1 

…to the com

munity he has put into our care

Saint Aidan’s Parish Church, New Parks, Leicester, LE3 6RJ.

Lent & easter 2019

proclaiming the love of God…

Parish Journal

 

 2 

Sunday Recitation of the Rosary 9.15am Parish Sung Mass 10.00am

Monday Holy Hour (1st and 3rd weeks) 2.00pm

Wednesday Sung Mass 10.00am

Thursday Cool After School - APLUS 3.30pm Exposition 5.00pm Said Mass 5.30pm

Friday Said Mass 9.30am

Saturday Recitation of the Rosary 9.30am Said Mass 10.00am

(For Mass times on Holy Days, please see the Weekly Sheet)

Morning and Evening Prayer are said daily at 7.30am and 5.00pm

(Confessions are heard in Church on a Saturday at 5.30pm or by appointment with one of the Clergy)

Mass Times at S. Aidan’s:

Parish Priest: FR. SIMON LUMBY SSC

The Vicarage, Saint Oswald Road, New Parks, Leicester, LE3 6RJ.

Tel - 0116 287 2342 Mobile - 07788 289012 Email - fathersimonlumby@gmail.com Sa

int A

idan

’s C

lerg

y

In this issue:

Christians of Renown page 4

Round, like a circle

pages 6 - 7

High and Holy Days pages 8 & 24

Liturgical Calendars

pages 10 & 26

A new take on Pancake day? page 12

The Bishop of Wakefield writes

pages 14 - 15

Brexit - a Christian perspective? page 16

Important Future Dates

page 17

Our 60th Holy Week page 19

God in the Arts

pages 20 - 21

In the news page 27

 More news and informa on can be found at the Parish Website: www.saintaidansnewparks.co.uk 

 

3 

From the Clergy This month sees the start of Lent, the six-week period leading up to Easter. Lent sometimes gets a ‘bad press’ - being thought of as a time of misery and ‘glumness’ in general. Indeed, one (now ex) Archdeacon local to here once came up with the (in my view) ridiculously asinine idea of giving up Lent altogether - ‘let’s give up Lent for Lent’ I recall was the beginning of that particular letter! Thankfully not many people took him seriously - Lent is an incredible gift to us as a Church and a very important time where we focus on things that perhaps we wilfully neglect at other times of the Christian year. In the early Church, it was a time when new converts were instructed in the faith, ready for their baptism at Easter. We are preparing 9 new members of our congregation currently for their Baptism and First Communions and there is a palpable feeling of excitement as we journey with them towards this very important step that they are publically taking. In a very important way, we are all working towards the renewal of our Baptismal Vows with them on Easter Eve and this period of time focusses very sharply the ways on which we can all, as a congregation, nourish our faith by discipline and perhaps devoting that little bit more time to God and the people he has put into our care. Over the years, Lent has also become a season of penitence, self-examination and fasting. Jesus began his earthly ministry by fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and taught his disciples to fast, ‘when you fast..’ (Matthew 6:17). Fasting to many is a very strange notion - it might involve missing one or two meals in a day, refraining from TV or alcohol, or whatever gets in the way of us fully focusing on God. But what are the reasons for fasting?

The act of giving up something is a tangible sacrifice to God, reminding us of our desire to put him first in our lives. Giving up things we like and value shows us how dependent we can be on other things rather than God. These are things which are often not ‘good’ for us - and certainly when our enjoyment of them gets too much can be ‘bad’ for us. One could almost say that fasting helps us to surrender our ‘idols’ to God. When fasting we are reminded of a deeper hunger and need for God in our life: ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.’ (Matthew 5:6). We learn to be more dependent on God, while releasing the ‘stuff’ we depend on in our lives. Lent can also be a time to embrace new spiritual disciplines e.g. joining a study group, ‘random acts of kindness’, giving more time to prayer and Bible study. In a sense therefore, Lent gives us a great opportunity for us to ‘put ourselves out’ a bit more for God. It can be a very exciting and enriching period of the Church year - certainly not dismal, and certainly not something that we should be told to consider giving up by an Archdeacon! As the great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: ‘Jesus takes it for granted that his disciples would observe the pious custom of fasting. Strict exercise of self-control is an essential feature of the Christian’s life. Such customs have only one purpose – to make the disciples more ready and cheerful to accomplish those things which God would have done.’

Fr Simon Lumby ssc, Parish Priest

 

 4 

Thomas Merton was born in 1915,

in the French Pyrenees. His American mother, Ruth, who would die of cancer when Thomas

was only six, was a Quaker and an artist, though less ambitious than

his father, Owen. Owen, a New Zealander, had great hopes to make a career as a painter, which

he partly realized. He decided that his son should be baptized in the Church of England, to give

stability, but in fact bequeathing to Thomas a certain confusion about religious affiliation. For the next twenty years, Merton’s life was peripatetic, between New York, France and

England. Eventually, in 1933, he was admitted to Clare College, Cambridge, but was unhappy there and preferred drinking and drifting around on the Continent to studying. When in Cambridge, he was frequently in legal trouble, and fathered a child outside of marriage, who

he never met.

