Dear friends,
In this Sunday’s first reading at Mass, the scribe Ben Sira reminds us that ‘an attentive ear is the wise man’s desire‘: in other words, it is more blessed to listen than to speak. Many centuries later, St Benedict of Nursia would echo this sentiment in the opening words of his Rule, which counsel that we should ‘listen… with the ear of the heart‘. Many of us find little difficulty in offering our own opinions(!) – but a greater challenge lies in first listening, in prayer and in humble attentiveness. In our spiritual lives, therefore, and in our ecclesial lives as members of the Church, let us strive first to listen, for the voice of the Lord speaking in the silence, and in the cries of the poor.
This weekend will be the final opportunity to contribute to August’s charity appeal in aid of the charity Mind: please use the basket in church, and thank you for your generosity.
At the back of church is a sign-up sheet for a parish lunch and conversation after Mass on Sunday, 14 September (the Feast of the Holy Cross), when our guest preacher – Fr Stephen Gallagher, Missioner to the See of Fulham – will lead us in a discussion about our parish’s future direction and priorities. A buffet lunch will be provided free of charge, and with no need for personal contributions of food – but please sign up before 7 September, to help with judging numbers for catering, and also to inform us of any dietary requirements. (The lunch and conversation will likely not last longer than two hours.)
A week later, Sunday, 21 September, there will be another(!) parish lunch after Mass, in celebration of our Patronal Festival, in honour of Our Lady of Walsingham: please speak to Pat to confirm your contribution of (sweet or savoury) finger food to a bring-and-share meal.
Our next parish outing will be on Sunday, 5 October, when we will travel to the iconic church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, on Trafalgar Square, for afternoon tea, and Choral Evensong at 5pm: further details to follow next week.
And please find attached an invitation from our Muslim neighbours to join in a city-wide street clean-up initiative on Saturday, 20 September.
O sing to God; make music to His Name,
Fr Richard