Jesus speaks to the crowd about two shocking incidents. A group of worshippers have been slaughtered by Pilate’s troops while offering sacrifice to God; and a tower has collapsed and killed eighteen people. It was commonplace in Jesus’ time to believe that such misfortunes were God’s punishment for sin, but Jesus rejects that idea. His Father is a loving God, who desires that every one of his children should live and flourish. But in our fallen world, life is fragile. We do not know the day or the hour when God will call us out of this world. And so Jesus uses these examples to teach the people to repent. Repentance is a change of heart and mind – a turning back to God – a reorientation of our whole lives. Repentance brings fruits of faith, hope and love. The season of Lent is a time for repentance. As in the parable of the unfruitful fig tree, God gives us the opportunity to repent and be fruitful. Now is the time.
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The Source
French Exchange
A French family (friends of Fr Jean-Baptiste and members of the Emmanuel Community) is hoping to arrange an exchange visit to England this June-July for their 15-year-old son. If you are interested in hosting their son for an exchange, please contact Mr & Mrs Bouvet directly on antoine.delphine.bouvet@gmail.com (Please note that the parish will not be responsible for the exchange, and no safeguarding checks have been carried out by the church.)
Quiz Night
A Glimpse of Glory
Jesus takes Peter, James and John, his closest disciples, up a mountain to pray. There, they share in an extraordinary experience: a glimpse of Jesus’ glory as the Son of God. The disciples see Jesus in conversation with two great figures, Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures. And they hear the voice of God the Father from heaven. No wonder they are overwhelmed – and terrified.
Jesus has just told his disciples that he will have to suffer and die, before rising from the dead. After coming down from the mountain, he will begin his journey to Jerusalem, and to his passion and death. This vision of Jesus’ glory gives the disciples a glimpse of who he really is, and of his fidelity to his Father’s plan. Resurrection will come after death; glory will come after suffering. The Lord calls us, his disciples, to walk with him all the way to Calvary, so that we can share in his resurrection.
Catholic Medical Association
Catholic Medical Association North-East branch will meet at St Cuthbert’s on Thursday 21st March at 7.15pm. There will be a talk and discussion on ‘Challenges facing Catholics in Healthcare in 2019,’ with light refreshments and an opportunity to meet and socialise. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.
New Bishop
Installation of Bishop Robert as Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle:
Sunday 24th March, 4.30 pm; Solemn Vespers. Everybody in the Diocese is invited to attend.
Monday 25th March, 12 noon; Episcopal Installation Mass. Entry by invitation only, you will not be permitted to attend without a ticket.
Tuesday 26th March, 2.00 pm; Diocesan Schools Event. Diocesan schools will welcome Bishop Robert.
Please pray for Bishop Seamus and Bishop Robert as they each prepare for the next phase of their ministry.
Can you Help?
We always encourage volunteers to read, to welcome, to sing and to serve at Mass. However, we are now making a particular appeal for people to take the collection and to bring forward the bread and wine during Mass. This could be a real opportunity for young families to play a special part in our liturgy together but anybody is welcome. If you would like to help in our celebration of Mass in any of these ways, please speak to Fr Andrew, Andy Doyle or, if you are interested in joining the choir, Alison Purvis.
The Struggle
After his baptism, the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness. Alone and hungry, he is tempted by the devil. The first temptation is to use his divine powers to meet his own needs, by turning a stone into bread. But Jesus does not waver from his trust in God his Father. The second temptation is to become a secular Messiah and seek worldly, political power. But Jesus is following a different path. Finally, the devil tempts Jesus to do something sensational – a miraculous stunt that will attract the attention of the crowds.
The temptations that Jesus faced in the wilderness were real. In rejecting them, he set himself on the road that his Father had planned for him – to save humanity from our sins by his suffering, death and resurrection. Luke tells us that, at the end of the forty days, the devil left him, ‘to return at the appointed time.’ The struggle between good and evil would come to its terrible climax on Good Friday. The same struggle takes place in the life of each of us. During Lent, we symbolically go into the wilderness with the Lord, and renew our desire to reject temptation and follow him – all the way to the Cross.
