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Bishop Richard's Pastoral Letter for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Against the Assisted Dying Bill
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
There has been much coverage of the Assisted Suicide Bill, currently making its way through the House of Lords. It is important that we take action to challenge this proposed legislation. It is also vital that we affirm our support for the best possible end-of-life care, including spiritual and pastoral support for those who are dying and for their families. This has been made all the more urgent as a result of the decision by the British Medical Association to take a neutral position on this issue, albeit by the narrowest of margins.
The Catholic Church remains opposed to any form of assisted suicide. It is a crime against human life and we cannot directly choose to take the life of another, even if they request it.
It is the case that, in this country as in many others, we have a growing elderly population. The needs of the elderly and the needs of those who live with disability have been highlighted further during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bill currently being considered raises serious questions about society’s ability to protect those who are most vulnerable. We must ask how the law can ensure that a person will be free from pressure to end their life prematurely due to perceptions about ‘quality’ or ‘worth’ of life, and will not feel the need to act out of a sense of ‘being a burden’ to family and to the wider society. In this context, it is important for us all to reach out to those who may feel isolated or lonely, enabling them to recognise their value and the contribution their experience and wisdom brings to others.
We have seen, in recent years, the impact of Assisted Suicide legislation in other parts of the world such as Belgium, Canada and the State of Oregon. Evidence shows that the introduction of laws for ‘small numbers of cases’ has inevitably led to an exponential growth in those seeking ‘assisted dying’. The State of Oregon has seen an increase of 1075% in ‘assisted deaths’ between 1998 and 2019, Belgium has seen a 925% increase between 2002 and 2019, and in Canada the increase in only four years between 2016 and 2020 has been 648%. These are deeply concerning figures and are accompanied by an expansion of grounds, to include assisted suicide for children, non-terminal illness and non-terminal psychiatric illness. We should be in no doubt that any legislation to permit assisted suicide in our own country would take us in the same direction.
This country has a fine tradition and experience in end-of-life care, rooted in the care and compassion that is at the core of our humanity. This is seen when the best possible care is available, that all may be enabled to come to the end of their lives with the best of pain relief, surrounded by family, whether in hospital, hospice or at home. The provision of this care should be a priority.
As followers of Christ, we recognise the Sanctity of Life in all around us. This must urge us to call everyone to this place of compassion; to the greatest care and respect for the most vulnerable in our society. The work of opposing this Bill demands our prayerful support and action.
You can find out more and gain information as to the best possible way to oppose the Bill on the website of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/life-issues/
Information has also been sent to parishes and is available on our own diocesan e-news and website: www.abdiocese.org.uk
With every Blessing,
+Richard
On the Credibility of the Catholic Church
Cardinal Robert Sarah has written an excellent article which appears in the National Catholic Register, click here to view and read it.
Memoria of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
From Catholic Company.Com
'One of the most popular Marian devotions in the Catholic Church today is that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, often honoured alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion has its roots in Sacred Scripture, which makes frequent mention of Mary's contemplative heart, for example in Luke 2:19:
"But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart."
According to Catholic doctrine, Mary is the Immaculate Conception; that is, in preparation for the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb, Mary was conceived without the corruption of original sin, and was preserved from committing any actual sins throughout the course of her life through the infinite merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. She was virginal not only of soul, but also of body, both before and after giving birth to Our Lord.
Our Lady was created literally "Full of Grace" as the Archangel Gabriel declared at the Annunciation, meaning that her soul was literally adorned with all of the virtues at the moment of her conception, as well as all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
This fullness of grace is said to emanate from the center of her being—her heart—understood both physically and spiritually.
It is Mary's heart, in its unspoiled created perfection, that is the source and wellspring of her purity . . . therefore her heart is called Immaculate.
Our Lord took His sacred humanity from the flesh and blood of his Blessed Mother; Christ's heart is taken from her heart. At Calvary, the perfect hearts of Jesus and Mary were united for the salvation of mankind. And this is why the Two Hearts are honoured together...'
