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
19 February 2023
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Gospel Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said: Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well; if a man takes you to law and would have your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone orders you to go one mile; go two miles with him. Give to anyone who asks, and if anyone wants to borrow, do not turn away.
‘You have learnt how it was said: You must love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven, for he causes his son to rise on bad men as well as good, and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike. For if you love those who love you, what right have you to claim any credit? Even the tax collectors do as much, do they not? And if you save your greetings for your brothers, are you doing anything exceptional? Even the pagans do as much, do they not? You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Gospel Reflection : You must therefore be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect
To be perfect as God is perfect. Really? Can we be like that, because the perfect quality of God is the love he has for each and everyone of us? It is a love which affirms, forgives, accepts, enjoys, and calls us each day. It is a love which strives for justice, and which wants to include everyone. It’s to be part of the circle of God himself – that’s what being perfect seems to mean.
That we would have no faults, nor think any evil, nor fail in friendship – is that how sometimes we feel God expects us to be; a type of remote, harsh God, ‘perfect in every way’? But Jesus said “As the Father loves me, so I love you…Love one another.” This is the type of love which is God’s perfect love.
Into that circle of love, Jesus invites us; the love that we become part of. a love that affirms, forgives, accepts, makes allowances, strives for justice. That love is made perfect because we want to be part of it. We must therefore be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect.
We Remember In Our Prayers Graham Warren whose Funeral was last week, Angela Black whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Tuesday 21st February, at 11.45 am, Barry Tiplady whose Funeral Mass is at St. Teresa’s on Wednesday 1st March at 12 noon, Audrey Waller whose Funeral is at Carleton Crematorium on Monday, 13th March at 11am, Katherine Birch whose Funeral is at St. John Southworth, also on 13th March, at 1.30 pm, and Maureen Milne whose Funeral Mass is at St. Teresa’s on Thursday 16th March, at 11.15 am. We remember them and their families, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May they all be in God’s peace.
We Welcome Into The Family of the Church Leo Alexander Parkinson whose Baptism takes place this Sunday
The Season Of Lent Begins Next Wednesday, 22nd February, Ash Wednesday. Mass, with the distribution of ashes, will be celebrated in both our churches : –
St. Teresa’s 9.30 am (with some of our school children). St. John Southworth 6.30 pm.
A Very Big Thank You For Your Generosity In The Earthquake Appeal Last Sunday. £1,308.80 was donated at St. Teresa’s and £260 at St. John Southworth. As this collection was not previously announced, it has been suggested that we leave out the collection basket for the Appeal again this weekend. Thank you so much.
The First Holy Communion Programme Begins Next Sunday, 26th February, With The 10.30 am Mass.
First Holy Communion This year First Holy Communion, for both St. Teresa’s and St. John Southworth parishes, will be celebrated on Sunday, May 14th at St. Teresa;s church. This is for children aged from Year 4 (in Primary School) and upwards. The first meeting in preparation for this, for the children and their parents/guardians, as are all the meetings, will be at St. Teresa’s church on Sunday 26 February, at the 10.30 am Mass and immediately afterwards. All details about the preparation programme will be given at that meeting.
Please Note : These First Holy Communion arrangements, as always, are also for children who are in other schools besides St. Teresa’s, but who are Baptised and within the age range outlined above.
There Is A Day of Renewal, led by Fr. Frankie Mulgrew, a parish priest of the Diocese of Salford, and a gifted communicator. The title of the day is “Come to me… – Encountering the God who heals” and is on Saturday 11th March, 10 am to 4 pm, at St. Clare’s Church (Parish Hall), Sharoe Green Lane, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9HH. The day starts with Mass at 10 am. Please bring a packed lunch. Tea and coffee are available. For further information contact Christine, Tel. 07745 009694.
Thank You For The Food Continually Being Added To The Food Bank At St. Teresa’s Church. Items which are needed at the moment are : tins of corned beef, oxo cubes, rice pudding, peanut butter, tinned potatoes, instant mash, jelly and childrens’ biscuits.
St. Teresa’s Rainbows, Brownies and Guides urgently need some more leaders. If anyone is available, please contact Kathryn Brimelow on 07522 146571
St. Georges Avenue Food Pantry @ St.Teresa’s Are you, or someone you know, struggling to meet the cost of living? Members of our Community are committed to helping anyone who finds themselves at this point of need. We, at St. Teresa’s, have created a small ‘Food Pantry’ in the church kitchen, which is capable of providing basic foods, for individuals, couples or families. Please do contact us in advance on this dedicated mobile number 07841 610655 to talk about how best we might be able to help you, OR visit us at the back of church between 10.30 am and 12 noon Monday. Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, or Wednesday, 2.30 pm – 4 pm. A volunteer will be able to put together a bag(bags) of food to help see you through the week. Alternatively, we would be happy to deliver a free food parcel to peoples’ doorstep on a weekly basis. The types of food we give out depend partly on what our church members donate. We have plenty of pasta and pasta sauces, cereals, rice, biscuits, tinned goods, i.e. soup, veg, fruit, long-life milk, and a small selection of toiletries, and even pet food.