Catholic Theology Research Seminar
The Event Roadshow
Spirituality in Times of Trauma: A day led by Bishop John Wilson, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, who will share his experience and insights on this subject. With workshops, space for reflection and a marketplace offering resources. Saturday 23 March at Ushaw College; 10.15am–3.30pm (refreshments from 9.45am.) Soup & roll lunch provided. To book, contact the Diocesan Department for Spirituality on 0191 243 3302 or email spirituality@diocesehn.org.uk
Lenten Evening Devotions
Bishop Seamus’ Retirement Collection and Gift
Bishop Seamus will retire shortly, after serving in our diocese for more than 50 years, the last 10 years as Bishop. Envelopes are available to enable you to contribute towards a collection to mark Bishop Seamus’ retirement, and to thank him for his service to the diocese. The collection will continue until Sunday 17th March. Please make any cheques payable to St Cuthbert’s, as the collection will be banked through the parish account. Please note that this collection does not qualify for Gift Aid.
Ash Wednesday
Is this week, a day of Fasting and Abstinence and the beginning of the season of Lent. Mass will be celebrated at St Cuthbert’s at 12.15 and 7.00pm.
Mass will also be celebrated on Ash Wednesday at St Patrick’s, Langley Moor at 9.30am and 7.00pm, St Godric’s School at 9:15am, St Godric’s at 10:00am and St Joseph’s at 7:00pm..
CAFOD Family fast day
Avoiding the Pit
The images used by Jesus in today’s Gospel hit home. It’s easier to spot the splinter in someone else’s eye – their trivial faults or mistakes – than to acknowledge our own, perhaps far more serious sins. If we have the responsibility of guiding others, we can only find the right way if we first allow the Lord to open our eyes. Otherwise, we fall into the pit of hypocrisy. The Greek word ‘hypocrite’ means an actor – one who wears a mask. If our apparent holiness is a mask, we cannot guide others well. We cannot produce good fruits for Christ unless we have been converted and had our hearts turned to him.
This teaching of Jesus challenges us; not to give up on our responsibility to witness to our faith, to teach and to lead, but to be constantly aware of our own need for God’s mercy. True humility is a sincere recognition of our own weakness and sinfulness. In humility, we can guide and help our fellow disciples, and we can be fruitful.
Baby Loss Memorial
Mass in the Extraordinary Form
A Hard Teaching
In today’s Gospel, we hear one of Jesus’ hardest teachings. When we suffer injustice, our instinct is to fight back, even to seek revenge. If we see someone as an enemy, we want to make them suffer. But the Lord calls us to do the opposite: to love our enemies, and to offer no resistance to those who do us violence. It’s an incredibly radical message. We might wonder if it’s even possible to live by such a teaching. But when we look at our world, we see the damage that is done by violence, the will to power and the desire for revenge. Surely someone has to break the cycle, by responding with forgiveness instead of vengeance.
It is impossible to live out this teaching, in human terms. We can only live it by God’s grace. Our example is Jesus himself, who, as he was nailed to the Cross, prayed for his executioners. If we reflect on the mercy and compassion that we ourselves have received from God, perhaps we can learn to show the same compassion to one another.
Diocesan Refugee Project -next collection Sunday 3rd February -toilet rolls and biscuits
A big Thank You for the generous response in February. 93 toilet rolls and 43 packets of biscuits in all that month.
The next collection of these is next Sunday 3 March.
Asylum seekers who have been refused leave to stay lose their homes and all Government funding and are effectively destitute. They may subsequently have their applications granted on appeal but this can take a very long time. There is a Fund to provide some financial support to the destitute and all contributions are gratefully received. If you would like to contribute to this fund please consider starting a standing order or increasing your current one or sending a cheque.
Cheques should be made out to D.H&N Destitute Asylum Fund and sent to Leah Stephenson ,Our Lady of Lourdes Deaf Centre. 2 Summerhill Grove, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 6EE. Standing orders can be set up using the following link http://www.rcdhn.org.uk/social_ concerns/justice_ and_ peace.php or forms are available on the noticeboard.
Please also see the Refugee Project Spring 2019 newsletter on our notice board.