Tom Bennett, the friend of Owen’s who had become Merton’s guardian after the death of his father, grew

exasperated and declined to continue to bail him out, or send him back to a university from which, clearly, he would never graduate. New York seemed safer, and in January of 1935 Thomas began at Columbia University. There and then it seems his spiritual life began. There were many literary and spiritual influences which

came to bear on him, one particularly being Etienne Gilson’s “The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy,” a book that seamlessly blends profound scholarship and an evangelistic zeal for Catholic tradition. That book, and the extraordinary variety of Catholic churches in Manhattan, almost all of which he seems to

have visited, led Merton inexorably to an embrace of Catholicism.

But it did not seem inexorable at the time. Merton wanted to be a poet; he was politically

active, an eager participant in leftist demonstrations; and he grew increasingly interested in Eastern religions. He was probably more likely to end up an English professor with eclectic “spiritual” interests than anything else. But then he met, and developed a great admiration for,

a Hindu monk named Mahanambrata Brahmachari. He thought perhaps Brahmachari would lead him into Hinduism, certainly into some form of Eastern mysticism, but, to his surprise,

the monk told him that he should read more in the Christian tradition. He especially recommended St. Augustine’s “Confessions” and Thomas à Kempis’s “The Imitation of Christ.” Thomas Merton was received as a novice by a monastery in Kentucky, the Abbey of

Gethsemani, in 1941.

Precisely twenty‐seven years later, he died by accidental electrocution in his room at a retreat centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Merton was a remarkable man by any measure, but perhaps the

most remarkable of his traits was his hypersensitivity to social movements from which, of course, he was supposed to be removed.

Christia

ns...

of re

now

n...

 

5 

Choral Music for Passiontide

sung by 8ctave (the singing Clergy of the Leicester Diocese)

with Poetry read by John Florance

Featuring music by Palestrina, Messiaen, Poulenc, Bruckner, Rachmaninov and Bach

Friday 5th April 2019 at 7.30pm

Free Entrance - with retiring collection

There will also be a post concert buffet in the Parish Hall

For more details please ring 0116 287 2342

 

 6 

Round,

like a circle

in a spiral,

like a wheel within

a wheel…

 

7 

 

Many years ago, at the Pleasure Beach at Blackpool, there was a certain ‘ride’ or amusement that was strictly for the physically fit. It consisted of a flat wooden disc about 20 feet in diameter and set at an angle of 45 degrees in the floor. When it began to rotate, the aim was to get to the centre where there was a pole. As the disc rotated faster and faster, everyone who failed to get to the pole got flung off. Nowadays there’s probably a regula on banning it as far too dangerous! The principle of the game was a basic law of physics. When any wheel rotates, the outer rim moves fastest of all. Half way to the centre and you are moving a lot more slowly. And, at least theore cally, at the absolute centre will be a point which is totally s ll. That’s why anyone who reached that pole could stand there quite comfortably. We have just started the Church’s season of Lent. It’s generally thought of as being a me for giving up chocolate, wine, and other things we tend to say we like. But it’s really a me to remind us that in our own rapidly spinning world, God is the s ll centre. All around God is mo on, sound, change and decay – galaxies circling, seasons and years rota ng, life developing and decaying. And at the s ll centre, where there is no variableness, is God, the same yesterday, today and forever. At Christmas, we thanked God for entering the ever moving and changing life of the world. But one great characteris c of Jesus was his s llness. Busy, harassed, injured people found someone with neither clever chat nor idle gossip, neither vulgar boas ng nor loud opinion. His life always seemed to rotate round a s ll central point, which gave him his balance and authority. “Be s ll then and know that I am God” wrote the Psalmist. Lent is a me for us to stop and remember that. Lent is a good me to be a li le more silent than usual – quicker to listen and slower to speak. And the more silent spaces we give ourselves, the more we’ll give that s ll, small Voice within. God’s s llness is s ll full of energy ‐ that s ll centre of the spinning disc is also the point which drives the rest of the rota ng circle. Equally, when we’re in touch with that s ll centre, we’ll be able to give strength and support to those who feel they’re spinning at the edges. Being s ll does mean that we need to take me to pause, to take stock, to take a cri cal look at our lives. That’s what Lent is about. On the spinning discs of our own lives, we need to remember that there is a s ll centre, calm and yet full of energy – that is where God is.

