Welcome to our parish

Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!

 These are the opening words of the document Christus Vivit, the document Pope Francis addressed to young people in 2019. What better way is there to begin the liturgical year than a focus on youth. Adult parishioners are called to share their faith with the next generation whether as parent, teacher, parishioner or pastor. The document arose from a world-wide synod focussing on young people.

 The synod listened to young people, recognised that they face challenges unlike those faced by previous generations. The synod invited young people to respond with confidence and faith. The Pope’s final words were ‘Dear young people, my joyful hope is to see you keep running the race before you, outstripping all those who are slow or fearful. Keep running, attracted by the face of Christ, whom we love so much, whom we adore in the Holy Eucharist and acknowledge in the flesh of our suffering brothers and sisters. May the Holy Spirit urge you on as you run this race. The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.

The Christmas Fayre is on  this Sunday. Please come and support us!

Foodbank: This week’s much needed items are: UHT milk, toothpaste, biscuits, shampoo, 2 in 1's preferred. 🎄🎁If you would like to support with this year’s seasonal celebration voucher appeal, please visit www.finchleyfoodbank.org.uk. (Please add a note to say the money is intended for the voucher appeal, so they can allocate it to the appeal) 🎁 Thank you

Course on Pope Francis’s documents. Course on Pope Francis’s documents. The final presentation of the documents from Pope Francis in this series is this Thursday, 1st December, at 8pm on Christus Vivit the post synodal exhortation on youth which sums up Pope Francis’ vision. Please see the newsletter for the Zoom link

Young Adults The next young adults Mass is next Sunday 4^th December at 6 pm. We will have drinks in the Hall after Mass. If you would like to get in touch, please email: youngadultsstedwards@gmail.com

 THIS IS WHERE WE CAME IN

Cinemas used to show films continuously. You went in at any time and began to watch wherever the film was up to. You stayed when it was over and then watched it again up to the point where you originally started to view. "This is where we came in" was a phrase often heard as people got up in the middle of a film and left.

There's a danger that we can do the same thing with the Church's calendar and liturgy. We can think of it as a series of historic events that we simply commemorate on a twelve-monthly cycle. And so once more we're back at the beginning, singing our Advent hymns and songs again.

But liturgy is not about the past unless that past links us to the present and readies us for our future destiny. Liturgy actuates the presence of Christ. In other words, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church's worship makes Christ present here and now and makes his demands and challenges something that we have to respond to by a conscious decision to follow him or not. Liturgy is not history-gazing but history-making. And the history it makes is ours.

Although Jesus's words were originally addressed to a first century audience, when they are proclaimed at today's Eucharist they are aimed at us. For in the liturgy God continues to speak through the words of scripture, and when Jesus warns us to stay awake and ready for the coming of the Son of Man, he means now.

Advent offers us the chance to join the cycle again, but as if we have only just come in. There is nothing to re-enact, only commitment to undertake. Rather than watching the film once more, where we know what the ending is, we open ourselves to the newness of God's daily call and we ratify our commitment to seek him in whatever circumstances his challenge will come to us during Advent and the coming year.

So celebrating Advent is not trawling through history. It's yearning for our saviour's coming among us so much that we want to be ready to greet him. Our prayers and music are just the outward expression of inner longing: Come, Lord Jesus, come!