SUNDAY: Ascension in not just a feast that happens to fall in Eastertide: it is an integral part of the Easter mystery. Remember the Lord’s words at the Last Supper: “I am going to prepare a place for, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me.” The resurrection presumes the Lord’s return to the Father. This is therefore a feast of hope: our hope in the Lord’s return, as he went. Our hope that he will take us with him, when our bodies are raised as his was. Our hope that we will take our place in heaven, where he sits on the Father’s right.

WELCOME THIS WEEK to Fr Michael English who will celebrate Mass on Friday and to Canon Gerry Rodgers who will be here Saturday morning. Some of the children from school will also be with us on Friday for Mass.

WORLD COMMUNICATIONS SUNDAY: This Sunday, we pray for those who work to promote the Gospel message through the varying forms of the mass media. The Catholic Communications Network of the Bishops’ Conference provides support for the bishops of England and Wales and the Church more widely in promoting the Gospel through the media on current issues. The office is the central point for media enquiries. It plays a key role in developing the public profile of the Church. This Sunday’s retiring collection supports this most important branch of the Bishops’ Conference and the Church’s work engaging with the media. Resources and details in the narthex.

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: First Communion, this year, is being celebrated next Sunday – 27 May – at 10.30am – Pentecost Sunday. Do keep them our children in your prayers: Kieran Parsons, Evie Nathasingh, Divya Rajesh, Maisie Sanders, William Bennett, Georgina Cox, Shane Parry, Calum Chilcott, Archie Daniels, Joshua Sims, Billy Jackson, Megan Sanders, Tommy Holland, Joseph Bennett, Isabelle O’Toole, Tore Popek, Callum Witts, Lila Ibrahim, and Dario Vecchia. The final preparation session takes place this Wednesday and the run-through for the weekend takes place on Friday at 5.00pm.

TUESDAY CAFÉ: Beginning this Tuesday – 22 May – our parish will start a short series of catechesis, deepening our understanding of the person of Jesus. Titled ‘Who are you looking for? I am he.’ this course – spread out over nine weeks – will explore the person of Jesus we find in the Gospel. We meet after Mass at about 10.15am for a short little input and then leaving time for conversation around the table to explore the theme a little further. The sessions are open to everyone and you are warmly encouraged to come along and to bring friends with you. There will be some good coffee or tea and some delicious cakes, too. Dates: 22 May, 29 May, 12 June, 19 June, 26 June, 3 July, 10 July, and 17 July. We will meet for an hour… simple, informative, engaging, and uncomplicated. Posters and details are available for you to take away with you from the narthex. Do make a note of the dates… and feel free to come along bringing others with you.

DIOCESAN FAMILY DAY: Taking place at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College on Saturday 30 June, this fantastic opportunity to gather together as a diocesan family comes at the invitation of Bishop Declan. There is plenty for all the family from the young to the very young at heart. There are some superb speakers and workshop facilitators to nurture your faith, deepen your prayer, or allow you to explore particular things of interest. All you need do is sign up for the day giving details of the workshops you want to take part in. The day starts with registration from 9.15am. Poster and handouts in the narthex. IT’S FREE… so do go along and support them day if you can. Pick up a leaflet and have a browse.

DIAMOND JUBILEE ‘RED, WHITE AND BLUE’ SOCIAL: If you are not tootling off for half term over the diamond jubilee weekend, then come along to our parish social on Saturday 2 June at 7.15pm. There will be a tasty jubilee supper and chance to raise a glass, too. There will also be a couple of games of bingo with our fantastic bingo caller making a return visit. Great fun for all the family. The dress code is, of course, red, white and blue! You can pop your name on the list in the narthex from this weekend. We’ll also draw the big prizes of the 200 Club that evening, too. Details on the notice board.

GIFT AID AND TAX RECLAIM: Following changes to the tax thresholds in April 2012 please would you check to make sure that you will pay enough tax in 2012/2013 to cover your gift aid declaration. If you have any queries or would like further details please contact David Lavelle (01275 836779) the parish gift aid secretary.

