Sunday 20th June 2021

Webmaster • June 19, 2021

Mark writes his gospel for a community suffering persecution, Christians who feared that any day they might be overwhelmed by either the waves of their own cowardice and infidelity to Christ, or blown off their Christian course by the fear of imprisonment and death. They could be tempted to believe that Jesus is ‘asleep’ and acres nothing for them. In different contexts, we too are familiar with the storms that can brew in our own hearts. The struggle between fear and faith is a constant theme in Mark’s gospel, continuing until the very last verse (Mk. 16:8), but that we have a Gospel according to Mark witnesses to the final triumph of faith. Among these disciples are men who know this sea well, and for them to be afraid shows that their fear was humanly well founded. Although they have seen Jesus’ power over the chaos that overwhelms people’s bodies and minds, this crossing had ben Jesus’ idea, and their cries to him sound more like accusations of his lack of care for them than proclamations of their faith in him.

In the image of Jesus peacefully asleep in the storm-tossed boat their may be the memory of Jonah fast asleep in the bowels of the ship while God hurled great winds and waves at the vessel carrying the disobedient prophet away from his calling to the conversion of Nineveh (Jon. 1:4-15). Jonah has to resort to the much more dramatic and drastic solution of allowing himself to be tossed overboard before God will calm the storm. In contrast, Jesus rises from sleep, and the brief and powerful words of this most obedient prophet of God are strong enough to restore order out of chaos. Jesus rebukes the wind and the sea in the same way as he had ‘rebuked’ or ‘exorcised’ the ‘unclean spirit’ and healed the tortured psyche of the man in the synagogue in Mark’s account of Jesus’ first miracles (Mk. 1:23-27). And there comes great calm.

Jesus’ authority over the natural world confronts our faith in an unsettling way. As Michael Casey writes: “We do not mind a man forgiving sins, because the supposed effect is invisible and beyond proof. Cures can be dismissed as merely ‘psychological.’ Our weak faith can dodge the question if there is some possibility of a ‘rational’ explanation. The nature miracles are different. They confront our faith directly” (Fully Human, Fully Divine).

Jesus’ authority over the storm reveals him as Lord of Creation, and recalls the divine authority over the chaotic waters (Gn. 1:1) and when God divided the waters to allow the people to pass through from slavery into freedom (Ex. 14-15). This divine prerogative is also praised in a number of the psalms, including Psalm 107, which is this weekend’s Responsorial Psalm. But the disciples are looking and not perceiving, listening and yet not understanding, despite the privilege of Jesus’ instruction (Mk. 4:10-12). Jesus’ command of peace and stillness over the wind and waves assures the disciple’s safe crossing, but their crossing from fear to faith is at a perilous beginning point. At least Jesus seems to suggest that the journey is possible. “Do you not yet have faith?” But the disciples turn to one another, not to Jesus, with their questions about his identity.

CAR PARK DATABASE CLEANSE 2026

By Webmaster • May 26, 2026
For administration purposes, it is necessary to cleanse the Euro Car Park database of Registered Parishioner Cars. The last time this was done was in 2021. In the next few weeks, the system will have an ‘auto-purge’ so that all vehicles that are currently registered but have not used in the car park for the last six months will be purged from the system (ceasing to be ignored by the cameras). If you are a Registered Parishioner and have a car that you wish to remain on the system, that you have not used in the last six months – please contact the Parish Office ( cobham@abdiocese.org.uk ) to have the vehicle re-registered. Thank you

EPSOM DEANERY 24HR ADORATION

By Webmaster • May 26, 2026
Grateful thanks to all those throughout the Deanery who helped to arrange and facilitate our shared time of Eucharistic Adoration. To prayer leaders, musicians, those who signed up, those who 'popped' in, and the clergy our appreciation.  The fruits of this time we leave with the Lord and who knows maybe it is something we can do again.... Fr Simon Hall

St Philip Neri . . .

