St Laurence (Wednesday 3rd / died 619), was one of the Benedictines sent by Pope St Gregory the Great to convert England, with St Augustine whom he succeeded as the second Archbishop of Canterbury.

St Blaise (also Wednesday 3rd / died 316) was a physician who became Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia where he was martyred. One of his miracles was the saving of the life of a boy who had half swallowed a fish bone – hence today’s rite of the Blessing of Throats, against infections of the throat.

St Ansgar (also Wednesday 3rd / 801 – 865) was a Benedictine child oblate who was later taken by King Harold of Denmark to evangelise the heathen Danes.

St Agatha (Friday 5th / mentioned in the Roman Canon), martyred by having her breasts cut off.

Ss Paul Miki & Companions (Saturday 6th / 156 – 597), Martyrs of Japan.

4th Sunday of the Year

Saint Bernard, in a sermon for this Tuesday’s Feast, writes: Today the Virgin Mary brought to the Temple the Lord of the Temple. Joseph presents to God His adopted Son, the Beloved One. Anna the widow joins in with words of thanksgiving. These four people (including Simeon the priest) performed the first procession, a joyful procession which will be continued throughout time in every corner of the earth.

This feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as ‘The Encounter’. In the 6th century it began to be observed in the West: in Rome, with a more penitential character, and in Gaul (France) with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as ‘Candlemas’. This feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple (also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary) concludes the celebration of the Nativity and, with the offerings of the Virgin Mother, and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point towards Easter.

Come to Mass at 10am this Tuesday (2nd February) to join in the ancient Candlemas procession to celebrate Christ the Light of the world.

To prepare for this feast day, even if you can’t come to Mass for this ‘Day of Devotion’, we can read the Gospel account in St Luke (2: 22 – 40), and its fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi (3: 1 – 4), and the Old Testament  reason for the Holy Family going to the Temple for this occasion in Exodus (13: 2, 12 – 13) and Leviticus (12: 2 – 8). At home we can light a candle (perhaps the one given to us at our Baptism) and gather around it for our Family Evening Prayers, reading the gospel account of the feast and giving thanks that we are privileged to share in the light and life of Christ.

We note how Mary and Joseph were too poor to be able to make the usual offering of lamb (although Christ is the Lamb of God), but give the legally acceptable poor man’s substitute of ‘a pair of tutle-doves to two young pigeons’. In the Mass we also offer the Lamb of God who sacrificed Himself for us, and in union with Him all our poor and impoverished offerings are acceptable to God.

As the Church now looks towards Easter, and we begin the countdown towards the Lenten Season of preparation for Easter, we can be asking ourselves “What can I offer Him, poor as I am?”. We should now pray and plan ahead about what we can do with and for God during the 40 days of Lent.

Family Evening Prayer for this Tuesday’s Feast

God our Father, source of all light,
today you releved to Simeon your light of revelation to the nations.
May we who carry these candles praise your glory, walk in the path of goodness, and come to the light that shines for ever.
We ask this through Christ the Light of the world. Amen.

Week beginning 24th January 2010, 3rd Sunday of the Year

The Feast of the Conversion of St Paul (Monday 25th) brings to an end the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Having remembered St Paul on Monday, on Tuesday 26th we celebrate his disciples, SS Timothy and Titus. These saints were both bishops (Timothy of Ephesus, Titus in Crete), to whom St Paul wrote his ‘pastoral eipstles’ full of useful wisdom and advice.

St Angela Merici (Wednesday 27th) was born in 1474, and founded the Ursuline Order, for the education of young girls. She died in Brescia, Italy in 1540 and was canonised by Pope Pius VII in 1807.

St Thomas Aquinas (Thursday 28th / +1274) is known as the ‘Angelic Doctor’ for the grace and truth of his theological writings. The Church declares that his philosophy and theology have a perennial value for the Church. You can read more about St Thomas Aquinas in this blog post.

3rd Sunday of the Year

This Friday (28th January) we keep the feast of St Thomas Aquinas. As a young novice, this saint was so quiet his classmates called him, mockingly, ‘the dumb ox’. Yet this quiet figure went on to become one of the cleverest men in history.

His greatest work (though he wrote many) was the Summa Theologica – a sort of compendium of Catholic philosophy and theology which Thomas intended for ‘beginners’ – though it is in fact one of the masterpieces of Christian thought!