 

 8 

Ever wonder why we eat pancakes just before Lent? The tradition dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when Christians spent Lent in repentance and severe fasting. So on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the church bell would summon them to confession, where they would be ‘shriven’, or absolved from their sins, which gives us Shrove Tuesday. At home, they would then eat up their last eggs and fat, and making a pancake was the easiest way to do this. For the next 47 days, they pretty well starved themselves. Pancakes feature in cookery books as far back as 1439, and today’s pancake races are in remembrance of a panicked woman back in 1445 in Olney, Buckinghamshire. She was making pancakes when she heard the shriving bell calling her to confession. Afraid she’d be late, she ran to the church in a panic, still in her apron, and still holding the pan. Flipping pancakes is also centuries old. A poem from Pasquil’s Palin in 1619 runs: “And every man and maide doe take their turne, And tosse their Pancakes up for feare they burne.” Some people have noted that the ingredients of pancakes can be used to highlight four significant things about this time of year: eggs stand for creation, flour is the staff of life, salt keeps things wholesome, and milk stands for purity.

Shrove Tuesday is always 47 days before Easter Sunday and falls between 3rd February and 9th March.

5th March - Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day )

 

9 

Do you want to fast this Lent?

Fast from hurting words - and say kind words. Fast from sadness - and be filled with gratitude.

Fast from anger - and be filled with patience. Fast from pessimism - and be filled with hope.

Fast from worries - and trust in God. Fast from complaints - and contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures - and be prayerful. Fast from bitterness - and fill your heart with joy.

Fast from selfishness - and be compassionate to others. Fast from grudges - and be reconciled.

Fast from words - and be silent so you can listen.

Pope Francis on what we might consider giving up for Lent

 

 10 

Fri 1st S. David, B Sat 2nd of Our Lady

Sun 3rd Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mon 4th Feria Wed 6th Ash Wednesday Thurs 7th Thursday after Ash Wednesday Fri 8th Friday after Ash Wednesday Sat 9th Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Sun 10th First Sunday of Lent Mon 11th Feria Wed 13th Feria Thurs 14th Feria Fri 15th Feria Sat 16th of Our Lady

Sun 17th Second Sunday of Lent Mon 18th Feria Wed 20th Feria Thurs 21st Feria Fri 22nd Feria Sat 23rd of Our Lady

Sun 24th Third Sunday of Lent Mon 25th The Annunciation of the Lord Wed 27th Feria Thurs 28th Feria Fri 29th Feria Sat 30th of Our Lady Sun 31st Fourth Sunday of Lent (Mothering Sunday)

March Calendar

“The

Eucharist is the source

and summit

of the

Christian

life”

Pope Saint John Paul II

 

11 

 

Some miscellaneous thoughts of Saint Patrick

(whose feast day is 17th March)

And he watched over me before I knew him

and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil.

__________

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me; God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me,

God’s shield to protect me afar and anear, alone or in a multitude.

__________

For daily I expect to be murdered or betrayed or reduced to slavery if the occasion arises.

But I fear nothing, because of the promises of Heaven; for I have cast myself into the hands of Almighty God,

who reigns everywhere. As the prophet says: ‘Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.’

__________

Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know. Be still.

Be. __________

The Lord is greater than all:

I have said enough.

 

 12 

 

12 

100g plain flour

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp sunflower oil

300ml semi-skimmed milk

splash of beer, about 2 tbsp (optional)

To make the sauce for crepes suzette

100g butter

100g golden caster sugar

150ml freshly squeezed orange juice (about 12 large oranges)

2 tsp finely grated orange zest

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

3 tbsp Grand Marnier

2 tbsp cognac

Ingredients

Put the flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs, oil and 2 tbsp of the milk, and beat together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Slowly start to pour in a little milk, mixing as you pour, to keep the batter smooth. Pour in the rest of the milk, a bit more quickly now, until it looks like single cream. Finally, add the beer. Heat a 15cm/6in crêpe pan. Measure 21∕2 tbsp of the batter into a jug, then pour into the pan, moving it around so the mixture swirls and fits the bottom of the pan. When the crêpe is golden underneath (in about 15 seconds if pan is the right temperature), turn and cook for a further 30 seconds, until spotted brown. Slide the crêpe on to a plate. Wipe the pan with oiled kitchen paper and continue frying until all the batter is used, stacking the crêpes on top of each other as you cook them. You can freeze the pancakes at this stage, wrapped in cling film and foil. Or make a day ahead, wrap and keep in the fridge. To reheat, put on an ovenproof plate, cover with foil and warm in a 180C/Gas 4/fan oven 160C for 10-15 minutes. (If using for Crêpes Suzette, warm through in the sauce.) For the sauce, heat the butter and sugar in a deep frying pan (about 25cm/10in) over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar begins to dissolve; turn up the heat and bubble quite fast, until the mixture just starts to go brown and caramelise (about 4 minutes), stirring only towards the end. Pour in the orange juice (see left); add the orange and lemon zests, letting the mixture bubble for 3-4 minutes to thicken slightly. Add the Grand Marnier and cognac, heat for a few seconds and lower the heat. Put one crêpe into the juices and, holding it with a fork, coat it well in the mixture. Fold it into quarters and push to one side of the pan. Continue the coating and folding with the remaining pancakes. Serve 2-3 crêpes per person with the sauce.

How about something different on Pancake Day?

