Parish newsletter inserts for 2011 – 2012 Year B

27th November ~ 1st Sunday of Advent

St Paul reminds us of the need to be grateful for the graces God works in us. This is a very busy time of year, but let us take time this Advent to reflect on all the blessings in our lives. Let us resolve to try to remain calm this Advent and prepare appropriately for the coming of the Lord Jesus at Christmas.

4th December ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent

St John the Baptist is fearless in his preaching yet prepares the people for Christ by speaking of his own unworthiness. Like John, all our actions and words should be centred on leading others to Christ. May people today share John’s courage to bring others to Our Lord Jesus by considering the priesthood or religious life.

11th December ~ 3rd Sunday of Advent

“Be happy at all times”. Joy is contagious if we try to be happy in all things that we do, however challenging or menial they may seem. As a result others may be drawn to want to share in that joy. In our Catholic faith we have much to celebrate, let us ensure that we share this joy as often as we can.

18th  December ~ 4th Sunday of Advent

Like Mary we need not fear responding positively to the Lord’s invitation to serve him in whatever way that may be. May the Mother of God lead us closer to Christ, as the Feast of the Incarnation draws near. By her prayers and intercession may Our Lady urge us to always trust in God’s power and goodness.

25th December ~ Christmas Day

God chooses the lowly shepherds of Bethlehem to be the first witnesses of the Incarnation. As Mary says in her Magnificat “he raises the lowly”. The Lord Jesus will eventually choose to call himself the Good Shepherd. The Lord continues to call others to humbly serve him in the sacred priesthood as shepherds of his flock, the People of God. Through the Church he invites all sinners to repentance and to be raised to the status of children of God.

1st January ~ Holy Family

The family is the place where we learn so much about ourselves and about life. For most of us it is the first experience we get of Church and of God’s love. May the Holy Family bless all the families in our parish, with a love for God, for the Church, for the Eucharist and the sacred priesthood.

8th January ~ Baptism of the Lord

At our baptism, we are anointed with the Sacred Oil of Chrism. This commissions us to make a difference in the world by being caring, compassionate and  it involves being like Christ in the generous way we respond to the gift of life God has given us. We all have a part to play in the Church and its part of the journey of life to discover what part we are being asked to play.

15th January  ~  2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Speak Lord, your servant is listening”. In order to discern what the Lord is calling us to do with our lives, we need to listen. Today there are so many other voices calling out with conflicting messages. Let us ensure we create time of stillness for prayer each day to hear Christ’s voice clearly directing us. 

22nd January ~ 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Follow me and I will make you into Fishers of men”. Christ formed his disciples to be ready to preach the Gospel. We need to remember that those who are to serve as priests in the Church also need to be formed first.  Let us pray for the priests, religious and laypeople who serve on the staff in our seminaries and houses of formation in this country and elsewhere.

29th January  ~ 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

St Paul speaks today of the responsibilities in marriage. Let us thank God for those who are married and ask His blessing upon them. Healthy marriage is the foundation for a family from which a spirit of vocation to build up the Kingdom of God can be nurtured. Let us also pray for those who live the single life that their contribution to the Church may also be encouraged.

5th February ~ 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the Gospel we see a day in the life of Jesus. It was busy but he made time for prayer. Let us remember those men and women who serve the Church in the contemplative religious life. Their mission is to support through prayer, those who are busy with the apostolic work of the Church. May others be drawn to live this vital and generous way of living the Christian vocation.

12h February ~ 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

St Paul tells us to model ourselves on Christ. Jesus had time for those who were pushed away by society and the Authorities .There are people in the Church today who strive to ensure that no one is excluded from the Lord’s love. We pray for those who work with the homeless and marginalised  to feed them, shelter them and show them the love of Christ.

19th  February ~ 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Many priests, religious and Lay people serve as Chaplains in the name of Our Lord in our to the people in our hospitals and care homes. Such work brings great comfort and joy to those who receive it. Let us pray for all those who work in this area of life be given the strength and encouragement they need and be reassured of our prayers and support. 

