Sunday Sermon
Fr Jamie recorded his sermon in St Andrew's Church, Ravelston, this morning.
The Archbishop recorded Mass in St Bennet’s, Edinburgh
A message from Fr Patrick
Dear Friends,
I hope that you are all keeping well and staying safe indoors. Here at Cathedral House we are all still virus free (thank God) and we are continuing to function after a fashion! However, we miss you, our friends and parishioners, and we miss being able to celebrate the sacraments with you.
As you may know, Fr Jamie (being young and tech-savvy!) has arranged for Mass to be posted on our website and Facebook page every day, and I (being old and stupid) have managed to put up some material for meditation and even a thought for the week! The Archdiocesan website also has regular Mass with the Archbishop and, I believe, very soon will be posting a “Thought for the Day” by different priests from around the Diocese. Both websites are worth checking out!
We want you to know however that, each day, we are offering Mass and praying the Hours of Breviary throughout the day for all of you, for the church and the world. Right now, as we all know, our best service to the world around us is through prayer, supporting each other and neighbours or fellow citizens in need, and staying at home as much as possible so as to relieve any pressure from the NHS.
Doing all this can become our sacrifice which we offer to God. Sacrifice does not just mean giving something up. For us Catholics it means much more. First of all, the Mass is the Sacrifice of Christ – what He did 2000 years ago in His Suffering, Death and Resurrection is made present today in every Mass. He offered Himself up for us in perfect love.
So how can what we are doing now become a sacrifice in the fullest sense? This is done by making a clear offering of everything I do, feel, think, give up, endure, enjoy – my whole self – each day to God. If we make a Morning Offering every day when we wake up, then it means that everything we do in the day, our entire life that day, becomes a gift to God, an offering to Him. At Mass we are normally meant to bring our offerings of the past week to the Lord to offer them with Him in His sacrifice being offered in the Mass. We worship God by offering Him our entire selves, our whole lives: that’s our sacrifice. By doing this each day, we make our daily lives a mini-Mass, if I can put it like that.
Jesus tells us that the Father wants true worshippers who will worship in spirit and in truth. The Morning Offering is our way of continuing what happens at Mass in our own daily lives. And throughout the day, we can keep offering all we’re doing to God out of love for Him: it is our daily worship of the Father, through Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit. One day, when we all are able to return to the public celebration of Mass, we will be able to say a very heartfelt Amen to that prayer which ends the great Prayer of Sacrifice, the Eucharistic Prayer: Through him, and with Him, and in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.
This is a sample of a typical Morning Offering which we can use as soon we get up in the morning:
O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world this day, I offer you all that I do and say and think and feel and suffer and enjoy this day, my entire self, body, mind and soul: for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in reparation for my sins and those of the whole world, for [here you can mention you intentions that you wish to pray for], and for our Holy Father the Pope. Through you, Lord Jesus, may my offering be sanctified by the Holy Spirit; through you, Lord Jesus, may my offering give praise and love to our Father in Heaven.
After this, you might want to pray slowly the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.
God bless you all and your families and friends, Fr. Patrick
The Telephone Apostolate
From this week, church volunteers will be available to call anyone over the age of 18 for a friendly chat and to check-in on general well-being.
A regular and friendly natter on the phone can break up the day and can make you feel more in touch with the parish and the world generally. If you think you might benefit from a telephone call from a parish volunteer or would like to know more, then please fill out the form on the website or get in touch with Deacon Peter.
Read the newsletter for 29th March (pdf)
Read the newsletter for 29th March (doc)