Ever thought of Les Crêpes Suzettes?

 

13 

Christ has no body but yours,

no hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world, yours are the feet

with which he walks to do good, yours are the hands,

with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands,

yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands, no feet on earth but yours,

yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth

but yours.

S. Teresa of Avila

Born in Spain, Teresa entered a Carmelite convent

when she was eighteen, and later earned a reputation

as a mystic, reformer, and writer who experienced divine visions.

She founded a convent, and wrote the book “The Way of Perfection” for her nuns.

Other important books by her include her Autobiography

and The Interior Castle.

 

 14 

The Bishop of Wakefield writes… The resurrection is the most important thing that we believe in as Christians. It is the centre of our faith, the foundation of our Christian experience, and the goal towards which our lives move. Almost every day we hear stories of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the English Channel, often from war-torn countries, risking their lives to secure a new and safer future for their families. There are many different views about these refugees, where they should be settled and how many of them can be given the possibility of a safe and secure future. As I see those pictures I am constantly amazed as I think about how hard it must be for them to find hope. As we think about Easter, we have to face the brutal realities of the violence and indignity of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We see all that is good, beaten, broken and battered, and hurriedly buried in someone else's grave. It is indeed hard to find hope. The Christian faith invites us to different ways of living; loving enemies, praying for those who do evil and hurt without a cause, practising forgiveness. Jesus in his death on the cross, prayed for his enemies - 'Father forgive them,' he cried. Jesus challenged the very concept of 'enemy', inviting people to see each other as 'children of the same heavenly Father.' Such an attitude threatens the powerful, and those who seek to divide people from one another on the grounds of race, creed, status or schooling. Jesus' death was an apparent defeat for God's way of living in the world. If it all ended on Good Friday, despair would be the only option. But Easter day marks out a unique event in the human story; the resurrection of a man from the dead. Jesus was given back on Easter day, to give us courage to follow him; to risk ourselves, our reputations, even our lives, to demonstrate the radical goodness of God's love for us. There is our hope.

 

15 

Bishop of Beverley 

As traditional catholics in the Church of England and members of The Society of S. Wilfrid and S. Hilda we must also find hope in the Easter message for our work together. We have come a long way in the past few years and have made significant progress in organising our future life. But we still have much to do. Our challenge as faithful Catholics has always been to flourish in the Church of England. To have hope! Our predecessors certainly had the hope and the determination to flourish. They have passed on to us a rich inheritance that we must treasure. So my challenge to you this Easter is to renew yourself and as you do renew also your commitment to our life together. The Easter hope for us is that we can now flourish in the Church of England, we just have to make it a reality. May I wish you all a very good Triduum and a very Happy Easter. +Tony Bishop of Wakefield

Bishop Tony Robinson is Bishop of Wakefield. He was made a deacon at Petertide 1982 (27 June) by Brian Masters, Bishop of Fulham, at Christ Church, Southgate, and ordained a priest in 1983. His ministry began with a curacy at St Paul's, Tottenham. After a very exciting time in the Leicester Diocese, Fr Tony served as the Archdeacon of Pontefract from 1997 to 2002. He was consecrated Bishop of Pontefract on 6 December 2002, at York Minster. In 2014, the Diocese of Leeds was created. Upon the dissolution of the Wakefield diocese and the erection of the Leeds diocese, Bishop Tony became area bishop for the Wakefield area. He also provides alternative episcopal oversight under the House of Bishops' Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests throughout the whole of the Diocese of Leeds. Bishop Tony is the patron of Street Angels — Christian Nightlife Initiatives, a post held since 2010.

 

 16 

BREXIT: where do we belong now? The Venerable John Barton considers a Christian reaction to BREXIT.

I was in France when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve 1973 – the moment Britain joined the European Union – and later I received the maroon passport which identified me as one of its 743m citizens. Almost all our new-found friends had been Britain’s enemies in the past, so this union seemed to be a breakthrough. Perhaps that was naïve. International relations have always been treated as opportunities to further national interests and if others also benefitted, well, that was a bonus. We are now retracing our steps and no one can be sure whether our communal fortunes are going to improve or deteriorate. The Bible doesn’t offer a blueprint for Brexit, but it does remind us of our routine responsibilities towards our nation. Here are three extracts, written at a time when the State was far from Christian. The little church in Rome was instructed: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” And in the First Letter to Timothy, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The First Letter of Peter actually instructs readers to “honour the Emperor”, which is surprising when you consider what blackguards some of the post-holders were. The Christian’s ultimate citizenship will be in a recreated fusion of heaven and earth, but that’s not an excuse to opt out of our duties here and now. We must guard against narrow nationalism which pits us against the rest of the world, but rather develop a gracious patriotism which begins with gratitude and ends with generosity.

 

17 

We are such a busy Parish, please do write these dates into your diaries or on your kitchen calendars

so that you never miss something important at Saint Aidan’s!

