FR JULIAN'S WEEKLY BLOG
24/08/25
At the back of church there is a prayer for refugees. These poor people have a mixed press. Perhaps our immediate thoughts are about the many migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. We must not forget the desperation that must have caused these people to leave homes and family and commit their lives to unscrupulous criminals who have no regard for their safety or well-being.
We might also think of those displaced people in Gaza and Gaza city itself, as the IDF mercilessly seeks to dominate what little recognised Palestinian territory that exists. However, there are also many other groups of refugees in the world, escaping starvation or drought, persecution and genocide by those corrupted by power and their own beliefs. We may not be able to do much about the weather, but we can mitigate its effects.
Too often we become judgemental, self-righteous or feign ignorance. Such attitudes as individuals, a society or as the government, will in themselves do nothing to relieve the plight of those who are our brothers and sisters. Let’s try to do something positive and show our compassion.​​
17/08/25
Last Thursday, A level results were published, with GCSEs next Thursday. For many students, this will have a profound effect on their futures. The grades they have achieved will determine their futures. Will they be able to on to Higher Education (and will they be able to afford it)? Is the next stage A levels or vocational training? Or is it looking for a career or employment?
Unless we have children or grandchildren amongst the many who will be either in the heights of ecstasy or the depths of misery, apart from a few minutes on TV, these young adults will soon fade from our consciousness, but for those involved, it is the beginning of an exciting, and perhaps fearful, stage in their adult lives.
There are so many different ‘rites of passage’ in our lives. And so many of them are marked by the ‘outward and visible signs of God’s inward and invisible grace’ – the Sacraments. Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Confession, Anointing of the Sick – these are assuring signs of God’s loving presence. The outward and visible signs? Water, bread and wine, laying on hands, the joining of hands, the sign of the cross, the touch of holy oil. Thank God for these gifts; may we be as ‘sacraments’ to young people today, offering signs of God’s love and presence in their lives.​