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Showing posts from March, 2017

Sunday 2 April 2017

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5th Sunday of Lent Masses 8.30am   Sung at 10.15am  Evening 6pm St. Peter's Catholic Church SS9 4BX Home to the Sourhend Ordinaraite Mission At Lazarus’ Tomb:   Scott Hahn Reflects on the Fifth Sunday of Lent Readings: Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-8 Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45 As we draw near to the end of Lent, today's Gospel clearly has Jesus' passion and death in view. That's why John gives us the detail about Lazarus' sister, Mary—that she is the one who anointed the Lord for burial (see  John 12:3 , 7 ). His disciples warn against returning to Judea; Thomas even predicts they will "die with Him" if they go back. When Lazarus is raised, John notices the tombstone being taken away, as well as Lazarus' burial cloths and head covering—all details he later notices with Jesus' empty tomb (see  John 20:1 , 6 , 7 ). Like the blind man in last week's readings, Lazarus represents all humanity. He stands for "dead man"

Sunday 26th March 2017

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4th in Lent- Laetare Sunday  ( Mothering Sunday) Masses   8.30am        10.15am-Sung    Evening 6pm St Peter's Cathgolic Church SS9 4XB Home to the Southend Ordinariate Mission Eyesight to the Blind:  Scott Hahn Reflects on the Fourth Sunday of Lent Download Audio File Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1 ,  6-7 ,  10-13 Psalm 23:1-6 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 God's ways of seeing are not our ways, we hear in today's First Reading. Jesus illustrates this in the Gospel—as the blind man comes to see and the Pharisees are made blind. The blind man stands for all humanity. "Born totally in sin" he is made a new creation by the saving power of Christ. As God fashioned the first man from the clay of the earth (see  Genesis 2:7 ), Jesus gives the blind man new life by anointing his eyes with clay (see  John 9:11 ). As God breathed the spirit of life into the first man, the blind man is not healed until he washes in the waters of Siloam, a name that mean

Sunday 19th March 2017

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3rd Sunday of Lent Masses 8.30 am   10.15 am Solemn   and Evening 6 pm St Peter's Catholic Church SS9 $BX Home to the Southend Ordinarite Mission Striking the Rock: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Third Sunday of Lent Readings: Exodus 17:3-7 Psalm 95:1-2 ,  6-9 Romans 5:1-2 ,  5-8 John 4:5-15 , 19-26 , 39-42 The Israelites' hearts were hardened by their hardships in the desert. Though they saw His mighty deeds, in their thirst they grumble and put God to the test in today's First Reading—a crisis point recalled also in today's Psalm. Jesus is thirsty too in today's Gospel. He thirsts for souls (see  John 19:28 ). He longs to give the Samaritan woman the living waters that well up to eternal life. These waters couldn't be drawn from the well of Jacob, father of the Israelites and the Samaritans. But Jesus was something greater than Jacob (see  Luke 11:31-32 ). The Samaritans were Israelites who escaped exile when Assyria

Sunday 12th March 2017

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2nd Sunday of Lent Masses   8.30am   10.15am (Solemn)  &  6pm St Peter's Catholic Church SS9 4BX Home to the Southend Ordinariate Mission Listen to Him:  Scott Hahn Reflects on the Second Sunday of Lent https://stpaulcenter.com/reflections/listen-to-him-scott-hahn-reflects-on-the-second-sunday-of-lent The Transfiguration of the Lord Readings: Genesis 12:1-4 Psalm 33:4-5 , 18-20 ,  22 2 Timothy 1:8-10 Matthew 17:1-9 Today's Gospel portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Moses also took three companions up a mountain and on the seventh day was overshadowed by the shining cloud of God's presence. He too spoke with God and his face and clothing were made radiant in the encounter (see Exodus 24,34). But in today's Lenten Liturgy, the Church wants us to look back past Moses. Indeed, we are asked to contemplate what today's Epistle calls God's "design...from before time began." With his prom

Sunday 5th March 2017

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First Sunday in Lent Masses    8.30 am      10.15 am - Solemn      Evening 6 pm St Peter's Catholic Church SS9 4BX home to the Southend Ordinariate Mission http://stpetereastwood.org TALE OF TWO ADAMS' http://stpaulcenter.com Scott Hahn reflects on this Sunday's Mass Readings... Readings: Genesis 2:7-9 ;  3:1-7 Psalm 51:3-6 ;  12-14 , 17 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 In today's Liturgy, the destiny of the human race is told as the tale of two "types" of men—the first man, Adam, and the new Adam, Jesus (see  1 Corinthians 15:21-22 ;  45-59 ). Paul's argument in the Epistle is built on a series of contrasts between "one" or "one person" and "the many" or "all." By one person's disobedience, sin and condemnation entered the world, and death came to reign over all. By the obedience of another one, grace abounded, all were justified, and life came to reign for all.