St Thomas More 24th May 2020, 7th Sunday of Easter www.rcdow.org.uk/eastcote

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**100 CLUB - GOOD LUCK TO ALL OUR MEMBERS **

MASS TIMES Parish Sick List Live-streaming Mass in our diocese can Please remember our sick parishioners in your prayers: be found on Diocese of Westminster Paula Wazny, William O’Shea, Grania Curtis, Sean Moohan, website:https://rcdow.org.uk/news/ Daisy Cunningham, Bianca Malheiros-Fauz, Kundan how-to-participate-in-mass-during-the- Singhoraya, Eileen Harrington, Sarah Dunning, Eamonn coronavirus-outbreak Kearney, Ruby Bastiampillai, Peggy McMahon and Delores Walsh: for Deborah Brophy, Kitty Goldie, Kathleen St Thomas More Parish ‘virtual’ Family Dunleavy, Phyllis O’Brien, and those in our local nursing Mass ,The Ascension of the Lord was held this homes; and for our housebound parishioners, especially week at Holy Trinity and Sacred Heart , Sutton Katie Loftus. Coldfield, Father Michael Ho Huu Nghia welcomed our Parishioners. The funeral for Derek Honeygold will take place at 9.15am in the West Chapel on Thursday 4th June at Next week’s Family Mass is to be confirmed soon. Breakspear Crematorium. If anyone would like to We hope that as many people as possible will tune attend this funeral please could you contact the Parish in on www.Churchservices.tv . Office. Places are limited to 10 people and restricted conditions will apply. Mass: Every Thursday evening, at 7pm, a , in turn, will celebrate Mass in his cathedral, Children’s Liturgy on our ‘You Tube’ channel: live streamed, for all those frontline workers in the Don’t forget to follow this weeks link for NHS and care homes, for the sick and their the Children’s Liturgy. If you are home families.This week’s Mass can be viewed at schooling, it could be used for your RE churchservices.tv 28 May: Bishop Terence Drainey, lesson too! Cathedral (please click Cathedral https://youtu.be/yJ_k-5oyA6w name to access) Reader's Corner: The latest contribution to reader’s Our church still remains closed at present and as corner with a favourite bible reading read by a parish soon as the Diocese of Westminster gives us any reader. If you have a bible reading that means a lot to you, news of any changes in response to Government just let the Parish office know with a reason why this is changes, we will let everyone know. your choice. This can then be recorded and shared with the parish. The Month of May https://youtu.be/aleiQ0rnlS0 During the month of May the Holy Father has encouraged us to pray The Rosary. If you would like Parish Council, ‘virtual’ Zoom meeting: being held at to join other parishioners in praying the Glorious 8pm Wednesday 27th May 2020. If you would like to add Mysteries of the Rosary, please follow the link below: any items to the agenda to be discussed, please email https://youtu.be/EFLyWFPQFs8 Parish office before Wednesday, email: [email protected]

Parish Priest: Fr Martin Plunkett Subscribing to the newsletter: Parishioners can sign up 32 Field End Road. for the e-alerts to receive the newsletter directly by email Eastcote, Pinner, HA5 2QT every week through the Parish website. If you are not Tel: 020 8866 6581 Fax: 020 8429 2346 E-mail: [email protected], comfortable going on the Parish website to subscribe, Parish Administrator: Liz Duignan please let the Parish office know and we can add their OFFICE OPEN: 9:30-1PM (MON-THURS ONLY) email to the list. Email: [email protected] Sunday 24th May 2020 7th Sunday of Eastertide

Dear Parishioners,

As we continue in this testing time of the restrictions surrounding the Pandemic we are accompanied in our liturgy by the prayers of the Church in between the feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost. This is a unique time for us to ask for the help of God through his Holy Spirit to help us to trust in his plan. When Jesus ascended to heaven it could have seemed to the people that he had gone away for good. However, Jesus promised that he would not leave us alone and would be with us always (Mat 28:20). God is at work, but we must now come to know him through the Spirit of his love at work in our prayer, in the Church and in the people and world around us. Perhaps all of us are being called to trust God even more at this time. Even in all the frustrations and difficulties of this time and with all the uncertainties in the wider world, we can continue to trust. Below are some words which can help us to reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in our faith and lives at this time:

Trusting the Holy Spirit to lead us into deeper awareness of God and personal holiness is a marvellous way to begin. Of course, this is more complex than it sounds but in some respects it really is not complex at all. Even for wise theologians it is difficult to know precisely how to speak about the person of the Holy Spirit, but it is clear, especially from the New Testament, that the Spirit is a person in His own right and not just a way of saying ‘God is at work’. What is not difficult to see is this: the Holy Spirit brings glory both to the Father and the Son and part of the way He does that is to reveal the Father and Son to us and enabling us to enter into communion with them.