DO YOU HAVE EXPERTISE IN PERSONNEL AND RECRUITMENT? Can you help our primary school? You may be aware that, our excellent school leadership teams are supported by individuals who volunteer their time to act as Governors, ensuring the good Governance of the schools. At present, due to the retirement of a Foundation Governor, we are seeking an individual from our parish community with Personnel and Recruitment expertise to join the board of Governors at our Primary School. It only involves a few hours per term and, although it is unpaid it can be very rewarding. If you can help, please call Father Christopher on 01275 833699 or Paul Harper, Vice Chair of Governors on 07768 952212 for a confidential discussion.

GLASTONBURY PILGRIMAGE: This year’s pilgrimage is on Sunday 8 July. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Declan at 3.30 pm in the Abbey grounds. Poster and full programme for the day on the notice board.

CHRISTIAN UNITY SERVICE: The service will be held at Counterslip Baptist Church on Thursday 24th May at 7.30 pm.  The service will be followed by refreshments and an opportunity to meet with our friends from the other local Christian churches.  Do go and represent our parish community if you can.

DO YOU ENJOY SINGING? It would be great if we could for some sort of music group or choir at St. Bernadette’s to help lead and enhance the singing. The first practice will be Friday 15th June, at 7.45pm. The main aim of the choir will be to support the liturgy at some of our Sunday morning Masses. Please come and share your talents and time, especially if you have previous experience of choral singing or  can read music.

The Tuesday Cafe sessions are open to everyone… and you’d be more than welcome.

May 22 – Who are you looking for – I am he!

May 29 – I am the bread of life

12 June – I am the light of the world

19 June – I am the good shepherd

26 June – I am the gate

3 July – I am the resurrection and the life

10 July – I am the vine, you are the branches

17 July – I am the way, the truth, and the life

There is a poster in the narthex.

THIS SUNDAY: Last week it was sheep: this week, the vine. Jesus offers us another (agricultural) image to explain the mystery of his offering of himself, and our belonging to him, our being part of him, which comes about through the sacrament of Baptism. This is, as was stated earlier, the period of Mystagogy, when the newly baptised are helped to see what life in Jesus Christ really means. Today this comes out strongly for all of us, with two of the three readings emphasising the moral aspects of life in Christ: it is not simply enough to “belong” to him: our belonging must be shown by the works we do, by the fruits we bear – while remembering of course that we cannot bear fruit except in him.

MISSIONARY APPEAL: You made Sister Irene of the Missionary Sisters of St Peter Claver so welcome last Sunday. She was touched by your kindness and your care. You sent her away with £348.45 as our gift of support to the missions this year. Thank you for your generosity. That money goes to support the work of the congregations of Missionary Sisters based in this country with their foundations on the missions.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION: The children continue their preparation for First Communion this coming Wednesday. First Communion, this year, is being celebrated on Sunday 27 May at 10.30am – Pentecost Sunday. Do keep them in your prayers.

TUESDAY CAFÉ: Beginning on Tuesday 22 May, our parish will start a short series of catechesis, deepening our understanding of the person of Jesus. Titled ‘Who are you looking for? I am he.’ this course – spread out over nine weeks – will explore the person of Jesus we find in the Gospel. The format will be simple and uncomplicated. We meet after Mass at about 10.15am for a short little input and then leaving time for conversation around the table to explore the theme a little further. We have a wonderful, simple chance to deepen our understanding of who Jesus is and what it means to be a Catholic… and the beauty of the friendship Christ draws us into. The sessions are open to everyone and you are warmly encouraged to come along and to bring friends with you. There will be some good coffee or tea and some delicious cakes, too. Dates: 22 May, 29 May, 12 June, 19 June, 26 June, 3 July, 10 July, and 17 July. We start at 10.15am and will meet for an hour… simple, informative, engaging, and uncomplicated. Posters and details are available for you to take away with you from the narthex. Do make a note of the dates… and feel free to come along.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: The group meets next on Wednesday 16 May at 7.30pm (after Mass) in the presbytery.

OPENING THE WINDOWS – IN CELEBRATION OF VATICAN II: The fifth lecture in our diocesan series takes place at the Cathedral on Tuesday 15 May, beginning at 7.30pm. Professor Gavin D’Costa from Bristol University leads the reflection upon the Church reaching out to those of other faiths. He will explore the Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions – Nostra Aetate, and the Declaration on Religious Freedom – Dignitatis Humanae. They have been fantastic lectures so far. Do go along. There’s plenty of parking and it is free to get in, too.

