Thoughts from our Chaplain - Making doubly sure!

This weekend we are celebrating the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul. 

It always reminds me of my confirmation. One day our primary school teacher told us, “When you get home today ask your parents what saint’s name you are going to take for your confirmation”. I asked my mum and without more ado she said “Saint Paul”. Next morning the teacher asked us what our choices were. When she came to me she asked “And Piet what is yours?” and I replied with great pride “Paul”. She hesitated for a moment, but then she said “I see. You are making doubly sure”! 

I feel really happy about having been named after these two great saints. However, it always struck me that on this feast day Peter seems to receive much more attention than Paul. Our First Reading is all about Peter’s arrest and his miraculous escape from prison, whilst in the Gospel Reading he speaks up for the others and for each one of us (!) by saying to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In the Second Reading Paul tells Timothy that his life is being poured away like a libation and that he has fought the good fight. 

Within the year we celebrate their own feast: the Chair of Peter and the Conversion of St Paul. This weekend we remember their heroic martyrdom. It that way they made doubly sure of gaining eternal life. Let us be inspired by their self-giving.  

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.

Thoughts from our Chaplain - The Mass is not ended!

This weekend we celebrate the great feast of Corpus Christi. My thoughts go back to a week ago, when we had the lovely celebration of the First Communions and how well the children had been prepared for it.

Over the centuries different aspects of the Eucharist have been emphasized: personal thanksgiving, adoration, the sacrifice of Jesus, sharing a meal, etc.

I like the way St Paul writes about it to the Corinthians. He told them off for eating their own food in a hurry and as a consequence some went hungry, whilst others got drunk! He tells them what he taught them, i.e. “that on the same night that Jesus was betrayed he took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it  and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me’.” (1 Cor. 11: 23-25). Paul tells them: Jesus didn’t eat his own meal. Instead he took bread, broke it and gave it away.

Actually he gave himself away, because he said, “This is my body for you”. The message is: Let us break the bread in order to give it to others. To me that means that at the end of the Eucharistic celebration the Mass is not ended, but that we bring what we have received, i.e. Jesus and his values, to others. That would be a very worthy celebration of Corpus Christi.             

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.

Novena for the Feast of the Sacred Heart: 19 - 27 June 2014

Pope Francis reminded us this month that we are invited to pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Statue of the Sacred Heart, National Shrine of Saint Jude

At the end of his General Audience last week, the Holy Father urged the thousands gathered in a hot St. Peter's Square to turn to Jesus' heart, explaining that this devotion teaches the young to love intensely; the sick to be strong and to carry the cross of their suffering with patience; and the newly married to build their family on the foundations of the faithfulness and love of God.

The following novena from the National Shrine of Saint Jude is for the nine days leading up to the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which falls on 27 June. You may pray the novena in private, with your friends or family, or in a group:

Merciful God,

we rejoice in the gifts of love

we have received from the

heart of Jesus your Son.
Open our hearts to share his life

and continue to bless us with his love.

We ask this through

our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Make your special request now

Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...

Thoughts from our Chaplain - Love & Fidelity!

For one reason or another Holy Trinity has always been special to me and most likely also to a good number of you. At a wedding at the exchanging of rings I always like to mention to the congregation that this exchange of rings will be done in the name of the Holy Trinity. I tell them that the Holy Trinity is the supreme example of love: The Father and Son loving one another so much that from all eternity another entity is there: The Holy Spirit or Love Itself. The bridegroom holds the bride’s hand and says after me, “Mary, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”  Whilst this is being said or rather prayed the ring is pushed against the thumb etc. until it is put on the ring finger on the Amen. 

Whilst the couple express their love and fidelity for each other, it is a great reminder of the Trinity’s supreme love for and fidelity to each one of us.

As St John tells us, God’s love for us came first and not vice versa. 

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.

Photo of the month - June

The sign outside the church and National Shrine of Saint Jude entrance. 

For more information and history of the site, please see:http://www.carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=content&id=113

Summer Celebration 2014

The National Shrine of Saint Jude are looking forward to welcoming pilgrims on 31 May 2014 - in three days! The summer is always very beautiful at the Shrine, and it will be lovely to see visitors on what we hope will be a beautiful and warm day.

Timetable

11.00: Devotions with Anointing

12.00 – 13.00: Picnic on the grounds & opportunity for Sacrament of Reconciliation.

13.30: Open Air Mass

14.30: Saint Jude procession and prayers

15.00: Brown scapular enrolment

Plus..

* tours of the Shrine will take place throughout the day

* meet some friars

*tea and coffee available

* purchase gifts from the Shrine Shop in the

Information Centre

* light a candle

* pray and leave intentions

* join the Guild of Saint Jude

* take part in our raffle

* children’s treasure hunt and face painting

Directions

Do you need directions to the Shrine for Saturday? Here is a very useful guide to getting here: http://www.carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=content&id=118

Thoughts from our Chaplain - Not to us, Lord, but to you…!

When Manchester City had won the Premier League I sent congratulations to my girl friend in Aberystwyth. Don’t worry she is in her eighties! She is a fan but not a fanatical one. When I saw the scenes of the euphoria and adulation, I was beginning to wonder what it was all about. For some fans their players become not just heroes but idols.

Football becomes their religion and their players become their gods. Just imagine all the money that is spent on going to watch game after game. Could some of it not be spent on some more useful causes?               

I was reminded of all this when I read the loving reflection by Sr Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D. in Living Faith for May 19^th. She is reflecting on Paul’s and Barnabas’ visit to Lystra. They have cured a man who had been lame from birth. Immediately the people who saw it treated them as gods coming down from heaven in human form. The missionaries tried desperately to convince them that it was not them but Jesus who procured the miracle, saying that they themselves were mere mortals as they were.

The football fans have their idols. Have we them too? We shouldn’t. And we should have only one and he is not an idol, he is our God or our Creator, Saviour and Redeemer.  So with the psalmist let us say and pray “Not to us, Lord, but to you be the glory now and for ever. Amen.                                                                          

Fr Piet Wijngaard, O.Carm.