TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE HARVEST

LITURGY OF THE WORD

EZEKIEL 18:25-28 When the sinner renounces sin, he shall certainly live.

PSALM 24(25) 4-9 Remember your mercy, Lord.

PHILIPPIANS 2|:1-11 Be united in your love.

GOSPEL: MATTHEW 21:28-32 Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the

kingdom of God before you.

A PASTORAL LETTER

On Testing Times and an Invitation to go

to Saint Joseph

To be read at all Masses on Sunday 27th

September 2020

My dear brothers and sisters,

As 2020 dawned, few of us could have imagined the testing times that lay

ahead. Times unprecedented in the long story of this Diocese, when in

response to public health measures the doors of our churches were closed.

During those long weeks between March and June, we saw many initiatives

to reach out to the most vulnerable and isolated: we did not forget the poor.

Amid many restrictions, priests devotedly ministered to the dying. We

prayed for the souls of those who had died and for all who mourned the loss

of loved ones. During those same months, many remained close to the

Church in prayer, not least by the livestreaming of Masses. Some of our

churches recorded the largest attendances in their history, albeit virtual

attendances. At the Cathedral alone, tens of thousands would share via the

internet in the celebration of Easter and Holy Week. Yet, we felt deeply, the

loss of the public celebration of the Mass and being unable to fully participate

in the Eucharist that is the living heart of our faith.

The long-awaited return came at the beginning of July, with the gradual re-

opening of our churches dependent on each parish putting in place stringent,

public safety measures. This was an enormous undertaking and must surely

stand among the most remarkable achievements in the history of the

Diocese. Today, I wish to record the gratitude of the whole Diocese for the

work of clergy and parish volunteers together with diocesan officers that

enabled us to return with joy to the Holy Eucharist. Alongside key workers in

our health and essential services, your generosity deserves to be long

remembered.

Times of trial and upheaval can lead people to deeper faith and commitment

or tragically to fall away. Like the two sons described in the Gospel, our faith

is proved not by sentiment, it is proved by what we do. This is the simple

question Jesus asks at the end of Gospel: “Which did the father’s will?”.

Faithfulness in carrying out our duties and protecting the gift of faith leads

me to turn to the example of a man who, through testing times, did all the

Lord asked of him. This man is Saint Joseph, to whom the Eternal Father

entrusted the care of His only Begotten Son together with His Blessed

Mother Mary through the most bitter trials of poverty and exile. To Saint

Joseph the whole Church is now entrusted; and we look to him especially as

a guide in the life of prayer, so we may be attentive to what the Lord asks of

us.

Saint Teresa of Avila wrote, “If we cannot find a guide to teach us how to pray,

let us take this glorious saint as a master and we will not go astray”. How

much we need the prayer and example of Saint Joseph! Accordingly, it is to

Saint Joseph that I want to entrust the recovery of all the communities of our

Diocese from this testing time. Today, I wish to invite the whole Diocese to

celebrate a year of prayer dedicated to Saint Joseph from October until the

beginning of Advent next year.

The 1st October marks the beginning of the second decade of my service as

Bishop of Shrewsbury. On 21st October we will be remembering the first

anniversary of the death of Bishop Brian Noble who guided the Diocese

through many challenges. We have been warned to anticipate challenging

months ahead and so will ask Saint Joseph’s help to discern how best we can

each respond to the challenges of our time. Pope Francis reminds us how

Saint Joseph responded to his calling “to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and

the Church … by being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s

presence and attentive to God’s plans not simply his own”. In a similar way,

says Pope Francis, we are invited to protect with love all that God has given

us. This will be the happiest challenge of the year ahead, that will lead us to

“Go to Joseph” in order to ask his prayers and learn from his example. The

Joseph of the Old Testament, whose story is recounted in the Book of

Genesis, helped his people in time of famine with the earthly grain that

Pharaoh had entrusted to him. In the Gospel, Saint Joseph would be

entrusted with the care of Him who is the true Bread come down from

Heaven and to guard the Holy Family on earth amid every danger. May Saint

Joseph help us in testing times, to protect the gifts of faith and grace God has

entrusted to us. In imitation of Saint Joseph’s faithfulness, may we do what

the Lord asks of us, above all, when we come together in the Mass to do

what the Lord Jesus commanded us to do in His memory.

