Newsletter - 20th February 2022
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary time, Year C
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am grateful to the Lord for his faithfulness and for how He can transform any situation to enable it to bear fruit.
These are the words I received during a powerful conversion experience many years ago “Have faith in God. I tell you solemnly, if anyone says to this mountain, “Get up and throw yourself into the sea” with no hesitation in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Mark 11;23.
These words of Jesus changed my life. At that time, I was living and working in Mauritius and doing a one-week silent retreat. We were to ask the Lord for a grace to see our sin, and to experience His love. A memory came to mind, something which happened in my early childhood and which explained a deeply rooted attitude which was the source of many sins and lies in my life. When I saw this I thought I was completely lost, but at the same time, I saw how much God loved me. Previously, I knew that Jesus had died to take away the sins of the world but I never understood that I could experience this for myself. It was worth giving up everything to follow such a God. I decided to take a one-year leave to follow Him more closely by enrolling in a program at Hautecombe Abbey in France. During that year I was in a position to answer freely to God’s call to become a priest in the Chemin Neuf Community.
Many years later, I am still surprised by Mary’s consent. She said “yes” to the Lord without knowing how this first “yes” would entail a series of “yeses”. Mary invites me to say “yes” to many situations which I must accept in silence and give my consent. Religious life often asks for a renewed “yes” to things we might not have chosen if we had all the cards in our hand. The Lord is ever asking me to consent to His plans, as He did with Mary.
The Lord is giving me an unexpected opportunity to discover a new Church reality here in Christ the King Parish and to share the life of my Community brothers and sisters in England. I look forward to getting to know each one of you. May God bless you all.
Fr Pascal Sullivan, ccn
Focus of the week
NFG DVD: Where are you Dad?
In Martinique (Caribbean sea) the father is often absent, and women bring up their children alone. A telling figure is that there are three times as many single-parent families. In actual fact, Martinique suffers from a wound that goes back to the period of slavery, a deep wound that has become part of the collective unconscious.
Please visit the parish calendar for more details.
Online Lent retreat offered by Chemin Neuf Community UK
Taking place in the midst of our daily life (between Sunday 27/2/22 to Friday 4/3/22) this is an online guided retreat to help us come into the Lord’s presence and listen to the Word of God. Each day there is a pre-recorded short talk, time of personal prayer, and a meeting with a spiritual companion. Lent begins on Wednesday 2/3/22.