We are Better and Worse Than We Think

[Link] Rolheiser OMI Eglwys Catholig Dewi Sant, Yr Wyddgrug

Our own complexity can be befuddling. We are better than we think and worse than we imagine,
too hard and too easy on ourselves all at the same time. We are a curious mix.
[Link]’s Catholic Church, Mold
On the one hand, we are good. All of us are made in the image and likeness of God and are, as
Aristotle and Aquinas affirm, metaphysically good. That’s true, but our goodness is also less ab- Parish Priest: Fr. Pius Mathew CMI,
stract. We are good too, at least most of the time, in our everyday lives. [Link]’s Presbytery, [Link]’s Lane, Mold. CH7 1LH
Generally, we are generous, often to a fault. Despite appearances sometimes, mostly we are Email: priestmold@[Link] Tele: 01352 752 087
warm and hospitable. The same is true in terms of the basic intent in both our minds and our Deacon John Goggin : dcn1mold@[Link]
hearts. We have big hearts. Inside everyone, easily triggered by the slightest touch of love or affir- SVP Contact No:07938 749450 LSUConvent:01352 700121
mation, lies a big heart, a grand soul, a magna anima, that’s itching to be altruistic. Mostly the Website: [Link]
problem isn’t with our goodness, but with our frustration in trying to live that out in the world. Too [Link] [Link]
often we appear cold and self-centred when we’re only frustrated, hurt, and wounded.
We don’t always appear to be good, but mostly we are; though often we are frustrated because
we cannot (for reasons of circumstance, wound, and sensitivity) pour out our goodness as we
would like, nor embrace the world and those around us with the warmth that’s in us. We go 9th June 2024 10th Sunday OT B
through life looking for a warm place to show who we are and often don’t find it. We’re not so
much bad as frustrated. We’re more loving than we imagine. LITURGY OF THE WEEK: Psalter Week II
But that’s half of it, there’s another side: we’re also sinners, more so than we think. An old
Protestant dictum about human nature, based on St. Paul, puts it accurately: “It’s not a question of Mass times: Mon:10am Tue:7pm,Wed-Friday 10am. Sat.5.30pm. Sun.11am
are you a sinner? It’s only a question of what is your sin?” We’re all sinners, and just as we pos- Live Streaming Link: Confessions
sess a big heart and a grand soul, we also possess a petty one (a pusilla anima). At the very roots
of our instinctual make-up, there’s selfishness, jealousy, and pettiness of heart and mind. [Link] On Saturdays
and Sundays
Moreover, we are often blind to our real faults. As Jesus says, we easily see the speck on our before the
neighbour's eye and miss the plank in our own. And that generally makes for a strange irony, that 8th June Saturday 5.30pm Mass
(Saturdays
is, where we think we are sinners is usually not the place where others struggle the most with us For Our Loving and Supportive 5pm to 5.20
or where our real faults lie. Conversely, it’s in those areas where we think we are virtuous and Parish Community (Maire Greaney&Family) and Sundays
righteous that often our real sin lies and where others struggle with us. 10.30am to
10.50).
For example, we’ve have forever put a lot of emphasis on the sixth commandment and haven’t
been nearly as self-scrutinizing in regard to the fifth commandment (which deals with bitterness, 9th June Sunday 11am Weekdays
after the Mass,
judgments, anger, and hatred) or with the ninth and tenth commandments (that have to do with Int. Sheila McKnight&Family(Marie Mercer) on Request.
jealousy). It’s not that sexual ethics are unimportant, but our failures here are harder to rationalize.
The same isn’t true for bitterness, anger, especially righteous anger, nor for jealousy. We can
more easily rationalize these and not notice that jealousy is the only sin for which God felt it nec- Monday Liturgy of the day
essary to write two commandments. We are worse than we imagine and mostly blind to our real 10th June Marcella Incarico RIP (Denise Massey)
faults.
So where does that leave us? In better and worse shape than we think. If we could recognize that Tuesday [Link], Apostle 7pm
we’re more lovely than we imagine and more sinful than we suppose, that could be helpful both 11th June Int. Lucy Maria (Susan Finney)
for our self-understanding and for how we understand God’s love and grace in our lives.
Aristotle says, “two contraries cannot co-exist within the same subject”. He’s right metaphysically, Wednesday Liturgy of the day
but two contraries can (and do) exist inside of us morally. We’re both good and bad, generous 12th June John Wills RIP (The Hughes Family)
and selfish, big-hearted and petty, gracious and bitter, forgiving and resentful, hospitable and
cold, full of grace and full of sin, all at the same time. Moreover, we’re generally too blind to both, Thursday Mem. St. Anthony of Padua
too unaware of our loveliness as well as of our nastiness. 13th June Bao Hua Lin & Xia Mei Shi (Yaming Lin)
To recognize this can be humbling and freeing. We are loved sinners. Both goodness and sin
make up our identity. Not to recognize this truth leaves us either unhealthily depressed or danger- Friday Liturgy of the day
ously inflated, too hard or too easy on ourselves. The truth will set us free, and the truth about 14th June Carole Philpot RIP (Mark Philpot)
ourselves is that we’re both better and worse than we picture ourselves to be.
Robert Funk once formulated three dictums on grace which speak to this. He writes: Eucharistic Adoration until 11am

