Welcome
Welcome to St Bede Catholic Church
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
"You are God’s temple....."
The story of the cleansing of the Temple is found in all the four Gospels. In the three synoptic Gospels, that is Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus is upset with the deceitful practices of the people who are selling animals and pigeons in the Temple. They have turned the house of God into a market. It is for that reason that he expels them from the Temple; “do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ authority is contrasted with the authority of the Temple cult and is a criticism of the cult itself.
The story is composed of two parts, Jesus’ action in the Temple and Jesus’ prediction about the destruction of the Temple. This is taking place at the time of the sacred feast of the Passover. If the many pilgrims who came to Jerusalem during the Passover were to have animals and pigeons for the sacrificial rituals of the feast, it was necessary to sell what is required in the Temple and to change the unclean Roman money. By denouncing this, Jesus is cutting to the core of the Temple cult.
The story is really about Jesus’ fate, not the Temple’s fate, pointing to the fact that Jesus, not the
Temple is the focus of God’s presence on earth. The Jews, as they often do, misunderstand Jesus’ words. This gives John the opportunity to explicitly state his point. Although this is the beginning of his ministry, Jesus is already speaking of his coming death and resurrection.
John intentionally integrates a post-Resurrection perspective into the gospel narrative. The statement that concludes our gospel passage uses the fact of the resurrection to prove the point of Jesus’ words. Believers need to remember the words and actions of Jesus and claim them as affirmations of the truths of their faith.
As the people of God, we are the “living stones” that make up the Church and become “God’s building”. We are the temples of God, and the Spirit of God lives in us. Let us dedicate our hearts to serving God. Let us allow the Holy Spirit flood our hearts with divine love, so that the Spirit may work in and through us and make us “living stones” of God’s work on earth.
God bless you all. Fr. Henry
IN THE NEWS...
Pope at Angelus: Do not be afraid to admit your mistakes
Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV recalled the two contrasting figures from the day’s Gospel reading: the Pharisee, confident in his own righteousness, and the tax collector, conscious of his sin.
The Pope was speaking just after the Jubilee Mass dedicated to synodal teams and participatory bodies on Sunday, and before his weekly recitation of the Marian prayer of the Angelus
The prayer of the Pharisee, Pope Leo said, which is focused on boasting and spiritual pride, “reflects a strict observance of the Law, certainly, but one poor in love, built on ‘giving’ and ‘having,’ on debts and credits, and lacking mercy.”
Southeast Asian leaders sign ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia
President Donald Trump on Sunday co-signed a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, alongside leaders from Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur.
President Donald Trump on Sunday co-signed a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, alongside leaders from Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Philippines: Bringing to light safeguarding as a mission of all
Philippines: Bringing to light safeguarding as a mission of all
A conference highlighting the Church’s mission to protect minors and vulnerable persons has taken place in the Philippines, marking an important step in strengthening safeguarding efforts in the country.
It was the first national conference of its kind in the Southeast Asian island nation - a country that stands as a stronghold of the Catholic Church in the region. Experts from across the Philippines and neighbouring Southeast Asian nations took part.
ABOUT SAINT BEDE...
St Bede 673-735AD
Bede was born in 673 AD in the northeast of England. From the age of seven, he received a Benedictine education at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth, today part of Sunderland. Bede spent his whole life within the twin monasteries of St Peter at Wearmouth and St Paul in Jarrow, where he became a Benedictine monk and continued his studies using the fine libraries established by the monastery's founder, St Benedict Biscop, Bede's first teacher, and under the guidance of Abbot Ceolfrith (Ceolwulf).
Bede wrote on many topics. His most famous work, Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (the Ecclesiastical History of the English People), earned Bede the title "The Father of English History". His works revealed not only Bede's qualities as a scholar and historian but also the qualities of modesty and humility which make his works so memorable. However, Bede's work shows that he had at his command all the learning of his time. Bede's writings included papers and articles on scientific, historical, theological, and mathematical matters, as well as poetry and literature. St Bede is widely regarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. His sainthood was generally recognized around fifty years after his death on 25th May 735 AD. His bones were later elevated from St Paul's in Jarrow to Durham, where they lie in the Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral. Bede's scholarship and importance to Catholicism were recognized on 13th November 1899 when Pope Leo XIII decreed the title of Doctor Ecclesiae to St Bede the Venerable, making him the only English Doctor of the Church.
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