Twenty-sixth Sunday
Published
Gospel Reflection. In today’s Gospel we find the two sons, each doing the opposite to what they declare; while Jesus tells us that tax collectors and prostitutes paid attention to John the Baptist and they changed too. There is plenty of common ground between those bible figures and our own fickle behaviour. One day we can be full of fervour and keen to profess our Christian faith, come what may. The next we can’t pray. We ask where is the God of yesterday? Does he exist at all? Is all our time wasted? Those who reject belief, faith, Church, religion and moral responsibility continue life as contented, apparently, as everyone else. Many of them were our classmates with whom we received our First Holy Communion and Confirmation. They don’t darken the door of the Church anymore. They changed their minds! Of all the gifts given to us by God, the freedom of choice is perhaps the greatest. We’re not pre-determined beings; our choices are sacred and are literally our making, our doing and un-doing. When we respond positively to God’s grace as also reflected in the best and noblest inspirations and aspirations of our environment, we’re shaping ourselves more firmly in the image and likeness of God our Creator. Part of the challenge of our day is to ignore the choices made by others and content ourselves with our own good choices which uplift, and determine a better tomorrow for ourselves and society.
Let us pray for those who have changed their minds or way of life and turned away from God. May they experience afresh the fervour of their early faith and experience anew God’s gifts of peace and joy. Fr Philip
TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY (A)
| Day / Date | Time | ChurchCh | Intention |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT 26th SEP | 6.00pm | CC | For the People of the Parish |
| SUN 27th SEP | 8.30am | SJ | Mary Barns RIP (Vivienne Bowman) |
| SUN 27th SEP | 10.00am | CC | Theresa Coutinho RIP (Coutinho family) |
| SUN 27th SEP | 12noon | SPH | For the People of the Parish |
| MON 28th SEP | 10.00am | CC | Curtis family (Suzanne McGoldrick) |
| MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS | |||
| TUE 29th SEP | 10.00am | SJ | Jackie Beckford-Walker RIP (Marie Marriott) |
| WED 30th SEP | Priest celebrates Mass privately | ||
| THU 1st OCT | 10.00am | CC | Special Intentions Father Philip (Tina Kirk) |
| FRI 2nd OCT | 10.00am | Father Jake Dicto RIP (Tina Kirk) All night Vigil | |
| SAT 3rd OCT | 10.00am | CC | Lucy Cziraki RIP (Elizabeth Johnston) |
| SAT 3rd OCT | 6.00pm | CC | Fernada Neves RIP |
| TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY (A) | |||
| SUN 4th OCT | 8.30am | SJ | God’s Blessings on Claire Hutton (Hutton family) |
| SUN 4th OCT | 10.00am | CC | Vera & Philip Weston RIP (Barry Weston) |
| SUN 4th OCT | 12noon | SPH | For the People of the Parish |
| FRI 2nd OCT | 6.15pm | CC | Special Intentions Father Philip Mass (Latin) |
| FRI 2nd OCT | 10.00pm | CC | All night Vigil |
Are you in year 7-13 and would like to come and join us for pizza, fun and games? We would love to see you at our meeting in Fisher Hall after Saturday 6.00pm Mass– Stefano. Meeting dates 19th Sept, 3rd Oct, 17th Oct.
Parish Bereavement Support: Please see our new leaflets with full details, at the back of each church.
MUMS/DADS NIGHTS Taking time to feed our own faith by exploring an aspect of Christianity with other parents in the parish. We meet in someone's home, watch some input to get us thinking and chat over pizza and drinks. All are very welcome. Contacts Isabel (07851062232 or Nick (07851609097)
COMMUNITY STOREHOUSE, PADDOCK WOOD Please continue with your much needed donations, which can be left in the Narthex at St Justus. Online bank transfer: Community Storehouse, HSBC Bank Sort code: 40-36-35Acc No: 11298410 Ref: St Justus member. Waitrose and Tesco gift cards are welcome as an alternative.
WAITROSE TONBRIDGE ‘COMMUNITY MATTERS’ PROGRAMME Thank you so much for your support in putting tokens into the SVP box at Waitrose. We only have until the end of September to fill this box so please let’s GO BIG so we raise much needed funds for Corpus Christi St Vincent de Paul (SVP) .
CORPUS CHRIST YOUTH GROUP has secured tickets for "Come From Away. It is being performed by the sell-out local amateur group LAMPS at the E M Forster Theatre in Tonbridge. Please contact eliz.owen0@gmail.com for all details
PRAYER GROUP CORPUS CHRISTI Starting this Saturday at 5.00pm in the Lady Chapel
TONBRIDGE SVP TEA PARTY Sunday 4th October 3-6 in the hall. Please let either Maura, Cherryl or Trevor know if you want to attend.
FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS DEVOTION This will start at an earlier time of 9.15am from October 3rd. The Holy Face Devotion will be at 10.30am after Mass as usual.
TONBRIDGE Hall Bookings: Please contact the parish office during office hours 01732 353984 or by email. Not in the evenings or week-ends
CAFOD HARVEST FAMILY FAST DAY is on Friday 2nd October. There are envelopes for this purpose available. Please bring your envelopes back and put them in the second collection next weekend.
NEXT WEEKEND there is a second collection for CAFOD to help with their work in all parts of the world to help feed and build lives for those in desperate need.
THIS WEEKEND is the second National Mass Count and continues for the following two weekends. There will be count sheets for the collectors to complete which must be returned to the parish office each weekend/Monday. Thank you.
CORPUS CHRISTI SOCIAL MORNING The next meeting is on Tuesday 29th September at 10.00am in Fisher Hall for Coffee & Chat. There will be a speaker from a member of the Ambulance team. All welcome. We would appreciate any help in setting out the tables and chairs before the meeting.
CC SOCIAL COMMITTEE MEETING on Monday 5 October at 7.30pm in the Fisher Hall. Anyone interested in getting involved supporting social events would be welcome to come along.
ST JUSTUS Sunday, October 4, we will be celebrating harvest Sunday. If you are able, please bring food offerings such as pasta, rice, soup, pasta sauces, tinned tomatoes, vegetables or baked beans, tinned fruit, teabags, UHT milk, sugar, instant coffee. All items will be donated to the Paddock Wood Community Store House after the service. There's a sheet in the narthex highlighting requirements.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PROFRAMME 2027 REGISTRATION DATES: Monday 19th October & Monday 26th October 7-8.00pm in the Fisher Hall. Programme begins in January. If you wish your child to be included in the Programme then you must come along and register them on either of those meeting dates. Please bring along to the meeting their Baptism Certificate & a Passport size photo.
Congratulations to Liberty Aroche Miller who was baptized last weekend and to her parents and godparents.