Confirmation - 5th January 2014

Bishop Peter will be visiting St Matthias for the 11am Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany, Sunday 5th January 2014. He will celebrate the sacrament of confirmation. Candidates from both St Matthias and St John will be confirmed.

Confirmation is one of the sacraments of the Church, the great signs of God's love that give us God's grace to live as Christians. Confirmation strengthens us by the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead adult Christian lives. In our tradition, it is usually given to older children or adults.

If you have not been confirmed and would like to be, or are interested in finding out more, please contact Father Simon. We will be be running confirmation classes in the next few months.

Cheese, Wine, and Poetry at St Matthias : 20th September

On Friday 20th September Trevor Potter will be reading poetry at a cheese and wine evening at St Matthias vicarage. This event will start at 7:30pm, and will last for about ninety minutes. It should be fun and will raise funds for our boiler!

Donations of five pounds per person will be invited. Please let Fr Simon know if you're thinking of coming.

Prayer and Fasting for Syria - 7th September

As we continue to follow the news from Syria, Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace for this Saturday, September 7th.

Prayer with fasting is a scriptural way of commending a situation to God, and of uniting ourselves in solidarity with those who are suffering. Fasting, in the Christian tradition, is understood as 'eating considerably less food' - not starving ourselves, but eating less, and more simply. Perhaps we could donate the money we save to the DEC Appeal for Syria.

We pray for those damaged by the fighting in Syria.

To the wounded and injured:

Come Lord Jesus.

To the terrified who are living in shock:

Come Lord Jesus

To the hungry and homeless, refugee and exile:

Come Lord Jesus

To those bringing humanitarian aid:

Give protection Lord Jesus

To those administering medical assistance:

Give protection Lord Jesus.

To those offering counsel and care:

Give protection Lord Jesus.

For all making the sacrifice of love:

Give the strength of your Spirit

and the joy of your comfort.

We pray in the hope you have given us.

Amen.

Back to Church Sunday at St Matthias

In yesterday's gospel we heard about invitations to banquets. This month at St Matthias we are going to invite people to our banquet, the Mass!

We are taking part in Back to Church Sunday on 29th September. Everybody who was at Mass yesterday was given an invitation to hand out to somebody they know - perhaps a family member, friend, or workmate - who might appreciate being welcomed to church.

If you were given one of these invitations, please have a think over the next few days about who you will invite and then fill in and pass on the invitation. Over the coming weeks, pray for the person you have invited.

If you are a St Matthias regular, but were not at Mass yesterday, please ask one of the clergy for a invitation to pass on.

And if you are someone who is interested in the Christian faith, or who used to come to church but don't any longer - why not take this opportunity to come along to a local church in Colindale? You will be very welcome at our 11am Mass on 29th September. This includes singing, takes about an hour, and is followed by refreshments.

St Augustine

Today is the feast of St Augustine of Hippo, one of the most famous converts to Christianity and one of the greatest Christian thinkers. You can read a version of his Confessions on-line here.

"Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace."

From the Confessions 

Trinity 13 - breaking the rules and crossing the line

Just this week I was walking the dog and got into an interesting debate about Islam and Christianity with two young men. There were many questions beginning with who created the dog man or God? and why Christians eat pork and why Christians did not worship on the Sabbath.! Todays Gospel story of course is one of many that could be sighted in an explanation that Jesus came to challenge a religious system , to break the very rules and customs that had kept the chosen people chosen. Followers of Jesus came to understand that obedience to the law alone would not be sufficient for salvation.

In this incident Jesus is doing what every Rabbi has done since, attend shul where he worshiped and taught. On this occasion he then crossed the line by reaching out and healing a woman doubled over. Of course Jesus is not the only one to break the rules, to cross the line. In this story the woman who has no name also broke the rules by walking in to an all male environment where she was not wanted or welcome. Sometimes it is necessary to break the rules to do the right thing.

I came across this story told by Billy Graham’s  long time songleader George Beverly Shea, who tells a story about one of Graham's classmates at Wheaton College: 

Mr. Frizen, called Bert by his friends, was a talented and popular singer on campus, involved with several singing groups . . . .  He went on to serve in the military during World War II and was involved in the famous Battle of the Bulge . . . .  Bert was wounded during one of the attacks and lay on the battlefield, slipping in and out of consciousness. At one point, with his eyes closed, he started singing his mother's favorite hymn as best he could, "Jesus Whispers Peace." When he opened his eyes, he saw a German soldier standing over him with a drawn bayonet.  Bert understood enough German to know that the soldier was saying to him, "Sing it again; sing it again."  Bert continued the song; "There is a Name to me most dear, like sweetest music to my ear/And when my heart is troubled, filled with fear/Jesus whispers peace." Soon he felt himself being gently lifted up in the arms of the enemy soldier, who carried him to a rock ledge nearby where the American medics found him a short time later, taking him to safety.

In the midst of war, one German soldier broke the rules in the name of love, in the name of compassion, in the name of Jesus. God calls us to look deep within and to find the courage and the faith to break the rules in the name of love, in the name of the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Assumption - Mass tomorrow at 7:30pm

The feast of the Assumption of our Lady begins with evening prayer today.

This is one of the great days of the Christian year. We celebrate Mary being taken into glory as a sign of the glory that we all hope for.

We will be celebrating at St Matthias tomorrow with a Sung Mass at 7:30pm. We will have a visiting preacher, Mother Carrie Thompson from Forton, and special music. This will be followed by a party which, weather allowing, will be on the vicarage patio.

Please come, and invite your family and friends.

Almighty, ever-living God,

  you have taken the mother of your Son,

  the immaculate Virgin Mary,

  body and soul into the glory where you dwell.

Keep our hearts set on heaven

  so that, with her, we may share in your glory.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

  who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

  one God, for ever and ever.

 Amen