Saturday 17th May – Family Film Afternoon 2pm. Showing ‘The Prince of Egypt’ in the Parish Centre. Free entry. Popcorn, Sweets, and Ice-cream available to buy.  Friday 11th July – Wine Call My Bluff. Back by popular demand! 7pm in the Parish Centre. £15 per person. Tickets on sale soon.

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. This chapter of John's Gospel follows Jesus' healing of the man born blind and the rejection of this miracle by Jewish leaders who question Jesus' authority to heal. Jesus responds to this challenge to his authority by calling himself the Good Shepherd. He is criticizing the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Already, the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders are so angered that they attempt to stone and arrest Jesus. This controversy with the religious leaders continues until Jesus' death. Set in a moment of tension and conflict in John's Gospel, today's Gospel reading is Jesus' answer to the question, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus responds by saying, in essence, “If you have to ask, then you are not one of my sheep.” Then Jesus asserts his unity with the Father. At the conclusion of these words, John reports that the Jews intend to stone Jesus for blasphemy, but he escapes arrest. We may be less familiar with the metaphors of sheep and shepherd than those to whom Jesus spoke. The image of Jesus as Good Shepherd and the community of followers as his sheep has endured over the centuries as a primary image in our faith tradition. Its power to describe the relationship between Jesus and his followers transcends direct experience with sheep. The image speaks to us about the protection, security, and care that shepherds represent for their sheep. Today's Gospel speaks powerfully about the familiarity and intimacy between Jesus and his disciples, expressed as recognizing and knowing another's voice. Today's Gospel also speaks to the relationship between Jesus and the Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies so closely with the Father that he tells us that they are one—not just close, but actually one. To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus doesn't just bring us closer to the Father, Jesus puts us directly into contact with God the Father, removing all distance between us. Our relationship with Jesus is an invitation to share in the life of God.

Celebration Mass for Married Life for couples and their families celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th wedding anniversaries this year. There will be an opportunity for couples to renew their marriage vows. If you are celebrating the anniversary of your wedding and you would like to take part, please fill out the application form which is available at the back of church. Saturday 17 May , Leeds Cathedral, 12 Noon.

THE CENTURY CLUB: GRAND ANNUAL DRAW will take place Saturday 10th May in the hall after Mass. New membership forms will be available on the night for anyone who would like to become a new member. The Century Club raises “extra funds” to support the liturgy and activities of our parish. In the past it has paid for tables and chairs in the Parish Centre and for the Church organ, and contributed towards new lighting, refurbishment costs of the Parish Centre kitchen, the Chapel, and recently towards the cost of solar panels on the presbytery roof. Membership is not limited to 100 but currently stands at 80 to 90 members due to changes in personal circumstances. We are always keen to see new members join and hope that you are able to support this worthy cause. To gain your unique membership number all we ask is a commitment to pay £5 per month by standing order. Every month your number will be entered in a prize draw for a chance to win one of three monthly prizes: £100, £50 and £30. Each year there is a Grand Draw for a first prize of £1000, with five consolation prizes of £50. Every number is entered in the draw for each prize. In comparison to some draws, these are attractive odds! All profits go to enhance the life of your parish! If you would like to join, contact Pete Mahon on 01924 250542, or email the parish office at mail@peterpaul.org.uk Thank you!

Join the SVP Leeds Annual Family Sponsored Walk on Sunday, 18 May 2025 , around Wetherby. Choose between a 3 or 9 mile walk—great for all ages! Enjoy games, quizzes, and a treasure hunt. Start time: 12:00. Proceeds support St. Vincent’s Centre aiding those in poverty across Leeds. More info: https://svp.org.uk/stvincentsleeds, LeighB@svp.org.uk, 0113- 2484126, or your Parish SVP Conference.

