Jesus then took the loaves and...distributed them to those reclining...as much as they wished” (Gospel). We all “wish” to be fed with joy, now and forever. The discipline of Lent may sadden our poor frail nature, and so the Church analyses the causes of true joy on this “Rejoice” or Laetare Sunday (Introit).

The first cause of genuine “joy” is a sincere Easter Confession. It emancipates us from the slavery of sin. We now enjoy the “freedom” of Christ’s Gospel of love because we have been freed from the “bondage” of that fear which prevailed in the days before Christ (Epistle). The second source of genuine “joy” is a fruitful Easter Communion for which preparation and thanksgiving have been made. The soul’s instinctive hunger is satisfied by this personal communing with God. The Host and Chalice of the Blessed Sacrament are open to all men regardless of race or nationality. Humanity fed with Divinity is joyously united in a real social and mystical union. Men will then ideally work for one another in “a city which is compact together” (Communion Verse).
 
How did the custom of rose colored vestments become established in the Church? It goes back to the IV Century when the Roman Empress, and wife of Constantine the Great, St. Helena, presented roses of pure gold to the heads of allied countries and important persons which were especially blessed by the Pope on this day. This became known as the Sunday of the Roses. Thus, the custom arose of wearing rose col-ored vestments which was extended to the whole Church although the custom of giving golden roses died out.

Regretfully, Canon Doyle cannot celebrate Mass at Holywell in either April or May.

I have not been able to source a replacement for April (I've been aware and seeking a priest for a month) and the likelihood is that a priest will not be identified before the 24th April. Therefore, the Mass will be not take place in April.

For the May Mass, a priest from the Institute of Christ King Sovereign Priest will come from New Brighton. However, the earliest he can get to Holywell is in time for a 1pm Mass. We are very grateful for this offer and also to Father Roberto for his allowing a later use of St Winefride's.

We reach the 3rd Sunday of our Lenten preparation for Easter.

When Jesus cast out the devil, the dumb man spoke. However, some people muttered, “By Beelzebub, the prince of devils, He casts out devils.” (Gospel).

In ancient times, on this day candidates were examined in preparation for Baptism on Holy Saturday. The first effect of Baptism is to free the soul from the power of the devil.

The “house” of which Jesus speaks, is the human soul before His coming, degraded by idolatry, by sensuality, under the tyranny of the evil spirit. Mary is a symbol of our Baptism for she gives birth to us as members of the Mystical Body of her Christ. Moreover, like her, “blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it” (Gospel).

These baptismal duties of “death to sin” and “life in God” (Epistle) are meant to gladden, not to oppress the human heart (Offertory), intended by God for Divine possession (Communion Verse), safe from diabolical obsession.

Converts preparing for Baptism in the early Church were examined on this day. Like them, realise that when you were christened you became “other Christs” in Baptism “by the finger of God” (Gospel). Jesus replaces the “devil” and enables the “dumb” to speak.

Impeded by the Sunday, the Feast of St. Gabriel the Archangel is on Sunday.  St. Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Mother and asked her consent to become the Mother of God. His words are recalled every time we say the first part of the Hail Mary.  Pray to Our Lady for courage to say yes to Our Lord when he asks you to do something important.

Last Sunday the liturgy led us into a low desert where we beheld Jesus in His Human Nature.

Today, we are led up to a high mountain where we are allowed to catch a faint glimpse of Jesus in His Divine Nature (Gospel).

By this vision of Divinity on Thabor, Jesus wished to prepare the Apostles and us for the daily crucifixion of our humanity on the Calvery of Life. This lesson is our incentive against discouragement or failure.

The Epistle indicates that the Christian life is not so much a series of commandments. Rather, it is a walking in the presence of God. “Your sanctification” is interior, “possessing the vessel” of your soul and body free from pride and lust. It is social too to the extent of helping one’s neighbour, for “The Lord is the avenger” of deception among men.

Mass for the Second Sunday of Lent will be celebrated just over the border at St Clare's, Downsfield Road, CHESTER, CH4 8HH at 12.30pm

The assaults of evil spirits upon us in this world take on a very limited number of modes. Once we become aware of these modes we are much better able to resist the onslaught of their temptations.
 
The demons tempt us through: pleasure, ambition, and covetousness. The ultimate goal of all these temptations is the rendering us miserable for all of eternity. These fallen angels realize that we have been called to occupy the place in Heaven which they have lost through pride; and they are consumed with envy of us because of this calling. St. Thomas of Aquinas says: "The envy which the devil feels when he thinks of a creature formed of the earth occupying his place in heaven and enjoying the sight of God, burns him more than the sulphurous flames of hell."
 
It was the devil that put it in the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. (John 13: 2). It was the devil that tempted Ananias to tell a lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep part of the price of the land sold. (Acts 5: 3). And it was the devil that had the audacity to tempt even Jesus. All men, but especially the pious, are subject to these temptations of Satan.
 
Evil spirits spread false maxims and errors in the world. They operate on the external senses of man, producing in him various images, motions, and inclinations, which often become the cause of violent temptations; they use the particular circumstances and inclinations of men to tempt them and entice them to evil. They flatter the young, and paint the joys and enjoyments of the world in the most beautiful colours; they make old people believe that they will live a long while yet, and therefore have plenty of time to work out their salvation; they entice the vain to pride, the avaricious to covetousness, the unchaste to voluptuousness, the irascible to revenge; in a word, they assault every one in his most vulnerable spot and where they can overcome him with the least difficulty.
 
The devils tempt us by employing the same enticements as were made use in the case of our first parents and our Savior, namely sensuality, ambition, and covetousness, or concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life. Who can number the sins which are committed by pleasure, ambition, and covetousness?
 
Let us follow Jesus in the fight against these fallen spirits and their temptations by first going into the desert. By loving solitude and shunning the proximate occasion of sin. Second, by fasting. We must not only keep the fast-days appointed, but in general we must live piously and soberly. For as intemperance in eating and drinking is the cause of many sins, so the mortification of the sensual appetite by means of sobriety is an excellent preventive against the enticements to sin, especially against impurity. Thirdly, let us pray that we may obtain of God light and strength to overcome the temptations; "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptations." (Mark 14: 38). Fourthly, let us keep in mind the word of God. When we are tempted to pride: "Every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled" Luke 14:11; to impurity: "Neither fornicators nor adulterers shall possess the kingdom of God." (I. Cor. 6: 9, 10); to covetousness: "What does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. 16: 26). Fifthly, let us banish the temptations at once. A spark that falls on the hand will not burn and wound if we fling it away at once, but if we leave it on our hand even a few moments it will burn and pain us. Thus it is with temptations. We must not parley with them, but banish them at once. The brothers of St. Thomas of Aquinas sent a female into his room to tempt him, but he took hold of a burning piece of wood and drove her away.
 
Temptations are always presented as something good to us and it seems at times difficult to discern what is from God and what is from evil spirits. Therefore, we should consider what God had once told St. Catherine of Siena. That which is at first pleasurable but later brings suffering is from the evil spirits, but that which is at first painful, but later gives pleasure is from God. The evil spirits offer us "heaven" now and hell latter. God offers us a cross now and heaven latter.