This Sunday Catholics are encouraged to reflect on the Church’s contribution to education in this country and pray for all those involved in Catholic education. There will be a retiring collection to support the Catholic Education Service, the agency of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales which represents and supports Catholic schools.

Durham 1569: A People’s Tragedy? Prof. Eamon Duffy (University of Cambridge, Emeritus) Tuesday 17th September, 6.30-7.45pm in the Debating Chamber, Palace Green, Durham. Entry is free of charge, but registration is essential for those not registering for the Northern Rising conference; please register online at https://centreforcatholicstudies.eventbrite.com or by telephoning 0191 334 1656, by 12noon on Tuesday 17 September.

Ciara and Matthias send their thanks to everyone at St Cuthbert’s for a joyful celebration of their Nuptial Mass last week.

Jesus sees the guests at a dinner jockeying for the best places. The closer to the host a guest was seated, the more they were seen to be honoured. But Jesus points out how insecure we are, if our self-esteem depends on the opinion of others. Public opinion is a fickle thing: we can lose our position of respect and honour in a moment. If, instead, we depend on the love of God, we are standing on a firm foundation. Rather than trying to be ‘in with the in-crowd,’ we can seek out the poor and the sick, who may be more in need of welcome and hospitality. That is the way to secure our own place at the heavenly banquet.

The parish office will be closed on Monday 2nd September.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of John Urquhart, who died last Sunday. His Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St Cuthbert’s on Tuesday 3rd September at 2.30pm.

Our parish collects biscuits and toilet rolls to help provide basic supplies to asylum seekers in the diocese. These are collected regularly, on the first Sunday of the month. If you would like to donate items please remember to bring them to Church next Sunday 1 September and place them under the bench in the narthex ready to be collected.

To Ciara Courtney and Matthias Müller, whose Nuptial Mass will be celebrated at St Cuthbert’s this Saturday, 24th August, at 12.30pm. Ciara and Matthias were both students at St Mary’s College from 2008-11. Please pray for them as they begin their married life. Everyone is welcome to the Nuptial Mass.

We know Jesus as the Prince of Peace. So why does he speak in today’s Gospel of bringing fire to the earth, and of causing division within families? Because Jesus speaks the truth, consistently and fearlessly, and the truth is not always welcome. He denounces injustice and challenges the hypocrisy of the chief priests and elders, who lay heavy burdens on the ordinary people of Israel. He eats with tax collectors and sinners, cures lepers and welcomes pagans. Jesus causes division because he challenges the powerful and disturbs the status quo. Like all of the prophets before him, he encounters opposition and, in the end, the rulers of the people bring about his death in order to silence him.

Commemorates the sufferings of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where atomic bombs were dropped on 6th and 9th August 1945. Ewan Anderson will speak about the Kaki Tree at 10.00am Mass on Sunday, to mark the anniversary of the bombs, and will show a drawing of the tree which survived the nuclear blast.

Jesus is faced with a man who asks him to resolve a disagreement with his brother about an inheritance. Such family disputes can bring out the worst in people, and can be impossible to resolve. Jesus refuses to judge between the brothers; instead, he uses the request as an opportunity to teach his disciples. Where does our sense of security come from? If it comes from our wealth and possessions, it is a false security. As the Preacher reminds us in today’s First Reading, all that we own, all that we work for and all that we achieve in this life will be left behind at the moment of our death. Avarice can distort our priorities until wealth becomes a false god for us. The Lord urges us instead to make ourselves truly rich, by loving God and our neighbour. Our only true security comes from our trust in God’s promise of eternal life.

A play with a pro-life theme, being performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 6-10 August. Details at www.crownedwithgloryandhonour.com