*Grace always wounds from behind, at the point where we think we are least vulnerable.
*Grace is harder than we think: we moralize judgment in order to take the edge off it.
*Grace is more indulgent than we think: but it is never indulgent at the point where we think it 15th June Saturday 5.30pm 16th June Sunday 11am
might be indulgent. John Ward RIP (B’day) Thanksgiving: Int. Angela Carr
We need to be both easier and harder on ourselves – and open to the way grace works. (Jean Ward, Rachel & Family) (Friends)
FAITH IN FOCUS:
First Holy Communion

OUR LORD’S TRUE FAMILY

The New Lectionary
we congratulate Seren on making her
First Holy Communion during the Mass Please note that the list for orders for the
this Sunday. Our other candidates are Sunday Missal will close on Sunday 16th
One of the most colourful jumped at the opportunity to es: blasphemy against the June.
English expressions to de- attack our Lord by accusing Holy Spirit. The blasphemy or looking forward to making their First
Communions on Saturday 15th June at The order will be placed, and after that no
scribe a person who is out of Him of being possessed by sin against the Holy Spirit is
his mind is “a sandwich short the Prince of Demons, Beel- saying that Jesus has an un- 12.00 All are welcome. Ruth John discount will be available. It is understood
of a picnic.” Don’t attempt to zebul. Mental illness in an- clean spirit. We have reached Our sincere thanks to Ruth for preparing that delivery will be in October. If you
wrap your head around this. cient times was a sure sign of a fork in the road: One road the children for their first Communion. have any queries, please ask!!
What is pertinent in this de- possession. They were confi- leads to life and the other, to Mark Philpot, Parish MC
scription is the metaphor of a dent that this time their accu- death. No neutrality is possi- Mark: mjandcep@[Link]
sandwich. In today’s gospel sation would stick since our ble. Someone is blasphem- Goodbye to Angela Carr [Link]
passage, although our atten- Lord’s own family had turned ing—either Jesus or the Jew- Angela Carr has been a long term member of
tion is immediately focused on against Him and had become ish leaders. Which side will our parish. Her commitment to the Legion of
the heated argument between the prosecution’s star witness- we take? Mary and the Repository over the years have Church Roof Repair Fund
our Lord and His antagonists es. The evidence is clear - the been very much appreciated. Later this month
Thankfully the answer is given Angela will be moving to Holywell. On Sun- If you are happy to make any special contribu-
on the latter’s accusation that miraculous actions of our Lord by none other than the family tion to the Church roof repair fund, please
He is performing miracles with preclude a natural explana- day 16th Mass will be offered for her inten-
of Jesus. At the start of this tions and we will say “goodbye” in the hall make the cheque payable to St. David’s
the power of demons, this is tion. There can only be two story, they misunderstand His Church (please mention Church Roof Repair
our first opportunity to see sources - it is either divine or afterwards.
intentions and believe Him to Fund at the back on the cheque). If it is cash,
one of Mark’s sandwiches. demonic. The scribes don’t be mad. But at the end of this Best wishes to Liam & Mary McCarry please put it in an envelope (marked Church
Here, we begin with a story deny the supernatural power; passage, we can detect a Liam and Mary McCarry are responding to the Roof Repair fund).
about our Lord’s family and they just redefine its source. transformation, though subtle. appeal made in the parish earlier this year. Similarly, if you are happy to make a special
end with another story about Our Lord then exposes the Jesus provides the true criteri- They are going to Malawi this weekend as contribution towards purchasing the New Lec-
His family, while sandwiched fallacy of their accusation and on of discipleship: “Anyone volunteers to teach and help with projects. tionary for use in our Church, please mark