DIOCESAN FAMILY DAY: Taking place at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College on Saturday 30 June, this fantastic opportunity to gather together as a diocesan family comes at the invitation of Bishop Declan. There is plenty for all the family from the young to the very young at heart. There are some superb speakers and workshop facilitators to nurture your faith, deepen your prayer, or allow you to explore particular things of interest. All you need do is sign up for the day giving details of the workshops you want to take part in. The day starts with registration from 9.15am. Poster and handouts in the narthex. IT’S FREE… so do go along and support them day if you can. Pick up a leaflet and have a browse.

DIAMOND JUBILEE ‘RED, WHITE AND BLUE’ SOCIAL: If you are not tootling off for half term over the diamond jubilee weekend, then come along to our parish social on Saturday 2 June at 7.00pm. There will be a tasty jubilee supper and chance to raise a glass, too. There will also be a couple of games of bingo with our fantastic bingo caller making a return visit. Great fun for all the family. The dress code is, of course, red, white and blue! You’ll be able to pop your name on the list in the narthex next weekend. We’ll also draw the big prizes of the 200 Club that evening, too.

COALITION FOR MARRIAGE: From the news you will know that the Government is consulting as it wants to extend the definition of marriage to same-sex relationships. The Bishops are inviting you to add your voice to the petition against redefining marriage. You are also invited to contact your MP. You will find the petition and the points which you may like to include in your MP’s letter on the board in the narthex.  Marriage is so readily under threat in our society and this gives us chance to uphold its dignity and its place within society.

CLASS MASSES: Beginning this coming Friday, one of the Class groups from our primary school will be joining us again for Mass each Friday at 9.30am. This coming Friday we are joined by Year 6 (ahead of their SATS). Do make them welcome and encourage them as they come to join us in our prayer.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS: Pauline Long, who was received into the Church along with her husband, Michael, at last year’s Easter Vigil and has been a real part of our parish family over the last fourteen months, died peacefully in hospital on Friday morning. We keep her in our prayers and remember Michael and their family at this sad time. May she rest in peace.

THIS SUNDAY: We continue to think about the Resurrection this week, from three different perspectives: the Gospel gives us another story of Jesus appearing to his disciples – this time the beautiful story of the meeting in Jerusalem, when Jesus proves he is alive and no ghost by eating some grilled fish: he reminds the disciples that all he suffered and rise so the “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” could be preached to the whole world. The first reading shows us Saint Peter’s doing just that, as he addresses the crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost: he takes them through recent events (fifty days earlier), highlighting the important point, that he and the disciples can witness to the raising of Jesus from the dead, and calling them to “repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.” The second reading brings this into our lives: the resurrection is not just a historical event, which we remember. By baptism (which we renewed at Easter) we become part of Jesus in his dying and his rising, as he ‘becomes the sacrifice that takes our sins away’. So all that Saint John tells us about the commandments and avoiding sin is our way of living the Resurrection.

EASTER REFLECTION BOOKLETS: These simple reflections taking you through each of the fifty days of Easter are still available from the Narthex, priced £1. Pick up your copy from the table.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: In the midst of the Easter Season, we gather to celebrate the living presence of the Risen Christ – our hope and our life. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the Resurrection. Monday 23 April at 7.30pm (that’s this coming Monday). Do come along; we deepen our relationship with the Lord through prayer, through the scriptures, and through beautiful, simple, chant. All are most welcome, and chance to invite our ecumenical friends, too.

TUESDAY CAFÉ: Beginning on Tuesday 22 May, our parish will start a short series of catechesis, deepening our understanding of the person of Jesus. Titled ‘Who are you looking for? I am he.’ this course spread out over nine weeks will explore the titles of Jesus we find in the Gospel. The format will be simple and uncomplicated. We meet after Mass at about 10.15am for a short little input and then leaving time for conversation around the table to explore the theme a little further. We have a wonderful, simple chance to deepen our understanding of  who Jesus is and what it means to be a Catholic… and all over a cuppa, beginning to explore what lies at the heart of what we believe. The sessions are open to everyone and you are warmly encouraged to come along and to bring friends with you. There will be a good cup of coffee or tea and some cakes, too. Dates: 22 May, 29 May, 12 June, 19 June, 26 June, 3 July, 10 July, and 17 July. We start at 10.15am and will meet for an hour… simple, informative, engaging, and uncomplicated. The full programme of titles will appear next week.

