God's love for you -22nd September

Webmaster • September 21, 2024

Your invisible friend & guardian 2


Indeed, God made you, not just mere human beings as part of His Creation, but gave you a body and soul that is unique to you. God Loves you, and how happy it is if you realised you are being loved. A lovely Holy Angel sent by God to be always by your side, dedicate to you and you only, so you are not alone. But what can my Guardian Angel do for me? Ven Fulton J. Sheen said the two function that concerned man is illumination and being a guardian: "An Angel can illumine our mind in the way of truth and also infuse good ideals... but I believe also that an Angel sometimes when we do wrong stirs up our souls causes a little bit of anxiety - you worry and fear. So that if we're not going to God with a path of goodness the Angel will worry us until we throw ourselves back again to God." He also told us a real story about the Angel as a guardian: "A Jewish soldier told me this story: during a battle, he was with four men in a trench, and it seems as if this particular shell that hit killed the four men, he alone was saved. He said he heard a voice saying to him: “Get out of this trench.” He crawled on his stomach across the mud to another shell hole and as he did the shell exploded in the one that he left. In the second hole, the second time he heard the voice and he left that and the shell exploded there. And that continued five times. The Jew afterwards told me: “For the first time in my life, I began to feel the protection of God through an Angel.”" For Padre Pio, towards the end of his life he frequently spoke with affection of his Guardian Angel as "the companion of my infancy." This was no exaggeration, as there are countless recorded incidents in which angels took an active part in his life. His Guardian Angel was not only the companion of his childhood in the semblance of another child, but helped him in his novitiate year, with his studies and in preparation for the priesthood. He led him on the way of extraordinary holiness, and was near him during the assaults of the devils. One of the most interesting tasks that Padre Pio gave his Angel was to help him reading languages. His confessor tested him in this regard by writing to him in Greek and French, which he did not understand either language and upon being questioned on how he was able to read the letters so well he candidly replied: "You know, my Guardian Angel explains everything to me." Truly, there are Holy Angels near you to guide you and protect you, and your Guardian Angel is a much closer friend than you think, but have you ever thought of them and invoke them? (To be continued)


Source & Reference: Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, TV series: "Life is worth living", originally aired from 1952-1957 Bro Francis M Kalvelage, F.I., "Padre Pio, the Wonder Worker", Academy of the Immaculate, 2009

