This Sunday 21st June is the annual day of prayer for human life. The theme for Day for Life 2020 is Choose Life, with a particular focus on protecting mothers and unborn children, and bringing hope and healing after abortion. More information, including helplines and details of how to support the Church’s work for life, at www.dayforlife.org

We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the USA as they challenge the evil of racism and the brutal killing of George Floyd. As the US Bishops made clear: ‘we cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.’

Systemic racism is embedded in our own society. The disproportionate harm suffered by BAME people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted profound inequalities, marginalisation and injustice here in the UK. The peaceful Black Lives Matter protests taking place in our towns and cities this week reflect the understandable anger that so many people feel about this.

As Catholics we recognise that racism is an evil which must be opposed; we all have a responsibility for actively promoting racial justice. Whenever we ignore racism or dismiss BAME people’s experience of it, we are complicit in violations of human dignity. We pray for God’s help to overcome racism in all its forms and that we might protect everyone who suffers its consequences. We are all made in God’s image

God led his chosen people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in their own land. Israel journeyed for 40 years through the desert, and while they were wandering, God gave them water from the rocks, and manna from heaven to eat. In today’s First Reading, we hear Moses tell the people that the food and drink were a sign of God’s power, and of God’s love for them.  “Remember – do not forget,” Moses warns the people, and to this day the Jewish people recall how God provided for them in the desert.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that he will give them his own body and blood as food and drink. It seems an incredible teaching, and in fact, many of Jesus’ disciples left him after hearing it. But he was teaching them about the Eucharist, in which his body and blood are given to us to eat and drink – living bread for those who believe. Our sharing of the living bread unites us with Christ, and with each other – St Paul says that we become one body, because we share one bread. The Eucharist is the sign and symbol of God’s love for us, his people.

Today, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist. God does not leave us alone on our journey through life, but provides us with food and drink in the Mass. At the moment, the coronavirus pandemic prevents us from gathering to celebrate Mass, and we cannot receive Holy Communion. But, like the people of Israel, we are called to remember. We are not alone on our journey. We are still united with Christ and with one another, and we will gather again to receive the living bread.

This Sunday  is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), when Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion would normally renew their commitment to service. Fr. Adrian Dixon, head of the Diocesan Department for Liturgy, has produced a short reflection for the day, which you can find at www.rchdn.org.uk  

HM Government has announced that churches and other places of worship can open for individual prayer from Monday 15th June. As advised by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, not all churches will immediately reopen, due to the ongoing Covid-19 safety measures which are necessary to protect clergy, parishioners, staff and volunteers. 

The first five churches to reopen for individual prayer in the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle are:

St. Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle

St. Aidan’s, Ashington

St. Patrick’s, Consett

St. Mary’s, Sunderland

St. Joseph’s, Hartlepool

There will be a phased opening of more churches after safety measures have been assessed and implemented. Further details, including the date and times of opening, will be announced as they become available. Volunteers will be needed for the cleaning and stewarding of church buildings.

The Catholic Universe and Catholic Times are continuing to publish during the period of lockdown. From this week, the two will be combined in a single newspaper, with the Catholic Times appearing as a supplement within the Catholic Universe.

The Catholic newspapers will continue to be available in a box outside the church door, together with paper copies of the parish bulletin, and copies of ‘Walk with Me,’ a booklet of Eastertide prayers and reflections. If you pass St Cuthbert’s during your daily exercise, or while doing essential shopping, please pick up copies for yourself and your neighbours, especially for anyone who is quarantined.

You could also consider ordering the Catholic papers for delivery to your home, at https://www.thecatholicuniverse.com/  or by phone on 0161 820 5722.

Today, on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, we celebrate a mystery. God has revealed himself to us as three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How can there be three Persons in one God? It’s a mystery that is beyond human understanding.