PARISH FORUM: The Forum group meets again on Wednesday 25 April at 7.30pm in the presbytery.

FIRST COMMUNION PREPARATION: The children preparing for First Communion this summer pick up their preparation again after the Easter break, they meet on Wednesday 25 April in school. They come to celebrate the gift of the Cross NEXT Sunday, 29 April, at 10.30am Mass.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: The group meets next on Wednesday 16 May at 7.30pm (after Mass) in the presbytery.

OPENING THE WINDOWS – IN CELEBRATION OF VATICAN II: The fifth lecture in our diocesan series takes place at the Cathedral on Tuesday 15 May, beginning at 7.30pm. Professor Gavin D’Costa from Bristol University leads the reflection upon the Church reaching out to those of other faiths. He will explore the Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions – Nostra Aetate, and the Declaration on Religious Freedom – Dignitatis Humanae. They have been fantastic lectures so far. Do go along. There’s plenty of parking and it is free to get in, too.

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY – DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS: Next Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is a Sunday where we focus our prayer each year upon praying for Vocations to the Priesthood, the Diaconate, and to the Religious Life. The second collection is taken next Sunday for the Diocesan Priests’ Training Fund. This fund supports the students for the priesthood and permanent diaconate of our diocese in their years of formation, and also supports the ongoing formation of our priests. Do please give as generously as you can and keep this intention in your prayers.

PARISH MAGAZINE: The Easter/Spring edition of the parish Magazine is available from the Narthex. Do pick your copy as there are some interesting articles in it. They are free and if you want to pop a little something towards production costs in with the newspaper money, then please feel free to do so. You will notice that many of the groups within the parish are seeking to recruit some new faces. If you can respond in any way to their requests or you want to find out a little more and how much commitment is needed, do get in touch with the particular individuals who are inviting you to use your wonderful talents and skills for the good of our parish community.

RONALD COUTTS RIP: Our prayers are offered for Ronald Coutts who died this last week, and we keep his family in our prayers at this time. We also keep in our prayers those who are sick, and for those who are suffering and close to death at this time. May God’s Holy Spirit give them comfort, solace and peace.

THIS SUNDAY: There were two remarkable moments in the story of the Old Testament where God saved his people; one was in the escape from Egypt – we’ll keep that for the Easter Vigil. The other was the end of their second exile, this time in Babylon, which we hear of today. Of course there was an even greater moment when God saved his people: the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God – and we hear Jesus tell Nicodemus about that today. So today’s theme is “salvation”: but to understand “being saved”, we must ask “What from?” Saved from slavery, from exile, from human enemies – these are all clear. But the last and greatest salvation brought by Jesus is harder to understand: saved from sin and death. These threaten us as much as any other enemy, and our salvation in Jesus is as real as any other. We are also at the mid-way point of Lent – Laetare Sunday invites us to to a certain joy as we near the events that celebrate our salvation.
________________________________________

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves.   Just sing up on the list in the Narthex to ensure you are well catered for.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am.

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: This Friday and for the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am).

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March (that’s this coming Tuesday) free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Decree on Ecumenism and the Council’s ecumenical outreach and, of course, its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

MASS IN ITALIAN: For the start of Holy Week and the celebration of Palm Sunday, Fr Gerardo Fabrizio will be with us to celebrate Mass at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday in Italian (1 April). Do come along if you can. There will be refreshments in the Hall afterwards.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) from 6.00pm until 7.30pm (altered), and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available those evenings.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

TABLE TOP SALE: To raise some much needed funds for CLIC (Cancer and leukaemia in Children) and SANDS (Stillborn and neonatal death), Barbara Coles is hosting a table top sale in the Hall on Saturday 21 April from 12 – 200pm.  If you can help out by making baked goods, jams and preserves, or you have something for the gift table or some unused, unwanted toiletries, you can hand them into at the presbytery or contact Barbara on (01275) 837754 as soon as possible. Do come along on the day, though, and support these charities, please.

