Newsletter 9th February 2014
Today is the fifth Sunday in ordinary time.
Lent is not too far away: in days gone by this would have been known as Septuagesima Sunday: we would start to use purple vestments for the three Sundays in preparation for Lent but now we continue to use the green vestments.
Monday is the feast of St. Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict. Tuesday is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and I do not need to remind you of the Saint on Friday.
Next Sunday there is a Second Collection for the Catholic Education Service.
To Lewisham Town Hall on Monday, a Governors’ meeting at the Sixth Form College on Tuesday and to Greenwich Town Hall on Wednesday.
You will have noted that the spring flowers have started to appear in the garden. The storms during January brought down a lot of branches and I have been doing my best to clear these up. I look forward to a warm and dry summer.
Visits to Spain always produce some unusual recipes. Here is a popular soup from Andalusia. You will need some long grain rice and some very small pieces of chorizo. Stew gently with plenty of water and towards the end of the cooking, add a finely chopped hard boiled egg. Serve very hot, maybe with a glass of Manzanilla.
A quiz question this time: can you name at least three Underground or DLR stations which include the name of a country or a derivative? No looking at the map. Denmark Hill does not count as this is an Overground station.
The time has come – the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing wax-
Of cabbages – and kings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether pigs have wings.
But wait a bit – the Oysters cried,
Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath
And all of us are fat
No hurry – said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that
I don’t need to tell you where this comes from.
The mothers in the parish might like this prayer:
Father, lover of life and of the human family, who co-operated with me in the birth of my children, be with me now and help me in the task of raising them up as children of your kingdom. May they give you constant praise and adoration and be, to me, a never ending source of gratitude and thanksgiving.
No news from the great nephew for a few weeks. He will be three in the summer. Whenever he goes out, it takes a long time as he shows an interest in examining extraordinary things – fire engines and bus stops and railway signals – I wonder where he inherited this from.
Here is some Merton:
God touches us with a touch that is emptiness and empties us. He moves us with a simplicity that simplifies us. All variety, all complexity, all paradox, all multiplicity ceases. Our mind swims in the air of an understanding, a reality that is dark and serene and includes in itself everything.
Nothing is desired. Nothing more is wanting. Our only sorrow, if sorrow be possible at all, is the awareness that we ourselves still have a separate existence.
A reminder please to ensure that the markers are put back in the Mass books before you leave; it is a great pain to go through them to find the copies without markets. Maybe next time round I can glue them inside the covers – rather like having your gloves on strings so that you do not lose them.
The first communion children are doing very well with their classes and I am particularly grateful to the parents for all their help. Not too long now before we start preparing the practical details for the day – the places in the Church – the photos –
The order of service and of course the cakes.
I look forward to these; we always seem to be blessed with fine weather.
Best wishes to you all,
Monsignor Nicholas Rothon