Dearest friends,
War is just about the worst thing that we humans practice on each other. The moment we declare war on each other the rules of decent human love go out the window.
We dress this up by saying there are rules of war, that you can do this – but you can’t do that. You can arrest a soldier but you mustn’t mistreat him.
It’s of little comfort when the aim appears to be to kill as many men, women and children as you can of the ‘enemy’.
The reality is of course that we have only one enemy in this life and he lives somewhere rather warmer than earth.
It is that fallen creature that drives us towards hatred and the normalising of killing each other, of aiming missiles and guns at each other.
There is only one enemy that helps us somehow make war okay – because we have ‘rules’.
War is never okay. It is never okay because it requires us to cease to love our neighbour as ourselves – as Jesus loved us and as He continues to love us.
War starts in the small acts of aggressions we show each other every day. War starts in the nastiness of our own hearts when they are not full of the love that Jesus gives us.
Pray that your own heart is shed of any hatred and aggression, that it is instead filled with Jesus’ Love. Pray that the hearts of others are filled with that love. Pray that one day we will be able to say that War is a thing of the past.
Pray that the ‘debt of love’ as St. Paul describes it, replaces a desire to be unkind, nasty, or violent.
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Notices
Remembrance
Services will begin at the usual time this Sunday with an Act of Remembrance.
Explorers
Is back! Sunday 9th, 3pm-5pm – if you didn’t manage to come along last time, do consider joining us at St. Catherine’s this time. Lots of fun and an oppertunity to meet new people.
Sunday 9th November
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 🟢
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mas [SL]
3pm – 5pm – Explorers [SC]
Divine Office Psalter Week 4, C(I),
3 before Advent, Proper 27
Upcoming Dates
November
9th – Explorers [SC]
15th – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
Quiz Night with Fish & Chips, St. Luke’s, 7pm
22nd – Christmas Lights Turn On, stalls at both events
27th – Advent Course, 1st lecture, 7pm, [WH]
30th – Advent Carols by Candlelight, 6pm [SL]
December
7th – Explorers & Christingle, 3-5pm [SC]
13th – Bay Brass Band Concert, 7pm [SL]
20th – 9 Lessons & Carols, 6pm, both churches
21st – Christingle & Crib Service, 3-5pm [SL]
24th – Live Nativity, 4pm [SJ]
Midnight Mass, 8pm [SJ]
Midnight Mass, 11:30pm [SL]
25th – Christmas Day Mass, 10am [SL & SJ]
St. Luke’s Men’s Group meets every Friday for mass at 10am and discussion afterwards. [SL]
Table Top Sale at Wickham Hall every 3rd Saturday at 10am.
St. Luke’s Women’s Group meets first Wednesday of every month.