Many of the most important things in life are a mystery to us. The gifts of life and of love, and the beauty of the world that God has created, are all mysteries that we can never fully grasp, but can only accept and reflect on. We come to know another person little by little, as we share friendship and love with them – but in some way, they always remain a mystery to us. And, in a similar way, God gradually revealed his mysteries to the people he created. The peoples of the ancient world believed in gods that were remote and frightening, but the true God revealed himself to the people of Israel as ‘a God of tenderness and compassion.’ God remained faithful to his chosen people, and continued to love them, though they turned away from God again and again. Jesus tells Nicodemus that, in his faithful love, God sent his only Son into the world as our Saviour. The Father and Son send the Holy Spirit to give life and unity to the Church. God never abandons us.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity is that there are relationships within God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, loving one another. Out of the love within God, God creates the world, and creates beings that can know and love God – men and women. God loves us, and calls us to respond by loving him, and loving one another. We can never understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity – we can only live it.

Fifty days have passed since we celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Today, the Feast of Pentecost brings the Easter season to an end. In the Gospel, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on his disciples, bringing peace and forgiveness of sins. Yet in the First Reading, the coming of the Spirit seems anything but peaceful. The signs of the coming of the Spirit are a noise like a strong wind, and tongues of flame that rest on the disciples’ heads. 

Today’s feast celebrates the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives power to Jesus’ disciples to overcome the divisions of the human race, caused by our different languages and nationalities. At Pentecost, people from the many nations of the Roman Empire can hear and understand the disciples’ preaching about the marvels that God has worked. The disciples themselves are transformed; they leave behind their fear and anxiety, and become bold preachers and missionaries. They are no longer afraid to give their lives for Jesus. 

We receive the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. The Spirit can be as powerful in us as in the first disciples. The Spirit has power to overcome division, to bring peace and understanding, and to forgive our sins. The power of the Holy Spirit can transform us into fearless witnesses for Christ, just like the disciples. In this time of pandemic, the powers of this world seem to be shaken up and disrupted. We see clearly that all earthly power has its limits. But there is no limit to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Congratulations to Jakub Betinsky and Justina Betinska, whose son Emanuel was born this week at University Hospital of North Durham. Emanuel weighed in at a healthy 3.7 kg, and he and his mother are both well. Please pray for them all.

The Chaplaincy St Vincent de Paul Group raised £80 (before lockdown) for St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds. The Senior Fundraiser for the hospice writes: ‘Thank you so much for your recent donation to St Gemma’s Hospice on behalf of St Cuthbert’s Catholic Church in Durham. I just wanted to get in touch today to let you know that we really appreciate your kind support during this time, and ask that you please pass our sincere thanks on to everyone at the church who kindly contributed to the donation.’

The Funeral Service for Margaret Moralee will be celebrated on Tuesday 2^nd June at 12 noon at South Road Cemetery, Durham.

The Funeral Service for Denis Hawley will be celebrated on Friday 5^th June at 1.30pm at Metal Bridge Cemetery, Co Durham.

Please pray for the repose of their souls, and for their families.

This Sunday falls between the two great feasts of Ascension and Pentecost.  Jesus has returned to God the Father, and the Church is waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Today’s Gospel, again, comes from John’s account of the Last Supper. Jesus prays to God the Father in the presence of his disciples. He has finished the work that his Father gave him. He has revealed God’s love to the world, and he has glorified the Father by his life and teaching. Now, Jesus knows that he is returning to the Father. He instructs the community of disciples who will remain to continue his work. The disciples belong to God. They have heard Jesus’ words and come to know him. They will witness to what they have heard and seen, and so they will bring others to God.

Today, we are the disciples sent into the world by Jesus. We belong to God by our baptism. We have come to know Jesus and believe in him, through hearing his words. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, who transforms us and gives us courage to face the opposition of the world. God is glorified when we live by the teachings of Christ. God is glorified when we keep God’s word, by loving God and our neighbour. Even in these strange and difficult times, we can give glory to God, and help others come to faith, by our witness and our love for one another. We are in the world, and we belong to God