Daily Gospel Reflection

3rd July 2020Mrs D Ferris

Feast of St Thomas the Apostle

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”  But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:24-25

 

It’s easy to be critical of St. Thomas for his lack of belief reflected in his statement above.  But before you allow yourself to think poorly of him, think about how you would have responded.  This is a difficult exercise to do since we know clearly the end of the story.  We know Jesus did rise from the dead and that Thomas ultimately came to believe, crying out “My Lord and my God!”  But try to put yourself in his situation.

 

First, Thomas probably doubted, in part, out of extreme sadness and despair.  He had hoped that Jesus was the Messiah, he had dedicated the last three years of his life to following Him, and now Jesus was dead…so he thought.  This is an important point because very often in life when we encounter some difficulty, disappointment or painful situation, our faith is tested.  We are tempted to allow despair to draw us into doubt and when this happens we make decisions based more upon our hurt than upon our faith.

 

Second, Thomas was also called to deny the physical reality that he witnessed with his own eyes and believe something that was completely “impossible” from an earthly perspective.  People simply do not rise from the dead!  This simply doesn’t happen, at least from an earthly perspective alone.  And even though Thomas had seen Jesus perform such miracles before, it took much faith to believe without seeing with his own eyes.  So despair and an apparent impossibility went to the heart of Thomas’ faith and extinguished it.

 

Reflect, today, upon two lessons we can take from this passage: 1) Do not ever allow despair, disappointment or hurt to be the guide of your decisions or beliefs in life.  They are never a good guide.  2)  Do not doubt the power of God to be able to do anything and everything He chooses.  In this case, God chose to rise from the dead and so He did.  In our own lives, God can do anything He wills.  We must believe that and know that what He reveals to us in faith will come to be if we but trust in His provident care.

 

Lord, I do believe.  Help my unbelief.  When I am tempted to give in to despair or to doubt Your almighty power over all things in life, help me to turn to You and to trust in You with all my heart.  May I cry out, with St. Thomas, “My Lord and my God,” and may I do so even when I see only with the faith You put into my soul.  Amen.

 

 

International Women In Engineering Day

23rd June 2020Mrs D Curtis

I was fortunate enough to take part in the BMW Girls Go Technical Programme at the Hams Hall Plant in Coleshill Parkway. It was a very interesting and valuable experience.

I initially applied for the programme on the BMW website, there I learnt about the programme briefly and the activities that would be set for the applicants during the three day work experience. To begin with, mechanical engineering wasn’t my main career choice, however the programme most definitely made me more interested in engine manufacturing.   

The first day, the other girls at the programme and I had a tour and introduction to the plant itself. There I saw various types and sizes of machinery and tools that are used to assemble the BMW engines.

I got more hands-on the next day. I was taught how to build and put together different parts needed for the engine. The manufacturing aspect of vehicles captivated me even more as a result of the activities and even the friendly staff and team that helped the girls taking part in the programme.

On the last day, the Girls Go Technical team at Hams Hall drove us down to the ‘MINI Plant’ in Oxford, where we met all the other girls in the programme from Oxford and Swindon. The ‘MINI Plant’ is where all the parts are assembled and come together to make a Mini road-ready model. We got given a tour of the assembly area where all the parts are put together and also a tour of the paint area where the cars get customized.  

Overall, the experience was very enlightening because of the activities and even the staff, it was a happy and friendly environment. After my participation in the Girls Go Technical, I would definitely recommend it to those interested in anything automotive as it is a vast sector and there are many jobs that are involved in the making of a vehicle.

by Emmanuela Esedebe

Daily Gospel Reflection

12th June 2020Mrs D Ferris

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” Matthew 5:29-30a

Does Jesus really mean this? Literally?

We can be certain that this language, which is shocking, is not a literal command but is rather a symbolic statement commanding us to avoid sin with great zeal, and to avoid all that leads us to sin. The eye can be understood as a window to our soul where our thoughts and desires reside. The hand can be seen as a symbol of our actions. Thus, we must eliminate every thought, affection, desire and action that leads us to sin.

The true key to understanding this passage is to allow ourselves to be affected by the powerful language that Jesus uses. He does not hesitate to speak in a shocking way so as to reveal to us the calling we have to confront with much zeal that which leads to sin in our lives. “Pluck it out…cut it off,” He says. In other words, eliminate your sin and all that leads you to sin in a definitive way. The eye and the hand are not sinful in and of themselves; rather, in this symbolic language they are spoken of as those things that lead to sin. Therefore, if certain thoughts or certain actions lead you to sin, these are the areas to target and to eliminate.

Regarding our thoughts, sometimes we can allow ourselves to dwell excessively upon this or that. As a result, these thoughts can lead us to sin. The key is to “pluck out” that initial thought that produces the bad fruit.

