“They do not belong to the world, any more than I belong to the world”.

John 17:11-19

Throughout Eastertide we hear in our church readings how much God loves us, and how much we need to remain true to God’s commandments.

In today’s Gospel of St. John, Jesus prays to the Father: “Keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us”.

Just contemplate that statement, and think about the honour we have as Christians being called brothers and sisters of God.

But being a Christian is not easy, many are persecuted and killed all around the world because of their faith in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said “I passed your Word on to them and the world hated them”.

This is the sacrifice Christians have to bear in the world today, in picking up our own cross.  Being a witness to Jesus, and proclaiming the Good News.  We have the Martyrs of the Church as our role models, seeing how much they had to suffer but still remaining true to their faith to the very end.

“God is love, and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him”.

We need to remain faithful and true, by praying and reading scripture – the Word of God.  In order to keep evil at bay and to help us lead fruitful and holy lives.

Remain steadfast in God’s love and He will remain with you for all eternity.

God bless.

Saint Pancras, a fourteen-year-old orphan, lived in the late third century. He was not a native of Rome. He was brought there by his uncle who looked after him. Pancras became a follower of Jesus and was baptised. Although just a boy, he was arrested for being a Christian during the reign of the emperor Diocletian. Pancras refused to give up his faith. For that, he was sentenced to death and was beheaded. He became a very popular martyr in the early Church. People admired him for being so young and so brave. In 514, a large church was built in Rome to honor him. In 596, the famous missionary, St. Augustine of Canterbury, went to bring the Christian faith to England. He named his first church there after St. Pancras.

St. Pancras and the other martyrs we remember today remind us of the importance of our Catholic faith. It should mean as much to us as it did to each of them. If we need to grow stronger in our faith, let’s ask St. Pancras to help us.

St. Pancras pray for us.

It was nice to visit the care home on Thursday afternoon, the choir sang:

Glory to thee, my God, this night.

New praises be give to Christ newly crowned.

Soul of my Saviour.

Hail Queen of Heaven.

Gloria in mass settings RE.

Credo I.

All enjoyed the sing along, and we spent some quality time with the residences over tea and biscuits.

Sunday 6th May 2018, I received the ministry of Lector at St. Mary’s College Oscott.  The Right Reverend Thomas Burns, Bishop of Menevia, was the celebrant.

Below is the prayer taken from the institution of Readers.

“Brothers and sisters, let us ask God our Father to bless these servants who have been chosen for the ministry of reader.  Let us pray that they may be faithful to the work entrusted to them, proclaim Christ to the world, and so give glory to our Father in heaven.”

“Lord God, source of all goodness and light, you sent your only Son, the Word of life, to reveal to mankind the mystery of your love.  Bless our brothers, who have been chosen for the ministry of reader.  Grant that as they meditate constantly on your word they may grow in its wisdom and faithfully proclaim it to your people.”

“Take this book of holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of his people.  Amen.”

I am a Catholic Seminarian, for the Diocese of Lancaster, studying for the Priesthood.

I will be regularly adding my personal reflections from scripture, to hopefully enrich your spiritual reading and understanding on the Good news.