Dear parishioners,

Living and dying in the Divine Mercy

We seem to be having quite a few funerals in our parish this Eastertide. Our Lord says ‘Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5: 4) and in the church’s year it is a particularly blessed time for a funeral. The Roman Missal has different funeral mass prayers for different seasons and particular circumstances. The funerals in Eastertide make greater reference to the paschal mystery and include an alleluia in the entrance antiphon (see below). The joy which we have in the Resurrection of the Lord cannot be kept out of the requiem mass in this season; the pain and loss which we bring to a requiem mass during Eastertide cannot overwhelm the joy we have in the Resurrection of Jesus. Because He has risen we can still sing Alleluia! and celebrate that the soul for whom we pray at the funeral mass is assured of the Divine Mercy on his/her journey through purgatory to meet the Judgement of Almighty God. The Resurrection is the sign of the Divine Mercy to pitiful, fallen and sinful, mortal human beings, that God loves us so much that he has shared his eternal life with us who are his creatures and, through baptism, are his children.

In the light of the Resurrection, we can live our lives free from the shadow of death. Life is a precious gift to us and we should take care of it, but we also have to actually live it as the Lord tells us that we will be judged on how we have used the talents given to us. ‘He also who had received the one talent came forward’ and said ‘ I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours’. But his master answered ‘you wicked and slothful servant!’ And for crime of not making the most of the talent given the servant, the master ordered him to be cast into the outer darkness, ‘where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’. (see Matthew 25: 14 -30)

The servant was afraid and so ended up doing nothing with the talent given him. But the Lord is saying we cannot live our lives in constant fear. Just getting out of our bed in the middle of the night for the bathroom can be a risk to the heart: go to bed at night and you might not wake up. All of the following may kill us: crossing the road, travelling on foot, by bicycle, car, ship, plane and horse, shopping in a supermarket, standing on a chair to change a light bulb, getting out the bath, playing football, sitting in a chair at the cinema, frying some chips, eating fish on the bone, turning on a kettle, getting bitten by a gnat while gardening, going to hospital to be cured of one thing and then catching another thing worse. Considering current news on vaccine fears, based on our chances of something bad happening to us when doing just about anything in life, getting bad effects from a COVID vaccine is not at the top of high risk activities compared with even ordinary daily activities. Neither is coming to church. The church is a safe, controlled environment and probably safer than other places to which people may soon be going. We have to live, and to live fully is to live with risk, for death at some time is quite inevitable, but thanks to the Divine Mercy we can live with that knowledge: not in fear, but in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection revealed to us on Easter Day.

Deaths

Just as Jesus died and rose again, so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep; and as in Adam all die, so also in Christ will all be brought to life, alleluia. (The entrance antiphon of Requiem masses in Eastertide)

Please pray for the souls of:

Liam Buckley who died on Sunday 21st February 2021, aged 32. His funeral is on Wednesday 7th April at Eltham.

Catherine Teresa Hanly who died on Sunday 21st March 2021 aged 102. Her funeral requiem is at 10.00 Monday 12th April at St Thomas More Church followed by committal at Brook Street Cemetery.

Frank Mercieca who died on Thursday 25th March 2021 aged 76. His funeral requiem is at 10.00 a.m. on Thursday 22nd April followed by committal at Hillview Cemetery.

Alice Sullivan who died on Sunday 28th March 2021 aged 86. Her funeral is at 11.00 a.m. on Friday 23rd April followed by committal at Hillview cemetery. 

May the divine assistance remain with them always, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. 

MASSES AND INTENTIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK: THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER

Please come to mass once a week only, on any day of your choosing, to help with numbers and social distancing.

Mass intentions booked for masses cancelled or replaced with a funeral will be moved to another day.

Saturday 10th April THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER/ LOW SUNDAY (‘of Divine Mercy’)

   6.30 p.m. John Bevan R.I.P. Sunday 11th April

   9.00 a.m. The departed souls of the Rodrigues & Pereira families R.I.P.

 10.30 a.m. The people of the parish.

Monday 12th April feria

 10.00 a.m. Funeral Requiem for Catherine Hanley R.I.P. followed by committal at Brook Street Cemetery. (attendance limited to thirty people in church)

Tuesday 13th April St. Martin I, pope & martyr

 10.00 a.m. Cornelius Long R.I.P.

Wednesday 14th April feria

NO PUBLIC MASS TODAY.

   Mass said in private: Bridie Kilgannon R.I.P.

Thursday 15th April feria

 10.00 a.m. Vicky Amaning and her children, Ezra & Joseph R.I.P.

Friday 16th April feria

 10.00 a.m. Wilfredo Aniban R.I.P.

Saturday 17th April feria

 10.00 a.m. Requiem for HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh R.I.P.

 [ 6.30 p.m. Tony Noble R.I.P.]

Prayer to the Divine Mercy with longing for eternal life with God.

O most merciful Lord Jesus, Word of the Father, Brightness of his glory, into which the Angels desire to look, teach me to do your will, that led by your Good Spirit, I may reach the Blessed City

Where there is Eternal Day,

Where there is joy without sorrow,

Where there is health without pain,

Where there is life without death,

That I may reach that Blessed City,

Where life knows no end,

Where beauty never fades,

Where love never grows cold,

Where health never grows weak,

Where joy is never diminished.

That I may reach that Blessed City,

Where pain is never felt,

Where groaning is never heard,

Where nothing sad is seen,

Where nothing bad is feared,

Where all good is possessed,

Where you, O Jesus, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

(from ‘Sursum Corda’: A Manual of Private Prayers’ )

Thanks to you all for the beautiful Easter Cards and your Easter Offerings to me. I thank God for your love and support of your parish and your priest. God bless and see you at mass.

Happy Eastertide to you all,

Fr Jonathon