On Sunday we keep the wonderful Feast of All Saints, during which we are reminded that we are called and equipped to be saints.

The Saints are the holy ones. That does not mean to say that they were perfect, but it means that they sought to live the life of the blessed.

Our reading is known as The Beattitudes, and the word ‘Blessed’ is used nine times in three groups of three.

Matthew 5.1-12
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The Good News Bible translates the word Blessed as Happy, but it is so much more than that. It is Happy, but with the God given quality of that happiness not being subject to fate or circumstance. To be blessed means to have an imperishable quality. For this reason many Jewish prayers begin ‘Blessed are you, Lord our God’. For God is imperishable, God is eternal – and our blessedness can only come from God. We show our blessedness by living the way God wants us to live.

For me, the big part of this is accepting the blessings that come from God, and allowing them to flow through and from us. Again it is not about striving and struggling to be good or holy, but allowing that presence of God that is within us to shine.

The first three ‘Blesseds’ are about our attitude to to world around us. 
The poor in spirit are those who are not grabbing and seeking to get all the time. They are able to let go and live simply.
Those who mourn are people with feelings. They have passions, and have not become heard hearted. They feel for others first.
The meek are those who do not force others but are gentle in their dealings.

The next three are about relationships.
To hunger and thirst for righteousness is to seek to live in right relationships with people, and to strive for justice and peace.
The merciful do not make demands for themselves but are forgiving and kind towards others.
The pure in heart are the single minded who allow God’s way to flow through them.

The third group concern those who live differently from the ways of the world.
The peacekeepers give of themselves to bring harmony and balance so much so that they are seen as children of God because they let the presence of God flow through them. His image is seen in them.
Those who endure persecution show themselves to be followers of Jesus who allowed himself the ultimate unjust persecution. Because of their lives they embrace the kingdom. They do not let persecution get the better of them, but the hold on to their faith and beliefs.

Those who remain open to the presence of God within them in the face of insults will not lose out, but in fact the opposite. They know about life eternal.

You will see a common theme through all of this. The shedding of self and ego, and the welcoming of the Christ within.

You and I are called to be saints, we are gifted with the spirit, and all we need do is take that gift seriously, and allow it to shine through us. 

I said at the Annual Meeting that we are called to shine like the stars. We do it best when we don’t try too hard, but allow it to happen.

Bless you. Bless you. Bless you. May you discover the lasting joy and happiness which is within.

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Here is the link to Fr. Marcus’ address to yesterday’s annual meeting, which was attended by 45 members, socially distanced and safe. Most then stayed on for a socially distanced lunch. Fr. Marcus says, “Sorry that the camera is a bit wobbly to start with, but it soon gets sorted out.
It is a bit long, but well worth it (Says he), so I will email the written copy separately.”

Following the clergy reports the following motion was Passed unanimously – “A sincere vote of thanks to Fr. Marcus and the clergy team, to the standing committee and to council for the wonderful worship, messages and videos online; for the exceptional pastoral care; and for leading us out of the worst of lockdown, to provide live public worship in all our churches, in line with the restrictions and regulations dictated by local and national laws and the rules imposed by our own church authorities. This at a time when many churches, both in this Archdeaconry and in the UK are still not yet in a position to conduct public worship”.

Thank you all.

Morning Folks,

All got a bit out of sequence last week, so you are are receiving a shiny new video today.
Hope you are feeling OK.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,
Fr Marcus

Thanks to Hazel Allyn, who spotted that the day of the week was not updated from an earlier plan!

Fr. Marcus will be re-licensed by the Archdeacon on WEDNESDAY, 11th November.

Please book your places with your local warden. This is a very special service for a very special man of God, but also for the whole chaplaincy.

Sunday worship continues in our churches as in recent weeks. The service in Albir is being held at 3pm for a while.

And for those not able, or not yet ready to attend one of our churches, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be conducting the weekly Eucharist service live on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940) at 7pm tonight. It will then be available as a recording at the same link to watch on Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940

For some strange reason (we all make mistakes 😉) the earlier post correctly stated that Fr. Marcus’ re-licensing will be on Tuesday 11th November, but then went on to state that it would be in December.
So, to be clear, the licensing service will be at La Fustera at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month – 11am on Tuesday November 11th.

Please advice your local warden if you will join us for this very special occasion.

Licensed to …….

My Dear Friends,

I hope you are feeling OK today.

For us clergy to minister in the Diocese of Europe it is necessary for us to have the Bishop’s Licence among other things. This Licence runs for 5 years, and then has to be renewed, and mine is up for renewal on 11^th November when the Archdeacon will come and, on behalf of the Bishop proclaim my shiny new Licence.
It gives us a great opportunity to think about our future, and the chance for me personally, and all of us together, to publically show our commitment to working hard to continue to build the Kingdom in this place.

At the moment our plan is to have the service at 11am at La Fustera, followed by a ‘Bring your own picnic’. (After that the Chaplaincy Council have a meeting with the Archdeacon)

We are allowed 75 people in the church, and so we do need to know how many are coming, so please let your local warden know as soon as possible. If we have more than 75, we will need to think again. It is possible that we can open the doors and have some folk outside.

