The 14th Sunday of the Year
8th July 2007

Wednesday - St Benedict
Thursday - St John Jones

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Gospel Reflection:
"Selling the Message"

We live in a world of wolves! The Christian message grows quieter and quieter just when it needs to be strong. The Church is smaller just when the need around us is greater. How can we promote Jesus' message in a society that tries to confine Christianity to a Sunday afternoon TV Slot?

We might feel small in face of impacting our beliefs on an unbelieving world. That we feel small perhaps helps us to understand the task the early disciples faced in Luke's Gospel. Jesus sent seventy-two disciples ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit to prepare the way. Jesus knew that they were up against the odds. He describes them as lambs among wolves. "The harvest is abundant," he says, "but the labourers are few." More credit then, to those early disciples that the Christian message has survived for over two thousand years. What can we learn from their obvious success?

Jesus gave his early disciples some important practical advice. His first words of advice were for us to travel light. How can we concentrate on impacting Jesus' will if we are burdened with other concerns? Next Jesus advocates relying on hospitality and walking away from opposition. Perhaps today we would call it 'knowing one's audience'. In a nutshell, Jesus is asking us to focus on the job hand, avoid distraction, and not to be deterred by opposition or setbacks.

To use the current jargon, God's message needs 'selling'. It needs to be spotlighted and campaigned. The message of peace is ever more relevant in a war torn world. The job to done might seem impossible, but we take encouragement from those few early disciples and the scale of their success.

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St. Benedict (480?-543)
11th July - Wednesday

Benedict was born of a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome and early in life was drawn to the monastic life. At first he became a hermit , but then
he had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one "Grand Monastery" to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world - Monte Cassino.

The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labour and living together in community under a common father. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and charity. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation and the Cistercians.

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ANNOUNCEMENT - THE PARISH NEWSLETTER

The weekly newsletter will be published for two more weeks before being rested for the course of the holiday season after which it will appear again on Sunday 2nd September.
This week's issue will not be put 'on-line' until after the weekend.

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TABLE-TOP SALE - NEXT SATURDAY

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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200-CLUB WINNERS

You're in the money!!!

and CONGRATULATIONS to the following:-

February: K Dellanno / M McNamara / C Taylor
March: S. Duffy / S Taylor / B Carr
April: £100 Jackpot - J Dempsey
May: C Cross / J Buckley / D O'Connell
June: R Gibbs / A-M Obertelli /
M McCrossan

Call Rocio T. for info on collection of winnings on:-
020 8941 7844

OVERDUE!! Check these numbers to make sure your's is not one of them!!!

5/8/11/13/14/16/21/22/29/31/35/40
/43/44/47/49/53/54/57/59/60/69/70
/71/75/77/78/83/84/90/92/95/102/ 107/109/112/113/116/117/120/122/
123/125/127/129/133/135/136/137/
142/143/146/149/152/155/158/163/
170/175

All these numbers have been included in draws. (Some have even won!!!) Please check and phone me, Rocio Thompson, to know your arrears.