By Webmaster • May 26, 2026
Philip was a contradiction, combining popularity with piety against the corrupt backdrop of Rome and a disinterested clergy. Philip abandoned the chance to become a businessman, moved to Rome from Florence, and devoted his life to God. After three years of philosophy and theology studies, he gave up any thought of ordination. The next 13 years were spent in a vocation unusual at the time - that of a layperson actively engaged in prayer and the apostolate. As the Council of Trent (1545- 63) was reforming the Church on a doctrinal level, Philip’s appealing personality won him friends at all levels of society, from beggars to cardinals. He rapidly gathered together a group of laypersons won over by his audacious spirituality. Initially, they met for informal prayer and discussion, and also served the poor in Rome. At the urging of his confessor, Philip was ordained a priest and became an outstanding confessor himself, gifted with the knack of piercing the pretences and illusions of others, though always in a charitable manner and often with a joke; arranging talks, discussions, and prayers for them in a room above the church. Some of Philip’s followers became priests and lived together in community. This was the beginning of the Oratory, the religious group he founded.  After spending a day hearing confessions and receiving visitors, Philip Neri suffered a haemorrhage and died on the feast of Corpus Christi in 1595. He was beatified in 1615 and canonized in 1622.

The Holy Spirit comes . . ..(Pentecost Year A)

By Webmaster • May 26, 2026
If you ask a group of people how the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit, some will say through tongues of fire while others will say that Jesus breathed on them. We get the first image from today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The second image comes from John’s Gospel. How the apostles historically received the gift of the Spirit is less important than what resulted when the Spirit filled them. In both stories, the apostles changed from a group in hiding, fearful for their lives, to bold and confident proclaimers of God’s great works through Jesus. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus breathed on the apostles just as God breathed life into the first human. Like the readings from John’s Gospel that we’ve heard the last few weeks, Jesus is showing his friends that he is one and the same as God. Just as the first human came alive with God’s breath, so the apostles come alive in a new way when they receive the Holy Spirit. Before the coming of the Spirit, they were a fearful, closed group, hiding out, paralyzed to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing and teaching. Once Jesus came to them and offered them his peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit, they immediately transformed. Rejoicing replaced fear, and the willingness to move outward to minister to others replaced their desire for safety.  After Jesus breathed on the disciples, he tells them, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” This verse is often interpreted as the origin of priests’ authority to forgive sins, but it applies to all of us. Jesus is pointing out the power we all have in choosing how we respond to hurt. When we forgive others, we not only free them from our anger and resentment, we free ourselves from carrying those emotions. On the other hand, if we retain someone’s sins by refusing to forgive them, we are holding ourselves bound by anger, resentment, blame, and hurt. We are just as much the prisoner in the relationship. Our refusal to forgive affects not only the offending person, but us, as well. Questions of the week • When have you had the privileged experience of watching someone else move from fear to courage? How did God/the Holy Spirit play a role in that? • When have you experienced freedom by being forgiven by someone? When have you been able to free someone else by offering forgiveness?

MONTH OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

By Webmaster • May 24, 2026
Our month of prayer for priestly vocations continues this weekend, with people across our diocesan community of faith asked to pray for a spirit of sacrifice, so that greater numbers of men might respond generously to God’s call to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass. As members of the Church, we each have a vocation to build up God’s Kingdom. This call requires us to listen closely to God in prayer, and watch for the signs of His action in our lives.  God calls each person in a slightly different way; speaking through a personal relationship with Him, through the circumstances of your life and the people of God, and through the Church’s hierarchy. Copies of the ‘Month of Prayer for Vocations’ leaflet can be found in the church narthex

MASS FOR JUBILARIAN PRIESTS OF THE DIOCESE

By Webmaster • May 24, 2026
28th May, 12.00, Arundel Cathedral. Join the priests of our Diocese who are celebrating 25, 40, 50 and 60 years of priestly ordination, to give thanks for their years of service at this special Mass in Arundel Cathedral. All are welcome. [ PLEASE NOTE : due to the jubilarians Mass there will be no Mass in the Parish on Thursday 28th May.]

11.00 SUNDAY MASS COFFEE Rota

By Webmaster • May 24, 2026
11.00 SUNDAY MASS COFFEE Rota Currently we are looking for parishioners (especially those who use the 11.00 coffee session) to consider becoming new members of the Coffee Rota (like any rota, the greater the number of volunteers the less often the same names crop up). This role is ideal for younger families to take part in as well as others (married or single).

