Parish Priest’s
Letter for May 2020
Dear Parishioners
We are approaching the Sixth
Sunday of Easter and the final part of the long season of Eastertide. Jesus promises his followers the gift of the
Holy Spirit, through whom he would be with them (us) forever. On Thursday, we celebrate Ascension Day (the
fortieth of the fifty days of Easter) and ten days later the Feast of Pentecost
and the conclusion of this season.
No-one would ever have believed that we would celebrate the whole of
this season physically separated from each other. As you know, I am continuing to celebrate Morning
Prayer and Mass in the church building every day on your behalf, and I shall
continue to do so in this way until we can be together again.
In the light of the government’s
latest utterances, we shall need to begin thinking and planning about how the
church building can be made accessible again.
This is unlikely to be before 4th July and even then unlikely
to be for corporate public worship. The
likelihood is that church building may be made accessible for personal/private
prayer initially, and even this is conditional upon infection rates being kept under
control. It is possible that public
worship will be possible in the foreseeable future but careful planning will be
needed in order to address issues of physical distancing and the cleansing of
surfaces. At present, we do not know how
things will progress in the short and medium term, but I will keep you informed
of any significant developments as they begin to become clearer.
Many people have told me that
they appreciate the weekly communication I provide on a Friday (to those who
have access to the internet which, happily, is most people) and Saturday (for
those who do not). If you are able to
access the internet, you may like to use the parish Facebook page (Christ
Church Carnforth) where there are photographs and occasional prayers and other
bits of material. I am unable to
livestream Masses (which is why I provide a couple of links for this on my
Friday emails) because we do not have an internet connection in the church at
the moment. I’m not keen to do it
anyway, since I would have to set everything up myself and then I would be too
conscious of all that stuff instead of being centred on what I’m actually
doing!
Next Thursday, we celebrate the
Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
We’re told in the Acts of the Apostles that, having promised the
apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus ‘was lifted up while they
looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight’ (first reading for the
feast). We can easily be pre-occupied
with the image of the apostles ‘staring into the sky’; or even of that dreadful
image of Jesus’s feet sticking through the chapel ceiling at Walsingham! Theologically, though, the significant thing
is that our human nature has been taken into the godhead, so that we have a
home in heaven. Jesus had promised the
apostles that, through the Spirit, he would be with them ‘to the end of time’;
his presence with us on earth is abiding, since we have all received the Spirit
when were we baptised. Now he is telling
them that the Spirit will draw them to their eternal destiny and that their
rightful inheritance is to share Christ’s risen life for ever. When we partake of the sacrament of Christ’s
Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we receive a foretaste and a pledge of this
promise; and this is why it is so difficult to be deprived of the sacraments –
although we are assured of the same grace when we make a spiritual communion in
these exceptional circumstances.
We shall be back together again,
to be gathered at the altar of God, doing what Jesus told his followers to do
in his memory. Until then, keep praying
for an end to this wretched pandemic, keep using the scripture readings for
each day which are on the bulletin or may be found in a missal, if you have one,
or at www.universalis.com ; and keep
using the act of spiritual communion. Do
contact me if you wish to talk – I can meet you individually for a physically-distanced
chat now, too, if you like – or if you need anything from me or if I can help
in any way. Donate to local foodbanks,
if you can, and please keep your giving to the parish up-to-date if you’re able
– I know that more people are now giving by standing order, which is great; and
you can deliver envelopes to my door or ask me to collect them from you, and I
will hand them in for processing in the usual way.
For now, I shall leave you with a
selection of prayers for use at this strange and difficult time.
Loving
God, we come to you full of anxiety about what may happen in the coming days
and weeks. Shower us with the peace Jesus promised to his disciples, and make
us into steady pillars for those around us. In this time of uncertainty and pandemic,
wake us up to the reminder that we are not alone.
Even
as we are asked to keep our distance from others, help us to find ways to reach
out to those who need our support. We pray especially for those whose incomes
and livelihoods are threatened. For the children who will miss meals due to
school closures. For those already isolated, lonely and scared. Loving God,
give them your peace, and through our hands ensure they have what they
need.
Sustain,
strengthen and protect all caregivers. Bless them as they offer compassionate
care and show selfless courage in the face of risk.
Remind
us, each time we wash our hands, that in our baptism you call us to let go of
our fears and live in joy, peace, and hope. Amen.
Hail,
holy Queen, Mother of mercy; hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To
you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show to us the blessed
fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. (The ancient Salve Regina )
All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.
(Julian of Norwich)
This comes with my good wishes and
prayers for you and yours
Fr Stephen