Friday 5th April at 7.30pm Leicester Diocese Singing Priests, 8ctave, are being joined by John Florance in an evening of music and words for Passiontide. This is a free concert with a retiring collection. There will also be a buffet in the Parish hall after the concert. This is one not to miss! Holy Week 2019 starts on (Palm) Sunday 14th April. We are thrilled to be joined by Fr Raymond Tompkinson who is to be our Triduum preacher. The week follows as per the normal pattern - for which please see page 19 for the arrangements for the whole week. Palm Sunday - we kick off Holy Week in style with a bring and share lunch in the Hall after Mass. Please have a word with Jan if you would like to reserve a place (and she will tell you what's on the list that you could bring). Sunday 5th May we are holding another Craft Fayre (with coffee and cake) after Mass. Come along and bring some friends with you - it’s going to be a lot of fun if the last one was anything to go by!!! Watch this space for more details. Ivor Novello Supper Concert on Saturday 22nd June at 7.00pm. Shirley Overbury, Simon Lumby with accompanying band will be performing much-loved songs by this wonderful composer - accompanied by a three course meal. Tickets only £10.00. Ring 0116 287 2342 to reserve yours. Our Diamond Jubilee starts on Sunday 30th June with the Parish Celebration and Party Lunch. Then on Saturday 13th July we are joined by Bishop Rowan Williams and Bishop Norman of Richborough for the 60th Anniversary of the Dedication: Mass at 12 noon, Lunch at 1.30pm with Vespers at 3.00pm. Finally we celebrate our 60th Patronal Festival in style with the Bishop of Ebbsfleet - again Mass at 12 noon, lunch at 1.30pm and Vespers at 3.00pm. Please see the Diamond Anniversary brochure for more details.

other important dates can be found at our Parish website: www.saintaidansnewparks.co.uk

 

 18 

Down 2 ‘That was why his parents said, “He is — —; ask him”’ (John 9:23) (2,3) 3 Integrated Services Digital Network (1,1,1,1) 4 4 ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his — of thousands’ (1 Samuel 18:7) (4) 5 Concept (John 8:14) (4) 6 ‘Do we, then, — the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law’ (Romans 3:31) (7) 7 Industrious (2 Timothy 2:6) (11) 8 ‘I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be — in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you (Ephesians 1:18) (11) 12 ‘Out of the same mouth come — and cursing’ (James 3:10) (6) 14 This was how many of the Jewish leaders described Jesus (John 10:20) (3) 15 Vitality (Job 20:11) (6) 19 He urged David to kill Saul at Hakilah (1 Samuel 26:8) (7) 20 ‘So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul — with the church and taught great numbers of people’ (Acts 11:26) (3) 24 ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord — — ’ (Deuteronomy 6:4) (2,3) 25 Parched (Matthew 12:43) (4) 26 ‘In the image of God he created him; — and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27) (4) 27 Disparagement (Psalm 15:3) (4)

Across 1 These letters come between Romans and Galatians (11) 9 ‘You will not — me to the grave’ (Psalm 16:10) (7) 10 King of Moab to whom the Israelites were subject for 18 years (Judges 3:14) (5) 11 Town possessing mineral spring (3) 13 Mede (anag.) (4) 16 High-fidelity (abbrev.) (4) 17 He succeeded his father Rehoboam as king of Judah (1 Kings 14:31) (6) 18 A son of Simeon (Genesis 46:10) (4) 20 Controversial religious book of the 1970s, The — of God Incarnate (4) 21 ‘He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you — — and hear’ (Acts 2:33) (3,3) 22 ‘You — me together in my mother’s womb’ (Psalm 139:13) (4) 23 Edit (anag.) (4) 25 ‘Who has believed our message and to whom has the — of the Lord been revealed?’ (Isaiah 53:1) (3) 28 Abraham’s brother (Genesis 22:23) (5) 29 ‘When Mordecai learned of — that had been — , he tore his clothes’ (Esther 4:1) (3,4) 30 Sympathetic (Proverbs 11:16) (4-7)

 

19 

Holy Week 2019

Sunday 14th April: Palm Sunday 10.00am - Solemn Liturgy of our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem

Monday 15th April: 5.00pm - Exposition 5.30pm - Mass

Tuesday 16th April: 5.00pm - Exposition 5.30pm - Mass

Wednesday 17th April 9.30am - Exposition 10.00am - Mass

Thursday 18th April: Maundy Thursday 7.30pm - Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper & Watch at the Altar of Repose

Friday 19th April: Good Friday 12.00 noon - Stations of the Cross 1.00pm - Preaching of the Passion 2.00pm - Solemn Liturgy

Saturday 20th April: Holy Saturday 7.30pm - Solemn Vigil Mass of Easter followed by Fireworks

Triduum Preacher: The Rev’d Raymond Tomkinson 

Sunday 21st April: Easter Sunday 10.00am - Solemn Mass

 

 20 

Christ blessing John the Baptist by Moretto da Brescia

George Herbert wrote a poem entitled ‘Lent’ which contains these lines:

