21/08/2026
23 AUGUST 2026 – 21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Mission Statement: The parish of St. Mary Magdalene is a Catholic community of Christian faith with three churches – Saint Paul’s in Glenrothes, Saint Mary’s in Leslie and the Chapel Royal in Falkland. We are centred on the Word of God and the Eucharist.
Our mission is to live the Gospel and share it with those we meet. We are a welcoming and inclusive community of prayerful disciples, using our gifts for the glory of God and in service to one another and our neighbours. We are committed to do this now and in the future.
By this point, Peter had witnessed Jesus performing many miracles, from the multiplication of the loaves and fishes to walking on water. He had seen him heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and drive out demons. But when Peter identifies him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus says that it is his Father who has revealed this to him, not what he has witnessed him do in the flesh (Matthew 16:16). It is the gift of faith, which Peter received from God the Father, that enables him to identify the Son. We received the gift of faith from God in baptism, and through that gift God’s Son is also revealed to us. What others may see as bread and w**e, we recognize as our Lord’s Body and Blood as we receive it in the Eucharist.
We are Jesus’ disciples, so he asks us now just as he’d asked the Twelve then, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Our answer may depend on the stage of life we’re in, the recency of traumatic events, or our tendency to doubt. May we rest assured that Jesus is always ready to be recognized, through prayer, through the Word, through the Eucharist, or through our neighbour. Answering this question may always be a challenge, but we pray that we may continue to grow in wisdom and understanding.
While Saint Peter immediately identifies Jesus as the Messiah as the rest of the apostles struggle with the question, Saint Paul grapples with the fact that so many of the people Jesus came to save don’t accept him as the Messiah. He concludes that trying to understand God’s plan is impossible: “How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!” (Romans 11:33). This is where the gift of faith comes in. Paul famously did not receive that gift until traveling the road to Damascus to persecute those who had already received the gift. Peter’s own faith wavered on the choppy waters of the Sea of Galilee. Hebrews says, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Blest are we to have been given this gift without being able to understand the mind of God.
Question of the Week: Who do I say that Jesus is?
Sunday 23 August – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Vigil Mass on Saturday at 6 p.m. in St Mary’s
9 a.m. Mass in Chapel Royal
10.40 a.m. Rosary and Benediction at St. Paul’s
11.30 a.m. Mass in St. Paul’s (People of the parish)
3 p.m. Cemetery Sunday at St Drostan’s Markinch
Readings: Is 22:15, 19-23 Rom 11:33-36 Mt 16:13-20
Monday 24 August – Feast of St Bartholomew
10 a.m. Mass in St Paul’s
Readings: Rv 21:9b-14 Jn 1:45-51
Tuesday 25 August
10 a.m. Mass in St Mary’s
Readings: 2 Th 2:1-3a, 14-17
Wednesday 26 August
9.30 a.m. Divine Mercy Devotions
10 a.m. Mass in St Paul’s
Readings: 2 Th 3:6-10, 16-18 Mt 23:27-32
Thursday 27 August – Memorial of St Monica
10 a.m. Mass in St Mary’s
Readings: 1 Cor 1:1-9 Mt 24:42-51
Friday 28 August – Memorial of St Augustine
10 a.m. Mass in St Paul’s
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament & Rosary at 9:30am
Readings: 1 Cor 1:17-25 Mt 25:1-13
Saturday 29 August – Memorial of The Passion of St John the Baptist
10 a.m. Mass in St Paul’s including Baptism
Confessions after Mass and at 5.30 p.m. in St Mary’s
Readings: 1 Cor 1:26-31 Mk 6:17-29
Sunday 30 August – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Vigil Mass on Saturday at 6 p.m. in St Mary’s
9 a.m. Mass in Chapel Royal
10.40 a.m. Rosary and Benediction at St. Paul’s
11.30 a.m. Mass in St. Paul’s
Readings: Jer 20:7-9 Rom 12:1-2 Mt 16:21-27
Sunday Benediction: We now have the Benediction every Sunday in St. Paul’s beginning with the holy rosary at 10:40am. We are all invited.
Preparation for Sunday Mass If we look at the Scripture readings before coming to Mass, we shall be better able to profit from what is proclaimed. The following website has material for both adults and children – www.wednesdayword.org
World Youth Day 2027: World Youth Day takes place in Seoul, South Korea, from 1-9 August 2027. Young adults are invited to travel with the Archdiocese of St. Andrew and Edinburgh. For more information, email: [email protected]
Annual Day for Altar Servers: This takes place on Saturday 5 September 2026, 10:30am-3:00pm at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB. Parents should contact their parish priest to register. The day features training, games, activities, inspiring talks, and concludes with Holy Mass celebrated by Archbishop Cushley.
Community Club: This will recommence on Monday 6th September in Romero House at 2pm. Everyone is welcome for quizzes, games, chat-and always cake!
Carfin: A bus will be leaving from St Paul’s Church to Carfin on Sunday 6 September at 12.45pm. If you wish to come, please leave your name on the sheet in the church porches. The cost will be £10 return per person.
Children’s Liturgy Leader’s Morning: A morning of prayer and reflection for children’s liturgy leaders will be held on Saturday 12 September, from 9am until 12 noon at The Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh EH9 1EE. The event will begin with Mass in St Margaret’s Chapel, celebrated by Fr Adrian Porter SJ, followed by sessions on reading and reflecting on the Gospels and on personal prayer. Register now at bit.ly/kidliturgyevent
Sick List We pray for the sick in our parish community and family and friends who are ill,
First Friday Devotion: Starting from the 4th of September, we shall be observing the first Friday devotion in St. Paul at 9am. It is an invitation to spend quality time with Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. We shall observe moments of silent adoration and reparation, then the rosary and divine mercy chaplet will follow and the day will be concluded with the mass for the sick and the needy. One hour with Jesus is better than thousand elsewhere. (Cf. Psalm 84:10) We are all invited.
Cemetery Sunday at St Drostan’s Markinch: This weekend (23/8/26) is the blessing of the cemetery in Markinch; time is 3pm. We are all invited to this ceremony.
Last Sunday’s Collection £693.28 Building Fund £163.91 (£2929 is being received monthly through standing orders for the Sunday collection and £694 for the Building Fund.)
