We have arrived at mid-Lent Sunday, known as Lætare Sunday, named after the first word of the Latin Introit for the Mass.  And because the introit comes from Isaiah 66:10-11, exploring the idea of Jerusalem as a mother, by a long-standing tradition it is the day when we honour our mothers.  So in this country at least, we follow the pre-Reformation tradition of celebrating “Mothers’ Day” this Sunday, whereas many countries mark the day later in the year.

 

As we rejoice (indeed, that is the meaning of “Lætare”), we relax the Lenten fast in one or two respects.  Organ music is heard once more, and the liturgical colour is lightened from the rather severe purple adopted during the rest of Lent, to a rose hue.  

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Almsgiving is of course one of the principal pillars of our Lenten observance.  Many thanks to those who contributed to the parish’s CAFOD Lenten Fast collection last weekend, which raised an impressive £3259.80.  Now we turn our attention to the annual Lenten Appeal across the Diocese of Westminster, which supports one shared mission: helping people encounter Christ and live that faith in love and service.  Through Education, Youth & Evangelisation, and Marriage & Family Life, the diocese forms hearts, nurtures faith, and strengthens families within our parishes.  Through Social Action, that formed faith reaches outwards, ensuring that no one in our communities faces life’s hardest moments alone.  The Diocesan Lenten Appeal supports all four apostolates named above.

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Your generous support this Lent will enable the Church to continue walking with people at every stage of life and be a visible sign of Christ’s love, both within our parishes and among our neighbours.  To donate today please visit www.rcdow.org.uk/LentenAppeal.  Alternatively, envelopes are available at the back of the church.  Thank you for your support and for helping our diocesan family to continue this vital work.  A collection for the Appeal will be taken after each Mass next weekend, but in the meantime, you have the opportunity to contribute either directly through the link referenced above, or else via the church’s contactless machines.

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In view of this weekend’s celebration of Mothering Sunday, an article has been specially prepared by the Marriage & Family Life apostolate of the diocese, on the subject of “God’s mothering love”.  It can be found here:   https://rcdow.org.uk/marriage-and-family-life/news/gods-mothering-love/.

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We are asked also to draw your attention to the Annual Mass of Thanksgiving for the Sacrament of Matrimony at Westminster Cathedral, held on Saturday 23 May 2026 at 2:30pm. Archbishop Richard is inviting to this Mass all couples in the Diocese, who are celebrating their 5th 10th, 25th, 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th (and every year over 60) wedding anniversary of Catholic marriage in 2026.  If you are celebrating an anniversary, please give your parish clergy the following details: husband and wife’s names, wedding date, full postal address and contact email (or telephone number, if no email).

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Lenten oases are plentiful in the coming week.  Not only is there Lætare Sunday, but the coming week sees the feast of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, as well as the solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and foster-father of the boy Jesus.  The national feast of Ireland is a solemnity across the Irish Sea, but here in England it is kept as a feast.  The choice of the national apostle as patron saint is a logical one, although Ireland is the only one of the four nations in this part of the European continent to have made that choice.  

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Saint Joseph is a wonderful role model for men, especially for fathers and for priests.  Pope Francis had a great devotion to him, indeed it was Pope Francis who asked us to include “blessed Joseph, her spouse” in the second, third and fourth Eucharistic Prayers.  Farnborough Abbey houses the National Shrine of Saint Joseph, formerly located in this diocese, at Saint Joseph’s, Mill Hill.  Do pay a visit to the shrine if you find yourself in that part of Hampshire.

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The Services for Holy Week and Easter begin with a devotional performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater on Friday 27 March after the evening Mass, and they continue until Divine Mercy Sunday, on 12 April.  Flyers advertising the times of services should be available next weekend.

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Meanwhile, this Sunday we have another long Gospel, namely the account of the healing of the man born blind from Chapter 9 of Saint John’s Gospel.  The growing hostility of the religious authorities comes through clearly in this passage, and it prepares us well for the events of the Passion in just a few weeks from now.  One of the particularly scandalous aspects of this miracle, in the eyes of the authorities, is that Our Lord performed it on the Sabbath, that is to say, on a Saturday.  For some of them, this was a sign that Jesus could not be acting in the name of God, but for us Christians it indicates that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”.  Indeed, the Christian “Sabbath” is no longer assigned to Saturday, like the Jewish Sabbath, but to Sunday, the “first day of the week”, which was when Our Lord rose from the dead after lying in the tomb on the Sabbath day.  

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For all of us, the three substantial Johannine Gospels of the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent are an invitation to prayerful reflection, but even more so for the catechumens and candidates, on the final stage of their journey towards baptism and confirmation in our parish this Easter.  Do keep them in your prayers as they move towards this momentous day.

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