There's quite a profound connection between two sentences in this Sunday's scripture. The apostle who once denied Christ, Peter, begins his letter with this advice - Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts ... That's quite a distance from - Who? Never heard of him, mate! Isn't that an astonishing change? And in the gospel, the one who listened to the heartbeat of Christ at the Last Supper, John, has Jesus say - I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. And there's the change, that's what 'happened' to Peter. He suddenly found out what John already knew. Christ is already within us. Peter just needed to experience it. Over the last few months we have all been forced to make changes to all sorts of areas of our lives. We've discovered - if we have been paying attention - that old paradigms, old ways of doing things, aren't serving us any more. Change is in the air. (Yahoo has announced that it are going to encourage working from home, cut down travel time, less expense on offices etc ...) In terms of our faith, those same changes have made us look again at ourselves, our religious practice, our ritual, let's say. Where we previously located God might have shifted, broadened out, even pleasantly surprised us. The gaze has gone within and many of us are discovering that, well St Peter puts it best, the only place we can truly reverence the Lord Christ is within our hearts. I'd like to make a suggestion, an invitation, to all our candidates for Confirmation scheduled for 7 June this year. The day at Champittet is postponed and Bishop Morerod will come and celebrate Confirmations at some later date. But why not let's go ahead, take responsibility ourselves, for calling down the Holy Spirit on these young ones on 7 June? On the first Sunday of lockdown Jesus proclaimed in the gospel - God is Spirit, true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. (That was John's gospel again. As I say, he already knew.) Through no fault of anyone the candidates and their families and friends have been left in this position. We have no Bishop for that day. No church. Everything has been stripped away. All that's left is ..... the Holy Spirit. So why not let's all really look to the Holy Spirit on that day? So for those Confirmation candidates and their families who wish - no pressure - I'd like to do the online Mass on the 7 June for our candidates, asking each of us who take part to allow the Holy Spirit to find a dwelling place in each of these youngsters. And perhaps to allow the Spirit to appear powerfully again in our own hearts. Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Steve
NOTICES
PRAYERS AND THE ROSARY: join us for prayers and the rosary every Saturday at 8pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86170701532
FR STEVE'S 10.30AM Mass - via Zoom on Sunday: https://zoom.us/j/828192758
MELCHIOR'S SUNDAY MEDITATION: 6pm - Releasing our Suffering: https://youtu.be/Dws3RNfIsDs
MOTHER TERESA SISTERS' DONATIONS: thank you for your continued support of the Mother Teresa Sisters during this time of crisis. Food and other household items can be delivered to them at: Ch de la Foret 2, 1018 Bellevaux. Please ring: 021 647 3135 on arrival to let them know you have bags for them to store. Suggested items: rice, pre-made ravioli, canned beans, canned vegetables, jam, tea, coffee, milk, eggs, pasta, vegetable oil, soap, toilet roll. Online donations are also very much appreciated: Missionaries of Charity, IBAN/KONTO number: CH38 09 00 00 00 174 035 795.
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