We may not be able to say a lot about His ‘person’ but we can certainly tell a lot about Him by the things He helps us to see, think, speak and do. The Spirit led St Paul to insist that the only fruit the Spirit produces is the kind that pleases God and reflects His character (Galatians 5:22-23). In this way, and others, the Spirit makes God accessible to us. He helps us to enter God’s presence, not like we enter a room but in a spiritual union and relationship through love. Having brought us into God’s house and presence He continues to teach us how to be more and more at home in that house.

Some people so rarely talk about the Holy Spirit that you would think we can get along without Him very well – but we cannot. The great news is that our ignorance of the Spirit’s ‘person’ does not stop Him from working on our behalf. He still glorifies the Father and Son; He still opens our eyes, deepens our faith and enriches our lives in holiness. The truth is that He does not mind not getting ‘centre stage’. Christ sent the Holy Spirit as our strengthener and counsellor and said, “He will not speak on his own … He will bring glory to me.” (John 16:13-14) That is the Holy Spirit for you; sent from the Father and glad to glorify the Father’s Son by instructing, transforming and sanctifying us. The Spirit is utterly and ceaselessly opposed to the evil within and around us (Galatians 5:17). This means he is in earnest about bringing God and us together and that in turn means we can trust Him to get us there. In fact, the Scriptures will say that the presence of the Spirit in the Church is God’s guarantee of final glorification. (www.studyjesus.com)

God bless you, Fr Martin

Rosary on the Coast 31st May: As with each year on the feast of Pentecost next Sunday 31st May, the Rosary on the Coast will be prayed throughout the country. This year it is to ask Our Lady to intercede for our country especially regarding the effects of the Pandemic. Churches and all around the nation will be hosting the prayer of the Rosary at different times. Details of how to follow this can be found at this link https://www.facebook.com/rosaryonthecoast/ St Thomas More Catholic Church Eastcote

NEWSLETTER SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 1, 24TH MAY 2020

Welcome to our first issue of the newsletter supplement. We were hoping to share our stories with each other as another way of connecting during this unprecedented time. We would like to hear from you about how life is during lockdown. You can email your stories, prayers , resources you found useful, video clips and photos to the Parish office email: [email protected] , and we will include in this supplement. This is still very much a work in progress and your feedback is welcome .Looking forward to receiving your stories. ______WISDOM IN CONFINEMENT (contributed by Nicole Nunn) Getting older and becoming wiser, we slowly realise that:

- A clock costing €3000 gives the same time as a watch costing €30.

- Solitude in a 70m2 or 300m2 house is the same.

I hope that one day you will realise that worldly material things do not make you any happier.

No difference is made whether you travel first or economy class, it is the same tariff when the plane falls.

I hope that you realise that having friends and siblings with whom you can speak, laugh and sing, is true happiness. 5 unquestionable acts for happiness:

1 – Do not educate your children to be rich, but to be happy, so that they see the value of things and not their price.

2 – Eat your food as if it were your medicine, otherwise you would have to take your medicine as if it were food. 3 – You will never leave the person you love. Even with 100 reasons to give up, you will find a way to stay.

4 - A great difference exists between a human being and being humane. Very few understand it.

5 – You were loved when you were born and you will be loved when you die. In between all depends on you. The world six best medicines:

Sun light, rest, exercise, diet, and confidence in oneself and… friends.

Keep them through all stages of your life and enjoy them for a healthy life.

A human being is complicated: s/he does not ask to be born, s/he does not know how to live and s/he does not want to die!!!

The best present you can give someone is your time and you must ALWAYS give some to your family or to a good friend. ‘The God Who Speaks’ Year of the Word

24/05 7th Easter – A John 17:1-11

Meditate Before Jesus begins praying he looks up to heaven in gesture of trust relying on his Father. Many a times our prayers are exclusively earthbound. Jesus liberates this self- centeredness and reveals that the main point of his life is to give glory to his Father, that is the highest vocation we can have. Praise is to say God has done all things well. Act In a moment of silence and prayer think about the things God has done for you and for which you are grateful. Put into words a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.

Thy Kingdom Come - A World Wide Wave of prayer for evangelisation being shared by Christians of all denominations called ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ has been organised and details can be found at https:// www.thykingdomcome.global/ . A special intention for this prayer is for God’s help at this special time of need in our world. Resources for a novena of prayer between the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost are provided here.

Prayers :Some suggested prayers for those without access to the internet or streamed Masses. You may know of Parishioners that are not connected to the internet, if you think they may appreciate a copy of the Parish newsletter, please do print a copy and deliver to them. Thank you,

~ Prayer to Christ the Healer

In the comfort of your love, I pour out to you, my saviour the memories that haunt me, the anxieties that perplex me, the fears that stifle me, the sickness that prevails upon me, and the frustration of all the pain that weaves about within me.

Lord, help me to see your peace in my turmoil, your compassion in my sorrow, your forgiveness in my weakness, and your love in my need.

Touch me, o Lord, with your healing power and strength. Amen