Pope Francis’ message for Lent 2021
Webmaster • February 13, 2021
Pope Francis focuses on the three theological virtues in his Lenten message for 2021, inviting the faithful to “renew our faith, draw from the living waters of hope, and receive with open hearts the love of God.” Grounding his reflection on the Paschal Mystery, the Pope says, “This Lenten journey… is even now illumined by the light of the resurrection, which inspires the thoughts, attitudes and decisions of the followers of Jesus.” He goes on to say that the journey of conversion, through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, “makes it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope, and effective charity.”
Accepting and bearing witness to the truth The Holy Father explains “accepting and living the truth revealed in Christ means, first of all, opening our hearts to God’s word.” Through fasting, “experienced as a form of selfdenial,” we are able “to rediscover God’s gift and recognize that, created in His image and likeness, we find our fulfillment in Him.” Fasting, too, by helping us recognize our own poverty, helps us to love both God and neighbour. “Lent is a time for believing,” the Pope says, “for welcoming God into our lives and allowing Him to ‘make His dwelling’ in us.”
The ‘living water’ that helps us on the journey Pope Francis relates the virtue of hope to the ‘living water’ that Jesus promises the Samaritan woman at the well. This is not the physical water the woman is expecting, but rather the Holy Spirit who is given through the Paschal Mystery. Although hope may seem challenging in fragile and uncertain times, “Lent is precisely the season of hope.
This year's theme is drawn from of John 3:13-17: The Son of Man must be lifted up. It takes place this year on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Ten years ago the then-Holy Father, Pope Francis, said during his Mass for this feast that a Christian 'must lower himself, as Jesus lowered himself: this is the path of humility.' Catholic education in Church schools and universities endeavours to acknowledge Jesus’ loving presence in the lives of young people as they work, learn, pray, grow in character and virtue, and discover their vocation. Education Sunday is an opportunity to showcase the works and fruits of this, especially locally. From a priest speaking in his homily about a local school, to pupils wearing their uniforms at Mass, Education Sunday can be the reminder to all members of the Catholic community of the importance of education to the Catholic mission. Today, let us give thanks to Almighty God for the vocation of all who work with the children and young people in the Catholic education sector: governors, school leaders, chaplains, teaching and support staff. Let us also pray that our Catholic schools, colleges and universities will be beacons of hope in our local communities.
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son should undergo the Cross to save the human race, grant, we pray, that we, who have known his mystery on earth, may merit the grace of his redemption in heaven. 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.
For the over 55s in the Community Hall, Bedford Street. Wednesdays 1.30pm - 4pm Community Cuppa afternoon involves entertainment (organised by parishioners and guests), quizzes, bingo, raffle and plenty of cake and beverages.
Meeting is next Sunday 14th September 2:30pm - 4pm @ St David's Chapel (Use side entrance off St Peter's Street) If you would like some support or feel able to support others, please join us for a cuppa and a chat.. just come. Or for more information please phone/text 07566 735 162 Email stpeterslisteners@gmail.com
This Sunday 7th September , Pope Leo XIV will canonize Bl Carlo Acutis in St. Peter's Square in Rome, together with Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati. Bl Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991. But he moved to Italy with his parents a few months after his birth. Even though his parents were not particularly religious, but from a very early age, Carlo had a great love for the Eucharist. Although like other teenagers who wore jeans and trainers, played video games, loved computing and websites and enjoyed football, it was obvious that Carlo lived his life for Christ. He used the internet to spread his faith as he created a remarkable website which presents Eucharistic miracles from across the globe. However, after being diagnosed with untreatable leukaemia, Carlo died when he was only fifteen. He was beatified in 2020 following a miraculous healing of a Brazilian child – a healing attributed to his powerful intercession. Here are some of Bl Carlo Acutis’ inspiring quotes: “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies.” “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.” “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.” “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer for the Lord, for the Pope, and the Church.” ‘God’s Influencer’ - a short biography of Carlo Acutis is available for £7.50 from the Church Shop
Eucharistic Miracle of Augsburg, Germany 1194 A woman from Augsburg who was particularly devoted to the Most Holy Sacrament, received Holy Communion. After Communion, without being noticed, she put the Host in a handkerchief, took the Blessed Sacrament home and placed the Eucharistic Species in a container of wax inside a cupboard. In those days it was very difficult to find Tabernacles in the Church so as to be able to practice Eucharistic worship. Only in 1264, with the introduction of the Feast of Corpus Christi did such devotion become commonplace. Five years passed and on 11th May 1199, the woman, tormented by remorse, confessed to the superior of the convent of the Heilig Kreuz (Holy Cross), Fr Berthold, who had her bring the Host back. The Priest opened up the wax covering that enclosed the Host and saw that the Holy Eucharist had been transformed into bleeding Flesh. The Host appeared "divided into two Parts connected together by the thin threads of the bleeding Flesh." Fr Berthold went immediately to the Bishop of the city of Udalskalk who ordered that the Miraculous Host be "transferred, accompanied by the clergy and by the people into the Cathedral and exhibited in an ostensorium of crystal for public worship." The miracle continued: the Host began to grow and to swell up and this phenomenon lasted before the eyes of all from Easter Sunday until the Feast of St John the Baptist. Following this, Bishop Udalskalk had the Host brought back near the convent of the Heilig Kreuz and proclaimed that "in memory of such a memorable and extraordinary event," there should be a special commemoration each year in honour of the holy relic. In 1200, Count Rechber donated to the Augustinian Fathers a rectangular chest of silver with an opening in the front for the placement of the Host of the miracle. Besides the Eucharistic miracle, other extraordinary incidences took place, such as the apparition of the Host with Baby Jesus dressed in white with radiant face and His forehead encircled with a crown of gold, or in another case the bleeding of the crucifix of the church, or the apparition of Jesus blessing the assembly of worshippers. In the course of the centuries, several analyses were completed of the Holy Particle that have always confirmed that human Flesh and Blood are present. Today the Convent of the Heileg Kreuz is taken care of by the Dominican Fathers. (Reference: http://www.miracolieucaristici.org)
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Monday 8 September Mass at 10am All are welcome!
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple… any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27,33) O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. 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.
Tuesday 23rd September 7pm Front room of the Presbytery All are welcome to attend If you have any topics to discuss and are unable to attend please contact Parish office.
The tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, will be celebrated on 1 September 2025. It is the official start of the Season of Creation, a time of sustained prayer and action. During this season we are encouraged to pray and engage in community events in order to deepen our relationship with God, our neighbour and the earth we share, being ever more attentive to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. The theme of the Pope’s message is ‘ Seeds of Peace and Hope ’: “...In proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Jesus often used the image of the seed. As the time of his Passion drew near, he applied that image to himself, comparing himself to the grain of wheat that must die in order to bear fruit...In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed, “seeds of peace and hope”. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of God can make an arid and parched desert into a garden, a place of rest and serenity...They remind us that, together with prayer, determination and concrete actions are necessary if this “caress of God” is to become visible to our world...Now is the time to follow words with deeds. “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience” (Laudato Si’, 217). By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope. It may well take years for this plant to bear its first fruits, years that, for their part, involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love, especially if that love mirrors the Lord’s own self-sacrificing Love...I pray that Almighty God will send us in abundance his “Spirit from on high” (Is 32:15), so that these seeds, and others like them, may bring forth an abundant harvest of peace and hope…”