in between is the story of Je- skewed reasoning by asking who does the will of God, that We wish them well and support them with our your envelope ‘New Lectionary’.
sus and His conflict with the this logical question: “How person is my brother and sis- prayer. We look forward to hearing from them You may leave your special contribution in the
scribes. can Satan cast out Satan?” ter and mother.” on their return. offertory collection bag or drop into Presbytery
The upper loaf of the sand- It’s a rhetorical question be- Letter box. Thank you.
Who is our Lord’s true family.
wich begins with the story of cause our Lord doesn’t wait Once again, we are forced to
SVP Parish Outing
how the family of Jesus wish- for the answer from His at- decide the meaning of this
A 49-seater coach has been booked for a day Let us Pray for the sick::
es to take control of Him be- tackers, He provides it. If our trip to Llandudno on Thursday 25th July, Deacon David Joy, Tricia Evans, Rianna Tay-
word, as we were forced to
cause they were of the opin- Lord is actually using or being decide on the source of His leaving St David’s at 10 am and returning lor and family, Debra Roberts, Lauren Dunlop,
ion that He was “out of his used by demons, then would- from Llandudno at 4 pm. There is no charge Pam Cox, Anne Jones, and
power - is He speaking of His
mind.” Perhaps, one of the n’t such a civil war in the de- for this, and everyone is warmly welcome! Franciszek Williams
earthly family or heavenly
most painful experiences is to monic realm lead to their ulti- one? Listen to what Jesus Please sign the list in the church porch if you
be accused by one’s loved mate destruction. That would want to come. A splendid time is guaranteed
ones as being insane. Those be preposterous.
says, “Anyone who does the
for all! Chris Walsh, SVP President We remember in our prayers
closest to our Lord tried to put
will of God, that person is my Those whose anniversaries
Our Lord proceeds to give the brother and sister and moth- Occur this week
a claim of control on Him be- right interpretation. There is er”. What does Mary say at SVP Film Club
cause they thought He had not a civil war from within but the end of the Annunciation? The next ‘silver screen’ film showing will be (8th June) Mary Carney (9th June) John
gone crazy. This is a startling a direct invasion from with- “Let it be done to me accord- Hynes, Raymond Greaves (11th June)
reminder that proximity to at 2pm on Wednesday 26th June in
out— from heaven itself. This ing to thy word … according the Church Hall. The film will be The Unlikely Thomas Goss, Eileen Edney (12th June)
Jesus is not enough; alle- is a heavenly war. Satan’s to thy Will!” Mary is the only Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, starring Jim Broad-
giance to Jesus is what mat- kingdom is not being built; it is one who declares so freely bent. (It will be preceded by the final 20
Joseph Mannion, Elizabeth Thomas, Kath-
ters. That is what marks the being plundered. Someone and openly that she is willing, leen Jones (13th June) Mary McManus,
followers of Jesus. It is strik- minutes of Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, be-
ing that they want to silence
stronger has come - God Him- and she does the will of God cause of the technical issue which affected James Patrick Durkin, Christopher Jeremiah
self. the Father. There can be no the previous screening.) If you’d like to come Foley, (14th June) Joseph Duffy, Elizabeth
Him, because He had just better candidate who meets
Rejecting our Lord has now along please sign the list in the church porch.
silenced the demons. this criterion of discipleship. Admission is free, and tea and coffee will be McManus, Catherine Kunstle, Harold Roden,
The scribes, a group of our led the scribes to commit a sin
Lord’s strongest critics, that has eternal consequenc- Mary provides us with the served. Everyone is warmly welcome! Lily Evans and Irene Fidler, Sara Hughes,
perfect example of this. Mary and Chris Anita Eaton