Who goeth in the way which Christ hath gone, Is much more sure to meet with him than one

That travelleth by-ways. And so each Lent we seek to journey with our Lord through the 40 days of this season. Lent is an Old English word for ‘Spring.’ It is not a negative, depressing time, but a season full of hope and promise. We begin it on Ash Wednesday when we are encouraged to look at our lives honestly, seeing what we need to turn from and where we need to grow. Jesus always had a soft spot for sinners, and so aware of our own sins, we begin Lent in a positive frame of mind. We rejoice in the welcome and invitation he gives to follow him. This month’s painting in the National Gallery has a very unusual theme. It shows Christ blessing John the Baptist by Moretto da Brescia, an Italian artist who died in 1554. It is not a scene we find in the Gospels, but it is likely that the artist was thinking of that moment in Matthew’s Gospel when John admits that he needs to be baptised by Jesus. “Let it be so now,” Jesus replies, and he is baptized by John. It is the prelude to our Lord’s wilderness experience – that time of testing when Jesus emerged with heart and will purified and refined for his ministry. Around Jesus and John in this painting we see the hills and countryside which lead to that wilderness. As we are drawn into this intimate scene, we can give thanks for our own baptism and pray that Jesus will bless us as we see him blessing John the Baptist. George Herbert allowed the Christ he loved to transform his life. We pray for the blessing of Jesus to transform us with his grace and mercy as we say with the poet, ‘Welcome dear season of Lent.’

God in the Arts

 

21 

 

 22 

 

Supper Cabaret

3 Acts and 3 courses

featuring the music of Ivor Novello

starring

Shirley Overbury & Simon Lumby

Saturday 22nd June at 7.00pm

Tickets - £10.00

Reserve yours now at the box office on

0116 287 2342

 

 

23 

21  

God and the Tesco token The Rev Tony Horsfall finds that ge ng older makes him want to use his me more wisely.

A good thing to think about in Lent! I was shopping recently with my wife at the local Tesco store. Having paid for our goods we were given a blue token, which my wife explained we could place in the dona on box of a local good cause as we le the shop. Sure enough, near the exit were three large plas c containers into which we could drop our token, each represen ng a different charity needing support. The more tokens they receive, the bigger the dona on they will be given from the supermarket, so it was a weighty choice! I chose the local Youth Choir. I am in the habit, just before I sleep, of looking back over the day that just finished. That night as I went to sleep God reminded me about the blue token and my concern to use it wisely. As I get older I am increasingly aware of the importance of every day, that each new day is a gi from God to be enjoyed and cherished. None of us know how many days we have, but we do know they are running out. All the more reason, then, to use them wisely. As I thought about the token it seemed to me that with each new day I have been given the gi of a token from God, and I should do my best to use it for his glory. When we are young, with our lives stretching out ahead of us, it is as if we have thousands of tokens to spend (70 years, for example, would be 25,550 tokens), so to waste a few is not such a disaster. However, now that I am in my 69th year, there may not be so many tokens le ! I need to spend each one wisely. Moses, who lived to the grand old age of 120, prayed to God like this:

“Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

(Psalm 90:12)

 

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27th April - Tertullian fierce firebrand of the Early Church

Tertullian was born in Carthage, North Africa, about 155 AD. He had pagan parents and his father may have been a centurion. Carthage was a prestigious Roman colony and Tertullian was given a good education in Greek, Latin, literature, history and philosophy. On arrival in Rome, Tertullian probably worked as a lawyer.

In Rome, he also enjoyed visits to the arena, to see gladiators kill each other and Christians devoured by lions. However, Tertullian grew impressed with the Christians; by their courage, and willingness to die for their belief in one God. He was also moved by their compassion for the poor, the orphans and widows, and how they prayed for their persecutors. In AD 185, he converted, and married a Christian woman.

On Tertullian’s return to Carthage he became a vociferous, if not always orthodox, defender of Christianity. He wrote in Latin, instead of Greek, and used legal terms to persuade the Roman establishment to cease its relentless persecution of Christians. He argued they had a right to a fair trial, instead of just being condemned to death.

Tertullian advocated that Christianity should stand uncompromisingly against the surrounding culture. He addressed a whole range of issues, from appropriate dress and marriage, to idolatry, repentance and baptism. He also wrote essays on prayer and devotion. Tertullian used the Scriptures to refute heresies, especially Gnosticism, which was a major threat to the Church at the time.

His prolific works are full of memorable phrases, puns and wit. While he could be gentle, sensitive, self-critical and reflective, he could also be aggressive and sarcastic. He devised the term New Testament, and introduced the words penitence and sacrament. His most famous statement was: “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church”.

Late in life, Tertullian sadly decided that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were not wholly equal with the Father. This was Montanism, one of the early Christian heresies. Although he coined the word Trinity, a word that does not appear anywhere in the Bible, sadly he did not mean a triune God, but a group of three. This was heresy, and so the Early Church was not able to recognise him as a saint. According to tradition, he died about AD 225.

