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
9 March 2025
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : First Sunday in Lent
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflection
Gospel (Luke 4:1-13)
At that time: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness from the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry.
The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”’
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written,
“You shall worship the Lord your God,
And him only shall you serve.”’
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you”, and
“On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”’
And Jesus answered him, “It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Gospel Reflection : What Jesus Did When He Was Tempted
We allow ourselves this day to feel the courage of Jesus.
He had the courage to continue faithfully what he had just begun – the work his Father gave him to do. He remembered the poor with love in every decision he made. His was the courage to lead his life in such a way, even though he knew that it would lead to rejection and to death.
Often we are tempted to give up on what is good, to live lives of shallow hopes, shallow relationships and shallow cares, and we know that when we want to do something good, another whisper or strong voice suggests something else. It is then that the Lord is near.
Of course we need others in life to encourage us in the good we want. But, can we allow Jesus, the one who conquered his own temptations, to encourage us in our own efforts to remain true in love to what is right?
We Remember In Our Prayers Dudley Hoyle whose Funeral is at St. Teresa’s on Tuesday, 25th March at 12 noon. We remember him and his family, and those . whose anniversaries occur at this timeMay they all be in God’s love.
We Congratulate.the Children Preparing for the First Holy Communion, who last Thursday celebrated their First Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession.)
The Annual CAFOD Lenten Family Fast Day is on Friday March 14th. By praying, eating simply and giving, we will be supporting local experts to provide simple, effective solutions to the toughest problems facing people around the world. As usual there will be CAFOD envelopes in church to be picked up beforehand for this. If you can Gift Aid your donation, you”ll add a free 25 percent to anything you give!.
This Weekend, Sue Ward, our Parish CAFOD representative, will be speaking about this year’s CAFOD theme. This year of course is a Jubilee Year in our universal Church, with its theme that we should all be pilgrims of Hope, both for ourselves and others. In supporting CAFOD in our parish collection we will be supporting the many communities experiencing the impacts of war, poverty and climate change to find solutions, and Hope.
Stations of the Cross, This Sunday, and Each Sunday In Lent, we have the Stations of the Cross, with Benediction, at 3 pm in St. Teresa’s church. This is a short Service which is very suitable for our Lenten reflection. Everyone welcome.
Masses This Week. This week there will be a 9.30 am Mass at St. Teresa’s on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The Mass Intentions are as follows :- Monday – Joanna Winter, Tuesday – Peter Murphy. Thursday – Joyce Martin, Friday – Sandra Huggins (all of whom died recently).
100 Club It is that time of year to renew or begin our membership of St. Teresa’s 100 Club. Katheryn Brimelow, who very kindly coordinates this, will be at the back of church after Mass this weekend with the details.
Household Support Fund – Important Information. People in the community struggling to pay for essentials such as food, heating and water this winter, can now apply for Support Funding from Wyre Council. Wyre residents can make an application now, using the online form on the Wyre Council website at www.wyre.gov.uk/household support. The closing date is 31st March 2025. Eligible residents are encouraged to seek support early, as the scheme may close earlier if the funds are exhausted due to demand.
There Is A Lancaster Diocese Pilgrimage To Walsingham, led by Bishop Paul, on 20-24th October, 2025. For details, please see the poster on the noticeboard at the back of church.
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Bernard of Clairvaux)
He who gave himself to us when we did not deserve it certainly deserves a great deal from us. What glory is it to have what you do not know you have? And to know what you have, but not to know that it does not originate with you is to have glory, but not before God. Yet it is difficult for anyone, having received from God the power to will freely, to give up our will wholly to God and not rather will things for ourselves. We are tempted to treat what we have been given as our own and clutch it to ourselves. The faithful, though, know how utterly they stand in need of Jesus and him crucified. They are ashamed not to respond to such love and deserving with the little they have.
Scripture (Deuteronomy 26:7-11)
“The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and God brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and has given us this country, a country flowing with milk and honey. Hence, I now bring you the first fruits of the soil that you, Lord have given me.” You will then lay them before the Lord your God, and prostrate yourself in the presence of the Lord your God.
Tuesday (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
The disciple who would follow Jesus but first wanted to bid farewell to those at home (Luke 9:61) thinks that following Christ means he must make the offer on his own initiative, as if it were a career he had mapped out for himself. Although he is ready enough to throw in his lot with Jesus, he succeeds in putting up a barrier between himself and the Master. The disciple places himself at the Master’s disposal, but at the same time retains the right to dictate his own terms. By making his offer on his own terms, he alters the whole position, for discipleship can tolerate no conditions which might come between Jesus and our obedience to him.
Scripture (James 4:5-8,10)
Do you not see that love for the world is hatred for God? Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture ‘The longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing?’ But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says : God opposes the proud but accords his favour to the humble. Give in to God, then. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.
Wednesday (Julian of Norwich)
This is our Lord’s will: that our prayer and our trust should be equally generous. For if our trust is not as generous as our prayer we cannot worship God to the full, and we hinder and harm ourselves. Sometimes it seems we have been praying a long time and still do not have what we ask. I am sure that what our Lord means is that we should see what he does, and pray that it should be done. One is not enough without the other. It is our Lord’s will that, whatever he plans to do, we should pray for it, either in particular or in general. The joy and delight it gives him, and the thanks and the glory we shall be given because of it, pass all understanding.
Scripture (Romans 12:1-2)
I urge you, brothers and sisters, remembering the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, dedicated and acceptable to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people. Do not model your behaviour on the present world, bu tlet the renewing of your minds transform you, so that you may discern for yourselves what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and mature.
Thursday (Thomas Merton)
I am thinking of the disease which is spiritual pride that gets into the hearts of the saints and eats their sanctity away before it is mature. As soon as they have done something they know to be good in the eyes of God, they tend to take its reality to themselves and to make it their own. They tend to destroy their virtues by claiming them for themselves and clothing their own private illusion of themselves with values that belong to God. Who can do good things without seeking to taste in them some sweet distinction from the common run of sinners in this world? When a proud man thinks he is humble his case is hopeless.
Scripture (Psalm 119:1-5,10-12)
How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord! Blessed are those who observe his instructions, who seek him with all their hearts, and doing no evil, who walk in his ways. You lay down your precepts to be carefully kept. May my ways be steady in doing your will. With all my heart I seek you, do not let me stray from your commandments. In my heart I treasure your promises, to avoid sinning against you. Blessed are you, Lord, teach me your will.
Friday (Thomas a Kempis)
Christ: I do not cease to speak to all today; but many are hardened, and deaf to my voice. Many listen more willingly to the world than to God, and would rather follow the desires of the body than the good pleasure of God. The world promises passing pleasures of little worth, and is served with greater eagerness. I promise eternal and rich rewards, yet people’s hearts are indifferent to them. Shame on you that those of the world are more ready for damnation than you are for salvation; for they are more wholehearted in vanity than you in Truth. Write my words on your heart and meditate on them earnestly.
Scripture (Luke 4:5-8)
Then, leading Jesus to a height the devil showed him in a moment all the kingdoms of the world, and said to him. ‘I will give you all this power and their splendour, for it has been handed over to me to give it to anyone I choose. Do homage to me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him ‘Scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, him alone must you serve.’
Martin Bennett