometimes monotonous, like being in a desert. Even the desert is not silent.
Do you want as part of your story or your history to include God or exclude Him?
“O that today you would listen to His voice, harden not your hearts.” Ps 94
Towards the end of the liturgical year the readings the Church puts before us are those to do with ‘endings’. Themes will be ‘judgement’, ‘death’, ‘accountability’. What we will discover is that God has a plan. We do not live in a random universe, without purpose or meaning.
Our history as Christians includes the history of Israel. It is HIS story. HIS being God. God’s story of His dealings with a people He has chosen for His own. That story continues in the individual lives of His people. His story is our story.
Our story is a reflection of our interaction with God and His people, our brothers and sisters. It is forever exciting, sometimes having us on a knife edge, sometimes monotonous, like being in a desert. Even the desert is not silent.
Do you want as part of your story or your history to include God or exclude Him?
“O that today you would listen to His voice, harden not your hearts.” Ps 94
Have a good week.
Fr. Richard
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banquet
beatitudes
bishop
bishops
Blessed
blessings
blind
blood
body
bread
brokenness
burden
CAFOD
care
centurion
chances
change
charity
Children
Christ
Christian
Christian Aid
Christ the King
church
Churches Together in Biggleswade
cleanse
come
comfort
coming
commandment
commitment
compassion
Conference
contemplation
conversion
coordinator
Coronavirus
courage
covenant
COVID-19
cross
cure
daily bread
Damascus
death
death to self
delight
desert
Devil
diocese
disciples
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divine work
divinity
Dominicans
doubt
Downside
earthly matters
Easter
eat
effort
encouragement
end-time
enemy
equality
eternal
Eucharist
evangelical
evangelise
evil
example
fairness
faith
faithfulness
fasting
Father
faults
fear
fear of God
feed
fever
fiat
find God
fire
fish
food
foretold
forgive
forgiveness
foundations
fountains
Francis
free
fruit
fruitfulness
Fund-raising
future
Gabriel
generosity
gentle
gift
giving
glory
God
God's
God's Plan
God's will
God-man
Godhead
Golden Rule
good
gospel
grace
gratitude
greatness
heal
healing
health
heart
heaven
heavenly matters
High Priest
Holy Spirit
Holy Week
Holy_Spirit
homeless
hope
Hosea
humble
humility
hypocrisy
I AM
immortality
incarnation
increase
In Jesus's Name
innocence
insight
Internet
jealousy
Jesus
joy
justice
Justice and Peace
kindness
King
King David
kingdom
knowing
knowledge
law
Lent
leprosy
life
light
live streaming
living
loaves
Logos
Lord
Lord's Prayer
lost
love
lunatic
Magi
manna
maranatha
martyr
Mary
Mass
Matthew
meaning
meditation
mercy
Messiah
mindfulness
Ministries
miracle
miracles
moral
Mount
mountains
mystery
mysticism
name
narrow path
Nazereth
neighbour
new creation
new life
New Testament
New Year
Nineveh
None
obedience
Old Testament
OneWorld
online
Organisation
Our Lady
outcast
outcasts
Palm Sunday
parable
Paraclete
Parish
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Passion
Paul
peace
penance
perfect
perfection
Peter
Pilgrimage
pity
poem
poor
Pope
power
praise
prayer
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preparation
proclamation
Prologue
promise
prophesy
prophet
prophets
protection
question
rebellion
recovery
reflection
refugee
reign
rejection
rejects
renewal
repentance
rest
resurrection
revelation
rich
righteiousness
righteousness
risen
Rock
Rolheiser
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sacrifice
Sadducees
Safety
salvation
Satan
save
Saviour
sayittogod
Scriptures
second
Second Coming
seed
self-indulgence
self-sacrifice
sent
sermon
serve
service
sheep
shepherd
sights
signs
silence
sin
sinfulness
sinners
Social
Solomon
Son
Son of God
soul
sower
spirit
Spirit of Christ
Spiritual
splendour
St Benedict
steadfast
Stephen
stoning
storm
storms
strength
struggle
suffering
SVP
talents
teacher
teaching
tears
temptation
tenants
The Cross
Thérèse of Lisieux
time for God
today
transgressions
Trinity
trust
truth
understanding
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