HOLY WEEK AND EASTER: The schedule for Holy Week this year is available for you to take away. Do make sure you pick up an extra one or two copies to pass around to folk who might just need a little encouragement to come and celebrate Easter with us.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS: We remember in our prayers Evelyn Welling and Kathleen Joyce who both died during this last week. Evelyn’s funeral will take place at South Bristol Crematorium this coming Friday at 2.00pm, and Kathleen Joyce’s funeral takes place here at St Bernadette’s on Monday 26 March at 10.00am. May they rest in peace.

OUR PRIMARY SCHOOL: Do keep our primary school in your prayers this week as they welcome the Section 48 (RE) inspector into school on Tuesday and Thursday.

4 March 2012 – Second Sunday of Lent (B)

THIS SUNDAY: We spool forward a few centuries in the story of the Old Testament, to arrive at Abraham, “our Father in faith”. Keep that theme of Covenant in the front of your minds as you listen to the readings this Sunday. We hear of another Covenant (like last week) – even though the word is not used. God promises Abraham descendants like “the stars of heaven”, and the showering of blessings. This shows how much God loves Abraham, and all his children.  This love is proved for us in Jesus: God loves us so much he sacrificed his only Son (just as Abraham was willing to do); but this is not all: Jesus also rose from the dead, to stand at God’s right hand and plead for us. All this is revealed in the story of the Transfiguration, where Jesus is seen in the glory that is rightfully his as the only Son of God. Not until after the Resurrection will the disciples see this fully again.

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: We welcome the children to 10.30am Mass on Sunday 11 March (next Sunday) as they are presented with a copy of the scriptures, reminding them of Christ’s presence to us in his Word – a Word that grow attentive to each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: This little fledgling group meets on Tuesday 6 March at 7.00pm. It is made up of representatives from the ‘liturgical’ side of our parish community: someone to represent our readers, our extra-ordinary ministers, our Children’s Liturgy, our servers, our welcomers, our musicians and cantors, our flowers ladies, those who beautify the Church for us, and those who put the rotas together for us. It is a real way of communicating and coming together with a common vision as well as planning and providing opportunity for preparation.

THE SEASON OF LENT ~ a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we might be re-moulded, renewed, re-imagined, refreshed and re-fashioned to become more like Christ.

CAFOD FAST DAY: Envelopes that were attached to last week’s newsletter can be popped into the Retiring Collection, please, which will take place after all Masses. This year’s collection is focused upon giving clean water to communities without. There is a government price match – for every £1 we raise for CAFOD, the government will match it with another £1. Please do make use of your envelope (especially if you are a tax payer) and please give as generously as you can to this important Lenten retiring collection.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: The second of our parish soup lunches takes place on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12 noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Details of the ecumenical lunches in the local churches are on the notice board.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction. This prayerful journey to the Cross draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s love for us. If you can make this a real part of your Lenten prayer, please do come along. We’ll use a different set of reflections for each of the weeks.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, we will continue to celebrate Morning Prayer in the Church each Sunday beginning at 9.45am. If you want to make this part of your Lenten Prayer, then please come along. The Liturgy of the Hours is a beautiful celebration of the psalms sung to simple tones and enables us to pray, not only for the Church, but with and on behalf of the Church, too. This is only for the six Sundays of Lent… so come and see!

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: Continuing this Friday and the remaining Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am) just to allow those who want to, to either stay on or to allow folk to just pop in for a moment of prayer. The Church will be open, so do make use of this little opportunity to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

TAIZE MUSIC AND PRAYER: At the start of our journey of Holy Week this year, there will be an evening of Taize prayer in the Church. This beautiful and simple evening of reflection will draw our attention towards the cross. In song and prayer, reflecting upon the scriptures and drawing upon the spirituality of Taize, we come to the Lord. Monday 2 April at 7.30pm. Do come along – there will also be opportunities for confession that evening, too.

VATICAN II COURSE: Keep 20 March free in your diaries – Clifton Cathedral, 7.30pm. Professor Paul Murray from Durham University will be with us to talk about the Council’s ecumenical outreach and its impact on what we are called to be, as Church, today. Prof Murray is well able to deepen our understanding of the Council’s ecumenical initiatives, and it’ll be great to reflect upon how we continue to live the fruit of that invitation today. All are welcome – a fantastic series so far!

LENTEN CONFESSIONS: There will opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we journey through Lent. The two Saturday opportunities are there as well as an opportunity as part of Taize evening or prayer on 2 April (7.30pm); also on the Tuesday of Holy Week (3 April) at 10.00am until 10.45am, and Spy Wednesday (4 April) from 7.30pm until 8.15pm. There will be a couple of priests available that evening.