Entrusting each of you to the prayers of Saint Joseph,

+ Mark

Bishop of Shrewsbury

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Turning to God in prayer

Jesus came to teach us to carry out the Father’s will in our daily lives. By

loving Jesus, we will share in the Father’s love and be united in love for one

another. And so we now open our hearts in prayer to our Father for the needs

of all our brothers and sisters:

We pray for the Church in our world: that all Christians may be united in

faith and love, that we may work together to bring the Good News of God’s kingdom into our world.

We pray for the leaders of nations: that they may work together to

remove poverty and starvation from our world, and so give hope to our

brothers and sisters who have so little, especially those so badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

We pray for all who are ill, at home or in the hospice and hospitals: that

they may receive new hope from God who loves and cares for them. We

remember especially those suffering from Covid-19, and for the medical staff caring for them.

We pray for all who have died that they may live with Christ for all eternity.

St Paul prays that we may be united in love. Let us pray that our parish

may work together to share God’s love and compassion with our friends

and neighbours and especially with those who have not heard the Gospel

of Jesus. We pray too that we shall show that love by the way we carry

out our daily lives respecting the precautions we take to help our friends and neighbours.

During this season of care for our planet, we join with our sisters and

brothers throughout the world in praying for all who are working to

remind us that we are all stewards of God’s creation. On this special day

of prayer we pray for our farmers and for all who work in agriculture, especially at this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

We look to Mary as an example of love and faith, leading us to the depths

of Jesus’ teaching the Gospel. Let us ask her now to pray for us as we say: HAIL MARY…………..

Concluding Prayer

God our Father, look with love on your people

as we turn to you in prayer.

Make us swift to do your will and slow to judge our neighbour,

that united in love, we may walk with Jesus on the way that leads to your

heavenly kingdom.

We ask this through the same Christ our Lord

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ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if You were already there

and unite myself to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

SEASON OF CREATION

Prayers and readings as we approach the feast day of St Francis on

Sunday 4 October.

LAUDATO SI – Prayer of St Francis

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,

all praise is yours, all glory, honour and blessings.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong;

no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

We praise you, Lord, for all your creatures,

especially for Brother Sun,

who is the day through whom you give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,

of you Most High, he bears your likeness.

We praise you, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars,

in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

We praise you, Lord, for Brothers Wind and Air,

fair and stormy, all weather's moods,

by which you cherish all that you have made.

We praise you, Lord, for Sister Water,

so useful, humble, precious and pure.

We praise you, Lord, for Brother Fire,

through whom you light the night.

He is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.

We praise you, Lord, for Sister Earth,

who sustains us

with her fruits, coloured flowers, and herbs.

We praise and bless you, Lord, and give you thanks,

and serve you in all humility.

Extract from Canticle of the Sun, by St Francis of Assisi

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Extract from the message of Pope Francis for the Day of Creation 2020.

4. A Time to Restore

A Jubilee is a time to restore the original harmony of creation and to heal strained human relationships.

It invites us to re-establish equitable societal relationships, restoring their freedom and goods to all and forgiving one another’s debts. We should not forget the historic exploitation of the global South that has created an enormous ecological debt, due mainly to resource plundering and excessive use of common environmental space for waste disposal. It is a time for restorative justice. In this context, I repeat my call for the cancellation of the debt of the most vulnerable countries, in recognition of the severe impacts of the medical, social and economic crises they face as a result of Covid-19. We also need to ensure that the recovery packages being developed and deployed at global, regional and national levels must be regeneration packages. Policy, legislation and investment must be focused on the common good and guarantee that global social and environmental goals are met.

We also need to restore the land. Climate restoration is of utmost importance, since we are in the midst of a climate emergency. We are running out of time, as our children and young people have reminded us. We need to do everything in our capacity to limit global average temperature rise under the threshold of 1.5°C enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement, for going beyond that will prove catastrophic, especially for poor communities around the world. We need to stand up for intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity at this critical moment. I invite all nations to adopt more ambitious national targets to reduce emissions, in preparation for the important Climate Summit (COP 26) in Glasgow in the United Kingdom.

