28th Sunday of Year B
You would have thought that keeping God’s commandments was good enough to inherit eternal life. But Jesus in the Gospel tells the rich man who has kept the commandments from his earliest days that he must sell what he owes and give to the poor in order to attain eternal life, in order to obtain the treasures of heaven. There is something beyond the 10 commandments that we need to abide by. Basically, it is the commandment of love, shown to the supreme by Jesus himself. Peter and the other apostles gave up their livelihood to be followers of Jesus, to dedicate their lives to passing on Christ’s teaching on love and to live it themselves. This was the wise thing for them to do. Wherever we find wisdom. God is there in the midst. Wisdom is something very precious, like a priceless stone. This is also true about the word of God, which is something alive and active. To sum up—the three themes in today’s readings (the commandments, Wisdom and the Word) are all bound together by a common theme of love.
RCIA
The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) sessions continue this Tuesday between 8 and 9pm in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre. This is for adults who are considering baptism or reception into the Catholic Church as well as for baptised Catholics who would like to prepare for the other Sacraments. Everybody is welcome.
Foodbank for the community
Non – perishable food is required for the foodbank, please leave your donations in one of the marked boxes in the church porch. This will run until half term 16th October and restart again on 1st November.
BAPTISM PREPARATION
The next session for parents who wish to have their baby baptised is on Sunday 14th November at 4pm in the church.
NORAH CASEY RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of NORAH CASEY, formerly of this parish, whose funeral service takes place on Thursday at 12 noon in the church, followed by burial. May she rest in peace.
SIGNING SECONDARY SCHOOL FORMS
Fr Colin will be available to sign secondary school forms on Wednesday between 4 and 5pm in the Canon Smyth Parish Centre.
MASS COUNT
The number of people attending Mass here last weekend was 393. There will be another count this weekend.
THE SYNODAL PROCESS
In last weekend's Pastoral Letter from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, we heard about the worldwide project to prepare for the Synod of Bishops in 2023. It involves a process of listening and sharing views of the life of the Church as we gradually move out of the pandemic period. The questions we will be considering include: During this terrible pandemic what strengths did I find in my faith and faith community? In what ways did the grace of God most clearly touch and uplift me? Whom did we neglect the most? Who feels left out? What did we do better? How do we choose priorities over our own mission?
There are questions we will be considering individually and together in the coming weeks. Please think about them and we can make suggestions as to how we think the church should move forward.
BEFRIENDING THE BEREAVED
Over several years in Burnt Oak and Mill Hill, there has been a group of people available to meet up with individuals or families suffering from the effects of bereavement. In more recent times, there has also been a drop-in facility for those who wish to talk about their bereavement in a group environment. This has taken place at the Sacred Heart Church in Mill Hill. Over the last 18 months, these facilities have been in abeyance because of COVID but it is hoped that they will start up again soon. However, we are in need of more befrienders. If you think you would be able to take this on or would like to know more about it, please speak to Fr Colin, who has been involved in the project since he first came to the parish. It is emphasized that this is not a Counselling Service. The main attribute required is to be a good listener. Training can be provided.
WITH A FATHER’S LOVE
This autumn’s group and individual reflection booklet relates to St Joseph, as we approach the climax of the Year of St Joseph. Copies of the booklet ‘With a Father’s Love’ can be found in the porch. Donations of £2. can be put into the wall box marked ‘papers’ to the left of the door.
PRISONERS SUNDAY
Today is Prisoners Sunday. It is an opportunity for us all to direct our thoughts to the needs of prisoners, their families and their children, to pray for them and to reflect on the ways we can make a difference to the lives of those who are affected by the criminal justice system.
The COVID pandemic has brought many challenges to those in prison, to those who care for them and to families who have found it more difficult to travel and visit their loved ones. PACT is the national Catholic Charity supporting prisoners, people with convictions and dependants and their families. Leaflets about the work of PACT can be found at the back of the church. There are also envelopes if you wish to make a donation towards their great work. These can be sent directly to PACT as they include a pre-paid address envelope. Thank you.
DONA GIVING DEVICE
DONA QR code
Some months ago, some members of the parish asked about the possibility of there being a
contactless way to contribute to parish finances. As we have seen during the pandemic there is a shift towards a cashless high street and in response, the diocese have offered to provide every parish in the diocese with a contactless giving machine made by a company called DONA. We have now received our DONA Contactless Giving device and it is positioned at the back of the main body of the church just behind the pews next to the gifts table. DONA, is designed to allow you to make contactless donations and payments to the parish using your contactless bank card, or smart payment device like a mobile phone or Apple watch. DONA is currently set up with some categories to help you direct your donation. For example, you may wish to make a donation towards the – General weekly collection; or for the Votive Candles Stands; or for a Mass Stipend. You may also wish to Gift Aid your offering. Gift Aid is a great way for you and the parish to make your offering go that little bit further, by taking advantage of the government Gift Aid scheme that donates an additional 25p for every pound you donate. You will need to be a UK Tax payer to qualify. Having selected to Gift Aid your donation, you will be prompted to provide your first name; last name; postcode; house number and finally an email address. You will be asked to do this once, providing you use the same card or donation method going forward. You may, if you wish, have more than one card or smart device registered. All future eligible Gift Aid donations you make will automatically connect with the information you have provided with the first donation made on that card or smart device. You will also receive an email receipt thanking you for your donation. If you wish to make a payment for purchases from the repository, then you may also do this with the DONA device but, please note that we cannot claim Gift Aid on payments made for purchases. Currently, there is no email receipt option for non-Gift Aided donations or payments. The finance committee wanted to introduce you to DONA and to let you know that it is here and what you can use it for. Please, when using DONA gel your hands before and after with the gel next to the DONA stand whilst we continue to live with the Covid19 Virus. In addition to the machine in the church, the QR code, at the top of this page will take you to an online page of DONA where you can also make payments and register your card or smart payment device. Some parishioners might find this easier than standing at the machine. Thank you to those who have already started using the machine and thank you in advance for those who will use the machine or QR code in the future. Please note that the parish will still be accepting Cash in the normal way. The DONA Contactless Giving machine and the online platform are here to help us be of service to you. If you have any questions, about how to use DONA, then please direct these to either Fr David or a member of the finance committee who will try and help you. Thank you.
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