‘Warm Space’ In St. Teresa’s Hall on Wednesdays 2. pm – 4 pm. All are very welcome to call in, and spend some time with others in a safe, warm environment, where you can enjoy a hot drink and a snack.
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday When Jesus said “Love your enemy,” he was aware of its stringent qualities. Yet he meant every word of it. Our responsibility is to discover the meaning of this command and seek passionately to live it out in our daily lives. When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking of agape, the love of God operating in the human heart. It is the understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all. We are called to this difficult task in order to realise a unique relationship with God: “that you may be the children of your Father in heaven. ”We must love our enemies because only by loving them can we know God and experience the beauty of his holiness. (Martin Luther King)
Scripture (Matthew 5:43-48)
You have heard, ‘You will love your neighbour and hate your enemy’. But I say this to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he causes the sun to rise on the bad as well as the good, and sends down rain to fall on the upright and wicked alike. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even the tax collectors do as much? You must set no bounds to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets none to his.
Tuesday Dear Sir, today I heard that most probably you are the one who betrayed me. I went through ten months of concentration camp. My father and my sister died in there. The harm you planned was turned into good for me by God. I am nearer to him. I have prayed for you, that the Lord may accept you if you repent. I have forgiven you everything. God will also forgive you everything if you ask him. He loves you and he himself sent his son to earth to reconcile your sins. Never doubt the Lord Jesus’ love. he is standing with his arms spread out to receive you. I hope that the path which you will now take may work for your eternal salvation. (Corrie Ten Boom)
Scripture (Colossians 3:12-16)
As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom he loves, be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you, now you must do the same. Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together in one body. Let the Word of Christ, in all its richness, find a home in you.
Wednesday We must view people and things from above, just as God himself sees them, who in his infinite plan makes the greater things stand out in contrast to the lesser. This wide and comprehensive view is good for us, and puts us in our true perspective. Try not to be unduly disturbed by the tiny incidents of life. There is nothing permanent in them. Our soul is immeasurably greater than all these things. Part of this greatness is precisely its power to pass beyond all these ephemeral disturbances and to reach out and touch the eternal through what is merely passing. What we must try to do is to see the One who is handling them – the God of love. It is the spirit of faith that sees this Love in suffering, and turns its darkness into light. (A Carthusian)
Scripture (Luke 23:33-39)
At the place called The Skull, there they crucified him and the two criminals, one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’ The people stayed there watching. As for the leaders, they jeered at him with the words, ‘He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar and saying, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ One of the criminals there abused him.
Thursday No disturbance of events must ever carry away our hearts and minds into unevenness of temper; for unevenness of temper proceeds from no other source than our passions, inclinations, or unmortified affections. These must have no power over us whenever they incite us to do, to omit, or to desire anything, however small, which is contrary to what the dictates of reason urge us to do or leave undone in order to please God.. When we allow ourselves to be governed by them, and not by the reason that makes us like unto God, then we are wholly incapable of reflecting the image of our crucified Lord or the variety of his excellent virtues. (St Francis de Sales)
Scripture (2 Corinthians 5:11,16-19)
From now on, then, we will not consider anyone by human standards: even if we were once familiar with Christ according to human standards, we do not know him in that way any longer. So for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation: the old order is gone and a new being is there to see. It is all God’s work; he reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. I mean, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not holding anyone’s faults against them, but entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Friday The soul which would remain in peace when another person’s sins comes to mind, must fly as from the pains of hell, asking for God’s protection and help. Looking at another’s sin clouds the eyes of the soul, hiding for the time being the beauty of God – unless we look upon this sinner with contrition with him, compassion on him, and a holy longing to God for him. All compassion to one’s neighbour, exercised in love, is a mark of Christ’s indwelling. I hope that by his grace he will continue to draw our outward appearance more and more into conformity with our inward gladness, making us all one with him and with each other in the true and eternal joy which is Jesus. (Julian of Norwich)
Scripture Let us love each other, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love. This is the revelation of God’s love for us, that God sent his only Son into the world that we might have life through him. Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his only Son to expiate our sins. My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love each other. No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love each other, God remains in us and his love comes to
perfection in us. (1 John 4:7-12)
Martin Bennett