Tag Archives: lent

Lent is coming…

Fast from judging others,
feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences;
feast on the unity of all life.
Fast from apparent darkness;
feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness;
feast on the healing power of God
Fast from words that pollute;
feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent;
feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger;
feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism;
feast on optimism.
Fast from discouragement;
feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress;
feast on verities that uplift.
Fast from laziness;
feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from suspicion;
feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken;
feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow;
feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip;
Feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm;
Feast on prayer that sustains life.

Lent

How is your Lent going? Here are some ways to help us celebrate the season.

  • our Stations of the Cross with reflections by parishioners continue from St Brigid’s on Saturdays at 9.30, live-streamed on our website
  • next weekend we will take our Lenten Alms for Ukraine at all Masses – please contribute generously if you can
  • there will be a 3 Churches Reconciliation Service for Lent at St Paul’s on Wednesday 30 March at 7pm with individual Confession

Fr Matthew

Conversion and repentance

Dear friends and parishioners

We are at the middle part of the great season of Lent, when the Church brings us to the central Lenten theme of conversion and repentance. The Church reminds us in the first reading today of God’s Word to us at Sinai, urging us to live his life and walk in his ways. We are then urged in the Gospel to cleanse the Temple of our hearts so that we can enthrone there Christ, who St Paul proclaims in the second reading to be “the power and the wisdom of God.” Let us spend some time during the week reflecting on our situation in life, on our journey in faith, and prepare to bring our sins next Sunday to that same Jesus, to the Father and to the Spirit, to receive “pardon and peace”.

Fr Matthew

The season of Lent in our 3 churches

Please make sure that you read and absorb the special LENT FLYER that has all the details you need for Lent to help us all observe this important season.

This year we will follow the STATIONS OF THE CROSS live-streamed from St Brigid’s every Saturday commencing 20 February at 9.30 in place of Mass. We will pause at two or three Stations each week in a reflective way. Most of us “connect” with at least one of the Stations from our own experience of judging, or assisting, or keeping going etc – the great themes of the Stations.

This year we want to bring the Stations alive by listening to one another’s story. One of the organisers Ami Liddington writes: “Lent is fast approaching. We will be running Stations of the Cross every Saturday morning via live-streaming at St Brigid’s. We would love to receive life reflections from as many people as possible, across our 3 Churches. For more information and / or to volunteer a reflection, please contact Ami Liddington on liddingtona@talktalk.net.

Fr Matthew