For full article click here.
The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
From the Sisters of Carmel website.
The Church, governed and taught by the Holy Ghost, has approved and recommended devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our age of religious indifference, when fervor and charity have grown cold, Jesus exhibits to the world His Sacred Heart as the symbol of God's infinite love - the symbol of His own generous self-sacrificing love for men. Jesus shows His Divine Heart as a furnace whose burning rays of love are able to reanimate faith and rekindle love in hearts grown cold and ungrateful.
But why His Heart? Because in every language, in every age, the heart is regarded as the natural symbol of love and affection. What more natural and expressive symbol is there, then, of the excessive love of Jesus than His Sacred Heart? The direct and material object of devotion to the Sacred Heart is the real, physical Heart of Jesus - the Heart of flesh, the living and loving Heart of our Blessed Lord; the Heart that beat in His Divine breast at the moment of the Incarnation; the Heart that loved us during the life of Jesus on earth, that poured forth its blood to the last drop on Mount Calvary; the beatified Heart now glorious in Heaven and still dwelling among us in the Blessed Sacrament; the Heart ever united to the Person of the Divine Word, to whom is due supreme homage and adoration.
For full article, click here.
Pastoral Letter for the 6th June 2021, The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Pastoral Letter for the 6th June 2021
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This great Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi - calls us to reflect on the Lord’s gift of Himself in the Eucharist. This celebration is “the heart and summit of the Church’s life.”[1] It is the greatest prayer, the highest action possible, for “Christ Himself, acting through the ministry of the priests, offered the Eucharistic sacrifice.”[2] The Lord is truly present, sacramentally, and we are called to share in the gift of His Body and Blood. Through our sharing in Him, so we become ever closer to Him and to each other in the life and mission to which He has called us. The prayer of the Eucharist goes beyond our understanding and its impact on the life of the world will be greater than we can ever comprehend.
In the Eucharist, the Lord calls us to “share in his divinity, as he humbled Himself to share in our humanity.”[3] This is the great moment of conformity to Christ. The closeness that we have with Him through the Eucharist enables us to be the disciples He calls us to be; our Mission as His Church becomes possible. Let us pray and prepare ourselves that nothing would ever stand in the way of our openness to the gift and grace of the Eucharist.
During this last year, it has not always been possible for us to gather for the celebration of Mass. There were times, in the early months of the pandemic, when the priest celebrated alone in the Church. Knowing that the Eucharist was being celebrated in those times was a source of blessing and the live-streaming of the Liturgy enabled great numbers of people to join the celebration remotely. This has been a gift and will continue to be so for those who are infirm and housebound. However, sharing ‘virtually’ in the celebration that is at the very heart of our lives will never be the ideal. We are remote from our brothers and sisters in our parish communities and while the Spiritual Communion brings many graces, the participation in the celebration of Mass is the source of our lives.
On this Corpus Christi Day, therefore, I offer a deliberate invitation to return to the public celebration of Mass. Come once more to be with your sisters and brothers, gathered around the altar to meet with the Crucified and Risen Lord, truly present in the gift of the Sacrament.
I call on you to extend this invitation to those whom you know who have not yet returned to the parish community. Extend this invitation to those who have found themselves searching for God during this time of pandemic, for we are at a moment of evangelisation: the Lord calls us to action.
The experience of the last year, with its many deep sufferings, calls us to rely on the One who brings us healing and wholeness - a healing and wholeness that we find in the Eucharist. “No other Sacrament” St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us, “has greater healing power.”[4] In the Eucharist, there is healing for ourselves, for our communities, for the world.
