Vicar's Letter

Be Thirsty! Be Filled! Be Drunk! Live Abundantly! And Be Noticed!

Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. (Acts 2:3-4)

Beloved, 

I was intrigued during the Ascension Day Mass of the prayers which said: 

Grant that we may be so aware of his presence with us, 

that people may take note of us, that we have been with Jesus. 

What a wonderful thought, that if we are so concentrated on God and our relationship with Christ Jesus, that we may be living witnesses to others of His glorious presence in the world… 

Now, by the time you read this we will have celebrated the great Feast of Pentecost – The Birthday of the Church and the coming of the Promised Holy Spirit – the Advocate, the Paraclete. 

The Acts reading is one of my favourite readings from the Scriptures – in fact it was read by my mother at my Inaugural Mass, the anniversary of which I celebrate this month. 

As well as the drama; that list of wonderful places; the prophecy of Joel; and the Holy Spirit empowering Peter, I always smile at the bit where they think the disciples are drunk on wine! 

In one of the gospels for Pentecost, from John, Jesus tells the thirsty to come to him and drink, He speaks of living water and later He tells them that He came so that not only could we have life, but life in All Abundance! 

Well, we are about to enter what the Church calls ‘Ordinary Time’ (the long green season). I must say I am quite ready for it, a time to relax within the life of the Lord and His Church, and a few weeks of calm from the hectic seasons – but I don’t know if there will be anything ‘ordinary’ about it – not with me as your Vicar anyway! I do pray that we can embrace the ordinary of our faith and discover within it the extraordinary! 

I am looking forward to spending my ordinary time being filled by the Spirit. I pray like the disciples of Pentecost that the crowds around me will assume I am drunk, not on wine but by the joy of Our God who is not ordinary but gives us life in all abundance - powerfully and extremely sustaining. I hope people you meet think the same of each of you - May you be on fire with the Holy Spirit and be His presence in the world!

Blessings, In Christ,

Your Shepherd

Fr Tommy