THE ROAD TO CALVARY – A Passion Play: This reflection as we head towards Holy Week takes place at St Gerard’s, Knowle, on Friday 30 March at 7.00pm. Tickets cost £5. All are welcome.

‘Remain here.’  Jesus’ instruction to Peter, James and John is clear.  In this crucial period of prayer that bridges his Last Supper and his arrest, Jesus, as true man, needs to accept the fate which, as true God, he knows awaits him.   The intensity of it is such that he sweats blood and yet three times he breaks from his prayer and goes to his disciples.  Why?

The disciples are willing, but their flesh is weak and they fall asleep, perhaps not realising how important their presence is to Jesus in his agony.  For although there is little the disciples can do, Jesus simply wants them to be there with him.

Lord Jesus, like your disciples, I too can underestimate how much you value my presence.  

When I listen, I hear you gently urging me, ‘remain here’,

For you love me so much that you gave your life for me:

Of course you want me to remain with you! 

But I, Good Lord, not loving you as I ought, 

Wander far from your gentle whisper

and forget the sweetness of your voice amidst the clamour of the day.

Help me, my Lord Jesus, to remain in you.

Help me to bring the gift of your love to others,

Remembering the value of simply being present to others in their need.  

Amen.

THIS SUNDAY: There are many “themes” running through the Gospel today—faith, perseverance, healing—which seem dramatic to us. But the theme highlighted by our first reading is that of the power of Jesus to forgive sins—something that would perhaps have been more remarkable in his own time. Saint Mark is clearly revealing to us something important about Jesus of Nazareth—something which shocks and surprises the scribes listening to Jesus. Such an immediate forgiveness of sins was, to them, new and disturbing. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we take forgiveness for granted sometimes: when the paralytic, after all the struggles and efforts of his family and friends, heard Jesus say, “Your sins are forgiven”, was he disappointed or delighted?

FIRST COMMUNION 2012: The preparation sessions for our youngsters start up again this coming week -Wednesday, 22 February – at 11.00am in school.  The children will still have their books in school already, but if they haven’t, parents are asked to make sure you send them in, please. We welcome the children to 10.30am Mass on Sunday 11 March as they are presented with a copy of the scriptures, reminding them of Christ’s presence to us in his Word – a Word that grow attentive to each and every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

BATH HALF MARATHON: Maria Murphy is planning to run this year’s half marathon to raise funds for the Society for Mucopolysaccharide Diseases (MPS), diseases that causes progressive physical disability as well as severe degenerative mental deterioration in children. Maria has put a sponsor form on the notice board in the narthex, so if you would care to sponsor her, please sign up! The half marathon takes place on 11 March… so there’s time to give her your support.

PARISH LITURGY GROUP: This gathering will look at ensuring that each of our ministers is formed and supported, as well as providing a real opportunity to reflect upon what we do as a community of prayer. The meeting aims, also, at allowing each of those coordinators to communicate with one another and facilitate a planning of what takes place here when it comes to our prayer. They meet on Tuesday 6 March at 7.00pm.

THE SEASON OF LENT ~ a season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so that we might be re-moulded, renewed, re-imagined, refreshed and re-fashioned to become more like Christ.

CAFOD FAST DAY: This year, the CAFOD fast day takes place on Friday 2 March. Envelopes will be attached to next week’s newsletter in readiness for the start of Lent and the Lenten collection will take place on Saturday 3/Sunday 4 March (Second Sunday of Lent). This year’s collection is focused upon giving clean water to communities. There is a government price match – for every £1 we raise for CAFOD, the government will match it with another £1. Look out for your envelope and please give as generously as you can.

ASH WEDNESDAY: The Season of Lent begins on Wednesday 22 February. Two Masses in Church – 9.30am and 7.00pm. There will also be a Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of Ashes in our primary school. It’s not a Holyday of Obligation, but it is an important start to this season on renewal, growth, and preparation.