By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Holy Family's Humility & Meekness (3b)  How touching it was to see, during the evening meal that night in the Upper Room, when Jesus as a Rabbi, took off his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist and began to wash his disciples’ feet, in order to show us what humility and servanthood is. But Jesus’ humility and meekness reached its summit during His Passion. He foresaw His Sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemani, yet with His immense anguish of soul He humbly submit to His Father’s Will. When Judas kissed Jesus as a signal for the soldiers to seize his Master, He knew why he done so, but he did not punch him in the face, He did not say ‘How dare you!’, He simply said: “Judas, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” (Lk 22:48) And to the high priest’s servant whom Peter cut off his ear, He healed him. To the men in the high priest’s house who mocked and beat Him, to the soldiers who derided His Kingship by putting thorns on His Head, reed on His Hands and purple cloak on His Shoulder, He remained silent, He bear with all these patiently and meekly. “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent…” (Acts 8:32) He humbly accepted the false accusations by His own people, He accepted the unfair sentence that was given by Pilate, He did not defend Himself with any words, but embraced this shameful cross wholeheartedly. On the way of the Cross, He did not bitterly ask His Mother to take revenge for Him, instead He gently consoled the women of Jerusalem who wept for Him. At the end, our Saviour was not raise by his people to the throne of a king with praises and glory, but to a big wooden cross on Mount Calvary between two thieves with mocking and shame. Although He is the King of kings, but for our sake, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death (Phil 2:8), and died as a criminal. Jesus, my Lord, what more could You have done and have not done for us?
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
“The word Adoremus means ‘we adore,’ or maybe ‘let us adore.’ That’s what Adoremus is about – adoration of the presence of Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, in the Blessed Sacrament before us…when we’re before the Blessed Sacrament, we’re there with that presence of the Lord in his greatest act of love for us and for his Father. And from that love of father and son comes the gift of the holy spirit. So it's not surprising that many people have found praying before the blessed sacrament a very powerful and important experience…There's a French priest called the Curé of Ars or St. John Vianney, and he said the presence of Jesus in the blessed sacrament is God's greatest gift to us because if God had anything greater to give us then he would have given it and this is what he has given… You don’t have to bring anything. Just yourself…place yourself before Jesus…but stay focused on the person of Jesus…You have all the time you want to be silent and just you, face to face, heart to heart with Jesus who loves you, who wants to draw you to himself so that he can tell you what’s in your heart and then together be before Our Heavenly Father.”
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God,  for ever and ever. Amen.
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Holy Rosary will be held in Our Lady’s Garden at St Peter’s every Sunday in October at 10:45am Week 4 (25 October) The Glorious Mysteries For the universal Church, Priests & Religious All are welcome to join the full Holy Rosary in the October month of the Rosary!
By Webmaster • October 16, 2026
Organ Music for the Bell Tower As part of our fundraising for the Church Bell Tower, there will be three organ recitals taking place between now and Christmas. They are:  12th November – Tim Lyons All recitals start at 7.00pm and there will be a retiring collection in aid of the Bell Tower fund. Please come and support the music, the organists, and your Parish.
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Journey in Faith Becoming a Catholic — RCIA The Parish welcomes enquirers for this new group. Please take a leaflet and speak to one of the Priests.  Meetings will take place at 7pm on Wednesdays in the Presbytery
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Eucharistic Adoration from Monday to Friday after 10am Weekday Mass until 11.30am On Friday is the Rosary for Life 11am - 11.30am
By Webmaster • October 23, 2026
Volunteers are needed to help run the Parish night shelter for rough sleepers which is due to open on Friday 4th December. The shelter opens each Friday until the end of March 2027. If you wish to volunteer, or want more information, please contact Peter Sullivan on 07906 10 10 15 or petersullivan46@btinternet.com
By Webmaster • October 16, 2026
Holy Family's Humility & Meekness (3a) Jesus as our Teacher, His Incarnation is already a clear evidence of profound humility. As I AM WHO I AM, who could possibly compare to that? Who could make oneself a god and then humble oneself to a creation? Jesus not only took our human nature, being true-God and true human, and dwell amongst us for 33 long years. He did not wish to enter into the world with riches and royal majesty, because He did not come from heaven for such vanities. He came to redeem the world and to guide men on the path of eternal life; and this was done through humility and poverty; thus in these He was born, live and die, in order to destroy in the human hearts the fetters of covetousness and pride, which keep us from blessedness. Thus He was born in a cave, slept in a manger, being a poor immigrant in Egypt, being the son of a poor carpenter, relied on the food and support from some pious women and followers during His Mission, enter Jerusalem on a donkey, being buried in a borrowed tomb. ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.’(Matt 11:29) When Jesus was a child, even He is the incarnated Word, He called Mary and Joseph as His mother and father, and subjected to them as a child to his parents. Because of His parents’ sorrows of finding Him for 3 days, He obediently and humbly hid His Wisdom and Divinity for 18 more years and did not resume His public mission until then. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, His gentleness is a mark aspect for his character. Although his own disciples unendingly accompanied Him during the preaching in different towns and villages, saw him perform miracles, and were being instructed and explained everything by Him privately, they still misunderstood and failed often. To these, Jesus only said: “Unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” (Mk 9:19) Another time, when the crowd wanted to bring their babies to Jesus but the disciples told them off, but Jesus said them: “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t forbid them…”(Lk 18:16) Also, when a Samaritan village did not receive them and his disciples asked Jesus whether He wants them to command fire to come down from the sky and destroy those people, Jesus rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are. For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”(Lk 9:55-6) Reference: The Mystical City of God, Ven Mary of Agreda
By Webmaster • October 16, 2026
Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,  God, for ever and ever. Amen.