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Please pray for sick in our hospitals & nursing homes around the parish.
ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH: Joseph Alkins, Jessie Popple
General
Last Week
Today
Year of Communion – 1st Sunday of Advent
“Stay Awake” – For those who suffer from any form of sleeping
disorder these words are cold comfort. Being awake all night or indeed the fear
of not being able to sleep can torment and cause great anxiety. Of course, Jesus
is not expecting us to literally refrain from sleeping. What he is referring to
is the lack of alertness we can have to what might be happening around us, the
way we drift from one thing to another, and worse the way we can drift into
negative behaviour, or simply into apathy and disregard for the things which
matter. It is easy to drift, it can happen almost unconsciously without us being
aware of what is happening. Jesus does not want this for us. Instead he wants us
to live life to the full, to experience everything in all its glory, for we
never know when the opportunity to do so will come to an end. When it does we
need to be ready fully conscious that we have lived our lives in readiness for
meeting our God, the God of life, of hope and of love.
Gospel commentary for 1st Sunday of Advent Year A
Earlier in the chapter of Matthew from which today’s Gospel reading is taken,
the warning of Christ is this:’ “false prophets….will deceive many and
with the increase of lawlessness, love in most men will grow cold”. So
accountancy of life is measured in love. Jesus does not say that there will be
no love; but love will have grown cold, which means that it no longer reaches
out to others. It is a fire that warms only a few, and is not shared with the
stranger. “Lawlessness” cools love. Love and law are not opposites, but good
law is the fuel of love.
Every moment of our life we are making decisions about how to live: the most important of all is the decision to look for God’s purpose in every moment of our lives, or the decision to ignore God. When we get bored, we start looking for some dramatic change in our lives; we want to get away from where we are. We can be so concerned with being somewhere else that we end up not being anywhere.
Meanwhile life goes on. We are warned against looking for signs of the Lord’s return, but it would be foolish to think that anything on this earth lasts for ever. So Jesus is telling us to concentrate on the ordinary things of life, and to be at peace with our neighbour. He will come again; but he will come in his own good time.
Holy Father’s December prayer intention May every country take the necessary measures to make the future of the very young, especially those who suffer, a priority |
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For
our immigrant parishioners:
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Clifton Diocese Polish Directory:
Lists Polish chaplains, societies, Masses etc. throughout the diocese
Yellow Parish Introduction Cards in Polish: Available at the doors.. |
Next Holydays of Obligation:
Holy
day Masses are usually celebrated at the following times:-
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Sacrament
of Reconciliation: |
CTS
faith booklets-
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Parking for 11.15 Mass: |
Parish
structure: Parish
Pastoral Council Parish
Outreach Committee (Chair: Pending new appointment.) Finance
& General Purposes Committee Parish
Forum (Facilitator: Parish
open Annual General Meeting: Who
does what: Our main
parish functionaries |
Parish
Projects: |
Welfare: Crisis
pregnancy? Nearest
LIFE centre for impartial support: Also “Alternatives” in “Message in a Bottle:” With
an easy form, so 999 services find your needs.
FREE by church doors. Details:
Poster, Fr. Vincent
. Parish Visitors –support any in need: lonely, sick, bereaved.. Tel. Fr Vincent Hospitalisations:
With
no priest based at Sacrament
of the Sick: Available
after the homily at Sunday Mass once each quarter. |
Deadlines: For
the Parish Diary: For inserts into the parish weekly bulletin: Posters
to display: |
Every
effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this diary, but you should check
details in the "This Week" section, or get in touch. |