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
28 August 2022
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : The Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflections for the coming week
Gospel: Luke 14:1.7-14
On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’
Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’
Gospel Reflection : Trouble At Meals
We can imagine the atmosphere at the Sabbath Day meal highlighted in today’s Gospel. Jesus was at the home of a very influential Pharisee, mixing with his influential friends. They watch him closely. Perhaps they hope to impress him with their rank, which Jesus will be able to tell from their positions at table.
But Jesus is not influenced by the things which tend to influence us. He watches their petty ambitions being played out before him; and he teaches them humility by using the story about another meal, a Wedding Feast. He speaks like this, not so that we can pat ourselves on the back for not behaving like the Pharisees. After all, many of our meals take place in front of the television!
No. We are meant to look a little closer at our own lives with some basic questions : Do we get niggled if someone else sits in ‘our’ place, on whatever occasion that might be? Can we take valuable criticism without being offended? Do we tend to help only those people who are likely to repay the compliment?
We keep being reminded that the way Jesus acts, and the way he speaks, seem to turn things upside down the way we live our own lives now. In his teaching about heaven and earth, Jesus invites everyone to the banquet. We are welcomed by God for who we are, not for who we pretend or would like to be. We are welcomed by God for what love we have created in life, and tried to give, even with mistakes.
We Remember In Our Prayers Gillian Fedyniak whose Funeral was last week, Trevor Caine whose Funeral Service is at Carleton Crematorium on Wednesday, 31st August at 10.30 am, Betty McCafferty whose Funeral Mass is at St. Teresa’s on Thursday 1st September at 12 noon, Michael Holden whose Funeral Service is at St. Teresa’s on Friday 2nd September at 10.45 am, and Vittorio Scannapieco whose Funeral Service is in the chapel at Poulton New Cemetery, on Friday, 9th September at 1 pm. We remember them and their families, and all those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they be in God’s peace.
We Welcome Into The Family of the Church Hollie Elizabeth Figg whose Baptism takes place this Sunday at St. Teresa’s.
We Congratulate and Pray For Every Blessing for Bernard and Sue Ward, our parish Deacon and his wife, who last Wednesday celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Bernard and Sue themselves would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone for their prayers, good wishes, cards and gifts for their special day.
This Weekend The Annual, Mandatory Collection for the Catholic Trust for England and Wales (CaTEW) has to be taken at each Mass. Every parish in England and Wales is levied for this Fund, in a similar way that each household is levied by the local Council in the annual Community Charge. This year the amount of levy required from St. Teresa’s Parish is £754.47, and from St. John Southworth Parish, £110.54. These amounts are in fact a reduction on what we have had to pay in previous years, as our Bishops are mindful of the difficult financial situations which are now affecting us all. The proceeds of the levy are used for the work of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales through the advancement and direction of national policy in most areas of church life, as well as in administration committee work, and through executive agencies which exist to support local dioceses. Examples of areas of activity include ecumenical relations, dealings with Government bodies, both at home and abroad, education, clergy and lay formation, liturgy and safeguarding. Some grants are also paid to other organisations which support the work of the Bishops’ Conference. Details of the work of the Bishops’ Conference can be found at their website www.cbcew.org.uk.
Help Needed : Can anyone please consider the role of cutting the grass at St. John Southworth church? The task takes about two hours every two weeks, using a sit-on, motorised lawn-mower. If you are at all interested please phone Graham on 01253 854368 or 07892 939344
Used Stamps : As St. Teresa used to say, it is sometimes the small things that can do a great good. At St. Teresa’s church, in the porch as you come into church, there is a box for our used stamps. These are used to support the Missions, and they are still wanted. Please keep this in mind if you get anything by post, and we thank Pat who still organises this for us.
The Sacrament of Confirmation for both St. Teresa’s and St. John Southworth parishes will take place on 11th November, at St. Teresa’s. This is for young people who will be in Year 8 in High School this September, and for anyone in the years above. There is an introductory meeting for the young people who wish to be Confirmed, and their parents, on Thursday, 6th October, at 6.30 pm in St. Teresa’s Church. Although contact is being made through Cardinal Allen R.C. High School, there may be other young people at other secondary schools who would like to be Confirmed. Would anyone wishing to be Confirmed please contact Fr. Chris (01253 853340).
Hiring St. Teresa’s Parish Hall : It is now possible to hire St. Teresa’s Parish Hall for some event of your own. For availability and advice please contact the Hall manager, Mike Holderness, on 01253 827230 or 07872 680645.