LENTEN SOUP LUNCHES: These two wonderfully nourishing yet simple soup lunches that mark the start and the end of Lent in our parish will take place on Friday 24 February at 12noon onwards (…that’s this coming Friday), and also on Palm Sunday – 1 April – from 12noon onwards. A great way to tap into that Lenten fasting as well as reaching our in love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Details of the ecumenical lunches will appear in the newsletter next week. Just sign up in the narthex for this coming Friday’s.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS: Each Sunday of Lent, beginning 26 February at 4.00pm, there will be the celebration of the Stations of the Cross followed by Benediction. This prayerful journey to the Cross draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s love for us. If you can make this a real part of your Lenten prayer, please do come along. We’ll use a different set of reflections for each of the weeks.

SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER: Just for the Season of Lent, there will be Morning Prayer in the Church on Sundays beginning at 9.45am. If you want to make this part of your Lenten Prayer, then please come along. The Liturgy of the Hours is a beautiful celebration of the psalms sung to simple tones and enables us to pray, not only for the Church, but with and on behalf of the Church, too. We’ll begin Morning Prayer next Sundays on 26 February. This is only for the six Sundays of Lent… so come and see!

FRIDAY HOLY HOUR: On each of the Fridays of Lent, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for an hour of prayer after the morning Mass (so from 10.00am until 11.00am) just to allow those who want to, to either stay on or to allow folk to just pop in for a moment of prayer. The Church will be open, so do make use of this little opportunity to deepen our relation with the Lord.

WALK WITH ME: These beautiful little books of Lenten reflections are available from the Narthex. They cost £1 and will take you through each day of the six weeks of Lent. Pick up your copy whilst they are there. The money can be popped in with the newspaper money.

BORN FOR THIS: A powerful musical recounting the story of Easter is being performed in our Cathedral by talented young people from our diocese. Taking place on Saturday 3 March in the Cathedral, this wonderful musical presentation begins at 7.30pm… and all are welcome. Entry is free. An ideal opportunity to celebrate the Season of Lent and look forward to the wonder of Easter. Do go along and support our young people, our secondary schools, and our Diocesan Youth Service. Poster in the narthex for more info.

WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER taking place on Friday 2 March.  This year the service for the local Christian Churches is being held at Christchurch, Petherton Road at 11.00am and the theme prepared by the women of Malaysia is for Justice to Prevail throughtout the World.  Following the service a light lunch will be offered. Please do go along and join them as well as representing St B’s.

Group Member Jane Critten explains more:

Lectio Divina: ‘What?’ ‘So what?’ & ‘Now what?’

What?

The term ‘lectio divina’ simply refers to the time-honoured method – practised by monastics since their beginning – of prayerfully reading the scriptures.

Whilst understanding scripture – as theology, literature and history – is important, lectio divina is not as concerned with exegesis as it is with learning to listen in the context of prayer to what scripture has to say to us and to respond prayerfully to what we hear.  As Pope Paul VI wrote so eloquently,

‘Prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for “we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying”.’[1]

To practice lectio divina, we need to set some time apart for this prayer and establish external and internal peace.  Then, asking the help of the Holy Spirit, we begin the first stage:  we read our passage of scripture.  At this stage, lectio, what concerns us is what the passage is saying of itself.  Without paying attention to scripture at this level, there is a danger that we simply manipulate the text to our own purposes, rather than letting God speak through his scripture.

The second stage of the process is meditatio: we listen to what the scripture passage is saying to each of us.  This stage is deeply personal.  This is not a search for something original or clever to say about the text, nor is it a quest for identifying the most objectively important message of the passage.  It requires a listening of the heart: which word or phrase ‘jumps out’?  There is no need at this stage to analyse the reasons for it (indeed there is a risk that if we do so, we may suppress a challenging or otherwise unexpected response to the scriptures), but simply acknowledge that it is there.  Having acknowledged its presence, we go further into our meditation and, through reading the passage again, we ask what that word or phrases means to us.

Having meditated attentively upon the Lord’s word, we move on to the third stage of lectio divina: oratio, or prayer.  What do we say to the Lord in response to his word?