I don’t want to pre-empt what I will say at either the Licensing or the APCM, but I do want to share my thinking on hope and commitment.

It is very apparent that there is a great deal of uncertainty around. People are nervous about the future, worried about travel arrangements and plans, and everyone I talk to is missing family and friends who are miles away. It may well be that Christmas is very different this year, and that will be hard for many of us. Folk are struggling, and many are feeling flat and very low, and I understand that. 

My default setting is that ‘Everything will be fine’, but that it is not what some people are thinking, and we do need a sense of realism. So this is where I think things like the APCM and the Licensing are important. They will both give us an opportunity to reflect on, and pray about the situation, we and everyone else find ourselves in. They also allow me personally to express my commitment to walking along side you all as we go through this together. To commit to doing what I can and what is necessary to ensuring the health and wellbeing of you all as individuals, and the Chaplaincy as a whole. To express my understanding of Christian hope, which is not some vague wish, but an acceptance of a future fact that this too will pass.
It may be that some things will change for ever, and it is possible that some people will make decisions about their location, but I genuinely believe that at some time in the future we will have most of the opportunities for travel, gathering, fundraising, laughter and joy that we used to take for granted, and I will do all that I can to make sure that the Chaplaincy is in a great place in which to embrace all of that.

I think we have all been surprised by the events of 2020 so far, and I am sure that more surprises will come our way, both good and bad. But the one constant and affirming reality is the power, presence and love of God, and the inspiration that flows freely from the Holy Spirit when we open ourselves to receive it. 

There is always joy to be had, blessings to be counted, love to be given and received, and smiles offered to express a sense of hope.

So, please accept this an as invitation to the renewal of my licensing. 11am on 11^th November at La Fustera Church, and join me not only in celebrating the day, but committing to do all we can to continue the great work that has been going on in this Chaplaincy for very nearly 50 years.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Good Afternoon Folks,

Hope your day is going swimmingly! Here is the link you have all been waiting for.
Do all things without murmuring and arguing…..22 October 2020

As ever,

Fr. Marcus

Good Morning Folks,

I hope you have already found something to bring you joy today.

You may or may not know, but I do a radio show on Sunday evenings. Pure Gold 94.1fm, but more easily accessed via www.puregold.fm

It last from 6-8pm Spanish time, and at around 7pm I have a ‘Churchy slot’ which we initiated when lockdown began, and people couldn’t get to worship. This week I focussed on two saints we had recently celebrated, St Teresa of Avilla, and St Luke the Evangelist.

St Teresa was a 16^th Century Spanish Carmelite nun, who was a mystic, reformer, teacher of the faith, and had a very wide sense of spirituality, so much so that the Papel Legate described her as a ‘Restless wanderer, disobedient stubborn femina, and under the title of devotion invented bad doctrine. Often moving outside the cloister, and teaching – which is against St Paul’s doctrine that women shall not teach!’

Well, when I read this, I absolutely fell in love with St Teresa. Pushing the boundaries, and being true to her conviction, and not being bamboozled by those in authority. And I loved her mysticism and sense of spirituality, and the more I studies, the more joy I found.
Teresa says ‘May God protect me from gloomy saints.’
Amen to that.

So, I thought hard and long about how to introduce her to the listeners, and decided to play ‘What do we do about the problem of Maria?’ from the Sound of Music. Maria was a nun who didn’t seem to fit in. (I thought it was a great link anyway)
I then spoke about St Teresa, and some of her life and writings, and her great piece on fear.
‘Let nothing trouble you,
Let nothing frighten you.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone is enough’

Later on I was going to play Climb every mountain, and talk about the inspiration we all need to keep going, to take on challenges, to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones and to trust in God, and that All shall be well. But before I got to it I played Elton John singing ‘I’m still standing, and that rang bells for so many people, and before I knew it I had run out of time. So, I want you to imagine the Climb Every Mountain song, and sing it to yourself as we continue our journey through this tough year.

But I also spoke about St Luke, and how he was such a great storyteller, and his writings have had such a huge influence on the world. Probably his words have been read more than almost any other!
I wanted to talk about our own stories, and the incredible things that happen to us during our lives, that we take for granted, but are in reality encouraging, uplifting and indeed inspiring. It takes a great deal of effort to get through life, and the things we encounter on the way, the people we meet, the challenges we face, the decisions that we take all go to form us into the awesome creatures that we are. We all have a story within us, and as we are called to  ‘Live our lives to the full’ that story is worth living as best we can.

How about taking a little time to reflect on your own story, and give thanks for all the times you have experienced the presence and love of God, and the joy and comfort of friends and family. When we do that, deep inside we know that St Teresa was right. Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone is enough.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Sunday worship continues in our churches as in recent weeks. The service in Albir is being held at 3pm for a while.

And for those not able, or not yet ready to attend one of our churches, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be conducting the weekly Eucharist service live on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940) at 7pm tonight. It will then be available as a recording at the same link to watch on Sunday.

https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940