SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE 5th SUNDAY OF EASTER
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Apostles decide to sort out a row that was brewing between two different groups within the early Church in Jerusalem. The number of those who were becoming disciples was growing and this obviously made increasing demands on the Apostles. The work of feeding the poor, especially widows, was burgeoning and obviously distracting the Apostles from their other work. So, they decide to choose seven men “of good repute, filled with the Spirit and with wisdom.” These become the first deacons of the Church.
It's worth noting the reason the Apostles give for the decision to ordain the first deacons: “It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God so as to give out food.” Giving out food, social help, was good and very much part of what Christians were meant to be doing. But if it was all the Apostles were doing, there would be a danger for them to be reduced just to an ancient form of social workers or charity workers: the Church is more than a charitable NGO. If we neglect the word of God – the teaching of Jesus – and focus just on social work, we will lose what makes us distinctive. The Apostles knew that. They made it clear that entrusting this charitable work to the seven deacons would allow them time to focus on the word of God: “We will hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and the service of the word.”
During this lockdown, there is much of the normal sacramental life of the Church which is not directly available to us. We are not neglecting it – but maybe we are feeling neglected! Yet we can use this time to devote ourselves more wholeheartedly to prayer. To give some time each day to meditating on the Bible will help us – it will help us to get to know a bit better the fascinating Person of Jesus. He will enlighten us further about ourselves and about our lives – and He will draw us more deeply into the mystery of God, helping us to begin to taste and savour the delights of who God is in Himself. There is nothing more fulfilling than being with God – and also being in God, which is where prayer always leads us. This kind of prayer will then lead us to a further beautiful revelation – that, by grace, God is in us. He hasn’t neglected us and He never desserts us because in Jesus we are God’s Beloved.
The lockdown has also shown something else – the social outreach of the Church has not ceased. The care that so many of you have shown each other – with support, phone calls, help with shopping – has demonstrated this. We may not be meeting in our lovely Cathedral or at St. Andrews at the moment, but I feel that our parishioners are very much being the Church, doing what the Church is able to do in such restricted and difficult circumstances.
Maybe the blessing of this lockdown will be that we will be aware of the real blessings we have in our lives. I think that it will also help all of us, clergy and people, to work out more clearly what our roles as Catholics should be. It might help us to see how important a routine of daily prayer is for us. It should help us be aware of how much our society and our world needs Jesus Christ. I think it will also awaken in us a deep love for the Mass, for the Eucharist – as the wellspring for all we do in our lives and as the summit of our worship.
I am so looking forward to the day we can be at Mass together again. The words of Psalm 62 probably encapsulate everyone’s desire to receive the Lord again in Holy Communion:
O God, you are my God, for you I long; for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water.
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory.
In the meantime, let the words at the end of the psalm comfort us about our closeness, even now, to God and His closeness to us: My soul clings to you; your right hand holds me fast.
Fr. Patrick
Give to the Parish Collection Online
I know that there are worrying and uncertain times, but I can’t hide from you that the Cathedral is being hit very hard financially at this time. Even discounting the reduced running costs and reduced wage bill, we estimate that we are currently down at least £6,300 per month on our usual income. This is due almost exclusively to the fact that we have no weekly collections at Mass at this time.
Some parishioners have indicated that they want to donate but cannot give in the absence of the weekly collection. In response to these requests, the Archdiocese has set up a new system for each parish that provides a quick and easy online giving method for parishioners to contribute to the running of their church. You can make a weekly donation or set up a standing order for the Cathedral here: https://www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/donate
The Finance Committee identified a need to enable online giving before the current restrictions. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your generous donations to the Virgin Money Giving page the Cathedral set up last year. Your donations have been gratefully received by the Finance Office and we hope our parishioners find this new system even more convenient.
☎️ The Telephone Apostolate ☎️ Latest News
As the better weather arrives, we hear that there is the prospect of a plan to begin to see us emerge from lockdown. Everything seems a little bit brighter. However we still have to remember that for many of our parishioners who are shielding and isolated there is still a long way to go before their lives return to what any of us might call normal.
This is why the kindness and help of our volunteers is such an innovative and rewarding dimension, which we have now added to the life of our parish community. There is also no doubt at all that what we are doing in this apostolate has been very well received by our befriendees who now look forward to a wee chat, sometime two or three times a week with one of our volunteers.
We still have the capacity to do more and reach out to more people. If you or indeed someone you know might benefit from a call from one of our wonderful volunteers then please let us have the name and phone number of the person you know and wish to refer and we will do the rest. You can do this through the Cathedral website or on Facebook or by contacting Cathedral house by email or telephone.
WATCH DAILY MASS FROM CATHEDRAL HOUSE ONLINE
Each day, we publish one of the private Masses in Cathedral House, where we pray for our parishioners, mass intentions and an end to the spread of coronavirus. To participate spiritually in the Mass, please visit our Facebook page or the website.
Sunday Mass
Holy Mass will be available on the website, Facebook and sent to you by email at 9am on Sunday.
Mass Intentions
Although all public Masses are currently suspended, Fr. Patrick, Fr. Jamie and Fr. Tadeusz continue to offer Mass for the parishioners’ intentions. If you would like to schedule a Mass for someone who has recently died, for the anniversary of a loved one or for a special intention, please contact the Parish Office and we will help you to arrange a Mass. The Parish Office can be con-on 0131 556 1798 or email here. In order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, please do not visit the office in person at the moment.
🎬 Ravelston Youth Group Online 🎬
During this period of lockdown, the Sisters are making short videos for the children in the Youth Group. This week, they made a stained glass window. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/Bmn6uwawioA - a must see!
Bring Flowers to Our Lady
As you know, both the Cathedral and St. Andrew’s in Ravelston are still closed. However, outside the church in Ravelston, we have a lovely shrine dedicated to Our Lady. During this month of May, we would therefore like to invite you to bring flowers and prayer intentions to Mary, the Mother of Christ and our Mother. Perhaps your daily exercise can become a little pilgrimage? If you would like to bring flowers to Our Lady, but live too far away or are self-isolating, please contact cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk, and we will figure out a solution!
And Speaking of the Parish Grounds in Ravelston…
The Alma Mercy Sisters have also made a wee Rosary Walk. Well worth a visit!
The Role of Women in the Church – New Group Starting Soon
What is the Christian concept of woman and her indispensable role in the Church, the family, society, and the world? ENDOW is an international organisation which gathers women into small group, to build friendship and learn more about our faith together. And now, we are for the first time starting up a group in the Parish! We will meet on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm-5pm once a month, initially over Zoom and then, after the social distancing restrictions have been lifted, in the convent in Ravelston, to study St. John Paul II's Letter to Women together. No reading is required outside the meetings, it’s all very simple! The cost for the material is £30, everything else is free. To register or for more information, please contact cathedralhouse@stmaryscathedral.co.uk. Please note that the number of places are limited, so registration is required. We look forward to hearing from you!
Marriage Week 2020
11th – 17th May is the week that is nationally set aside to celebrate commitment to the Sacrament of Marriage. The theme this year is "The Forever Conversation," recognising the need for continual open communication to enable a marriage to be long lasting. Marriage Encounter is working in partnership with Marriage Week UK to promote events and celebrate marriage. For more information see marriage-week.org.uk / or www.me.org.uk, and YouTube.