26th February  ~ 1st Sunday of Lent

Temptation is a very powerful force at work in our world. It is as strong today as it ever was. Society can make us narrow minded and think only of ourselves and what we can get out of life. This can lead to a destruction of the spirit of generosity needed to foster vocations within the Church. Temptation can make us closed to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that lead us closer to God. If we are tempted to despair over the future of the Church then let us reconnect during this Holy Season of Lent with the New Covenant established in Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

4th  March  ~ 2nd Sunday of Lent

Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son to show his faithfulness to God. Let us pray for parents who find it difficult to accept that their son or daughter may have a vocation to the priesthood or religious Life. In any sacrifices we make we need to see the bigger picture and not just how it directly effects us.  In encouraging their children to serve Our Lord in the Church, parents could see that new life is being given to countless people.

11th March ~ 3rd Sunday of Lent

God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. Young people often get ridiculed for coming to Mass or being involved in Church Life. Not everyone who responds to the call of the Lord to serve in the Church gets the support of their family and friends. Let us show our appreciation and encouragement to those priests and Religious who help us in our parishes and communities. 

18th  March ~ 4th Sunday of Lent

St Paul tells us that when we were dead through our sins, God brought us to life with Christ. Through our baptism we are called to be witnesses to our faith to others. Let us make an effort to contact and encourage those we know who are of our faith but no longer practise. A simple word of encouragement backed up by prayer can sometimes lead people to rediscover the richness of  God’s love offered in Christ Jesus. 

25th March ~ 5th Sunday of Lent

St Paul tells us that Christ became a source of salvation for all who obey him. All those who serve as priests or Religious promise obedience. Saying yes to the requests of our Bishop or superiors in order to remain faithful to God and the life we are committed to is not always easy. God works through the authority of the Church. Let us pray for Our Bishop that the sometimes difficult decisions he has to make will be done justly and with the prayer filled guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1st April  ~ Palm Sunday

St Paul tells us that Christ was humbler yet, even to accepting death on a cross. Many people feel unworthy to respond to the call to serve in the Church as a priest or religious. None of us are of course, worthy but the gap between our own unworthiness is made up for by the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins so that we can enjoy eternal life. May those who are discerning their vocation within the Church, have the humility and trust, to accept the Lord’s invitation to serve him.

8th  April ~  Easter Sunday

Let us rejoice on this great Feast with those who have received new life in the Church this Easter by being received into Full Communion with the Catholic Church. May they be a source of inspiration to all of us. May we find ways of encouraging them to get involved in the life of the Church. 

15th April ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter

St Luke tells us that apostles were given great respect. They were respected because they had been personally chosen by Our Lord Jesus. Let us reflect upon the respect we give to our Bishop, the successor to the Apostles ~ also chosen by Christ. Let us be aware of the responsibility he has in his pastoral care for the Diocese.  Let us ensure we find time to pray for our Bishop and the work he has to do.

22nd April  ~ 3rd Sunday of Easter

Today we hear that St Peter the first Pope bravely preaches the Easter message that Christ is Risen. The present Holy Father is the successor to St Peter and is the leader of the universal Church. As we receive the Eucharist today let us become aware of our place in the universal Church and let us always have a “world” dimension to our understanding of what it is to be Roman Catholic. 

29th April  ~ 4th Sunday of Easter

Today is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. Let us ask ourselves how much we value the Eucharist and then sincerely pray that others may respond to the Lord to become priests ~ remember how the Good Shepherd yearns to feed his sheep with the Eucharist ~ for that we need the sacred priesthood. 

6th May ~ 5th Sunday of Easter

It is understandable how difficult the disciples found Saul’s radical change of heart and direction towards Christ. Even today the Lord can invite people to radically change their way of living to serve in the Church. In this Pauline Year, let us ask St Paul’s guidance and help to those who feel called to radically change the direction of their lives.

