29 MARCH 2015 – PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION

Truly this man was the Son of God

Today is the day of palms. It celebrates the beginning of Holy Week and the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, which celebrates God’s freeing the chosen people from slavery in Egypt. It was the custom for pilgrims to come to Jerusalem to worship at the temple for this great feast. There was a ritual of welcome and entrance to the city for them. Palms were spread on their route into the city, and as they entered the travellers sang the familiar Hallel Psalms, songs of praise, known to every practising Jew.

In the reading of the Passion from Mark’s gospel we see Jesus in deep anguish, feeling abandoned by both friends and God. At the same time, Jesus shows incredible strength, faith and obedience. Jesus was faithful to his mission as servant and Messiah, even when it cost him his life. Jesus freely embraced death, an execution so painful and shameful that the Romans would not inflict it on one of their own. From the midst of intense suffering, human mockery, and the experience of abandonment, Jesus “breathed out” his life. A Roman centurion, a Gentile, recognises the true identity of Jesus: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39) Jesus, the one both hailed and derided as king of the Jews, the one crucified, is finally revealed in his deepest identity as Son of God.

The essence of discipleship is that we don’t simply receive the fruit of Jesus’ suffering and death; the essence of discipleship is that we align our own identity with that of Jesus, accept self-denial and self-giving, and in this way walk with him to the cross. Disciples go wherever the Master goes.

Coming to understand who Jesus is, his mission, and how that relates to us his disciples is no easy task; it takes a lifetime. Like Jesus, to be faithful followers by taking up our cross means we will feel this to the depths of our humanity; we will suffer, we will lose heart, we will cry out to God to take life’s miserable lot away from us. But also like Jesus, we have divine life that gives us the strength to carry our cross. It is divine life pulsing within us – which we first receive in baptism – that raises up our humanity, enabling us to be faithful disciples carrying our cross, faithful disciples consistent with our identity as Christians, as the Body of Christ.

The Clock went forward
at 0100 on 29 March
/ HOLY WEEK & EASTER 2015
Holy Tuesday 31 March: 1100 Chrism Mass
Maundy Thursday 2 April:
2000 Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed
2100 Watching at the Altar of Repose until midnight
Good Friday 3 April
1000 Stations of the Cross led by families of the parish
1500 The Solemn Liturgy of Our Lord’s Passion
1900 Stations of the Cross led by Bishop Philip
Holy Saturday 4 April
1600 Blessing of Easter Food
2100 Solemn Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter
Easter Sunday 5 April: 0800 Latin Mass - 1000 - 1200 - 1800
Easter Monday 1 April: 1215 Mass

Father Steven Restori


K;k;k;l

RECONCILIATION
St John's Cathedral: Saturday 1100-–1145 & 1700–1745
St Swithun: Friday 1930–2000 Saturday 1030–1100
Our Lady of Lourdes: Saturday 1730–1755
Corpus Christi: Saturday 0930
St Joseph: Saturday (before 1800 Mass)
St Colman: Saturday 1700 – 1730




SATURDAY 28 MARCH
Vigil Mass of Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion / 1800 / St John’s Cathedral / Hetherington Family INT
Our Lady of Lourdes / People of the Parish
St Colman / John Walters RIP (BW)
St Joseph / People of the Parish
SUNDAY 29 MARCH
PALM SUNDAY of the Lord’s Passion
Isaiah 50:4-7
Philippians 2:6-11
Mark 14:1 – 15:47
Parish Mass Book p 176 / 0800 / St John’s Cathedral / Tony Slow RIP
0830 / St Swithun / Bernard and Margaret Duffy RIP
0900 / St Joseph / Stanley Roach RIP
0930 / St Colman / Peter Anthony Myles RIP (SM)
1000 / St John’s Cathedral / Edith Mary Alcantarilla RIP
1015 / St Swithun / Carmen Labiand RIP
1100 / Corpus Christi / Una Kronshage RIP
1100 / St Paul / Petitions (AH)
1200 / St Swithun / Mass in Polish
1200 / St John’s Cathedral / Nada Hudson INT
1600 / QA Hospital
1800 / St Swithun / Mass in Polish
1800 / St John’s Cathedral / People of the Parish
MONDAY 30 MARCH
of HOLY WEEK / 0730 / St John’s Cathedral
0915 / St Paul / Special Intentions (FD)
1000 / St Swithun / Margaret Darby RIP P
1215 / St John’s Cathedral / McLaughlin Family INT F
TUESDAY 31 MARCH
of HOLY WEEK
1100 / St John’s Cathedral / Chrism Mass
1900 / St Swithun
WEDNESDAY 1 April
of HOLY WEEK / 0730 / St John’s Cathedral
0915 / St Colman / Holy Souls (AJ)
1000 / Corpus Christi / Funeral Mass: Rita Haughian RIP
1000 / St Swithun / William Joseph Geary P
1215 / St John’s Cathedral / Nicholas Locke RIP
THURSDAY 2 April
MAUNDY THURSDAY / 1930 / St Joseph / Intentions of Frances Reece
1930 / Our Lady of Lourdes / Charles Benny RIP P
2000 / St John’s Cathedral / Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
2000 / St Colman / Win & Tom Cummings RIP (CC)
FRIDAY 3 April
GOOD FRIDAY of the Lord’s Passion
1000 / St John’s Cathedral / Stations of the Cross led by families of the parish
1200 / St Swithun / Stations of the Cross
1500 / St Swithun / The Solemn Liturgy of the Lord's Passion
1500 / St Joseph / The Solemn Liturgyof the Lord's Passion
1500 / St Colman / The Solemn Liturgy of the Lord's Passion
1500 / St John’s Cathedral / The Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
1900 / Corpus Christi / Stations of the Cross
1900 / St John’s Cathedral / Stations of the Cross led by Bishop Phillip
SATURDAY 4 April
HOLY SATURDAY / 1600 / St John’s Cathedral / Blessing of Easter Food
SATURDAY 4 April
Solemn Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter
/ 2000 / St Paul / Deceased Members of the Scantlebury Family (FM)
2000 / St Swithun / Marie de Glamorgan RIP P
2030 / Corpus Christi / People of the Parish
2100 / St John’s Cathedral / Bishop’s Intention
SUNDAY 5 April
EASTER SUNDAY OF THE LORD’S RESURRECTION, solemnity
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
Parish Mass Book p 251 / 0800 / St John’s Cathedral / Mary Ann Doherty RIP
0830 / St Swithun / Michael Gracias RIP F
0900 / St Joseph / Intentions of Sr Mary Gleavey
0930 / St Colman / Thanksgiving (FD)
1000 / St John’s Cathedral / Richard Trist INT
1015 / St Swithun / Margaret Moran and Family
1100 / St Paul / Ryan Tejam RIP (CT)
1100 / Corpus Christi / Moira Cooke RIP
1200 / Our Lady of Lourdes / People of the Parish
1200 / St John’s Cathedral / People of the Parish
1200 / St Swithun / Mass in Polish
1600 / QA Hospital / John Joseph Cummings RIP (CC)
1800 / St John’s Cathedral / Sister Bernadette Nevin OLC INT

F: Foundation – P: Perpetual