Biodiversity restoration is also crucially important in the context of unprecedented loss of species and degradation of ecosystems. We need to support the U.N. call to safeguard 30% of the earth as protected habitats by 2030 in order to stem the alarming rate of biodiversity loss. I urge the international community to work together to guarantee that the Summit on Biodiversity (COP 15) in Kunming, China becomes a turning point in restoring the earth to be a home of life in abundance, as willed by the Creator.

We must restore with justice in mind, ensuring that those who have lived on the land for generations can regain control over its usage. Indigenous communities must be protected from companies, particularly multinational companies, that “operate in less developed countries in ways they could never do at home” (LS, 51), through the destructive extraction of fossil fuels, minerals, timber and agroindustrial products. This corporate misconduct is a “new version of colonialism” (SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, 27 April 2001, cited in Querida Amazonia, 14), one that shamefully exploits poorer countries and communities desperately seeking economic development. We need to strengthen national and international legislation to regulate the activities of extractive companies and ensure access to justice for those affected.

5. A Time to Rejoice

In the biblical tradition, a Jubilee was a joyous occasion, inaugurated by a trumpet blast resounding throughout the land. We are aware that the cries of the earth and of the poor have become even louder and more painful in recent years. At the same time, we also witness how the Holy Spirit is inspiring individuals and communities around the world to come together to rebuild our common home and defend the most vulnerable in our midst. We see the gradual emergence of a great mobilization of people from below and from the peripheries who are generously working for the protection of the land and of the poor. We rejoice to see how young people and communities, particularly indigenous communities, are on the frontlines in responding to the ecological crisis. They are calling for a Jubilee for the earth and a new beginning, aware that “things can change” (LS, 13).

We also rejoice to see how the Laudato Si’ Special Anniversary Year is inspiring many initiatives at local and global levels for the care of our common home and the poor. This year should lead to long-term action plans to practise integral ecology in our families, parishes and dioceses, religious orders, our schools and universities, our healthcare, business and agricultural institutions, and many others as well.

We rejoice too that faith communities are coming together to create a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. We are particularly happy that the Season of Creation is becoming a truly ecumenical initiative. Let us continue to grow in the awareness that we all live in a common home as members of a single family.

Let us all rejoice that our loving Creator sustains our humble efforts to care for the earth, which is also God’s home where his Word “became flesh and lived among us” (Jn 1:14) and which is constantly being renewed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

“Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth” (cf. Ps 104:30).

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 1 September 2020

FRANCISCUS

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THE WEEK AHEAD

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER: SAINTS MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND

RAPHAEL, Archangels. Feast

The cult of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael began in the East. West, this day first

marked the dedication of a 5th

century Church of St Michael in Rome. The

festival of Michaelmas came to be popular in medieval Europe. Raphael and

Gabriel were added to the Roman calendar in the 20th century; in scripture

each angel is named as a messenger of God, entrusted with special divine

missions.

WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER:SAINT JEROME, priest, doctor of the

Church (c. 320- 420)

Jerome was born in Strido on the Adriatic coast and died in Bethlehem.

Baptised in Rome while studying the classics, he became a hermit in Syria for a

time and was ordained a priest. Later retained as Papal Secretary by St

Damasus (11 December), he began work on a new Latin translation of the

Bible, known as the Vulgate .Finally settling in Bethlehem where he founded

monasteries, he devoted himself to studying the Scriptures, writing and

teaching. Often irascible and intolerant, he is remembered for his asceticism

and service to the word of God.

THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER SAINT THERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS

(1873 – 1897)

Born in Alecon, France, Theresa died of tuberculosis in Lisieux on 30

September 1897. From a devout family, she entered a Carmelite monastery at

fifteen, where she embraced the suffering of her ill-health with love and in

service to the missionary spread of the Gospel. Known through her popular

autobiography, Theresa is remembered for her humble obedience and her

fidelity to ordinary duties as the path to sanctity.

GUARDIAN ANGELS

This feast originated in Portugal in the 16th century. It is based on the belief that

God assigns everyone an angel to guard body and soul, an expression of God’s

personal care for each individual.

TODAY IS ALSO A DAY OF SPECIAL PRAYER FOR THE NEEDY AND

HUNGRY OF THE WORLD

When so many of the poorest countries of our world are affected, we should

make time to pray for them and for the work of the Agencies which are trying to

help them.