13th May ~ 6th Sunday of Easter

St John tells us that the Lord does the choosing. He sometimes chooses quite unlikely people to serve him in the Church. Let us always be alert when we are speaking of the faith that the Lord may be using us to draw others towards him.

20th May ~ Ascension Sunday

“Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation” We all have a responsibility to proclaim the Gospel ~ we are called to be witnesses to the importance of the Lord in our lives. Responding openly to the Lord’s will enables us to journey towards our eternal home in Heaven.

27th May ~ Pentecost Sunday 

One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is “Self-Control”. Let us ask ourselves how much control we have over our appetite, our temper and our tongues. Seeing the Holy Spirit at work within ourselves can be a mighty witness to the world that the Lord is alive in his Church.

3rd  June ~ Trinity Sunday

“Baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Water is life giving and life taking. Baptism is also a matter of life and death. By dying to ourselves we rise to the promise of eternal life offered in Christ.  Through this life giving water we receive the Holy Spirit and became children of God the Father through faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

10h June ~ Corpus Christi

“This is my body….this is my blood” These words of Christ said by the priest at Mass remind us that the Eucharist is an incredible gift from Christ to his Church. May we never take for granted the great gift of the Eucharist nor may we never take for granted the need to pray for and encourage vocations to the sacred priesthood.

17th  June ~ 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Like the mustard seed, a vocation can grow from something very small. We should always be aware of how some small act of kindness or encouragement done with love in the same of the Lord can make a huge difference to peoples lives. The Lord can constantly use us to build up his Kingdom.

24th June ~ 12th Sunday Ordinary Time 

“Who can this be?” On our journey of life we will experience many set backs, testing times or “storms”. We should remember that we are never on our own that the Lord is our constant faithful companion and all he asks of us is to not be afraid and  trust him and know that all will be well.  

1st  July ~ 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Do lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life”. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is a very powerful encounter with Christ for those who receive it. May we encourage those who are sick to send for the priests of the Church to lay their consecrated hands on the sick person. Their sins will be taken away through the anointing with the Oil of the Sick.

8th July ~ 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

“This is the carpenter, surely the Son of Mary” Sometimes our remarks and comments can stifle confidence in other people ~ we do not see the potential a person has as God sees. When we speak to other people lets be encouraging and uplifting ~ we should be gently striving for each person to become the person God wants them to become.

15th July ~ 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

“Take nothing for the journey”  When someone presents themselves as a candidate for the priesthood ~ it is the people of God who will sustain that person through their seminary training. After ordination it is the people in the parish who support the priest through their generosity, love and kindness. 

22nd  July ~ 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the Gospel the crowds are longing for the hope and encouragement that comes from the lips of Our Lord. Could we spend more time acquainting ourselves with the Word of God in the Sacred Scriptures. Do we try to take at least one word or phrase from the homily, prayers and readings from the Sunday Mass to nourish us in the week ahead?

29th July  ~ 17th Sunday Ordinary Time

The boy in the Gospel was encouraged to generously give to Jesus the little bit of food he had.  Each of us has an abundance of gifts but often a reluctance to allow them to be used by the Lord for the building up of his Kingdom. Let any reluctance we have be replaced by an outpouring of trusting generosity.

5th August ~ 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Every time we come to Mass and receive Our Lord in Holy Communion we have an opportunity to dedicate our Communion for a particular intention. Perhaps this week we could offer this intention for vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life.

12th August ~ 19th Sunday Ordinary Time 

St Paul tells us to “follow Christ by loving as he loved you”.  We are all called to follow Christ and his way was the way of love. We are to be friends with each other. All friendship comes from God. Jesus invites us to follow him into a deeper friendship with God the Father.  

19th  August ~ 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together”. Many parishes are blessed with people who generously use their talents to provide the music and lead the singing in the liturgy of the Mass. May we find appropriate ways of expressing our appreciation and joy at their generosity in sharing their musical skills and talents.

