“Could You Not Spend One Hour With Me?”

Dear friends

During the season of Lent, we pray and wait for the Lord’s presence. To know Jesus is to love Him. To love Him is to be in a deep friendship and relationship with Him. Friendship with Jesus can only be realised through spending time with Jesus and loving Him in our families and especially helping Christ personally in our active love for the poor.

One important way to deepen our love for Jesus and feel His love for us is through the 40 hours of Adoration of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament that we will celebrate this year at St John Vianney Parish, Cnr Kooralgin & Ernest Sts, Manly. This beautiful time of silent prayer where we fulfil the call of Jesus “to spend one hour with me.” I promise you if you generously offer one hour of Adoration over the weekend Friday 5th April at 6:00pm all through Saturday until 9:30am on Sunday 7th April, you will come away filled with grace and in a mysterious way, united with Jesus in a manner that increases our faith. Please consider offering one hour during that weekend. There are rosters in the foyers of both our Churches for you to place your name.

Generosity towards God in prayer is always rewarded by a “joy beyond human understanding.” This joy is the understanding and deep knowledge that Christ is truly alive in you and me, through the Holy Eucharist, this is made possible. May the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist help us become our true selves and discover His beautiful presence. This weekend’s beautiful Gospel focuses upon the forgiving Father and his joy at seeing his son approaching and seeking forgiveness. As St John Vianney says, as soon as you leave your house to make your way to the Church for confession, your sins are forgiven. All that the Father desires is our approach to him for forgiveness. In fact we receive more love, more joy than ever before, each time we ask God our Father to forgive us.

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Elder brother really held a deep grudge towards his sibling  There is a part in me that can believe that the elder son was correct in his behaviour. However we are all called to be generous.
When we look at Jesus on the cross and the pain that He suffered for us we can reflect upon the words of Jesus who asked the mystic Julian of Norwich “Is this enough for you?” He was revealing to her that He suffered all the humiliation, pain and death for you and me personally. The pain that Jesus suffered was not important to Him. Our redemption, our freedom from sin because of His suffering was all that was important to Him. At times I too have to forget my pain and concentrate instead on the pain of others. Each day I can make a fresh start. God uses sin as an opportunity for Grace. An opportunity to express His tremendous love through forgiveness, and the grace that follows suffering.

God love you
​Fr Frank

Top of the page

NEWSLETTER