Towards the beginning of his great work, Thomas gives his famous ‘five ways’ through which any human being, even without the assistance of Divine Revelation, can come to know the existence of God. The five ways are these:

1. Movement. In the world we see motion – but motion implies a mover, and ultimately a ‘first mover’, the reason for all motion – and this we call God.
2. Cause. Things in the world are produced by their causes – but these in turn were produced by their causes, and so on. Ultimately there must be an ‘uncaused cause’ or ‘First Cause’ –and this we call God.
3. Contingency. Things which are not necessary are called ‘contingent’ – they come into existence, decay and ultimately pass away. Our whole world, in fact, is contingent. But contingent things demand as their ultimate explanation a non-contingent, necessary being – and this we call God.
4. Perfection. Looking round the world we see that some things are more perfect than others. But this implies there must be something which is most perfect, against which everything else is judged – and this we call God.
5. Order. The universe we see around us is ordered – were it not, no sort of life could exist. But order implies a Mind, which brings about the order –and this we call God.

In an age which often opposes faith and reason, St Thomas reminds us that human learning can and should be in harmony with Divine Wisdom. The world around us is a gift from God –and the better we understand it, the nearer to Him we grow.

Eventually on the fourth try, I succeeded in flying from London to Rome on Saturday [9th]. The experience of three cancelled flights was frustrating but taught me perseverance and patience. I would like to thank all those parishioners who sent Christmas cards and gifts: all were very much appreciated. I enjoyed seeing everyone on my two brief visits to New Malden, one of which included the splendid parish luncheon. Having missed one day of classes, I resumed classes on Monday [11th] and will soon have examinations beginning 27th January. Time passes quickly and I will soon return for the summer vacation. I wish you all the very best for 2010.

Week beginning 18th January 2010, 2nd Sunday of the Year

St Wulfstan (Tuesday 19th), was Bishop of Worcester: he died in 1095.

SS Fabian and Sebastian (Wednesday 20th), and St Agnes (Thursday 21st) were all Roman Martyrs. St Fabian was Pope and died in 250. Sebastian was a soldied – he died having been shot with arrows. St Agnes was a girl aged only 12, who gave her life for Christ round about 304.

An exact contemporary was St Vincent (Friday 23rd), who died a martyr in Spain the same year.

Week beginning 18th January 2010, 2nd Sunday of the Year

St Joseph: San Raniero, L’Aquila
St John Fisher/St Therese: The Haiti earthquake victims
St Thomas More/St Anthony: Deacon John Sampson
Our Lady (Saturday – Monday): John Curtis RIP (both lamps)
Cure d’Ars: Vocations to the Priesthood
St Pius X: Our First Communion children
Sacred Heart: Private Intention

Find out about our Votive Lamps at the Shrines programme.

2nd Sunday of the Year

Our Gospel today is that of the Marriage Feast at Cana (Luke 2: 1 – 12). It tells the story of Our Lord’s first public miracle – transforming water into wine at the intercession of his mother, Mary.

It is very fitting that Jesus’s first great public act should take place at a wedding. Like the feast of Christmas itself, this miracle affirms the goodness of human life and human love, of family and friendship. From the very outset, joy is a key component of the Gospel message.

This perhaps has a message for us today. Today is the so-called ‘White Flower Day’, when we support, prayerfully and financially, the important work of SPUC – the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (which now supports and protects the very elderly and terminally ill as well).

The Catholic Church’s position on sexual and bioethical issues is often portrayed as nothing more than a series of prohibitions – no abortion, no contraception, no sex before marriage etc etc. We need to remember that the Church’s true message is a POSITIVE one – like Jesus himself we affirm the goodness of human life (every life – no matter how young, old or fragile) – and the goodness of human love (celebrated within the God-give context of marriage and family, where it can best flourish and be fruitful). Yes, prohibitions are sometimes necessary (Jesus himself spoke forcefully about adultery, and divorce) but our focus is on the goodness of God’s gift to us, not our human frailty.

The media will not promote this message, but the world will take note, if we give them the example of Christian lives well lived. Finally, remembering the important role Our Lady played in prompting the miracle we hear about today, let us ask her prayers that the Gospel of life may have a transforming effect on our society. May Mary, who knew the joys of a wife and mother, lead our contemporaries too to discover the true happiness to be found in following God’s plan, and the fulfilment which comes from ‘doing whatever he tells you’.