The fourth stage of the lectio divina structure is contemplatio.  As we spend this time in wonder, we pray for the grace to see as God sees and for the wisdom to discern God’s will for us.  David Foster compares this stage of contemplation – or ‘wonder’ – with lingering after sharing a meal with a friend:

We sit and take time to enjoy the food shared, and especially to enjoy the company in which we have shared the food and drink. It is a time for gratitude, humour and togetherness.  So it is good not to hurry out of the presence of God we have savoured in our time of prayer… this is a time just to let God be God, and to let God be God for me. Our own self-offering to God will come naturally out of that.’[2] 

Reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation are the four stages of lectio divina but of course, there is always actio,  for as St Paul says, ‘the love of Christ urges us on’ (2 Cor 5:14).  The impact of our lectio divina in our lives – the caritas (or charity) it inspires – is the true completion of the process of lectio divina.

So what?

Last year, John Huntriss came to St Bernadette’s to give us his lecture series on scripture, ‘The Diary of God’.  A natural follow-on from learning about scripture is learning to pray with scripture.  To that end, Fr Christopher invited Caroline Price to help form a group of seven parishioners in the ways of lectio divina.  The hope is that the group will open up to those who would like to make use of the formation they have received and the seven will take it in turns to facilitate a lectio divina group at St Bernadette’s.

At the prospect of facilitating a prayer group, there was – as you might imagine – a strong sense of ‘we’re not worthy’ among the group, coupled with a fear of coming across as ‘holier than thou’.  However, having journeyed through the formation process under Caroline’s gentle guidance, I am relieved to find that facilitating such a group does not require great knowledge or even holiness.  All we are called upon to provide is an opportunity for a group to read the scriptures in this prayerful manner, handing on what we ourselves have learned.

One might wonder why we bother to meet up to read the scriptures in this way when it is a process that one can readily make use of on ones own.  The answer to this will be evident to anyone who has taken part in the process.  Each week we shared one passage of scripture. Each week, we shared what ‘jumped out’ at us (though please note that sharing is not compulsory – there may be times when sharing would make you cry, or feel uncomfortable in some other way. That is understood and respected).
Sometimes, two or even three of us would have been struck by the same word or phrase, but even so, each person’s response to those words or phrases was always markedly different (this is not surprising when you think about it, because we are all individuals and the scripture passage provides only one side of the conversation!).  For me, listening to those insights from the other members of the group has demonstrated the great value of sharing the scriptures in a group.

Now what?

We are very grateful to Caroline, who has been leading us through our formation process with her beautiful gentleness and humility, and we are now nearly at the end of our formation process.  In the New Year, we hope to open the group up to the wider parish.  I have been challenged, surprised, delighted and have received many unexpected graces through my participation in the group and would highly recommend it!  Don’t just take my word for it, though: Pope Benedict XVI has said of lectio divina,

‘If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church – I am convinced of it – a new spiritual springtime.’[3]

I warmly invite you to come and share in what we have had the good fortune of receiving.

Jane Critten

However, difficulties in prayer arise not from problems with multi-tasking but an inability to mono-task.  How often have I come to the end of a psalm, only to realise that I’ve been thinking of several other things and ceased praying the psalm (really) at around the second verse?  How often does an examen at the end of a tiring day take twice as long because of the brain’s inability to focus on one thing at a time?  How many times in these last two months have I uttered, ‘and also with you‘ because I’ve been thinking, ‘this child needs the loo,’ or some similar thought?

Praying while we busy our hands with other things good and laudable^*.  However, during our time-that-is-only-for-prayer our aim, our challenge, is to only pray.  This needs preparation.  If we fail to prepare properly for prayer, we set ourselves up for a half-hour’s battle against a multi-tasking brain that can’t resist compiling a shopping list, thinking over a conversation we had yesterday and composing a letter to The Times at the same time. It is like, I suppose, taking the phone ‘off the hook’ in order to give ones attention fully to God.

So, to prepare for prayer: Teresa of Avila wrote of vocal prayer (though it applies to mental prayer too) that only three things are necessary:  an awareness of who we are; an awareness of whom we are addressing and an awareness of what we are saying.  Those first two are the context rather than the focus of our mental prayer: we have placed ourselves in the presence of God, we have sought – and gained – an audience with Him.  Having established ourselves in the presence of God, taking the phone ‘off the hook’, we then converse with ‘Him whom my heart loves’.

It sounds so simple because it is so simple.  Our problem is that we are not sufficiently simple: we find ourselves thinking of several other things besides ‘Him whom my heart loves’.  We need to gain and retain this awareness of who we are and whom we are addressing… then we will be ready to only pray.

_____________________________

^{* For more on this topic, see ‘Pray while Smoking’}