There are many today who fear that faith may limit their life, that they may be constrained by the commandments and the teachings of the Church and will not be free to move about the 'broad place' of contemporary life and thought.

They feel like the younger son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), obliged to depart, leaving God aside, in order to enjoy to the full 'the broad place' of the universe. In the end, however, this 'broad place' becomes narrow and empty. Only when our life has successfully risen to God's heart will we have found that 'broad place' for which we were created. A life without God does not become any freer and broader. The human being is destined for the infinite. For him nothing else can suffice.

Yet those who leave God out limit their lives and the world to the 'finite', to what we ourselves can do and think, and this is always too little. Above all, God enlarges our heart so that we no longer think only of ourselves, are no longer concerned only with ourselves. The heart that is open to God becomes – through the breath of God – in turn generous and large. This person no longer needs to seek anxiously his own happiness, his own success or to attach importance to the opinions of others.

He is now free and generous, open to God's call. He can give his whole self confidently because he knows – wherever he goes – that in God's hands he is safe. The one who is big-hearted will be able to keep a place of honour for God and his neighbour in his life and will be healed through his encounter with God.

Pope Benedict XVI
Click here to read the entire text

Confirmation

On Wednesday 21st May, a group of young adult parishioners received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Bishop Arthur visited to confer the Sacrament and to encourage the young people to live lives of heroic virtue. It is a challenging vocation in today's world, he said, but one made possible with God's help. The joy and fulfilment that life in the Spirit brings cannot be found elsewhere.

There will be a Youth Mass and Pizza Night on Sunday 8th June. All our young people are welcome!

First Holy Communion

On Pentecost Sunday, 18th May, both the 9am and 11:30am Masses celebrated our young parishioners receiving Holy Communion for the first time.

St. Robert's News: May/June Edition

You can now read the latest edition of St. Robert's News online. Click here to view it.

You wll need a PDF viewer to see these files. Get one here.

Without the Holy Spirit: God is far away, Christ stays in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is simply an organisation, authority is a matter of domination, mission is a matter of propaganda, the liturgy no more than an evocation, Christian living a slave morality.

But in the Holy Spirit: the Risen Christ is there, the Gospel is the power of life, the Church shows forth the life of the Trinity, authority is a liberating service, mission is a Pentecost, the liturgy is both memorial and anticipation and human action is deified.

Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople (1886-1972)

Ampleforth Retreat Day

A sunny day in the pastoral surroundings of Ampleforth Abbey made the perfect setting for our retreat day. Dom. Henry Wansbrough OSB, a monk of Ampleforth and internationally renowned scholar and author, led two engaging sessions on the Mystery of the Church. He based his talks on the Second Vatican Council's document on the Church, Lumen Gentium, one of the four key documents of the Council.

The document draws its title from the first line of the document: "Christ is the light of the nations." Fr. Henry emphasised that God comes to us in friendship and that it is in the Church that we make our response to Him; the Church is how we are unified with God. The summary Fr. Henry supplied showed that we can understand the Church through a number of Biblical images:

"The nature of the Kingdom is shown by various images in Scripture. The Church is a sheepfold, a flock, ceaselessly led by Christ the good shepherd. A field to be cultivated, the ancient olive tree, the choice vineyard, the vine. A building whose chief cornerstone is Christ, whose foundations are the apostles, a temple built of living stones. The Jerusalem above, our Mother, the spotless bride of the Lamb, united to Christ and nourished by Him."

In the afternoon we reflected on our common vocation to holiness, that God invites everyone in the Church - and the whole world - to draw close to Him. By our baptism we are called to be priests, prophets and kings. Priests by our prayer and active participation in the Eucharist. Prophets by our proclamation of God's Word to the world. Kings by building God's Kingdom and spreading His Lordship on the earth.

Holy Week Retreat

During the first part of Holy Week Fr. Gerard Kelly, president of the Sion Community, led us through a retreat to prepare for the Triduum. He preached engagingly and thoughtfully at three midday Masses. He led the Reconciliation Service on Monday, preaching about the damage sin causes to community and forgiveness is not something difficult but something impossible. Impossible, that is, without the help of the Holy Spirit. On Tuesday evening he spoke about the five elements that make up a living, lively and life-giving faith: Knowing God's Love, Awareness of Sin, the Sacrifice of Jesus, Transformation in the Holy Spirit and Living in a Faith Community. On Wednesday morning he led a large group through some meditative prayer on the Good Friday reading from Isaiah.