The Eucharist is a gift so amazing that our faltering human language cannot grasp its wonder. The Lord gives us His very Self as the food for our pilgrimage of life. It is the Lord who sustains us, not simply as individuals but as a community, for the work He has given us to do. Our present circumstances call us to remain faithful to this greatest of all celebrations, for the Eucharist is the source from which our lives are fulfilled. It is the moment from which the Lord sends us out on the Mission to which He has called us. How can we stay away?
+Richard
[1] CCC. n.1407.
[2] CCC, n.1410.
[3] THE ROMAN MISSAL, Offertory Prayers.
[4] St. THOMAS AQUINAS, On the Feast of Corpus Christi.
1st June: St Justin, Martyr
The saints were seized and brought before the prefect of Rome, whose name was Rusticus. As they stood before the judgement seat, Rusticus the prefect said to Justin: “Above all, have faith in the gods and obey the emperors.”
Justin said: “We cannot be accused or condemned for obeying the commands of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Rusticus said: “What system of teaching do you profess?” Justin said: “I have tried to learn about every system, but I have accepted the true doctrines of the Christians, though these are not approved by those who are held fast by error.”
The prefect Rusticus said: “Are those doctrines approved by you, wretch that you are?”
Justin said: “Yes, for I follow them with their correct teaching.”
The prefect Rusticus said: “What sort of teaching is that?” Justin said: “Worship the God of the Christians. We hold him to be from the beginning the one creator and maker of the whole creation, of things seen and things unseen. We worship also the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He was foretold by the prophets as the future herald of salvation for the human race and the teacher of distinguished disciples. For myself, since I am a human being, I consider that what I say is insignificant in comparison with his infinite godhead. I acknowledge the existence of a prophetic power, for the one I have just spoken of as the Son of God was the subject of prophecy. I know that the prophets were inspired from above when they spoke of his coming among men.”
Rusticus said: “You are a Christian, then?” Justin said: “Yes, I am a Christian.”
The prefect said to Justin: “You are called a learned man and think that you know what is true teaching. Listen: if you were scourged and beheaded, are you convinced that you would go up to heaven?” Justin said: “I hope that I shall enter God’s house if I suffer that way. For I know that God’s favour is stored up until the end of the whole world for all who have lived good lives.”
The prefect Rusticus said: “Do you have an idea that you will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?” Justin said: “It is not an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain.”
The prefect Rusticus said: “Now let us come to the point at issue, which is necessary and urgent. Gather round then and with one accord offer sacrifice to the gods.” Justin said: “No one who is right thinking stoops from true worship to false worship.”
The prefect Rusticus said: “If you do not do as you are commanded you will be tortured without mercy.” Justin said: “We hope to suffer torment for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so be saved. For this will bring us salvation and confidence as we stand before the more terrible and universal judgement-seat of our Lord and Saviour.”
In the same way the other martyrs also said: “Do what you will. We are Christians; we do not offer sacrifice to idols.”
The prefect Rusticus pronounced sentence, saying: “Let those who have refused to sacrifice to the gods and to obey the command of the emperor be scourged and led away to suffer capital punishment according to the ruling of the laws.” Glorifying God, the holy martyrs went out to the accustomed place. They were beheaded, and so fulfilled their witness of martyrdom in confessing their faith in their Saviour.
Mass Times for Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum
Please note that the newsletter is the corrected version from that displayed at the morning Masses on Palm Sunday and that there is no English Mass at St Mary Magdalen's on Monday of Holy Week (today), instead the Polish Community have Mass and Confessions from 5pm. Aside from this error, the newsletter is the same as that available in the church.
Wishing all a blessed Holy Week, as we commemorate the Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
First Saturday (6th Feb) CANCELLED
First Saturday Devotions
Saturday 6th February 2021
are CANCELLED as a precaution in this time of pandemic. Hopefully, the next first Saturday (7th March) will be able to go ahead.
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Wednesday 6th January 2021
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord will be on
Wednesday 6th January, 2021.
Mass will be offered on Wednesday here at 12 noon and at 6:00pm.
See our newsletter for other Mass times, news and announcements.
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