Listen, even if you don’t understand . . (2nd Sunday of Lent Year C)
Webmaster • March 15, 2025
As the apostles followed Jesus around the land of Galilee, they would have had plenty of ordinary moments with a seemingly average human: hiking from town to town, looking for places to camp or sleep, meeting all sorts of different people and sharing meals and wine with them, praying in synagogues on the Sabbath, etc. Then there were the incredible experiences that would have convinced them Jesus was more than an ordinary human: feeding crowds of thousands, healing the sick and crippled, speaking words of forgiveness that Jews thought only God could speak. Then, one day, three of the apostles witnessed this mysterious transfiguration of their friend on a mountaintop as two people from their history books appeared with him.
The experience was something the apostles couldn’t have understood with their minds, yet they were asked by the voice from the cloud to listen to Jesus. They were asked to trust in him, to listen to him, and to follow him, even though he was such a mystery to them.
The transfiguration may not have cleared up any of the apostles’ questions about Jesus’ identity, but they were still asked to trust in this person who was bringing healing, freedom, and new life to so many people. It’s as if God was giving them a gift in saying “You don’t have to understand how this is happening, how Jesus’ clothes look whiter than white, or how two dead men are alive here. What I do want you to do is to listen to him.” Only that. Don’t worry about understanding with your head. Follow with your heart.
Questions of the week
Have you had any experience of being asked to trust Jesus/God even though you couldn’t under stand something with your mind?
In what ways is God inviting you to give up trying to understand his workings so that you can more freely follow Jesus’ call to you?
PARISH CHRISTMAS BAZAAR 2026, Will be taking place on Saturday 5th December 10.00 and 13.00.
We are in the middle of a series of Gospel parables that Jesus tells about staying alert and being prepared for his second coming. We believe that appearance will mark the end of this world as we know it. Jesus cautions his listeners several times to remain at the ready, even if their “master” is gone for an extended period like the man in this parable or the groom in last week’s parable. When this Gospel was written, about fifty years after Jesus’ death, some of the early Christians had grown complacent and even lazy because Jesus had not yet returned. Paul alludes to this in his letter to the Thessalonians. There is a certain percentage of people who live mindlessly, enjoying a false sense of peace and security, unaware that things can change instantly - perhaps like some of us before COVID-19 hit. In a later letter to the same community, Paul calls out those “living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work” (2 Thess. 3:11). Some people figured they didn’t need to bother working because Jesus was returning soon. So Paul instille d a new rule: “ Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (2 Thess. 3: 10). The parable of the talents shares the same motif: while awaiting Jesus’ second coming, we should work responsibly and for positive action, not be paralyzed by fear or laziness - the equivalent of the servant who hid the money. Ultimately, God will bring about the fullness of the Kingdom of God, but we shouldn’t wait passively for God to act. We are all called to participate in the building of the Kingdom. As disciples we are called to action in this world, during a global pandemic or not, not simply accepting suffering while awaiting a reward in heaven. Jesus calls us to put our talents (gifts, skills, money, and otherwise) to work, alleviating pain, building healthy communities, and fighting injustice - while we stay hopeful and alert for his coming. Questions of the week �� Do you ever get weary and feel like giving up in working to build the Kingdom when God doesn’t seem to be “showing up”? In what way? �� Who do you know, or know of, who tirelessly works for the building of the Kingdom and stays alert and awake for God’s coming?
Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honour of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a universal feast. As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as a non-historical account, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was 3 years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless. Though it cannot be proven historically, the presentation of Mary has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond. God came to dwell in her in a marvellous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of Mary enriches her children. They - we too are temples of God and sanctified in order that we might enjoy and share in God’s saving work.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Fr D faced a whole week that seemed to have a succession of meetings and the associated driving! Last weekend we celebrated both Remembrance Sunday and our annual ‘Blessing of Graves.’ At all of our Masses we remembered those killed in the major conflicts of the past hundred years and joined the nation in the traditional two minutes silence. At the slightly later time of 16.00 parishioners met with Fr D at Cobham cemetery where he led the ‘Blessing of Graves’ service. The new time worked with just enough time to complete the service whilst there was still daylight. Afterwards there were tea and scones available in the Parish Centre. Following the celebration of Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D picked up Canon Tony and went off to Ashtead where the local Deanery clergy were celebrating Mass for the deceased clergy of all the parishes before their monthly Deanery Meeting. At the meeting afterwards the new headmaster of St Andrews Secondary School addressed the clergy concerning the school. Fr D had hoped that he would come back from the meeting with a date for next year’s confirmations, so he could timetable a preparation course, sadly there was still no date from the Bishop’s office. In the evening Fr D met for the penultimate time with the parents of our First Reconciliation Programme this year, explaining to them what was going to happen on Saturday when they would come back with their children to teach them the next section of the course. On Wednesday morning, after celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass, Fr D was working on this week’s newsletter and chasing up the second phase of the security fencing around the grounds (mostly between The Presbytery and the sisters and behind the Parish Centre); this is now awaiting a date for the works to be undertaken. In the late afternoon Fr D had been invited to Bishop Stephen’s ‘house warming and 60th birthday’ celebration, which he managed to fit in before he was at a meeting of the new Parish Leadership Team with our Deanery Schools leaders. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Thursday Fr D was back down in Crawley to continue his work at the Tribunal. When he got home in the evening he met with a family whose child will be baptised a week Sunday . . . . . .
After Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament on a Tuesday each week (about 11.00) a small group of parishioners spend an hour cleaning the church so that it is ready for everyone else at the weekend. Owing to age some have had to give up and we are in need of refreshing the team. If you think that you could spare an hour a week to help with this important parish ministry please get in touch with Sarah in the Parish Office as soon as possible. Thank you.
Born in what is now Ukraine, he went to work in Wilno, becming a Basilian monk, then a priest, and soon was well known as a preacher and an ascetic. At a young age, becoming both archbishop of Polotsk, he faced a very difficult situation. Most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome, but through synods, catechetical instruction, reforming clergy, and his personal example, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to union. But the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up, and his opposite number spread the accusation that St Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same. Despite warnings, he went to Vitebsk, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese - a priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house, the opposition rang the town hall bell, and a mob assembled, the priest was released, but members of mob broke into the bishop's home. Josaphat was struck with a halberd, then shot, and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St Peters, Rome. He was the first saint of the Easter Church to be canonized by Rome
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Quite a lot happening around The Presbytery over the past week after the school half-term break . . . . . Fr D was taken out to lunch by one of his previous parishioners after our Sunday morning Masses. After lunch he was looking up the information he was going to need to chase the diocese about the final stages of both the church lighting and the security fencing around the property. At the beginning of August he had put both these projects to the diocese for their ‘rubber stamp,’ had reminded them he’d not heard anything before he went on holiday, and sent an irate email when he came back from holiday and still had not heard from them! He pulled together all the communications ready to take with him to the office on Tuesday (he really was not a ‘happy bunny!’). After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday, Fr D went off down to the diocesan offices in Crawley. Just before he went he was able to have a short chat with the surveyor who was undertaking our next quinquennial survey (2027-2032), which will help form the basis of our maintenance programme in the future. The surveyor was pleased to see that the items he pointed out in his last report had received attention. Down at the office Fr D was walking towards the person he wanted to see about the outstanding projects when, knowing what Fr D was likely to say, he threw his hands up in a signal of surrender and said that we could go ahead! When he got home in the late afternoon Fr D prepared to meet the parents of this year’s First Reconciliation candidates who are now two-thirds the way through the course. Following Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday Fr D was ringing up the church lighting engineers to instruct them to go ahead with the last stage of the lighting project. Being a local firm he was invited down to their showroom to view the newly installed equipment that will be being used in the church and became certain that the right choices had ben made. They asked to come and do final measurements on Friday morning after Mass so that the bespoke components could be made (in the USA) before being shipped to the UK; they are hoping to still be able to have the install completed for Christmas (but obviously the diocese has lost us a couple of months in time). Friday afternoon Fr D had an appointment at the eye clinic in Leatherhead to check for signs of retinopathy (none so far) . . . . . . .
Our annual Blessing of Graves will take place on Sunday 8th November at 16.00 (Cobham Cemetery) and will be followed by tea and scones in the Parish Centre.
The Church is composed of all the faithful, living upon the earth, and those who have gone before us. The latter includes the saints in heaven and those faithful souls who are being purified in Purgatory. Just as on 1st November we honour those who are with God, on 2nd November Catholics celebrate the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, also known as All Saints Day On this day we honour them for their fidelity in life, as well as pray for them since they are being purified before entering into the Presence of God. As Revelation 21:27 says of the Heavenly Jerusalem, “… nothing unclean shall enter in.” Next Sunday we will be celebrating the ‘Blessing of Graves’ for our loved ones who are interred in Cobham Cemetery.
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Due to the winds that were expected last Saturday evening Fr D was encouraged to take an earlier plane home. The landing at Gatwick was certainly a little more bumpy than usual and he was back in the house around 18.45, and emptying his clothes out of the boxes on wheels and into the two white boxes in the utility room . . . . . Before he went off on holiday Fr D had arranged with the doctor to have three inoculations on Monday morning, in the event when he arrived they only wanted to allow two so he’s still got another to have at some point in the next couple of months! Whilst there they wanted to take yet another bottle of blood (to check that a recent different tablet was not affecting his kidneys) as well! By the time he left he was feeling a bit like a pin cushion. He was due to be having some eye tests at Epsom hospital in the afternoon but whilst he was out at the doctors a message was left on the answerphone to say that that had been cancelled until 2 nd December! By this point he’s had quite enough of medics for a while at least. After Morning Prayers, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D had a telephone appointment with the diabetic nurse - this fortunately was over very quickly and he doesn’t have another for six months. In the afternoon he began working on a solution to the programme that he uses for the newsletter each week now having been discontinued by Microsoft. He had already invested in a ‘stand alone’ version which is separate from 365 and will work for our needs. This he loaded to his computer and began work on this week’s newsletter happily. After Morning Prayer and Mass on Wednesday Fr D continued work on the newsletter until lunchtime when he was meeting Fr Ruslan at one of Cobham’s hostelry's because their normal lunch venue in Esher was having a makeover. Very nice venue but a bit noisy because of it’s low ceilings. Fr Ruslan was able to give Fr D a first hand account of the new bishop’s ordination (he did not attempt to tune in to it whilst he was on holiday!). Fr D did not go down to the Diocesan Offices this week because it was half term and his secretary down in Crawley was on ‘granny duty.’ He did, however, write a rather acerbic email to the finance department asking what as happening about our two projects that he put in the forms for at the beginning of August? He had negotiated a £1,000 discount from one contractor and the other contractor is now going to have difficulties in getting the other project ready for Christmas! . . . .