Welcome to Our Parish Community of St Joseph & St Margaret Clitherow Bracknell

THE YEAR OF MARK:
​Eating With The Bridegroom.
Fr Danny's Blog
Mass Times
Sat Vigil: 6:00pm
Sunday: 8.30am,10.30am
Weekdays: Times in the newsletter
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Office Hours: Mon - Fri: 9.30am-2.30pm.
Tel: 01344 425729
Email: stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk 
New to our Parish? Welcome!
Register online here.
The parish is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth.   Portsmouth Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust registered charity 246871  
Universalis
Reflection Upon the Sunday Readings
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It looks like the crowd are following Jesus but they are really following miracles. Jesus sees through their immaturity and tries to help them to grow up. They seek Him because he has filled their bellies with bread. But they have still not understood what the bread means. They are well aware of their physical hunger and are very focused on filling it. But they are less acquainted with their spiritual hunger and are not sure how to fill that. Jesus tells them that He, Himself, is the one who feeds them with 'Bread from Heaven'.

Now He begins lesson number two. They ask him about keeping the law or the works of God. To be faithful, they must do what God does. He teaches them that they can only do these works (the many) if they are united to the work (the One). They must join the One who has been sent. For while, "The Law was indeed given through Moses, Grace and Truth have come through Jesus Christ." (Jn 1,29)

Now comes lesson number three. These ‘would be’ disciples need proof. If Jesus is the work of God, what work will He do that will help them to believe in Him? They know that the Law, the great charter for Justice, is from God, because Moses, the lawgiver, provided manna in the desert. The manna is the only validation Moses needs. But Jesus says, 'Think again!' The manna was not given as proof that Moses was from God. It was meant to reveal the One who put it there. The Father is the One who gives Bread from Heaven and He is giving it all the time. Now they must see that the True Bread which comes down from Heaven is given for the whole world. It cannot be contained within the borders of Israel. It is a gift for the whole of Creation. The Bread is its own reality. It does not point to something else. If you let Jesus in you will have all the proof you need!

Now, lesson number four! The crowd need time to take in the full impact of what Jesus is teaching them. For now, all they can hear is the promise of manna every day. Since the 'Bread of Life' is the spiritual nourishment that flows from God into Creation, and since Jesus is the Beloved Son of God who rebuilds the connection, He himself is the Bread of life. Whoever comes to Him will kiss eternity and they will never feel spiritual hunger or thirst ever again. The Teacher invites those who are locked in the prison of the visible, the material and the temporal to embrace the freedom of the invisible, the spiritual and the eternal. Can they do it?

Once upon a time, there was an exhausted mother who stood up at a retreat and announced that she was tired of giving. Her friends were quick to offer solutions and advice; daycare, part time employment, more husbandfather involvement. Then a voice broke through this conversation, "Honey, you gotta learn how to sing". She told the exhausted mother that she had to change her whole mind, her whole attitude. Nothing suggested so far would provide lasting help. Tinkering with the edges was no substitute for inner change. She had to transform the moments of giving into moments of meeting.

Spiritual Teachers value interior change as the forerunner to new and decisive action. They often tweak and tease the consciousness of their disciples to see things in a new way. Like the other day when I was driving back from visiting my best friend who is dying, I saw, on the billboard of a church, 'Tweet others as you yourself would like to be tweeted'. Brilliant! Or the story Jack Kornfield tells of his spiritual Teacher. 'There is a road I know well, but it can be foggy or dark. When I see someone travelling this road about to fall into a ditch or get lost in a sidetrack on the right hand side, I call out 'Go to the left.' So too, if I see someone fall into a ditch or get lost in a sidetrack on the left hand side, I call out, 'Go to the right.' That's all I do when I teach. Wherever you get caught, I say, 'Let go of that too.' (After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path)[New York:Bantam 2000. Pp268-169]

Jesus, the Teacher, knows the path well and can help others who are in a fog or in darkness. I like to see Him calling out to us, "A little to the left," or "Go to the right". And I imagine Him saying, "Don't keep hungering after wonders or miracles. Notice the deeper hunger within you for what lasts forever. Turn your mind from doing things and enlarge the inner space from which you are able to do things. Gods' work is always done with God. Stop asking, 'How will I know if this is true?' Instead ask, 'Am I in communion with God and receiving His gift of life. Manna every morning will not solve your problems. Give your heart to me and you will be satisfied for ever." This is the deeper level where Love elevates us and things become easier, less trying, happening more by themselves. If you think you need more of this, you are right. 

