A special message in these challenging times from Fr John Chadwick, Co-ordinating Pastor for the Avon Stour Pastoral Area
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We live in incredible times. What is happening around us is almost unbelievable! Yet we BELIEVE, most of all, in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even in these days.
Is it just me or do the readings for this particular Lent seem absolutely tailor made to our current circumstances? Please do make every effort to read, and take to heart, God’s Word as set out in the readings remaining during this period of Lent. God is surely speaking to us. No need for any fancy preaching techniques to apply God’s Word when you hear phrases like these from Psalm 129; the chosen psalm for this coming 5th Sunday in Lent:
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice!
O let your ear be attentive to the voice of my pleading.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive?
But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you.
We absolutely cry out to the Lord! We revere God, absolutely, more than ever before for He has forgiven us.
Brothers and sisters, God is giving each one of us an undeniable invitation today, in these desperate times, to trust in Him anew; to trust the One who is INCAPABLE of unfaithfulness. Today is the day when we turn to God in a new way,
My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word.
My soul is longing for the Lord more than watchman for daybreak.
Let the watchman count on daybreak and Israel on the Lord.
Today, let us count on His Word above all others,
Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption,
Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.
Dear friends, the clergy of this area are praying with and for YOU. The celebration of Mass continues with you at the forefront of our minds and hearts wherever we are. We particularly bring before God, with utter confidence, the sick, the suffering in mind or body, those who are dying, those who are sacrificing themselves for us in public service, most especially in the health sector. God bless you all. God will not let you down. God will not let us down! This is a promise! A promise that was made by God the Father, personally, and most visibly revealed to us in his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
- On our website you will find helpful resources to help us to pray, and pray TOGETHER, through these testing moments