Our Lady of Mercy

Inside this week's newsletter, you'll find a thoughtful piece from Fr John on finding Christ's peace in our often anxious world, alongside reflections on the Holy Spirit's guidance as we approach Pentecost. We also delve into the beautiful imagery of the New Jerusalem from Revelation and what it means for our spiritual lives today. There's a lovely explanation of the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and a clear answer to that common question about why Sunday Mass is so vital. Of course, all the usual Mass times are included, plus news about upcoming parish events like the Significance Festival, our Irish Afternoon, and the Pentecost Party. Do take a moment to download it – there's plenty to nourish your faith and keep you informed about all that's happening in our parish community.

This week brings us through the latter half of 1 Maccabees, chronicling the shifting leadership and complex political fortunes of the Hasmonean family after Judas Maccabeus. We'll see his brothers Jonathan and Simon navigate treacherous alliances and brutal civil wars within the crumbling Seleucid Empire, eventually achieving a hard-won independence for Judea. The book concludes, however, with a stark reminder of the ever-present danger of betrayal, even from within.

The First Book of Maccabees, part of the deuterocanonical collection within the Catholic Bible, offers a vital historical account of the Jewish struggle for religious and political survival in the second century BC. Its narrative details the causes, events, and consequences of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire. The opening chapters (1 Maccabees 1-2) are crucial for understanding the crisis's origins, setting the stage for the subsequent conflict and the eventual rededication of the Jerusalem Temple commemorated in the festival of Hanukkah.

Our study now takes us to the First Book of Maccabees, another of the deuterocanonical books recognised as inspired Scripture within the Catholic and Orthodox traditions (CCC 120). This book offers a crucial historical account of a pivotal period in Jewish history: the Maccabean Revolt during the 2nd century BC. Written in a style reminiscent of the historical books like Samuel and Kings, 1 Maccabees chronicles the struggle for religious freedom, the purification of the Jerusalem Temple, and the rise of the Hasmonean dynasty against the backdrop of Hellenistic persecution.