An Important Step: The Rite of Election

Many congratulations to Simon, Jean, Jackie and Paula who attended the Rite of Election at Leeds Cathedral on the First Sunday of Lent. This service marks an important point in the faith journey of these people into the Catholic Church. There were huge numbers there; more than last year. Each candidate was supported by the prayers of the community and had the opportunity to meet Bishop Arthur Roche, a successor of the Apostles and who, as our bishop, is the focus of unity for our diocese. The journey continues up to the Easter Vigil, when they will be received into the Catholic Church, and beyond!

Pancake Night

On Shrove Tuesday nine young people of our parish got together to spend time with one another and chat a little about what they wanted to get out of Church. We were treated to a huge pile of pancakes, cooked expertly by our guest chef!

If you're in year 9, 10 or 11:
It's hoped that this will be the first of many oppotunities for us to get together. If you weren't there on the night and want to join the group, get hold of a consent form from Church, fill it in and post it through the presbytery door. You're more than welcome!

New Canon - New Church

On Friday 1st February we finally got round to celebrating our newly decorated Church and our newly decorated parish priest! While we have been admiring the refurbishment of St. Robert's for a few months, Friday evening was the first time that the parish saw Canon Lawrie in his new robes. The vast numbers that braved the awful weather all valued the opportunity to express their admiration, appreciation and affection for their parish priest. After Mass, the celebrations continued in the Centre. The great amount or organisation (down to balloons and serviettes that matched Canon Lawrie's robes!) evidently paid off: a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable evening.

Click on a photograph below to see a bigger version.

Lenten Project 2007 Update

"With the generosity of the parish of St Robert, we have purchased a Mahindra Bolero Jeep which has been fully operational since September 2007. We now have at least one independent and reliable mode of transport to support the community of Lamptaput. We are grateful for your help. We extend an open welcome to any of you, who might wish to visit Lamptaput and observe or experience our community."
Dr Ravi George – Director, Asha Kiran Hospital, Lamptaput, Koratput District, Orissa, India.  Ph: 00-91-6868-272319

Thank you to our parish, for making this possible. D'Cunhas.

"Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk 2: 19). The Greek verb used, sumbállousa, literally means "piecing together" and makes us think of a great mystery to be discovered little by little. Although the Child lying in a manger looks like all children in the world, at the same time He is totally different: He is the Son of God, He is God, true God and true man. This mystery - the Incarnation of the Word and the divine Motherhood of Mary - is great and certainly far from easy to understand with the human mind alone. [...]

Dear brothers and sisters, it is only by pondering in the heart, in other words, by piecing together and finding unity in all we experience, that, following Mary, we can penetrate the mystery of a God Who was made man out of love and who calls us to follow Him on the path of love; a love to be expressed daily by generous service to the brethren. May the new year which we are confidently beginning today be a time in which to advance in that knowledge of the heart, which is the wisdom of saints. Let us pray, as we heard in the First Reading, that the Lord may "make His face to shine" upon us, "and be gracious" to us (cf. Nm 6: 24-7) and bless us. We may be certain of it: if we never tire of seeking His Face, if we never give in to the temptation of discouragement and doubt, if also among the many difficulties we encounter we always remain anchored to Him, we will experience the power of His love and His mercy. May the fragile Child Who today the Virgin shows to the world make us peacemakers, witnesses of Him, the Prince of Peace. Amen!

- Pope Benedict XVI
Homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (1 Jan 2008)
Click here to read the entire homily.

St. Robert's Redecoration

For a good nine weeks from the beginning of August, our church was closed to everyone but painters and decorators. Now it's all over and we've returned to our usual routine, the whole enterprise has proved to be a major success! We believe our church truly lives up to its function: to lift our hearts and minds to God.

Click on the photographs below to see a bigger version.

Twentieth Sunday of the Year (A)

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalm 66
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15:21-28

Click here for a reflection on Sunday's readings.

NEXT WEEK
Twenty-first Sunday of the Year(A)

Isaiah 22:19-23
Psalm 137
Romans 11:33-36
Matthew 16:13-20