26th August ~ 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

As the Church we are the living parts of the Body of Christ. Let us trust that the Lord Jesus who is the Head of the Church will always be faithful to his bride. Let us trust that he will continue to call people to serve in the sacred priesthood as well as the religious life.

2nd  September ~ 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

“You must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves”. People can often feel unable to share their thoughts about a possible vocation with anyone else. Let us pray at this present time for those who feel called to the priesthood and Religious Life, but lack the courage to do anything about it. 

9th  September ~ 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our young people can often be “deaf” to God’s invitation to live their lives in accordance with the teaching of the Church. It all seems to be too difficult for them to accept. May the Lord Jesus gently open their ears to his message that they are unique and called to make a difference with their lives by serving God and one another.

16th September ~ 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

As Roman Catholics, we are invited to add our name to Peter’s profession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. We are asked to not only say who we believe Jesus is for us, but to show it by the way we live our lives. This will inevitably lead occasionally to criticism and conflict, but it is then that we unite ourselves with the sufferings of Christ.

24th September ~ 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We all like to be helpful and to be needed by other people. Like James and John we sometimes have tendency to want to be noticed for the things that we do. Our Lord calls us to a life of service and humility. Whenever any credit is being dished out for something good that we have done let us try to deflect that praise away from ourselves and back to the Lord.

30th  September  ~ 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Marriage, Holy Orders and Religious vows are life-long commitments and are not easy to undertake. Let us pray for those who feel unable to make such commitments. May they receive help and strength from the Lord in being able to trust him in the choices and decisions that they are able to make with their lives.  

 7th October ~ 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

During this month of the Holy Rosary, let us continue to model our lives on the faith of Our Blessed Lady. We can resolve to pray the Rosary more regularly during this month and throughout the year. Perhaps we can dedicate our Rosary, at least once a week for vocations to the priesthood and Consecrated Life.

14th October ~ 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

These days quite a few people present themselves as candidates for the priesthood and Religious Life after having worked in all sorts of different occupations. In undertaking such a change of life, they are prepared to give up property, good salaries and other comforts. May more people have the courage to make such sacrifices with confidence and trust in the Lord Jesus.

21st  October ~ 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Those who live the Religious life usually live in community. This means often working, living and praying alongside people whom you probably would not have chosen to live with. This is a challenging yet rewarding way of following Christ. May the Lord bless all the Religious orders and communities that have a presence in our own Diocese. May others be drawn to join them.

28th October ~ 30th Sunday Ordinary Time

Jesus opens the eyes of the blind man because even though he could not see he recognised  that he was in the presence of the Messiah “ the Son of David”. We  too need to ask for the faith of Bartimaeus and know that we are always in the presence of the Lord even though we cannot see him.  

4th November ~ 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

We can all think of priests or Religious who have made a deep impression on us but have now died. November is the month the Church remembers the faithful departed. In remembering them we need to be grateful for the way we have been brought closer to Our Lord Jesus by the example and inspiration of those who have now died.

11th November ~ 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus is impressed by the generosity of the Widow because she gave to God all she had to live on. We are also called to show complete faith and trust in God. In the Rite of Ordination the candidate prostrates himself on the floor of the Church while the people pray the Litany of Saints. This posture of vulnerability speaks of the trust we place in God. 

18th  November ~ 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

We all have a part to play in vocations. We can look for qualities and signs in someone we think would make a good priest. We should tell them about what we see in them and we should pray for them. Such involvement will help those who are discerning what the Lord is asking them to do with their lives.

25th November ~ Christ the Universal King 

We are aware that the Church has a presence in virtually every country in the World. Let us take some time today to reflect on a particular country of our choice. Perhaps we can do a little research into what the Church is like in that country. Let us pray for vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life in that part of the world. We rejoice that Christ is our Universal King regardless of our nationality or country of residence.