 

25 

Some thoughts about the coming of Spring

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from mak-ing engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness ex-

cept for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

“She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead.” A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"...

"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...” Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind

“If people did not love one another,

I really don't see what use there would be in having any spring.” Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now.

One does, I think, as one gets older.” Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room

“That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.”

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

 

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April Calendar

Mon 1st Feria Wed 3rd Feria Thurs 4th Feria Fri 5th Feria Sat 6th of Our Lady Sun 7th Fifth Sunday of Lent Mon 8th Feria Wed 10th Feria Thurs 11th Feria Fri 12th Feria Sat 13th of Our Lady

Sun 14th Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord Mon 15th Monday of Holy Week Tues 16th Tuesday of Holy Week Wed 17th Wednesday of Holy Week Thurs 18th Maundy Thursday Fri 19th Good Friday Sat 20th Holy Saturday Sun 21st Easter Sunday Mon 22nd Easter Monday Tues 23rd Easter Tuesday Wed 24th Easter Wednesday Thurs 25th Easter Thursday Fri 26th Easter Friday Sat 27th Easter Saturday Sun 28th Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy) Mon 29th S. George, Mr

“When we have been to

Holy Communion, the balm of

love envelops the soul as the flower

envelops the bee”.

St. Jean Vianney

 

27 

BBC to run a ‘Year of Beliefs’ The BBC is going to ‘shine a light’ on faith and spiritual values in Britain today by running a year of programmes dedicated to religion and ethics. The move comes a year after the BBC promised to ‘raise our game’ in the way that it treated religion. That promise followed a year-long review of its religious and ethics output. So what series should we look out for? Here are just some: On BBC 1, Earth’s Sacred Wonders will look at the rituals and monuments of faith around the world; Medical Ethics will be a documentary filmed at Great Ormond Street Hospital; and Pregnant and Platonic will be a documentary on people who have children without being in a romantic relationship. On BBC 2, Inside the Vatican will show a year in the life of the Vatican community, including Pope Francis; and the popular Pilgrimage series will return. The Bishop of Repton, the Rt. Revd. Jan McFarlane, who chairs the Sandford St Martin Trust, welcomed the BBC’s plans. Especially “bringing issues of faith, belief and ethics to as wide an audience as possible.” Church of England invests £35 million in new Christian communities The Church of England is to fund a bold series of projects to spread the Christian faith – from a new congregation in a nightclub area to a weekday church – as part of a £35 million investment in mission. The biggest investment so far by the Church of England’s Renewal and Reform programme is intended to help it reach tens of thousands of people including in city centres, outer estates and rural areas. The grants will pioneer new types of churches – which may be far from the traditional image – along with outreach by the Church of England, from a social media pastor to work with school and community choirs. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Hearing and responding to the good news of Jesus Christ unlocks new joy, new belonging, new purpose and new life. These projects show the dynamism and drive of the Church of England’s mission to share this good news with people throughout our dioceses and parishes. We are committed to this work because we want everyone to know how much they are loved by God through Jesus Christ, and how they can find that love for themselves.” The areas which will receive the funding boost include Birmingham, Bradford, Gateshead, Ipswich, Leeds, Portsmouth, Preston, Rotherham, Southend and Stockton-on-Tees. Several of the grants will boost the Church of England’s presence in areas with high student populations. In Durham, St Nic’s Church, in the centre of the city, will seek to engage with the further education sector, building on existing work amongst university students. Debbie Clinton, Director of the Church of England’s Renewal and Reform programme, said: “From a church in a nightclub area to weekday congregations and a social media pastor, the Church of England is not afraid to try something new to ensure it continues to serve every community in the country. “We believe that everyone should have a chance to experience the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of belonging to a Christian community wherever they live, whether in an urban city centre, an outer housing estate or in remote rural areas.”

IN T

HE N

EWS

 

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Many people will sit down to roast lamb on Easter Sunday—but what to have with it?

This potato gratin is something of a favourite with ‘gourmands’ and is very easy to do in advance.

Ingredients 1 head savoy cabbage, cored,

cleaned, and shredded 1 (5cm) slab bacon, thinly

sliced 30g unsalted butter, plus

more for greasing the gratin dish

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 bunch fresh chives, finely

chopped Sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper 900g baking potatoes,

unpeeled and thinly sliced 0.5cm)

600ml double cream 200g grated Parmesan

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Finely shred the cabbage. Cut the bacon into 1.5cm chunks. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat and fry the bacon, until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. Set aside. Add 15g butter to bacon fat in frying pan. When it has melted add 1/2 the garlic and give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon to soften. Add the cabbage and coat it with the butter. Slowly let it wilt. Add the bacon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and add most of the chives, reserving a little for the garnish. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an ovenproof casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 360ml of cream, 100g of Parmesan, and the remaining garlic, Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using your hands, place a layer of potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and repeat with 2 more layers. Spoon the

cabbage mixture on top and spread it out evenly over the potatoes. Top it off with 2 more layers of potato and Parmesan. Pour the remaining cream over the dish. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Cover dish with aluminium foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Leave for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.