Church mouse Update 24th May 2026

By Webmaster • May 22, 2026
The musings of one of God’s smallest creatures on events in and around the Parish over the past seven days . . . . Quite busy around The Presbytery this week as more immediate preparations begin for our celebration of First Eucharist (14th June) and Fr D starts to look at the timings for next year’s sacramental programmes within the Parish . . . . . . Last Saturday Fr D was at a reunion of the children’s group that he went to Lourdes with just after Easter this year. He was delighted to meet up with the children once more, who were all desperate to come again next year! Canon Tony Churchill was kind enough to celebrate our 18.00 Saturday Mass so that Fr D could attend. Monday, Fr D was up and breakfasted by 08.30 to meet the plumber who was fitting a new kitchen tap. The previous ceramic tap had been dripping for a little while and being over twenty -five years old was not repairable. Fr D had spent some time researching and generally asking around and decided that as well as the hot, cold, and filtered water, the new tap should deliver boiling water (hopefully replacing the constant need for a kettle which uses a fair amount of electricity ever time it is turned on). After it had been fitted Fr D was very pleased with the results and now makes his pots of tea without a kettle straight from the kitchen tap! After celebrating Morning Prayer, Mass, and Exposition on Tuesday Fr D met with the diocesan IT engineer to ‘tidy up’ the cables etc from the IT projects that have taken place to reduce our telephone bills (two lines now working as one and billed accordingly) and improve our internet connections across the whole site (again a reduction in billing). When (if) Openreach decide to bring fibre to the premises (anticipated but no date yet) there will be another improvement in quality of connection. On Thursday afternoon Fr D had to attend the doctors for one of his six-monthly check-ups before going off in the car to a board meeting of the Bosco Catholic Education Trust in Haywards Heath. He did have an Infant Baptism preparation meeting in the evening but he got delayed on the motorway and had to reschedule the meeting.  On Friday Fr D went off after Mass to the Diocesan Offices to deal with two marriage annulment judgements of cases that he had been working on. In the evening he went to the Deanery 24 hour Prayer Vigil, over in St Joseph’s, Epsom, where he was able to help out celebrating Reconciliation for some of the attendees . . . .

24 HOURS ADORATION WITH THE LORD

By Webmaster • May 15, 2026
As we prepare for coming of Pentecost this year the Epsom Deanery will be holding an extended time of prayer for 24 hours. The event will take place in St Joseph's Church, Epsom, KT18 7JQ commencing with 10.00 Mass on Friday 22nd May and concluding with Mass at 10.00 Saturday 23rd May . This is a graced moment for us all to gather in prayer around the Lord in the Eucharist - to pray, to adore, to be silent, and to hold the brokenness of our world before the healing presence of Christ. The event will be divided into 1 hour slots to which parishioners from all across the Deanery are invited to commit to coming to the church and spending 1 hour in prayer. We need at least two people to commit to each hour (so that is a minimum of 48 people across the Deanery). If you are unable to offer an hour you can come at any time for as long or short a time as you can manage during the 24 hour period - and of course more than two people can sign up for any particular hour. Those who are sick or housebound and unable to attend are invited to send their prayer intentions (in writing and in good time) via their local Parish Office and these will be placed before the Blessed Sacrament. There will also be opportunities to pray the Rosary, celebrate Reconciliation, and join in communal prayer at specific times (more information to follow). Sign-Up Sheets will be available in all the Epsom Deanery Churches from next weekend (25 th & 26 th April). For those who would like to attend but do not have transport, it is hoped to coordinate lift-sharing through the Parish Offices of the church where you are registered. Once we have a clearer picture of who may require assistance and who is able to offer a lift, we can try to make the necessary arrangements. As St Theresa of Avila said in the 16th Century, 'the world is on fire' - how much more so today. May the Lord bless all our efforts and desires to bring His Peace into the world. Fr Simon Hall, Epsom, on behalf of the Deanery

St Dunstan . . .

By Webmaster • May 15, 2026
Born of a noble family near Glastonbury, Dunstan was educated there by Irish monks and while still a youth, was sent to the court of King Athelstan. He became a Benedictine monk about 934 and was ordained by his uncle, St Alphege, Bishop of Winchester, about 939. Called to the royal court by King Edmund, was appointed as abbot of Glastonbury in 943. He developed the abbey into a great centre of learning while revitalising other monasteries in the area. He became advisor to King Edred when Edmund was murdered, and began the reform of all the monasteries in Edred’s realm. Dunstan also became involved in politics and incurred the enmity of West Saxon nobles for denouncing their immorality and for urging peace with the Danes. Eventually he was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury, planning a thorough reform of Church and state. When King Edgar died, Dunstan helped to elect Edward the martyr king and then his half brother Ethelred, when Edward died soon after his election.  He was a noted musician, played the harp, composed several hymns, notably Kyrie Rex splendens, was a skilled metal worker, and illuminated manuscripts. He is the patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewellers. His feast day is May 19th