Sunday 19th April 2009

Divine Mercy Sunday

PRIESTS OF THE PARISH
Rev John Doherty PP Tel: 028 7188 2274
Rev Paul Farren Tel: 028 7188 3247

My Lord and my God

Jesus said: “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” We are all very familiar today with the idea of peace processes – in Northern Ireland, the Middle East and so on. Jesus needs us to engage in a peace process with one another so that we can be his disciples and true witnesses of his resurrection. We need first of all to put away all weapons of mass destruction like criticism, anger, coldness, selfishness etc. We need to put in place of these the qualities of God’s Spirit, namely love, joy, peace, patience etc. This week we should practice these qualities first of all in our homes as wife and husband, as parents and family. We also need to practice them as we build our parish community to the glory of God.

Fr. Johnny Doherty, C.Ss.R.

Sunday, 19th April 2009.

Second Sunday of Easter

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 4: 32-35
The unity and charity of the first Christians.

Second Reading John 5: 1-6
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God.

Gospel John 20: 19-31
The Risen Christ brings faith, forgiveness and peace to his disciples.

The Verdict

Doubting Thomas. We sigh and shake our heads. Truth be known, we are more like him than we want to admit.

Just what would a modern tribunal make of the reported resurrection? The fact of Jesus’ death as testified by bystanders and soldiers would be indisputable. But, as for resurrection? Imagine the women admitting the body was no longer in the tomb and that they saw angels. The judge would have to threaten to clear a laughter-filled courtroom. The characters of Mary Magdalene and Peter would be discredited by psychological reports of them as unreliable and traumatised. The Emmaus duo would admit that they only briefly recognised him in an inn.

But imagine the evidence of Thomas. An impressed court would hear his quiet recounting of how he refused to believe. It would hear of his insistence that he would accept only tangible proof, proof, which he got a week later. Thanks to Thomas, the tribunal might be swayed.

It’s small wonder that his encounter with Jesus is recorded so that ‘you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God’. Maybe the description ‘tenacious’ would fit him more than ‘doubting’.

Last week’s Collection was £1,808.00. Many thanks.

All donations should be handed in by next weekend at the latest.

Gift Aid Scheme

Those who are paying tax may wish to join our Gift Aid Scheme – at no extra cost to you. The Parish Gift Aid Scheme means that if you pay through the envelope system in your parish, the Church can recoup 25pence in every £1 that you contribute. This is a very simple way of gathering extra funds.
If interested please contact the parish office [028] 71882274. Many thanks for your co-operation.

Official Opening of College Hair and Beauty Salons

North West Regional College, Derry Road, Strabane Campus will officially open its new salons on Monday 27th April from 7.00pm until 9.00pm. Everyone is welcome and during the evening you can avail of free hair and beauty treatments. Tel 71382317.

An April Saint – 29th April
Saint Catherine of Siena [1347-1380]

Catherine was born in Siena in 1347 and joined the Dominicans at an early age. Soon she became known for her wisdom. Religious and civil leaders in Europe came to her for advice. She worked for peace and reconciliation among warring factions and cities of Italy and for the restoration of the Papacy from Avignon to Rome. She died at the age of 33 in Rome, where she had been pleading and praying for church unity. Her writings are remarkable for their theological depth and inspiring quality. Catherine was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970 and Patron of Europe in the year 2000.

Reflection

While Jesus was alive Thomas was as strong as an oak.
But when Jesus was put to death,
he became a reed shaking in the winds of doubt.
The truth was, though he didn’t realise it at the time
that it was the Master who was the oak.
He was a mere sapling growing in his shade.
When the oak fell he was defenceless.
All of us are shaken by the winds of doubt.
We need to look at the Lord’s wound,
and hear his gentle voice saying to us;
‘Cease doubting and believe.’
Then with Thomas we shall make bold to say:
‘My Lord and my God.’

The First Christians

Defending the Christians before Emperor Hadrian, Aristides, a non-Christian, said of them:

‘These Christians love one another.
They never fail to help widows.
They save orphans from those who would hurt them.
If a man has something,
he gives freely to the man who has nothing.
If they see a stranger, Christians take him into their homes
and treat him as a brother.
And if they hear that one of them is in jail,
or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer,
they all give him what he needs.
If it is possible, they bail him out.
If one of them is poor and there isn’t enough food to go around,
they fast several days to give him the food he needs.
We are dealing with a new kind of person.
There is something divine in them.’

If we were accused of being Christians, could the above defence be used in our favour?

Annual Financial Statement

In this bulletin we have included a statement of accounts for the year 2008. This shows that we have routine expenses which are funded mainly by our regular collections each weekend. It is from this collection that we pay salaries, office expenses, insurance, rates, heating and lighting costs associated with all parochial buildings, as well as the ‘Diocesan Assessment’. This is now 13% of our disposable income which has to be paid to the diocese each year. As you can see, the regular weekly collection, together with interest on parish savings and Gift Aid refunds, just about covers all these expenses. Sadly for priests and people, we will not have the benefit of the Parish Savings Scheme in 2009, but hopefully it will be up and running next year. Let’s just hope and pray!

As you can see from our 2008 financial statement, in spite of the worldwide economic downturn, we are happy to report that this year we have emerged from our deficit situation for the first time in twenty years. We are deeply grateful to all who have contributed to parish funds in recent times. We are confident that you will continue to support your parish to the best of your ability.

Many thanks to you all!