The Nativity of John the Baptist
24TH June 2007

Wednesday - St CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA
Friday - Saints PETER AND PAUL

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Gospel Reflection: Born for a purpose

There's a new baby on the way and excited parents will start to make plans. They will choose the baby's name, and what colour to paint the nursery. Some parents will already be planning which school or even university! Fond mothers-to-be will be imagining dance classes and music lessons. Indulgent dads will have decided which football team the baby will support. The baby's future is already decided before he or she is even born. John the Baptist's family must have felt a little like this. We don't know what plans they might have made, but we do know that they had hoped to name the new baby Zacharias after his father. God however had other plans. God chose the name 'John' for the new baby through the mediation of an angel. That God chose John the Baptist's name tells us that he had already carved a destiny for the baby. John was born for a purpose.

The gospels present John without explanation, as if everybody should recognise him. John's mission had two facets. First of all he called people to repentance and baptism. Secondly he prepared the way for Jesus. In a way he was God's spokes person. But that's not where it all ends. God's project of salvation is still to be carried out and it doesn't necessarily take a great prophet like John. A prophet is simply a spokesperson, a job each of us could undertake to varying degrees. Like John, each of us is born for a purpose. The ministry of John the Baptist continues in each of us.

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Saints Peter and Paul - Friday June 29th
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION

Jesus chose some unexpected characters to be his Apostles, a tax collector (the most hated of professions,) a bunch of fisherman, the headstrong and impetuous Peter, and then there was Paul, who hated the Christians with a passion and arranged their persecution.

Peter and Paul represent two strikingly different approaches to discipleship. Peter had to learn slowly, making many mistakes along the way. Paul, on the other hand, came to the Faith immediately and never backed away from his zeal for Christ after that. We aim to imitate these two great apostles in our own lives. Like Peter, we know we are likely to fail and to get things wrong, yet like Peter we aim to persevere. Like Paul, we must always be on fire for the Lord, and proclaim Him to everyone and in every situation.

Saint Peter we are told, demanded he be crucified upside down. He did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. Similarly brave in the face of death, Saint Paul wrote from his prison cell, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." Both saints died proclaiming Jesus was the Son of God. Do we acknowledge them as two of the most powerful founders of our Church and follow their example?

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A DAY FOR LIFE "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb"

Next Sunday is kept in England and Wales as a way of raising awareness in a secular society of the eternal value and meaning of human life and to assist the Charity in its work www.dayforlife.org

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Father Des MacMorrow C.M.

...was delighted and amused to receive the cards and greetings for his 90th birthday from parishioners at St. Theodore's. He asked me to say - "Many thanks and we remember each other at our prayers". Fr. Bernard.

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TAIZE

The service has been arranged to take place here at St. Theodore's tomorrow (Monday 25th) at 8.00pm. Please take advantage of an opportunity to be a part of this ecumenical time of prayer.

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TABLE-TOP SALE

We are holding a tabletop sale on Saturday 14th July in the Parish Centre from 10.00 to 12.30pm. The proceeds from the cake stall will be going to the Street Children of Columbia and all other profits will go to Father Bernard's Jubilee Fund. Please bake a cake for us and make a note in your diary and come along and support us in our housing efforts. K. Wren

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ROTAS

Please note that the new rota for the Flower Arrangers is available to be collected. Would Eucharistic Ministers, Readers and Offertory Collection Counters please collect their new rota if they have not received it electronically