Education Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral, Lancaster LA1 3BT on Friday, 7th October at 6.30 pm : All parishioners are invited to join Bishop Paul at the annual Diocese of Lancaster Education Mass. This invitation extends in a special way to all those involved in education and faith information – teachers, including those who teach outside the Catholic sector, catechists, youth workers, deacons and priests. The celebration gives us the opportunity to express our thanks and acknowledge the contribution made by all those in the Diocese involved in the work of education and formation in the faith. Together we also ask God’s blessing on the mission of education and formation in our Diocese. Please put the date in your diaries.
From One Who Knows Through Her Own Experience
Lord of the Universe look in love upon your people.
Pour the healing oil of your compassion
on a world that is wounded and dying.
Send us out in search of the lost, to comfort the afflicted,
to bind up the broken,
and to free those trapped
under the rubble of their broken dreams.
Dr. Sheila Cassidy
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Metropolitan Anthony)
Humility does not consist in forever trying to abase ourselves and
renounce the dignity which God gives us and demands of us because we are his children not his slaves. The humility of the saints comes from the vision, the glory, the majesty, the beauty of God. It is not even a sense of contrast that gives birth to their humility, but the consciousness that God is so holy, such a revelation of love so striking that the only thing they can do in his presence is to prostrate themselves before him in an act of worship, joy and wonder. This is humility – not humiliation.
Scripture (Psalm 25:1,4-5,12-14)
Adoration I offer, Lord, to you, my God. Direct me in your ways, Lord, and teach me your paths. Encourage me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me. People who respect the Lord, what of them? He teaches them the way they must choose. Neighbours to happiness they will live, and their children will inherit the land. Only those who fear the Lord possess his secret and his covenant for their understanding.
Tuesday (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)
Abbess Syncletica said, ‘An open treasury is quickly spent; any virtue will be lost if it is published abroad and is known about everywhere. If you put wax in front of a fire it melts; and if you pour vain praises on the soul it goes soft and weak in seeking goodness.’ She also said, ‘The same thing cannot at once be seed and a full grown bush. Somen with a worldly reputation cannot bear heavenly fruit.’
Scripture (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Consider how you were called; not many of you were wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families. No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong, those who are common and contemptible – indeed those who count for nothing – to reduce to nothing all those that do count for something, so that no human might feel boastful before God. It is by him that you exist in Christ Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God.
Wednesday (Cardinal Basil Hume)
Remain a little person. By this I mean: to remain small in my own
estimate of myself, to be unimportant whatever the position I hold or the talents I have. It is to remember that only one thing matters, and that is what God thinks about me. To be high in his regard is the highest ambition any person can have. Smile at yourself, at your failures, at your spiritual incompetence. Have a sense of humour. It does not matter if others do not take you seriously; God will. If you become holy, it is because God made you so. Just keep on trying. That is your part. Success? That is God’s gift.
Scripture (Luke 14:7-11)
Jesus then told his guests a parable, because he had noticed how they had picked the places of honour. He said, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished guest may have been invited and you may be told “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place. No, when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there. Then your host may come and say, “ My friend, move up higher.” For everyone who raises themselves up will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Thursday (Fr. Michael Ivens, SJ)
Since sin can be committed by a pure spirit (the first sin was that of the angels) sin is not essentially tied to animal passions, the instability of the human make-up, or the dynamics of human society. The essence of sin is, as St. Ignatius defines it: the refusal to ‘use’ one’s freedom to give reverence and obedience to one’s Creator and Lord, in short, the refusal to allow God to be God. What is required is a willed co-operation with, and yielding to, the action of the Spirit within the movement from understanding to response.
Scripture (Philippians 2:3-9)
Nothing is to be done out of jealousy or vanity; instead, out of humility of mind everyone should give preference to others, everyone pursuing not selfish interests but those of others. Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are, and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on across. And for this, God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names.
Friday (St. Therese of Lisieux)
I have always desired to become a saint, but in comparing myself with the saints I have always felt that I am as far removed from them as a grain of sand trampled underfoot is from the mountain whose summit is lost in the clouds. Instead of being discouraged by such reflections, I concluded that God would not inspire a wish that could not be realised, and that in spite of my littleness I might aim to be a saint. ‘It is impossible’ I said, ‘for me to become so great, so I must bear with myself and my many imperfections.’ I will seek out a means of reaching heaven by a little way. I will try to find a lift by which I may be raised to God, for I am too small to climb the steep stairway of perfection.
Scripture (Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20,28-29)
My child, be gentle in carrying out your business, and you will be
better loved than a lavish giver. The greater you are, the more humbly you should behave, and then you will find favour with the Lord; for great though the power of the Lord is, he accepts the homage of the humble. For the disease of the proud there is no cure, since an evil growth has taken root there. The heart of the sensible will reflect on parables, an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.
Martin Bennett
Thank you