In Today’s gospel we hear that Jesus planned to take his disciples away for a brief break, but people guessed where they were going and arrived there before Jesus and the disciples.

Instead of being annoyed or telling people to leave them to their rest, Jesus listened to the crowd and gave of himself in caring for them where they were. This is the Jesus whom we are called to follow as our exemplar.

In the gospel we hear that the disciples don’t even have time to eat. Jesus is not annoyed or exhausted but moved with pity for the people and began to teach them.

We, who are the followers of Jesus, like those first twelve apostles are called to share the Good News of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with the people around us. The word apostle translates as “one who is sent.” Jesus invites all his followers, through the grace of Baptism and Confirmation to ‘be sent’. To be in the world as missionary disciples to share the message of love of God and neighbour that Jesus proclaimed and to have the healing and helping hands of Jesus for those around us.

We who are Jesus’ disciples today have also been sent to share the Gospel with others. There may be times when, like Jesus’ first disciples we feel tired and overwhelmed. At these times we are invited to come to Jesus in prayer and spend time alone with him either in the silence of our homes, or by praying before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in Church. In this prayer we are refreshed by our encounter with Jesus alive today.

Mass at St. Teilo’s

Mass today will be at 10.00am and 6pm. While 10am Mass is full there are plenty of places at 6pm Mass if you wish to come along, please turn up and a steward will show you to a place. You are also welcome to join us online.

Weekday Mass at St. Teilo’s this week take place at 10am on Monday Thursday, Friday and Saturday Mornings and at 7pm on Wednesday Evening. You are welcome to attend with no need to pre-book.

Time for private prayer

From this week, St. Teilo’s will be open for private prayer on Mondays and Fridays from Mass time until 5.30pm. You are welcome to call in at any time, but please remember to remain six feet, that is two metres, away from other attendees who are not members of your own household. You will need either to ‘Check-in’ using the NHS Covid-19 app to log the QR code in the Church porch or to add your name and phone number to the sign in sheet. You are required to sanitise as you enter and leave the Church. You may remove your face covering if you are alone in the Church but if someone else is present you will need to wear your face covering. On Monday the opportunity for Private Prayer will be from 10.30pm until 5.30pm. On Friday, due to the funeral of Janet Sullivan, the period will be from 1pm until 5.30pm.

Next Sunday

Each weekend St. Teilo’s has three Sunday Masses open for attendance; the Vigil Mass at 6pm on Saturday, the 10am Mass on Sunday morning and a 6pm Mass on Sunday evening. Bookings for all three Sunday Masses should be made via the parish’s online booking service. Click on the red ‘Select a date’ button and select the date and time of the Mass you wish to attend.

This week’s newsletter can be found here.

Today’s Gospel describes what many believe to have been the typical pattern of Jesus’ ministry: teaching in the synagogue followed by acts of healing. In his hometown of Nazareth, the people are amazed by what they hear, but they also cannot comprehend how someone they know so well might move them so powerfully.

This Gospel tells us that Jesus is unable to perform miracles in Nazareth because of the people’s lack of faith. Jesus is said to be surprised by this. He did not predict or foresee this rejection. In this detail we find a description of the very human side of Jesus, who didn’t realise those who knew him well, and knew his family too would not have the faith in him that others would. We are invited to ask if we, when we are very familiar with the stories of Jesus, can at times also take them for granted and now as an inspiration for a deepening of our faith.

We are invited by the gospel to ask ‘Who is Jesus?’ The people of Nazareth might know the carpenter, the son of Mary, but they do not know Jesus, the Son of God. The gospel reminds us that Jesus’ was rejected by his own people, the people of Israel. St. Mark, by showing that Jesus himself was rejected, offers consolation and reassurance to his first readers who were themselves rejected by both the Jewish community and the society of the Roman Empire in their time. It should prepare us to accept this possible consequence of Christian discipleship, being true to Jesus may be a challenge to the society around us.

Mass at St. Teilo’s

Mass today will be at 10.00am and 6pm. While 10am Mass is full there are plenty of places at 6pm Mass if you wish to come along, please turn up and a steward will show you to a place. You are also welcome to join us online.

Weekday Mass at St. Teilo’s this week take place at 10am on Monday Thursday, Friday and Saturday Mornings and at 7pm on Wednesday Evening. You are welcome to attend with no need to pre-book.

Next Sunday

Each weekend St. Teilo’s has three Sunday Masses open for attendance; the Vigil Mass at 6pm on Saturday, the 10am Mass on Sunday morning and a 6pm Mass on Sunday evening. Bookings for all three Sunday Masses should be made via the parish’s online booking service. Click on the red ‘Select a date’ button and select the date and time of the Mass you wish to attend.

This week’s newsletter can be found here.

In today’s gospel Jesus is asked to heal the daughter of Jairus. Jairus is described as a synagogue official, a man of considerable standing in the Jewish community. Distraught over his daughter’s poor health, he approaches Jesus and asks him to heal her. Although Mark doesn’t provide many details, we can imagine that his daughter has been ill for some time and that her condition is deteriorating.

As we listen we can imagine Jairus’ impatience with Jesus; his daughter is dying and Jesus hasn’t helped him yet. As if to build a sense of urgency, messengers suddenly arrive and confirm Jairus’s worst fear: his daughter has died. Jesus ignores their message and reassures Jairus. When they arrive at Jairus’s home, they find family and friends mourning the girl’s death. Jesus enters the room of the dead girl, takes her by the hand, and instructs her to get up. Jairus’ faith in Jesus has not been in vain; his daughter is restored to life.

The lesson, as Jesus explains to the disciples, is that faith leads Jairus to seek out Jesus. It is our own faith that invites us to turn to the Lord in whatever are our needs and to trust in him whatever happens. The gospel ends with Jesus asking those around the little girl to not let anyone know about it. A reminder that each individual must make his or her own act of faith in affirming Jesus as God’s Son based on our own trust in him and not just on the miracles that he does.

Mass at St. Teilo’s

Mass today will be at 10.00am and 6pm. While 10am Mass is full there are plenty of places at 6pm Mass if you wish to come along, please turn up and a steward will show you to a place. You are also welcome to join us online.

Weekday Mass at St. Teilo’s this week take place at 10am on Monday Thursday, Friday and Saturday Mornings and at 7pm on Wednesday Evening. You are welcome to attend with no need to pre-book.

St. Peter and St Paul

While the obligation to attend Mass on the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul is currently suspended. Tuesday this week is the occasion of that great feast day. If you wish to attend Mass on Tuesday, you should book via the Parish Online Booking Service. Masses that day will be at 10am and 7pm. The 10am Mass is likely to be full, but the Evening Mass has less bookings, so if you forget to book and want to attend Mass, please come along to the Evening Mass.

Next Sunday

Each weekend St. Teilo’s has three Sunday Masses open for attendance; the Vigil Mass at 6pm on Saturday, the 10am Mass on Sunday morning and a 6pm Mass on Sunday evening. Bookings for all three Sunday Masses should be made via the parish’s online booking service. Click on the red ‘Select a date’ button and select the date and time of the Mass you wish to attend.

This week’s newsletter can be found here.