Fr Tristan Writes 7th September 2025
September arrives, and not only in the blink of an eye does the weather seem to change but people seem to be far busier than they could ever imagine! We can suddenly seem to have so much to think about that we can easily find ourselves wondering whether we have the resources to cope, as schools go back and deadlines loom. In the Gospel today, Jesus warns us about the risk of setting out on the journey to God without having sufficient resources to complete it. Our main resource is surely the Holy Spirit Himself, nourishing us in daily prayer. There's an old adage that says something along the lines of "set a little time to pray every day, except if you are busy, in which case double it!"
The other resource we all need to survive the daily challenge of imitating Christ is the support of others. Jesus sent his friends out in pairs, and formed not a society of individuals, but a church. As a priest, I can never forget the fact that the very mission of our parish relies on us all pitching in, helping build each other up, and living our baptismal calling. That is why volunteering in the parish - in the fields of Prayer, Formation and Mission - is so vital, both in our current parish and in the larger parish that we are due to become. I want to express my thanks to all our volunteers by throwing a little party for you all on the evening of Friday 21st November - please save the date! And if you are not already "involved", do have a think about how you might give of your time and talents here at St John's - even in a very small way - to help others along on our journey - and get in touch.
