On 22nd NOVEMBER the Church remembers SAINT CECILIA . Cecilia is the patron saint of Musicians and Poets. Her existence and martyrdom are considered historical, however there is a fair amount of legend regarding her life. . She lived in the 2nd Century and came from a wealthy Christian family and wanted to totally dedicate her life to God, but was forced to marry a wealthy nobleman called Valerian. At the wedding she sat apart from the groom and sang hymns throughout the service (hence her patronage). . Apparently when it came to the wedding night, Cecilia warned her husband that there was an angel of the Lord guarding her, who would punish him if they shared a bed. Valerian asked to see the angel who revealed himself. As a result Valerian converted and was eventually martyred with Cecilia by the Roman governor. The legend also says that after beheading, which took three strikes, her head lived on for three days, singing praise to God and asking that her house be made into a church! . Behind most legends, there is often an element of truth. Let us pray that the truth of this story might inspire us, and we pray for all musicians and poets, that they would use their gifts to inspire others with the beauty of music and words as we pray: Our Father… . #catholic #church #prayer #Jesus #god #pray #prayer #reflection #meditation #gospel #bible #saint #feast #catholiceducation @rcwestminster @dowym
On NOVEMBER 21st the Church celebrates the PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY . The Presentation of a child was something that all Jewish parents would do – similar to infant baptism for Catholics. On one hand this reminds us of the ordinariness of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her childhood. However, we also remember that she was chosen before birth to be conceived without sin (the Immaculate Conception) so that she could carry God within her which also relied on her own personal ‘yes’ and self-dedication to God. Let us open our hearts to say yes to the Lord so that he can use us – however ordinary we feel! . Let us pray: Lord, as we honour the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and seek her help, grant that we, like her, may share in the fullness of your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Hail Mary… . #catholic #church #prayer #Jesus #god #pray #prayer #reflection #meditation #gospel #bible #saint #feast #catholiceducation @rcwestminster @dowym
On 17th NOVEMBER the Church remembers SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY (1207 – 1231) . St Elizabeth was a daughter of the King of Hungary. She was given in marriage to Ludwig, the Landgrave of Thuringia, with whom she had three children. When her husband died she embraced a life of poverty and built a hospice in which she cared for the sick herself. . So often we see unhappy rich people yet the Church has countless saints who gave up their riches to help the needy and in doing so found great joy and purpose. Take a moment to consider what we are pursuing in the hope of happiness… perhaps we’re looking in the wrong direction. . Let us pray: Lord God, you taught Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to see and reverence Christ in the poor. May her prayers help us to give constant love and service to the afflicted and the needy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. . #catholic #church #prayer #Jesus #god #pray #prayer #reflection #meditation #gospel #bible #saint #feast #catholiceducation @rcwestminster @dowym
The 16th NOVEMBER is the memorial of St EDMUND OF ABINGDON. . Edmund was the son of a rich merchant but lived a simple life and studied hard as a young man. In the late 12th century he studied and then lectured maths and philosophy in both Oxford and Paris universities. He was the first Master of Arts (MA) of Oxford. The place where he taught at Oxford was later renamed St Edmund Hall. He later switched to Theology and became a priest eventually becoming Archbishop of Canterbury in 1233. . St Edmund is a great example of not settling and always striving to be more – a growth mindset. He could have had an easy life with his father’s wealth, but he chose to work hard, apply himself, nurture his gifts and strive to be the best that he could be. . We live in a culture where it is popular to ‘coast’ – just doing enough to get by rather than pushing for excellence. Often this is because we can feel that the extra effort goes unnoticed so we just stop trying. . We ask our Mother Mary to pray for us, that we would make the best of our God-given talents: Hail Mary… . #catholic #church #prayer #Jesus #god #pray #prayer #reflection #meditation #gospel #bible #saint #feast #catholiceducation @rcwestminster @dowym
In SUNDAY’S GOSPEL, Jesus tells the famous ‘parable of the talents’. . In this parable, a landowner puts three servants in charge of his wealth while he goes away. One servant gets five talents, another gets two and the last gets one. The first two servants go and put their talents to work – using them, investing them, and helping them grow into more. The third servant simply buried his one talent in the ground. . When the master returns he praises the work of the the first two servants, and allows them to keep what he has given them and gives them even more. The third servants is rebuked and condemned and the little he has is taken away. . This parable should cause us to reflect on how we use the gifts and privileges that God has given us, but also how have we invested and multiplied our faith since our baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation? Is it something that we’ve buried away to be presented to the Lord when we die, hoping he’ll be impressed that we kept it shiny and new but didn’t use it? . This parable teaches us that the Lord wants to to invest in our faith, to use it, and apply it so that it will grow into something that will be a source of power, peace, comfort and strength for when life gets difficult. Let us pray for the courage to use of faith and gifts in the service of God as we say: Our Father… . #catholic #church #prayer #Jesus #god #pray #prayer #reflection #meditation #gospel #bible #saint #feast #catholiceducation @rcwestminster @dowym
Check out my parish @sthelenswatford now live streaming on @facebook AND @youtube. . All achieved by volunteers with less than £500 of equipment and a $10 per month multistream subscription whilst needed. . I can’t believe the extortionate prices parishes are being charged to have livestreaming infrastructure installed! . If you’re a parish on a budget, please get in touch as our team have put together a packaged to help get other churches live streaming with high production quality on a budget.
NOVEMBER 11th is also when the church remembers SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS. . When Martin was still a Roman soldier he was deployed in Gaul (modern day France). One day Martin met a scantily clad beggar and cut his cloak in half and shared it with him. That night, Martin dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak he had given away. When Martin woke, his cloak was restored, and the miraculous cloak was preserved among the relic collection of the king. . Let us pray, that as the commercialism of Christmas approaches, and in the midst of financially difficult times, we might be as impulsively generous as St Martin towards those in need. We pray: Hail Mary…
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the ARMISTICE, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One. . At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Remembrance Day is still a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and now also other conflicts. For a period the day was known as Armistice Day but was renamed Remembrance Day after the Second World War. . Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is usually the Sunday nearest to the 11th. Special services are held at war memorials and churches all over Britain and other sites of conflict which often include these words from a poem called For the Fallen. . As you hear these words thank God for their sacrifice of these brave men and women: ”They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning – We will remember them.”
close-alt close collapse comment ellipsis expand gallery heart lock menu next pinned previous reply search share star