Presider’s Page

Our God is like a shepherd who always looks after the flock: the Lord cares for us in all our needs.

The sight of people being rescued from ricketty boats in the Mediterranean brings home the plight of immigrants and refugees; seeing rescuers coming to their aid inspires us. God is master of the deep; Jesus stilled the storm. May all in need of help be saved through his power today. (On Father’s Day we pray especially for fathers.)

Throughout these summer months, trees, plants and grasses grow and flourish.Our faith is also to grow and flourish during these Sundays of Ordinary Time. The green vestments worn signify continuing growth in faith.
• Today is celebrated as Father’s Day, so in the Mass we remember and pray for the fathers of our community.

Now that Easter and all the feasts that follow it have been celebrated, the journey through the Sundays of the year starts again. From now until next Advent, we will listen to St Mark’s Gospel most Sundays, and discover Jesus through the eyes of Mark, whose account was the first to be written.

Today we honour the Body and Blood of Christ, the food that sustains us on our pilgrimage through life.

We celebrate Trinity Sunday today. The feast gives us an opportunity to reflect on the mystery of God, who creates, redeems and makes us holy.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, the second climax of the Easter season. We celebrate ‘the great beginning of the Church’, the day the Holy Spirit first came to confused and frightened disciples.

The Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. The Church also calls this Sunday ‘World Communications Day’. As he left his disciples, Jesus sent them out to spread the Good News. This is our task too. We ask for the grace we need.

We gather for this Easter celebration in the love of God, redeemed in the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are people with a mission, challenged to grow in love each day. We ask God for divine help with this mission, today and during the coming week.

Like branches of one tree, we are held together by our faith in Christ. Because we are all part of this one living plant, we come together in thanksgiving and praise.

This Easter morning we celebrate the central mystery of our faith, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. He suffered on the cross and died for us, but now he is risen! Filled with the spirit of Easter joy, we proclaim the might and glory of God.

We gather around the Easter candle, celebrating the Lord’s resurrection. With that light to illumine our way, we remember how God has cared for humanity from the dawn of time. The readings from both testaments remind us what happened at the highpoints of our history.

The liturgy that begins this Thursday evening continues until we reach Easter. We are at the start of a three-day celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. We journey from the Last Supper to Gethsemane tonight, from there to Calvary tomorrow, and from the tomb to resurrection and new life at the Vigil of Easter Sunday.

In the heart of Lent, we keep the feast of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. We mark the day by praising God the creator, who sustained Patrick, and who sustains the Church, in good times and bad.

This Sunday we come to the midpoint of Lent. The season is half over, and the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus is nearer to us. On this midway Sunday, it is traditional to honour mothers, praying for those still with us and remembering those who have died.