Let Us Pray Together

Loving Father, you so loved the world that you sent us your only Son, that we might believe in him and have eternal life. May we encounter Jesus Christ anew this day and live the Good News with joy. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, help us to “go out to the whole world and proclaim” our faith with confidence. Give us the courage to witness to the Joy of the Gospel by our words and actions. Help our parish to become more welcoming and missionary, so that you may be known and loved by all people. We make this prayer through Our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever, Amen.
Our Lady, Star of the New Evangelisation. Pray for us.
Blessed John Henry Newman, Pray for us.
St Thérèse of Lisieux. Pray for us


God of compassion, You sent Jesus to proclaim a time of mercy reaching out to those who had no voice, releasing those trapped by their own shame, and welcoming those scorned by society.
Make us ambassadors of peace and reconciliation.
Open our ears that we may listen with respect and understanding.
Touch our lips that we may speak your words of peace and forgiveness. Warm our hearts that we may bring wholeness to
the broken-hearted and dissolve the barriers of division.
Guide the work of your Church and renew us with the Spirit of your love. Help us and all people shape a world where all will have a place, where the flames of hatred are quenched, and where all can grow together as one.
Forgive, restore and strengthen us through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen

WHAT'S NEW?

 DEADLINE TO REGISTER: 
22nd August 2018

INTRODUCTORY MEETING:  
29th August 2018
CONFIRMATION JOURNEY
2019

​Are you in Year 9
​or above?

REGISTER HERE
CAR PARK PROPOSAL
As a parish we are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated church car park, especially in such a busy town centre. However, as our wonderful community continues to grow, this space is often filled well beyond capacity and particularly at the weekend. Read more...
CAR PARK SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL
 The 2018/2019 car park subscription forms will be available in the porch from Friday 1 June 2018 for renewals and new subscriptions.  The new subscription period will be from Sunday 1 July 2018 until Sunday 30  June 2019.  The subscription forms will NOT be emailed to existing subscribers.  In accordance with new GDPR guidelines all 2017 subscription forms will be shredded.
CHOIR PRACTICE
Everyone is welcome to our choir practice every Thursday in the Church from 7.30pm to 8.30pm with our wonderful organist John Weeks. Just come along, you will be warmly welcomed.   
“To sing is praying twice”.
BAPTISM PREPARATION FOR PARENTS - We are looking for volunteers to join our Baptism  Preparation  team.   If  you  have  a  heart  for  this  most  beautiful  and rewarding ministry and would like to find out more about what is involved, please contact the parish office 01344 425729 or email stjb@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk .

DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET

​Sunday TBC at St Joseph Bracknell
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Justice, Peace and Social Responsibility. This is a group that meets to discuss a whole range of issues that are effecting people in Bracknell from homelessness and poverty to disability, abuse, dementia, autism and the challenges of being a single parent. The mission of the group is to stimulate a real passion for social justice within the parish and the town. Passion, energy and commitment was certainly present. Over the coming months we hope to share more of our plans and aspirations with you. If you would like to know more or maybe even get involved please contact the parish office.

Some of the Community Pictures.

Salvation Geography, the Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land led by Bishop Philip,on the theme of the Sacraments, was a wonderful unforgettable experience. Here is the link to an account together with the pictures from there. 

Pope's Corner

News from Vatican..... 
Mercy and commitment

​Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
The Jubilee of Mercy is a true opportunity to enter deeply into the mystery of the goodness and love of God. In this Season of Lent, the Church invites us to learn to know the Lord Jesus ever better, and to live the faith in a consistent way with a lifestyle that expresses the mercy of the Father. It is a commitment that we are called to take on in order to offer to those we meet the concrete sign of God’s closeness. My life, my attitude, the way of going through life, must really be a concrete sign of the fact that God is close to us. Small gestures of love, of tenderness, of care, that make people feel that the Lord is with us, is close to us. This is how the door of mercy opens.
Today I would like to pause briefly to reflect with you on the theme of this expression I used: the theme of commitment. What is a commitment? What does it mean to be committed? When I commit myself, it means that I assume a responsibility, a task, for someone; it also means the way, the attitude of faithfulness and dedication, the particular care with which I carry out this task. Each day we are asked to put our heart and soul into what we do: prayer, work, study, but also in sport and recreation.... Committing ourselves, in other words, means making every effort to do our best in order to improve life....
​                     to read further....
SICK AND HOUSEBOUND – If you would like prayers for anyone who is sick, housebound or in hospital and those who care for them, please contact the Parish Office on 01344 425729 or speak to Fr. Danny.