This Sunday
6th October 2024
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
The Retiring Collection CAFOD harvest fast appeal
The Saturday Vigil
6.00pm – St Thomas More KidlingtonSunday
9.30am – St Hugh of Lincoln, Woodstock
11am – St Thomas More, Kidlington – zoomedLive Interactive Holy Mass Sunday at 11am (come by 10.50 only 97 logins available so come early).
To join in click here, or or enter zoom id 450 188 0791 password if asked 769512
Parish YouTube channel click here – Our Sunday Mass at 11am is Live streamed on YouTube and you can join interactively on Zoom.
Readings & Prayers
Children’s Activity for this Week
A ‘little thought’ for Sunday ~ Fr Prem
The creation story is baffling to anyone in all ages and a subject for many a discourse, and creative expressions; poetry, art, novels and songs. It is so fascinating. Some strive to literarily prove it but we all know with the little knowledge we have that it is prehistory, storytelling but different to any other fairly tales. This encompasses a fundamental truth about this world and us, human beings. That is, God created this world, it was all good, and must be. It seems that God went to this extent, to create His own image and likeness, to accompany Him – the human person, man and women they are, not alone. The crowning of God’s creation.
The fullness of our human existence is when we are in harmony with the creator, the creation and our self with one another. God we believe, does not live in isolation, but always nosy, constantly interfering with his creation, and indeed with us, he does not even let us slumber he whispers to our ears . He is a personal God, cannot and does not live in isolation. So is the whole of creation including the human person.
We are fully human when we are part of God, the creation and one another, in harmony.
But then, it all goes wrong! who is to blame – it was never they lived happily there after!
What a shame and in dignifying to blame some other! be it the Satan, if not for a hardened heart. This is not the human calling.
Actually the story begins only then. To what extend God has gone to extend that invitation to us to make a response to God, as perfect as it could be in our fallen state.
The readings for this Sunday, should tease out then to us, intertwined in the realities of life, the meaning and purpose of the salvation story.
Life here on earth shall never be perfect, it can certainly be doomed, can we save it ourselves? I think, it shall remain a valid question for all times. Hope this inspires us about the readings for this Sunday and to seek the sacrament, there for us, ready awaiting!
Some Hymn choices for this Sunday, for our own prayer and reflection
147 – At the name of Jesus (Evelyns) click here (Camberwell) click here
133 – A new commandment click here
289 – God is love, and the one who lives in God click here
810 – Jesus put this song click here
169 – Bind us together click here
450 – Lord of all hopefulness click here
421 – Let love be real click here
463 – Love is patient, love is always kind
Love is patient and kind click here
Children’s Liturgy Activity and Work Description
After starting liturgy with our act of contrition, today the children and parents shared the gospel and spoke about being ‘bound’ and joined to God. That ‘sin’ is what separates us and damages the bond but that God always welcomes us back when we are sorry as the bond is so strong!
We talked about the bond of marriage but the emphasis was on them as children being loved and welcomed by Jesus, and what this meant for our daily lives.
The children reflected beautifully on their worksheets and we finished with a prayer as always, asking and thanking Jesus our friend that we are never alone.
While we worked we listened to ‘knowing you Jesus’ by Graham Kendrick click here
Our Children’s activity on Sunday, shared!
Creative Activity by Parishioners shared with us
Our Sunday Parish Mass on interactive Zoom streaming
Sharing the joy of this Sunday with all. Let us be inspired and be an inspiration to the others!
Readers (Lectors) click here (and scroll right down) to
have a look at the Readings for Next Few Sundays – download below or
have a look online for your practice and preparation.
Please be aware that you will be reading from the missalette left in church, not this print or format. Let me know in time please if you need the format that is given above, or you may come with your own print. I will be more than happy to print it for you.
Last Sunday: 29th September 2024
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Day of Prayer for Migrants & Refugees (Pope’s message click here)
The Retiring Collection is to support toward paying the parish debt
Readings & Prayers for the Mass
Children’s Activity for this Week
A ‘little thought’ for last Sunday ~ Fr Prem
Responding to the request the archbishops made in his last week’s pastoral letter to initiate one new charitable project in our parishes, we at our Parish Support Group (PSG) meeting outlined what the parish is involved with. Parish supports such charity throughout the year. We also identified that it is not simply raising funds for charitable projects but more, and so linked with the school to reignite our Parish Pastoral Group (PPG) to identify and support where need is in our own parish local community, beyond simply the financial need.
Listening to last week’s pastoral letter by our Archbishop, keeps me still thinking of a line he quotes from Pope France’s writing on caritas about the rich history of charity the church posses. He quotes in bold
“The Church cannot neglect the service of charity any more than she can neglect the Sacraments and the Word”
It is the mandate, given with the washing of the feet at the last supper, establishing the Holy Eucharist and so the priestly ministry.
I grappled a bit (from my seminary days) understanding it, as it seems to immortalise the need for charity. It seems unjust, unfair ways – our sinful ways, paying the way for charity and so defined a sacrament.
The ‘other’ is important. Not simply as an object of our charity. There cannot be charity when we are unjust, un truthful and sinful in our ways, or be condoning such ways if not encouraging. We have the mandate, the unreserved obligation to remove the root cause for such need for our charity. That is the greatest charity, without it, it is futile, camouflaging, simply self flagellating for our own gratification and imagined salvation!! So it is important that we do everything possible, without neglect to eliminate what is sinful, unjust and unfair in our lives and so the world we live in. This the task of a ‘sacrament’.
The readings for this Sunday must inspire us. In the first reading Moses rejects any claim to ownership of God’s work ‘Are you jealous on my account?’ and prays that the Holy Spirit be with all his people and so all peoples (I extend). All peoples are God’s children and treated so, the eternal prayer of the church.
Oh the second reading then must be very much at home we cannot be so rich, powerful and wealthy without oppressing, harassing the most needed and vulnerable. Jealous at its rife! We cannot seem to be doing charity with out unjust, untruthful, condoning – sinful ways.
Gospel too harsh and severe indeed! What is it that we cannot give up!
This Sunday is the world day of migrants and refugees. Pope’s message ‘God walks with his people’ invites us to reflect that we are all itinerant and migrants, simply refuging here on earth, for we are citizens of heaven. We shall walk together. Will we walk with God.
If we fail to see worth and value in each and every human person including of those who are migrants and refugees without discrimination and distinction, and so help in every way possible to eliminate all that be-littles people, we are nothing more than a rot, that failed the dignity of a child of God, let alone be called a priest, bishop,…,king…you know it!
You deserve a glass of Champaign not because you are rich and powerful, because you could afford it or not, migrant or not, but for what you are, what you do! You deserve it. Am I jealous about it?, are we?
Some Hymn choices for last Sunday, for our own prayer and reflection
262 – For the healing of the nations click here (Henry Purcell) and click here (Tune sung at National Memorial Service on 14 December 2017 at St Paul’s Cathedral, to mark the 6 month anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire)
726 – Whatsoever you do click here
362 – In bread we bring you, Lord click here
658 – The Lord hears the cry of the poor click here
512 – O God of earth and altar click here
730 – When I needed a neighbour click here
585 – Praise to you, O Christ our Saviour click here
270 – From the sun’s rising unto the sun’s setting click here
217 – Come, O God of all the earth click here
681 – This is my body click here
325 – He is Lord click here
274 – Give me joy in my heart click here
330 – He’s got the whole world in his hands click here
Children’s Liturgy Activity and Work Description
We looked at teaching kids about the goodness of God in all deeds big and small and that anyone can do good. ~ Yaminah Pupek
Our Children activity on Sunday, shared!