 

29  23  

The idea of a 100 Club is that people pay £1 a week for a number. There is a weekly draw - prizes are £15, £10 and £5, with special extra prizes of £100 at Christmas and Easter. It has proved popular with many in the Church family and therefore it was suggested that we should endeavour to spread the word a little further. Should we get enough members, the prize money could go up significantly - and we are hoping in the not too distant future to add another £100 draw to coincide with our Patronal festivals in August. The more people in the Club the more that can be won!

Numbers can be bought weekly, monthly or yearly - it would be up to you. If you would like to know more about helping the Saint Aidan’s family in this way, please do not hesitate to ring Fr Simon on 0116 287 2342 - you would be helping us to be responsible custodians of our building and ensuring the health of the Saint Aidan’s Church building for generations to come!

As many of the Saint Aidan’s family know, we sadly don’t have one of those magic money

trees that seem to grow in certain churchyards - but of late we have been having a lot of fun

with our renewed 100 Club that not only puts a little money into our coffers but also helps us

keep the proverbial wolf from the proverbial door!

At a time when so many Churches like Saint Aidan’s struggle to pay the Quota, initiatives like the 100 Club enable us to pay for things that go wrong with the building - things for which there are no grant making bodies to which we can turn for help. To date the 100 Club has successfully paid for:

* new Vestry Roof * new organ

* new sound system * the new heating system for Lady Chapel and Vestry

* new Church lighting

 

 30 

Isaiah’s account of God calling him to be a prophet makes me ask, what does it mean to be ‘called’ by God? What does God want from me? Isaiah offered himself willingly when God asked whom he could send to speak on his behalf to Israel. And Isaiah was given a difficult message to proclaim to a resistant people. God sent him to warn them of coming judgement and destruction, and yet added to that a mysterious promise of future hope. The call to Isaiah was challenging, and the sequence of events described in chapter 6 is important. Isaiah was not simply summoned and sent out with a script. Before he was given the task, Isaiah encountered God. Faced with God’s holiness, Isaiah perceived his own inadequacy. God responded with mercy, purifying Isaiah’s ‘unclean lips’ with the touch of a burning coal and words of absolution, preparing him for the work ahead. While wrestling with the decision to give up my job and serve in a Christian community, I cried out to God in frustration, ‘What do you want from me?’ If it’s possible for God to shrug his shoulders then he did. The story of Cain and Abel came to mind: Abel offered God the best of his harvest while Cain brought leftovers. God received Abel’s offering with pleasure, not because of what it was but because it was his best. I sensed that God did not mind what I did but was more concerned with my attitude – where could I live most generously? I believe that God’s calling on our lives is more about character than circumstance. It is awareness of God’s goodness and holiness and a desire to emulate that which is to shape my actions, whatever my situation or line of work. Sometimes I’ve asked God, ‘What should I do?’ but received no clear answer, so I’ve done what I thought best. Now I’m learning to ask, ‘Who do you want me to become?’ It is much easier to see which bits of my character need work and there’s plenty in the Bible about the kind of people Jesus calls us to be. So now I’m asking, ‘How do I need to change? Where can I go to work on that?’

Helen Brocklehurst considers the challenge of finding God’s will for us.

 

31  

If you know somewhere that might benefit from having our magazine, please let one of the clergy know - the

magazine is a very important tool in letting the outside world know what we do here at Saint Aidan’s and the

more that are out in the community the better!

Who’s Who at Saint Aidan’s, New Parks

Toni Brant 100 Club Officer 07533 824436

Bridget Marston Safeguarding Officer

07803 902238

Margaret Isom Treasurer

0116 287 3835

Linda Perks Churchwarden 07801 765290

Joyce Turley Churchwarden 0116 233 4417

Bev Ward Sacristan

0116 241 9970

Jan Collins Administrator 07960 183239

Aubrey Stevenson Liturgical Sub-deacon

07754 518657

Judith Stevenson PGS Co-ordinator

07754 518657

Crossword Solution

ACROSS: 1, Corinthians. 9, Abandon. 10, Eglon. 11, Spa. 13, Deem. 16, Hi-fi. 17, Abijah. 18, Ohad. 20, Myth. 21, Now see. 22, Knit. 23, Tide. 25, Arm. 28, Nahor. 29, All done. 30, Kind-hearted.

DOWN: 2, Of age. 3, ISDN. 4, Tens. 5, Idea. 6, Nullify. 7, Hardworking. 8, Enlightened. 12, Praise. 14, Mad. 15, Vigour. 19, Abishai. 20, Met. 24, Is one. 25, Arid. 26, Male. 27, Slur. 16, Lament. 18, Reach. 20, Never. 21, Jada.

 

 32  

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