The world as we know it is passing away

The Second Reading at Mass on the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time makes you think. Saint Paul’s letter (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) is still as relevant and fresh.

“Brothers, our time is growing short. Those who have wives should live as though they had none, and those who mourn should live as though they had nothing to mourn for; those who are enjoying life should live as though there was nothing to laugh about; those whose life is buying things should live as though they had nothing of their own; and those who have to deal with the world should not become engrossed in it. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.”

Joyeux Noel – Happy Christmas

Joy and Peace at Christmas is our wish for all people all over the world. As we celebrate the birth of our Prince of Peace and Saviour we can reflect that Peace can be achieved by a simple change of attitude in the minds of those who have control of the levers of power.

If those who purport to be Christian start to live the message and teachings of Jesus Christ the example they set would permeate through their own societies. This would in turn send a powerful message to non-Christians. Leaders would be under pressure from their own people to emulate the Christian Democracies.

Peace is the key to unlocking the solutions to the problems that beset the world. It is only when we have Peace that we can obtain the Truth. When we know the Truth we can obtain Justice. When we have Justice we will obtain Freedom.

To survive the coming turmoil we must place our trust in Faith and Family.

Keep the Faith. Have a Blessed and Peaceful Christmas.

The Innocents

Today, the 28th December, we remember the slaughter of the Holy Innocents. The Magi encountered Herod in their search to find the new king and were asked to return when they had found him. On finding Jesus, they were warned to return by a different route and so thwarted Herod’s evil intent to slay Jesus. Undeterred Herod ordered the slaughter of all boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Joseph, having been forewarned, had taken the Holy Family to safety in Egypt.

Happy Christmas

We wish all our members and supporters a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

Our greetings are extended to all our colleagues in Euro-Solidarity and friends across Europe. Our thoughts are particularly with our families and friends in Ireland who are experiencing a difficult and enduring period of hardship.

God bless you all.

Our Lady of Guadalupe – Patroness of the unborn child

The first apparition of Our Lady to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, which is now a suburb of Mexico City, occurred on the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday 9th December 1531 [the feast was celebrated on the 9^th in Spain and its colonies]. The last apparition occurred on the 12th and is the date that Mexico and the whole world honour Our Lady as the Queen of Mexico, Mother of the Americas and Protectress of the Unborn Child. The Blessed Virgin appeared as an Indian girl, speaking Juan’s native language, offering her help to the oppressed native people. She is also known as ‘the little Indian lady’ and ‘the dark lady of Tepeyac’.

Jericho Siege – Birmingham Pro Life

Under the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe

SIEGE OF JERICHO

ACCOMPANY THE BLESSED SACRAMENT IN

DAILY PUBLIC ROSARY PROCESSIONS IN

EDGBASTON BIRMINGHAM TO END ABORTION

Monday 11th October to Sunday 17th October 2010

Priests and people praying the rosary are to process the Blessed Sacrament round the abortion centre at Arthur Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham 15 following the route Arthur Road, Carpenter Road and Ampton Road.

On the weekdays from Monday 11th October to Saturday 16th October inclusive we will start with Mass at the Oratory Church, Hagley Road, Edgbaston at 3pm and after travelling to Arthur Road priests (one carrying the Blessed Sacrament unseen) and people will process once around the route. It will take about 20 minutes.

On Sunday 17th October 2010 we will start at Arthur Road (no Mass) at 2pm and process around the route seven times

An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe dedicated at the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico will be present.

PRAYER SUPPORT

We invite all who cannot attend to join us in prayer from their churches and homes or elsewhere, especially the old and the sick.

THE INTENTIONS

1. For a conversion of heart among the organisers and staff of the abortion centre and centres generally so that they and others may join the present movement to stop abortions world wide. They will know at first hand the distressing effects abortion has on women and the cruel death visited on the babies aborted.

2. To reinstate the priesthood in the eyes of the people, one of God’s purposes at the original Siege of Jericho on which we model this prayer crusade.

For further information contact us on 0121-705-9317 or 0121-706-1973

Please tell your priest friends and encourage them to come on one or more days

Dave Stands Corrected

David Cameron – and his chum Nicholas Clegg – have been corrected about the statements they made justifying the Coalition’s withdrawal of the £80million loan made to Sheffield Forgemasters by Peter Mandelson, the former Business Secretary. The current Business Secretary, Vince Cable, on an official visit to Sheffield earlier this month stated that they did not know what they were talking about. Or as he politely put it, they made statements whilst not knowing the full facts about the loan.

Dave’s Outrage

David Cameron has ditched more pre-election policies than it is possible to recount. It is easier to list those promises that he is keeping, but it is a very short list. There are some that stick in the memory because he made a great fuss about them. Labour accused him of planning to axe the universal benefits paid to pensioners. Dave denounced these claims repeatedly; “They are already telling the most appalling lies about Conservative policy towards the elderly.” “You know you are getting letters from the Labour Party that say the Conservatives would cut the winter fuel allowance, would cut free bus travel, would cut the free TV licence. These statements by Labour are quite simply lies.” “You will keep the benefits you depend on. Don’t believe Labour’s lies that we will cut them or get rid of them. The winter fuel allowance, pension credit, free bus travel and TV licence for over-75s will all stay.” During the televised leader’s debates Dave angrily demanded that Gordon Brown apologise for these lies and withdraw the letters. No room for any doubt then. However, Dave has been very quiet following the leaks last month that £13billion cuts to the Welfare budget would include benefits for the elderly, even though this might be achieved by deferring the age at which they can be claimed. Similar reporting of leaks have been flatly denied by No. 10, but not this time.

Dave’s Promise – We’ll feel your pain

Remember 14th August 2009? David Cameron said: “Clearly if we are going to ask – and we need to ask the country – to undertake a programme of reduced public spending and get the deficit down, we need to show that we can take our share of the pain. I want to reduce the cost of politics. I want to cut the size of the House of Commons. I want to cut the number of quangos. My Government will take a lead in that if we are fortunate enough to be elected.”

Dave the Chameleon’s Shambolic Flying Circus

As the Python boys said, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition”; but with the new [Public Expenditure Committee] body created and headed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to interview Ministers individually and scrutinise their departmental budgets – and termed the Star Chamber – you can imagine that ministers, after being grilled about their spending plans, might exit the Chamber and utter the same phrase. Then we have the Coalition Treasury ministers hard at work to resuscitate the dead parrot that is our economy and convince the international markets that it is not really dead. Chancellor Osborne is also copying the Canadian model of deficit reduction with its emphasis on public spending cuts; so we can expect him to appear before the Commons in a check shirt and carrying an axe, together with a chorus of junior ministers, singing “I’m a lumber jack and I’m OK”. It is all reminiscent of Monty Python’s Flying Circus famous sketches.