SS Mary & Benedict Roman Catholic Church, Coventry

You are welcome to our Parish Website. We believe that you will get a lot of interesting information which will help you to grow in the faith. Our parish is part of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham Reg. Charity No. 234216.

Donations to the St. Mary's parish if wished:
There is a donate button (top right) on the home page of the diocesan website: https://www.birminghamdiocese.org.uk/parishes-online . Donations can be made by setting up a regular donation or making a single donation.

Follow events live by clicking on the link below Mass Time: Sun. 9.30am & 11.30am
Link: Live Streaming of Mass

Live streaming from You Tube :
Altar view:https://camstreamer.com/redirect/0186..
Lecturn view:https://camstreamer.com/redirect/f1d5...
Main view https://camstreamer.com/redirect/fNbY

Writings of the Parish Priest (12)
Writings of the Parish priest (13)
Writings of the Parish priest (14)
Read, reflect and live inspired (15)
Writings of the Parish priest (16)
Writings of the Parish priest (17)
Writings of the Parish Priest (18)
Fr. Jimmy Lutwama AJ

Gospel reflection

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. Luke 9:51-52a

Jesus was “resolutely determined” in His mission to travel toward Jerusalem. The significance of this line can easily be lost.

There are two things to point out about this passage. First, Jerusalem was the destination where He would ultimately die for the sins of the world. It was His place of glorification through the Sacrifice of the Cross. Thus, the disciples did not want Jesus to go to Jerusalem since they knew it was a risk. But Jesus saw through the suffering He would soon endure to the future glory of the Sacrifice He would offer.

Second, the fact that Jesus was “resolute” in His determination to go to Jerusalem and sacrifice His life reveals His courage and perfect love. He did not fear what would happen to Him because He had the bigger picture in mind. He saw the good fruit of the salvation of many souls and this overshadowed any temptation to be deterred from His divine mission.
We can learn much from Jesus’ determination to sacrifice His life in Jerusalem for the salvation of the world. Certainly we should see the fruit of this sacrifice and be eternally grateful for it. But we should also see it as an invitation to imitate Jesus’ actions. In our own lives there are many opportunities we are given to choose a life of selfless sacrifice for the good of others. These opportunities come in many forms, but in the end they are always opportunities of love and self-giving. Though sacrifice will tempt us to flee in a different direction, if we keep our eyes upon the good fruit of all selfless sacrifice, we will be encouraged to be resolute in our determination of love.

Reflect, today, upon whatever your “Jerusalem” is. What is it that you are invited to sacrifice your life for out of love. When you discover what it is, look also at your willingness to embrace this sacrifice for the good of others and strive to imitate the firm determination of our Lord.

An Elephant and a Fly

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?" The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more". This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?" The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around." Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm". "Yes, that's right", answered the teacher," The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind.