Were you working in Essential Services on Good Friday? Pray the Stations today, then

 

IT IS A TRADITION AMONG CHRISTIANS to hold the day of Good Friday as holy. This day is set aside, free of social engagements, entertainment or work. This enables Good Friday to be spent as a day of prayer, fasting and expectation for the celebration of Christ's Risen Life on Easter Sunday. During Good Friday we pray the Stations of the Cross in order to accompany our Beloved Jesus during his loneliest and most difficult hours on earth. Together, as a worshipping and believing Community, we make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer by meditating on the scene of Christ's sufferings.

However, there are many of us working in Essential Services - either day or night, over the Easter weekend. Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Staff, Chaplains, Firefighters, Police staff, Restaurant and shop staff, Road and Travel Maintenance Personnel, Air and Sea Rescue Personnel, Mothers and Fathers looking after sick children at home, the list could go on. These essential services cannot be held over times such as the Easter Weekend.

So, for those who have been working on Good Friday to serve the Community, or working during the nights and sleeping during the days to keep their strength up for the Essential Service work, here is a Prayer Chapel which can be done to remember Jesus' Sacrifice for us. Why not pray the Stations of the Cross online with the luminous Shrine of St Jude?
http://shrineofstjude.claretians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ssj_stations_cross_nssj

With thanks to Shrine of St Jude, Claretians
Photograph taken by Rev Catherine - with thanks to the Sculptor and Tapestry Artist

Noah - The Movie; Review

GREAT FLOOD
Russell Crowe has brought Noah to life in the movie. So; what is the movie like?
Noah highlights a number of issues.
It is accepted that a Great Flood occurred. Scientific evidence such as fossils, rapid burial of plants and animals and rapidly deposited sediment layers spread across vast areas exists.

CATACLYSMIC EVENT
The Movie - Noah - is a creative interpretation of the cataclysmic event. Both producers and actors explore the Biblical facts, attempting to fathom the rationale behind the event, as well as to dramatise Flood events
The movie highlights that there is a God, a Creator, with whom humanity and certain angels alike suffered a break in relationship. Noah further highlights that the relationship breakdown occurred in the symbolic events surrounding the Fall.  This fracture in relationship surrounded events linked to a powerful Fallen Angel symbolised as the snake.

GOD AND NOAH
Noah goes on to highlight that God contacted Noah to put before him the plan to build a place of refuge from death for animals and Noah's family - the Ark.
The film movingly portrays the fact that Noah had to exercise his own faith and human judgement in the decisions he had to make. It also emphasises that God did not simply give Noah all the answers to the dilemma, but allowed Noah to pray and communicate with him and exercise his own human free will in making the decisions which led to human life still being extant today.

FALLEN ANGELS
The issue of fallen angels is explored by Noah. The movie highlights that Angelic beings called the Watchers exist (Genesis Chapter 6, verses 1 - 22; Daniel Chapter 4 verse 13; Daniel 4;17). The Book of Enoch also spoke in detail about the Watchers. The issue of forgiveness for fallen angels (symbolised as apparently Stone Golems in the movie) is explored.
The Movie explains the events from the Torah, the Bible, that animals and members of humanity were saved from death in the Flood.
The Movie Noah shows that humanity is capable of deep wickedness towards each other and animals. It also portrays that humanity is capable of great sacrifice, nurture, tenderness and love towards each other and animals. Thus Noah marvellously portrays the dichotomy of which human nature is capable of, and of the necessity of turning towards the Creator to meld our inner selves into the beings we were meant to be before the regrettable Fall of Humanity took place.

LUMINOUSLY PORTRAYED
The acting is sublime. Watching the expressions in the eyes of Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Connolly is a privilege. The emotions and the best of humanity - love, tenderness, compassion, searching for the right decision, integrity and mercy - are luminously portrayed through their windows of the soul.Truly they are masters of the art.

MICROCOSMIC NOAHS
Today we look out at our world, each from our home or non-home on the street, we are all microcosmic Noahs. Today the same challenge that faced God and Noah at that faraway historic time faces us;
The struggle within ourselves between good and evil. The ease of despair and the difficulty of hope and integrity. The need for family values to underpin our struggling and oft-times broken areas of society.

WONDERS OF HUMANITY
We also see the same wonders of humanity that God does. The never-ending freshness and wonder of new love. The strength and wonder of mature love, when, after betrayal and all the manifold mistakes we humans are capable of making, a couple forgive past hurt and forge a deeper relationship built on love and start all over again. (This, to me, was beautifully portrayed by Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connolly near the end of the movie, when Russell helped her with her digging; and with their simple touch of their hands leading to luminous embrace, they spoke a conversation asking for, and receiving, forgiveness - that did not need words). We see the wonder of vibrant near cosmic birth time, when the earthly elderly rejoice in the simple pleasures of this earth that God gave us, accept that all the lessons in this present life have been learned, and ready for birth into the next life in Eternity. (This was beautifully portrayed by Anthony Hopkins as he embraced - not rejected - the Flood as he enjoyed the simple blessing of a berry from God's Creation).