In today's Gospel, the disciples are no longer in Jerusalem; they are in Galilee, returning to their work of fishing. Simon Peter is still presented in the role of leader: when he announces that he is going fishing, the other disciples follow. They spend the night fishing but are unsuccessful. Jesus calls to them from the shore, but just as when Jesus first appeared to Mary of Magdala, the disciples do not recognize him immediately. Still, they follow the stranger's instructions and bring in a large haul of fish. It is at this point that one of the disciples (the “disciple whom Jesus loved”) realizes that Jesus is appearing to them. Upon hearing this news, Simon Peter leads the way again, jumping from the boat and swimming to shore. The other disciples follow in the boat, dragging the fish. The disciples have brought to shore a tremendous catch of fish that Jesus has directed them to find. But once on the shore, they see that Jesus has already prepared fish and bread on a charcoal fire. Jesus directs the disciples to bring their catch of fish as well. Jesus is host at the meal that follows, feeding the disciples the bread and fish. In this detail we see allusions to the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes told in John 6. There are also allusions in the Gospel to our gathering for the celebration of the Mass. In the Eucharist, we too are fed by Jesus in the bread and wine that have become his very Body and Blood. We also find in this story insight about the Presentation of the Gifts at Mass. The gifts we bring to the altar, bread and wine, are made from gifts that God gave first to us: grain and grapes, the fruit of the earth. God has no need of anything further. Yet God accepts the offering we bring—bread and wine, “the work of human hands”—and transforms our offering into the gift of his very presence. After the meal, Jesus directs himself to Simon Peter. The community of John's Gospel probably looked down on Peter because of his denial of Jesus. This dialogue with Simon Peter is a reversal of Peter's three denials. Peter is forgiven. Having been restored to friendship with Jesus, Simon Peter is sent on a mission. “Feed my lambs . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep.” These commands indicate that Peter is to be as Jesus, even unto sacrificing for the flock. As Jesus has fed Peter in this meal and as Jesus feeds us in the Eucharist, so he also sends us to follow him, asking that we offer our lives in service and sacrifice.

PARISH HEALING AND PRAYER MINISTRY In our Church we have witnessed healing, both physical and emotional through prayer ministry, and miraculous healing through prayer requests. When we think of miracles, we often imagine stories from Biblical times or the lives of the Saints long ago. However, miracles still happen in the modern world, touching the lives of ordinary people every day. These are a few testimonies of prayers said from our Church over the past year:

A talk by Richard Atkinson featuring 25 Holy men & women of Yorkshire for the Jubilee Year & beyond will be held in the Church on Tuesday 29th April after Mass. The talk is free to attend though donations will be greatly appreciated towards Church funds. Refreshments in and a chance to discuss in the hall afterwards.

Part of the mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection is that he appeared to his disciples not as a spirit but in bodily form. We do not know exactly what this form was like. Earlier in John’s Gospel, when Mary of Magdala first encountered the risen Jesus, she did not recognize the figure standing before her until Jesus spoke her. In Luke’s Gospel, the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus until he broke bread with them. We know from readings such as today's that in his resurrected body, Jesus was no longer bound by space; he appeared to the disciples in spite of the locked door. And yet, on this resurrected body, the disciples could still observe the marks of his Crucifixion. In today's Gospel, Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun. As Jesus was sent by God, so too does Jesus send his disciples. This continuity with Jesus' own mission is an essential element of the Church. Jesus grants the means to accomplish this mission when he gives his disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit binds us together as a community of faith and strengthens us to bear witness to Jesus' Resurrection. Jesus' words to his disciples also highlight the integral connection between the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness and reconciliation are gifts to us from Jesus. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can share these with others. This is another essential aspect of what it means to be Christ's Church. The Church continues Jesus? ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation. Thomas, the disciple who doubts, represents the reality of the Church that comes after this first community of disciples. All but the first disciples of Jesus must believe without seeing. Like Thomas, we may doubt the news that Jesus, who was crucified and buried, appeared to his disciples. It is part of our human nature to seek hard evidence that the Jesus who appeared to the disciples after his death is, indeed, the same Jesus who was crucified. Thomas is given the opportunity to be our representative who obtains this evidence. He gives witness to us that the Jesus who was raised is the same Jesus who had died. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are among those who are blessed for we have not seen and yet have believed.