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Buckden Roundabout
March 2020
Church News
Weekly Prayer Roster
Each week during the year the Churches, in their prayers, remember the residents of particular streets in the village, those who
work in the parish and village organisations. Those to be remembered this month are:
1st March
Scouts, Cubs and Beavers, Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, Playgroup and Day Nursery, Buck-
den out of Schools Scheme, Buckden Towers Youth Retreat Centre
8th March
Mayfield, Springfield Close, The Osiers, Stirtloe
15th March
Vineyard Way, Burberry Road, Swan End, Lark End, The Library and its librarians
22nd March
The churches of the village: St Hugh’s, St Mary’s, Buckden Methodist Church, also Perry Baptist
Church, members of home groups from these and other local churches, ministers and all who
make our churches welcoming and worshipful places
29th March
Church Street, Mill Road, The Barns, The Old Flour Mills
Thought for the Month
Greetings in the Holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus
built his community after a long period of personal develop-
ment and transformation. Previously he learned to be free
and loving. He acquired the necessary communication skills
and all other capabilities required to achieve his mission.
Therefore, his own personal experience of the father and de-
velopment are the cornerstone of the community that pro-
longs his liberating and salvific work on earth. Usually, action
means life, power, transformation. Therefore, the level of
behaviours and positive experience empowers people. Infor-
mation has a high value in our days. Still, knowledge without
action remains infertile. That’s why Jesus declares: “It is not
anyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, who will enter the king-
dom of heaven but the person who does the will of my father
in heaven… therefore everyone who listens to these words of
mine and acts on them will be like the sensible man who built
his house on rock” (Mt. 7: 21, 24-25).
Therefore, we are called to put into action what we have
learned from Jesus. When we try to put into practice the
knowledge and information that we have about Jesus, this will
lead to the reality, i.e. Jesus Christ. Our internal dialogue –
thoughts, mental strategies, plans – plays a central role in the
process of getting the best side of reality. This level of our
mind, the level of thinking, is sometimes related with our
heart in the biblical language. At this level we display our ca-
pabilities, either to do good or to do evil.
Most of the time, on this level of capabilities, our thinking
makes use of words. Therefore, words reveal our thoughts
and mental strategies. If we think or utter positive words,
then we empower ourselves or others. “For words flow out of
what fills the heart. Good people draw good things from the
store of goodness; bad people draw bad things from the store
of badness” (Mt. 12:34-35). From this perspective it is easier
to understand the importance that Jesus gives to words. They
may empower or disempower us; they may give life or death.
“So, I tell you this, that for every unfounded word people
utter they will answer on judgment day. Since it is by your
words you will be justified, and by your words con-
demned” (Mt. 12:36-37).
My dear brothers and sisters, there are many reasons to con-
sider Jesus as the greatest leader throughout history. One of
them is his ability to empower people at the deepest level, i.e.
at the level of identity. When he starts his preaching, accord-
ing to the sermon on the mount, he shows the beauty, radi-
ance and power of people’s identity: “You are the light of the
world” (Mt 5:14). Jesus empowers his followers by deepening
their identity on the spiritual level. After he has said, “you are
the light of the world,” he adds, “Your light must shine in peo-
ple’s sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give
praise to your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:16).
The role of Christians is to receive the light of Christ and radi-
ate it to everyone as love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, hum-
ble service, respect for those with different ethnic back-
grounds, different lifestyles, other faiths, or with no faith at
all. With a little bit of Christ’s Light, we become a veritable
lighthouse, illuminating the way for many and removing the
darkness caused by hatred, spite and jealousy. I wish you all a
good preparation of Lent for the meaningful celebration of
EASTER.
Rev. Antony Arockiam, CMF St. Hugh’s Catholic Church
World Day
of Prayer
Friday 6 March 2020
Methodist Church, 10 am
Come and join us for a lovely service this year
written by the
women of Zimbabwe
All welcome!