Almighty God, whose Son revealed in signs and miracles the wonder of your saving presence: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your mighty power; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Readings at Mass

1st Reading. Genesis 14:17-20

Melchizedek is important in biblical tradition because he was both king and priest, connected with Jerusalem and revered by Abraham. The bread and wine he offered to Abraham are seen as being a precursor of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are transformed (like the wine at Cana in today’s Gospel) and become the means by which the Risen Christ, our King and Great High Priest, shares his life and love with us.

2nd Reading. Revelation 19: 6-10

We are created to praise God. In John’s vision of the worship of heaven we see that worship flows spontaneously at the ‘marriage feast of the Lamb,’ the wedding between Christ and His people. Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church – we-are His Bride. This communion with Christ our Lord issues forth in praise, adoration and thanksgiving and we are transformed.

Gospel. St John 2: 1-11

The changing of the water into wine is a sign of God’s glory breaking into the world through the person of Jesus, the Word made flesh. This ‘trickle’ of glory will become a flood at the Lord’s death and resurrection, as the glory of God’s love is poured out upon the world. The glory transforms us and the world itself.

Reflection

Water into Wine
Jesus brought the wine of God’s love into the world.
Everywhere he went the old was made new.
For the couple at Cana he changed water into wine.
For the widow of Nain he changed tears into joy.
For Zacchaeus he changed selfishness into love.
For the thief at Calvary he changed despair into hope.
And on Easter morning he changed death into life.
Lord, be present with us today and throughout our lives.
And when through human weakness
the wine of love is found wanting,
touch our hearts and strengthen our wills,
so that we may taste the wine of unselfish love.
(Flor McCarthy SDC)

 

Daily Prayer

Let’s continue to join together each day in a fellowship of prayer in union with Christ our Lord who unites us to Him and to one another wherever we are. Every day at St Gabriel’s: 8am Morning Prayer; 6pm Evening Prayer.

Join with us at these times or at any time that’s a good time for you.

You might like to begin your morning prayer with:

The night has passed and the day lies open before us; as we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of Christ set our hearts on fire with love for you, O God, now and for ever. Amen.

and your evening prayer with:

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your Christ banish all darkness from our hearts and minds and set us free to sing your praise, now and for ever. Amen

Intercessions

Pray for the Church: as this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends we pray for the unity of the Church, for John our Archbishop, for Justin Archbishop of Canterbury, for Pope Francis, for Bartholomew the Ecumenical Patriarch and for all the leaders of the churches and for all Christ’s faithful people ‘that we may all be one’.

Pray for the world: for all who work for peace, justice, reconciliation and unity across the world; for the work of the United Nations and all organisations that work to alleviate poverty and need and promote education and wellbeing; for an end to violence and warfare, remembering especially the people of the Yemen, Syria, the Congo, Iraq and Palestine.

Pray for the sick and all in need: for all suffering from covid at home or in hospital and for all who are sick and for all who care for them; for the staff of our local hospitals, under extreme pressure at this time and for all NHS workers, medical, nursing and clerical; for all social workers and counsellors and for all hospital chaplains; for those who have recently been bereaved and for those who have died; for all teachers, parents and children and all involved with on-line learning and for all students and University staff.

Give thanks for: the continued roll-out of the vaccination programme; for all involved in medical research; for all lives of care and service; for the transforming power of God’s love and grace made manifest in Christ our Lord.

Almighty Father, whose Son Jesus Christ is the light of the world: may your people illumined by your word and sacraments, shine with the radiance of his glory that he may be known, worshipped and obeyed to the ends of the earth; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen

Keep in touch … with each other and remember those who live alone and contact them. Fr Mark can be contacted at any time by phone 464011 or email mark.griffiths35@btinternet.com. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.

News…any news or items you would like included in our bulletin please send to Paul Reynolds. Many thanks.

Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings at Mass

1st reading. 1 Samuel 3: 1-10. The call of the prophet Samuel reminds us of the call God makes to each and every one of us. We must be constantly and sensitively listening to the voice of the Lord-who speaks to us in a multitude of ways and means-and respond to Him.

