Newsletter
THE 16th SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
18th JULY 2010
Calendar:
THURS: St. Mary Magdalene
FRID: St. Bridget of Sweden (Patron of Europe)
Gospel Reflection: Martha and Mary – Something of each!?
Churches are busy places. There are always one thousand and one things to do. There are youth clubs to organise, pilgrimages to finance, fundraising for the church, then there’s the toddlers group, the flower arranging, music rehearsals etc., quite apart from all the regular book keeping, admin’ and upkeep of registers. For much of its work the church relies on volunteers ….a team of willing parishioners alongside other pressing work commitments. Without these very busy people, the church would most likely grind to a halt. Martha was on one of these people. When Jesus calls at the home of Martha and Mary we see that Martha busies herself with all the practical arrangements. Meanwhile, her sister Mary takes time out to sit and listen to Jesus. Worse, when Martha complains, Jesus appears to take Mary’s side!
The very great danger in this story is that we feel inclined to take the side of one sister or the other. Surely Jesus wasn’t taking Mary’s side at Martha’s cost. Jesus must have appreciated Martha’s efforts to be a perfect hostess, but he was perhaps pointing out a pitfall to those of us who are overly busy. Sometimes our lives can become so full of practical concerns that we become intellectually and spiritually empty. It’s true that faith is meaningless without the action to back it up, but it’s equally important that actions without Christ at the core can ring hollow. We have to make space in our busy lives for our spiritual and intellectual development or we are in serious danger of becoming busy just for the sake of keeping busy. In today’s gospel, Mary recognised that on this occasion it was more important to develop spiritually than to work in the kitchen, and for this, Jesus commends her for making the better choice.
We are not asked to be more like Mary than Martha. We are not asked to choose a contemplative faith over action and works of charity. The ideal is to adopt a little bit of Martha and a little bit of Mary.
THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Very many congratulations to Alara Buke and Katie Gorton who will receive the sacrament this weekend at St. Francis de Sales Church from Bishop Alan.
St Mary Magdalene – Thursday. An Identity Issue?!
In the Gospels, there are three particular "characters" involved in this controversy: Mary Magdalene, a follower of our Lord (Jn 20:11-18); the anonymous penitent woman (Lk 7:36-50); and Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (Lk 10:38-42). In the West, particularly since the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great, the three characters have all been identified as St. Mary Magdalene. However, in the East, the three characters have remained separate, with St. Mary Magdalene and "St. Mary of Bethany" having separate feast days. St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas all refrained from making a final decision.
POPE BENEDICT’S VISIT IN SEPTEMBER
The draw for whoever goes to Hyde Park or Cofton Park in Birmingham will be made in the sacristy after Sunday Evening Mass this week. Those whose names are drawn will be informed immediately. Coordinators for the events have been appointed and names of everyone who wishes to attend will be recorded. To know more about the timetable and progress of the visit please go to:- www.thepapalvisit.org.uk
A DAY FOR LIFE – SUNDAY 25th JULY
Day for Life is celebrated yearly by the Catholic Church in Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales. It is a day dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition. Please collect a leaflet and the envelope for next week’s collection.
NEW CLEANING ROTA
Would all concerned kindly note that copies of the new rota, which will be commencing next week, are available for collection at the back of the Church.
Christiane Naylor
THE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
This week’s edition will be the final issue until September. Next week there will be a ‘News Leaflet’ available which will be for July 25th and all of August.
The Newsletter will appear again 5th September.
Walled Garden Outing
We will be visiting The Walled Garden in Sunbury next Wednesday (21st July) to see the Millennium Embroidery and have lunch. All to meet at the 216 bus stop outside the Plenty Café in Station Road at 11.15am.
All Enquiries:- . O’Leary, 
020 8979 7993.
Father Ozorio Cittora IMC (Consolata Missionaries) will be resident in the parish through August. He is staying in England until he goes to Rome for further studies in the Autumn.
Fr. Bernard
TAIZE
The next Taize service of prayer will be tomorrow evening (Monday 26th) here at St. Theodore’s at 7.30pm. Everyone is invited to participate in this service intended as always as an ecumenical endeavour.
MARMALADE
The last batch of marmalade until September is on sale this weekend. Please leave the money in the box provided in the porch.
RACE FOR LIFE
I am very happy to report that thanks to your generosity we were able to send a very healthy cheque for £649 to Cancer Research UK. £354 of this amount was from St. Theodore's.
This is far more than any of us expected and I cannot thank you enough. Kathleen Wren
SUMMER RETREATING
Overworked and overstretched? Before you book an expensive spa break or a holiday in the sun, why not consider a few days of tranquillity in one of the UK’S retreat houses? See - The Retreat Association (www.retreats.org.uk) or consult The Good Retreat Guide by Stafford Whiteaker. An idea??
World Youth Day – Madrid
We are in the time of another WYD. If anyone wishes to represent the youth of the parish with a contingent going from the diocese please let me know A.S.A.
THE REAR LIGHT
“Evil has no substance of its own, but is only the defect, excess, perversion, or corruption of that which has substance"
John Henry Newman