Last Margate sunset of 2014

sands enhanced

After a late lunch today, I took the opportunity for a walk up to Fort Hill and then down along the beach at low tide. Because I can.

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Saint Gabriel

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The angels call for our veneration and awe as part of God’s creation. Part of the destructive modernism of the 1970s included advice to Catholic school teachers that they should not talk to children about angels. This wrought lasting damage which continues to need rectifying. We should include in our prayers a heartfelt recourse to our own Guardian Angels. The Archangel Gabriel “God is my strength” would be terrifying were he to appear to any of us. Our Lady was “troubled” at the word of Saint Gabriel and wondered at the manner of the salutation. Immediately, according to his mission, the awesome messenger explained himself. Modern retelling of the event is often reduced to the jejune “Mary said Yes to God”. In fact, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word”. This conveys more accurately the flawless faith and trust of the Immaculata. In the infinitely wise providence of the Father, we now know the structure of the event in even more detai...
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Our Easter Faith: Not a Pious Crème Fraiche

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In public life, some basically well-meaning figures have the graciousness to wish us well at Easter and to recognise the importance of the Christian feast day. Perhaps they might assure us that their thoughts are with us at this time. That is kind of them and in Christian charity we should thank them for their kindness, but Easter should be a great deal more than that for us. We must believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, in the flesh, and lives for eternity. We cannot treat Easter as a jolly holiday that heralds spring, or the remembrance of a significant event from the past. It must change us today and every day, change who we are and what we do. The Christian faith cannot be a mild custard or blancmange of religiosity. (I am showing my age. Nowadays, I should say that it cannot be reduced to a pious crème fraiche .) We bow down and adore the King of Kings, risen from the tomb, who, “[…] continues for ever,...
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1962 Missal pdf online

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Fr Hayward's Golden Jubilee

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Fr Patrick Hayward of the Canons Regular of the Lateran, celebrated a Missa Cantata at Maiden Lane on Monday evening on the 50th aniversary of his first celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Cannon McDonald preached the sermon and Fr Southwell presented Fr Hayward with a Papal Blessing after Mass on behalf of the Latin Mass Society . On Sunday, Fr Hayward concelebrated Mass at with several Bishops, and with his colleague Fr Anthony Maggs CRL, also celebrating his Golden Jubilee. Above you can see Fr Hayward with the Sisters of Mercy from Bodmin, and friends. The Mass was at Christchurch, Eltham, which is the next-door parish to me, so I was able to get there for some of the celebrations. Please remember Frs Hayward and Maggs in your prayers and give God thanks for their many years of labour in the vineyard of the Lord. Bishop John Arnold was there. Bishop Arnold recently celebrated the Pontifical High Mass at Westminster Cathedral for the Latin Mass Society at which several ...
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