2nd reading. Revelation 5:1-10. John is given a vision of the worship of heaven. As baptised followers of Christ we are part of the royal priesthood of all God’s people on earth and in heaven. From all corners of the world and in eternity, the people of God join together to worship and adore the Lord-this is our vocation and call.

Gospel. St John 1:43-51. Here we have St John’s account of the call of the first disciples. Notice how these disciples encourage each other to respond to the Lord who is calling them.

Reflection

The call of God is obviously on one level, about listening to God. But it is also about ‘seeing’. In the Gospel reading Philip says to Nathanael ‘Come and see’; while Jesus says to him, you will ‘see’ great things. In the reading from Revelation, John has a vision of the worship of heaven: he is called to see and gaze at the glory of God.

St Augustine writes that the aim of the Christian life of prayer, worship and bible reading is to ‘heal the eye of the heart whereby God may be seen’.

As we endure another lockdown it is important to ‘see’ anew the reality of God and His Church: the Church is not defined by buildings or bounded by them but is seen in the life of the people of God, the Body of Christ, and is expressed in their life of prayer, worship and adoration, care, compassion and service.

The great 14th century saint, Mother Julian of Norwich, who knew herself what lockdown was about during the time of the ‘great plague’, teaches us that God holds us, at all times and in all places, in his loving gaze and we are called, in turn, ‘to behold him’:

We can do no more than gaze in delight with a tremendous desire to be wholly united to Him … for we shall see Him truly, feel Him fully, hear Him spiritually, smell Him delightfully and taste Him sweetly! The creature made by God shall see and endlessly gaze upon Him, his Maker. (Revelations of Divine Love)

So the God who holds us in His loving gaze, ’from the place where He dwells He gazes on all the dwellers of the earth, He who shapes the hearts of them all’ (psalm 33) calls us to see and gaze at Him. Our call is firstly to gaze at the beauty of God in the face of Jesus Christ … everything else follows on from this.

O Christ, our only Saviour, so dwell within us that we may gaze upon your beauty and go forth with the light of hope in our eyes, your word on our tongue and your love in our hearts. Amen.

Daily Prayer

Let’s continue to join together every day in a fellowship pf prayer in union with the Lord who unites us to Him and to one another wherever we are. Every day at St Gabriel’s: 8am Morning Prayer; 6pm Evening Prayer. Join with us at these times or any time that’s a good time for you.

You might like to begin your morning prayer with:

The night has passed and the day lies open before us; as we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of Christ set our hearts on fire with love for you, O God, now and for ever. Amen.

and your evening prayer with:

As our evening prayer rises before you, O God, so may your Christ banish all darkness from our hearts and minds and set us free to sing your praise, now and for ever. Amen.

Intercessions

Pray for the Church: for John our Archbishop and for all the people of God, that we may listen and faithfully respond to the call God makes to us now; for all hospital chaplains at this difficult time and for all involved in the Church’s pastoral ministry.

Pray for the world: for the American people as they await the inauguration of a new President and for the smooth transfer of power and the maintenance of democracy; for reconciliation and peace throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria, the Yemen, Iraq and Palestine/Israel; for justice for the Palestinian people; for all working for peace, justice and disarmament across the world and for those working on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Pray for the sick and all who suffer: for all suffering from covid at home or in hospital and especially for those in ITUs and for all frontline carers working under great pressure at this time; for all NHS staff, medical, nursing and clerical; for all social workers and counsellors; for all who are sick; for all key workers; for those who have recently been bereaved; and for those who have died.

Give thanks for: the roll-out of the vaccination programme; for the fellowship of prayer within the Body of Christ; for the Communion with Him to which God calls and draws us.

God of glory, you nourish us with your Word who is the bread of life: fill us with your Holy Spirit that through us the light of your glory may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Keep in touch … by phone, email or whatever social media you use. Remember those who live alone and contact them. Fr Mark can be contacted at any time – by phone 464011 or email mark.griffiths35@btinternet.com. Don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Bulletin. Any items or news you want included in our bulletin please send to Paul Reynolds. Many thanks.