The Movie portrays The wonder of plants, mountains, air and life in this planet of ours. The wonder and irreplaceability of each animal, insect, living being.
 And the supreme joy and blessing of each child to our society.

NEW COVENANT
Noah expresses the New Covenant between humanity and God, as Noah sublimely consecrated the New Beginning of humanity to God, with his family. Noah, on the mountain top, symbolises the eternal priesthood before God - the priest, who, called by God, continually has to move beyond personal interests and gain to become intercessor before God for a broken humanity. The priest is called to bring about - through prayer, care and healing - mended relationships, new hope, and new commitment to relationship with God and each other. As Russell Crowe wound the reminder symbol of the Fall, the snake skin around his arm, he reminds us that the Fall is not the end. As the snake shed the skin, so we too, can shed sin and begin again. As the world was reborn after the waters of the Flood, so we too can be reborn through Baptism and repentance of our sins.

BLESSINGS
May Blessings be on Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connolly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Anthony Hopkins and Douglas Booth; for bringing the Word of God to life.
Their remembrance of Noah was a blessing on my path today.

Movie Trailer for NOAH;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OSaJE2rqxU

Prayer for Incarcerated Women

Good Shepherd Church 

Prayer for Incarcerated Women  

Prayer has been offered that Pregnant Incarcerated Women will not be Shackled. Prayer has been offered for all who assist Pregnant Incarcerated Women and assure the health of their babies.

Prayer for Unborn Children

 

Good Shepherd Church 

Prayer for Unborn Children  

Jesus reclined in Mary's Womb as a trustful and powerless infant. So too, each baby reclines in the mother's womb. Let us pray for each unborn child, for protection and safety in the womb until birth.

PREPARATION FOR EASTER

Ever been praised?
He was praised.
Ever been insulted and called names?
He was insulted and told that He drove out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of devils (Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 12, verse 24).
Ever been taken for granted?
He was taken for granted.
Ever been lied about?
He was lied about.

Ever been beaten?
He was beaten to near unconsciousness.
Ever been assaulted?
He was assaulted and stripped naked.
Ever been threatened?
He was threatened and nearly thrown over a cliff for telling the truth - that He is the Son of God.
Ever been spat at or looked down upon?
He was spat at, and laughed at while He hung dying.

Ever been ill and in danger of death?
He was nailed to a cross and died the death of crucificixion.
Ever been tortured?
He was tortured, and had thorns ground into His scalp while those around Him laughed at His suffering.
Ever been imprisoned and interrogated?
He was imprisoned and interrogated.
Born illegitimate and unaccepted by the family whose blood you bear?
He was born of a Virgin who became pregnant out of final wedlock.

Ever been poor?
He was from such a poor family that He was born in an animal pen with no running water or birth bed for His Mother.
Ever had your reputation or feelings sacrificed?
His Life was sacrificed - for us.

He is the Incomparable, the Magnificent, the Beloved
Jesus Christ.

Easter is coming - why not celebrate the Greatest Life ever lived, and watch the Message, Life and Love of the Son of God in the Jesus Film.
http://jesusfilmhd.com/now-on-dvd/

With thanks to jesusfilmhd.com

Good Shepherd Church; Rosary being prayed

Good Shepherd Church is going into Worship now.
Prayer will be offered;
- for all who are most in need of prayer 
- for all suffering in Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Liberia
- for all babies allegedly incinerated for heating
- for all who as pilgrims on the Way in life do not yet understand how precious each unborn and born life is
- for all who have been unjustly treated in life 
- for all who have been unjustly treated in war
- for all who have been hurt in any way
- for all those suffering from recent bereavement
- for all who have suffered in recent Washington mudslide
- for all who have suffered in airline tragedies
- for all bereaved in Malaysia airlines tragedy
- for the end to Abortion; prayer under the Mantle of Our Lady, Mother of Jesus Christ

Blessings be on you all.
Why not pray the Rosary with us?
http://www.comepraytherosary.org/

Daily Prayers; for All who have suffered in Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Liberia

 

Good Shepherd Church   

Prayers for Guinea and Liberia  

Prayer has been offered for all who have suffered in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Liberia. A Candle has been lit for all affected by the virus, for the bereaved and suffering, and for strength and protection for all in the Caring Professions offering assistance.