Eastern Orthodox icon-painting has aroused a lot of interest in the West recently. It is as if we have finally tired of minimalism, of our stripped-down, functional churches. We yearn for the beauty of art, with its power to draw us deeper into an intuitive understanding of the divine mystery. More and power people are finding in icons a doorway to the sacred, and a deepening of their prayer life. One of the characteristic features of icons is their light. In Western painting, light comes from a particular source, and shines in a particular direction. This means that there is both light and shadow. In icons, on the other hand, the painting is suffused in light. Traditionally icons are
Cafod – Special Collection – this weekend 24th/25th February 2018 There will be a Second Collection at all Masses this weekend (24th/25th February 2018) in aid of Cafod. LENT Lenten Film Series: The Bible Join us this Lent and watch the epic miniseries The Bible (2013) with us. The series follows offers the stories of the Old and New Testaments and carries a film classification of 12 (as you can imagine, it includes violent scenes and some sexual content). Watch the next episode Kingdom on Friday 2nd March, 7.45 pm – 9 pm, in the parish centre. Sandra and Kristy, finchleyeastcat@rcdow.org.uk Soup and scripture Each Saturday in Lent, beginning Saturday 17th February, there will be ‘Soup an
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness … We find this in Mark 1.12, and to be honest, I find it almost shocking. These words imply, surely, that Jesus might have preferred another course of action, but his choice was made for him. Deep within him the divine presence made itself felt. He was to go into the wilderness, with all the loneliness, deprivation and vulnerability that this would entail. To have faith in God is a great comfort. Many Christian people would say that they have felt the reassuring, steadying hand of God upon them in time of trial. Which is just as it should be. But is this all that the life of faith does for us? Or is there another aspect to our life of faith? Sur
Baptism At the 10 am Mass today we will be baptising Dominic Charles Booth, son of Robin and Petra Booth. Funeral - ElizabethMcCarthy The funeral Mass of the late Elizabeth McCarthy will be here on Monday 19th February at 10 am. May she rest in peace. Cafod – Family Fast Day 23rd February 2018 Special Collection – weekend of 24th/25th February 2018 There will be a Second Collection at all Masses next weekend (24th/25th February 2018) in aid of Cafod. We will hear a brief appeal on behalf of Cafod before the end of each Mass. LENT Lenten Film Series: The Bible Join us this Lent and watch the epic miniseries The Bible (2013) with us. This dazzling series offers a visual way to experience the
In some medieval churches in England you can find a hole cut into the stone wall of the church. It will be about a foot high and four to six inches wide. It will be at an oblique angle, to allow a person outside the church to look directly at the altar. Here he or she could see the priest celebrating Mass, and look on as he elevated the host. These little windows are called leper’s squints. They allowed a leper to stay outside the church, and yet to share in the Mass. How cruel that isolation must have seemed. For thousands of years, life for lepers was miserable. Not only did they have to cope with the physical suffering brought by their disease, but they also had to cope with banishm
Funerals Florence Kearns The funeral of the late Florence Kearns will take place at Islington Crematorium on Wednesday 14th February at 11.45 am. Elizabeth Trussler The funeral Mass of the late Elizabeth Trussler will be held on Friday 16th February at 10 am here at St Mary’s. ElizabethMcCarthy The funeral Mass of the late Elizabeth McCarthy will be here on Monday 19th February at 10 am. May they rest in peace. Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday this year is on 14th February. There will be Mass with imposition of ashes at 10 am and 7 pm – please note earlier time than usual for evening Mass. LENT Lenten Film Series: The Bible Join us this Lent and watch the epic miniseries The Bible (2013) with us.
Scripture is like a mirror held up in front of the human race. We read the Bible and we see ourselves depicted. Of course, the Bible is first and foremost the story of God revealing himself to us, but it is also a picture of who we are. Sadness and joy, generosity and selfishness, anger and peace, all these and other human emotions can be found in scripture. Take today’s first reading from chapter 7 of Job. It is a chillingly accurate description of serious depression. At night sleep eludes Job. During the night he restlessly longs for day to arrive, but then during the day he is longing for the night. It is a bleak, joyless time. The typical sufferer from depression thinks the cloud will
Bible Study Group Fr Terry would like to organise a Bible Study group on The Grange estate during Lent. If you live there and would like to attend, do let him know. It would be a weekly evening meeting. Also let him know if you would like to host the meeting in your flat. SVP Quiz Night – Saturday 3rd March 2018 There will be a SVP quiz night on Saturday 3rd March, at 7pm to raise funds for supporting families in Finchley. Through the generosity of the parish 25 families in Finchley were helped over Christmas. A sausage and mash or vegetarian meal will be provided. Some soft drinks and white wine will be available but otherwise bring your own beverages. Please put your name down on the lis
