25.4.10

Last week the Bishops of England and Wales published a statement on the recent events surrounding abuse in the Church. They asked us to dedicate the Fridays of May to “reparation and atonement.”

The Catechism speaks of reparation when it says “Every offence against justice and truth entails the duty of reparation, even if its author has been forgiven. When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong it must be done secretly.”

I would like adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to take place during the Fridays of May in St. Peter’s. I have a left a sheet at the back for people to volunteer for 30 minute slots during adoration and there need to be two people per slot.

The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the main Altar from 9.00am until 5.00pm on each Friday, except during Mass. Please make this an opportunity for prayer, especially to pray for victims of abuse.

It would be marvellous if people from all our local communities could take part in this.

18.4.10

For Simon Peter and the other disciples it would have been an early morning like many others. Just as it was getting light it would have dawned on them even more sharply in the cold light of day that the previous night’s fishing had been a waste of time. How often do we face the new day wondering about our achievements or lack of them. Worse, how often does the harsh reality of life sap our energies and make it hard to start again.

As he did for the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias or Galilee so does Jesus do for us. The resurrection means that Jesus is always present in our lives inviting us to trust him when things get difficult. “Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something”, he said to the tired fishermen. They would have doubted his sanity because they knew there was no point trying to catch fish during light hours when the fish were hiding at the bottom of the lake. They did as he told them and trusted him against all odds “and there were so many big fish that they could not haul in the net.”

To love our risen Lord Jesus and to trust him in times of despair, difficulty or distress is to answer yes to that question which Jesus constantly ask us “Do you love me?” It is also what we need to do if we want him to change our lives for the better and even to work miracles for us.