Regarding our actions, we can at times put ourselves in situations that tempt us and lead to sin. These occasions of sin must be cut off from our lives.

Reflect, today, upon this very direct and powerful language of our Lord. Let the forcefulness of His words be an impetus for change and avoidance of all sin.

Lord, I am sorry for my sin and I ask for Your mercy and forgiveness. Please help me to avoid all that leads me to sin and to surrender all my thoughts and actions to You every day. Jesus, I trust in You

Daily Gospel Reflection

5th June 2020Mrs D Ferris

Today is the Memorial of St Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
At the end of today’s Gospel- Jesus just gave a teaching to the crowd and they listened to it “with delight.” Jesus’ teaching produced much pleasure in their souls.

This is a common reaction to the teaching and presence of Jesus in our lives. The Psalms are filled with images like this. “I delight in the Lord.” “How sweet are Your words.” “I delight in Your commands.” These and many other references reveal one of the effects of Jesus’ words and presence in our lives. His word and His presence in our lives is extraordinarily pleasurable.

This fact begs the question, “Do I delight in Jesus’ words?” Too often we see the words of Christ as a burden, restriction or limitation to what we want in life. For that reason, we can often see the will of God as something difficult and burdensome. Truth be told, if our hearts are rooted in sin or in the pleasures of the world, then the words of our Lord may sting and feel like a burden to us. But that’s just because we find them in contradiction to the many unhealthy things to which we have become attached.

If you find that the Word of God, Jesus’ words, are hard to hear, then you are starting to head down the right road. You are starting to let His Word “do battle,” so to speak, with the many other lures and enticements that ultimately only leave us dry and empty. This is the first step to being able to delight in the Lord and His words.

The good news is that if you can allow His Word to cut through the many unhealthy attachments you have in life, you will begin to discover that you greatly love His Word and delight in His presence in your life. You will begin to discover that the pleasure and delight you experience from His presence in your life far outweighs any other passing attachment or pleasure you may have. Even sin can produce a false sense of satisfaction. In that case, the satisfaction is more like a drug that soon wears off. The delight of the Lord is something that continually draws you higher and fulfills you more deeply every day.
Today
Spend time, today, pondering whether or not you truly do allow yourself to be filled with delight in the Lord’s presence and His words. Try to taste their sweetness. Try to let yourself be drawn in. Once “hooked,” you will seek Him all the more.
Pray
Lord, I desire to delight in You. Help me to turn away from the many attractions and enticements of this world. Help me to seek You and Your Word always. In the discovery of Your Word, fill my soul with the greatest delight. Jesus, I trust in You.

Black Lives Matter: We are all made in God’s image

4th June 2020Mrs D Curtis

St Edmund’s staff and students proudly support  the Bishops of England & Wales in their message of solidarity to the US. 

 

We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the USA as they challenge the evil of racism and the brutal killing of George Floyd. As the US Bishops made clear: “we cannot turn a blind eye to these atrocities and yet still try to profess to respect every human life. We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice.”

 

Systemic racism is embedded in our own society. The disproportionate harm suffered by BAME people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted profound inequalities, marginalisation and injustice here in the UK. The peaceful Black Lives Matter protests taking place in our towns and cities this week reflect the understandable anger that so many people feel about this.

 

​As Catholics we recognise that racism is an evil which must be opposed; we all have a responsibility for actively promoting racial justice. Whenever we ignore racism or dismiss BAME people’s experience of it, we are complicit in violations of human dignity. We pray for God’s help to overcome racism in all its forms and that we might protect everyone who suffers its consequences. We are all made in God’s image.”

 

Bishop Declan Lang

Lead Bishop for International Affairs

 

Bishop Paul McAleenan

Lead Bishop for Racial Justice

Lourdes Pilgrimage 2020

24th May 2020Mrs D Ferris

Lourdes to Brum Pilgrimage 2020

Tomorrow would have been the day students from St Edmund’s, St Chad’s and others schools would have been travelling to Lourdes for the Birmingham Diocese Pilgrimage.

You are ALL invited to a Virtual Pilgrimage starting with the opening Mass on Sunday 24th May at 3pm- from St Chad’s Cathedral.

To all 6 formers please take a look, and if you are interested in going next year let me know.

You can take part in a daily programme of Masses, Liturgy and Prayer for the week that we would have spent in Lourdes so, like Bernadette; we can make a spiritual pilgrimage:

‘Every day I go in Spirit to the Grotto. I make a pilgrimage there’.

The link to the programme and live streams are on

www.birmingham.or.uk/lourdes-pilgramage

also you can follow Facebook for special extra content on

# Lourdes2Brum

A hope you can join us

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us

Saint Bernadette, Pray for us

St Edmund pray for us

St Chad pray for us