St John the Baptist calls out not just to the people of his time who longed for the Messiah but to people of all times who experience the desperation and darkness of a world that rejects God. Joy and light are to be found in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. John is calling us to prepare, prepare ourselves, prepare our children, and prepare the world for its Saviour. We prepare ourselves by rooting out the darkness of our lives. That is why we strive go to confession during Advent. We want to clean the house for company, Special Company, the Presence of the Lord. We prepare the world for its Saviour by emphasizing the reason for the celebration. So why not this Christmastime don’t just say, “Happy Christmas” but rather invite family and friends to join you at Mass on Christmas Day; where, as parishioners, each of us, can welcome visitors warmly. We are in preparation mode, preparing not only for the fun of the celebration but preparing for the Lord to come among us. May our preparations let us see the salvation of our God.
PARISH CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE SUNDAY 15th DECEMBER 4PM All welcome and please join us in the parish centre afterwards for mince pies & mulled wine.
HYNING DAY OF RECOLLECTION: Saturday 14th December, 10.30am – 3pm. All are welcome to come along to Hyning for a quiet day with time for a little input and plenty of time for prayer. Please sign up at the back of church if you’d like to join us. Bring your own packed lunch. Fr Hugh
Advent begins with two very positive readings and a warning. Jeremiah speaks to a people decimated by their enemies. The Babylonians had captured many of them and exiled them to Babylon. The Hebrews knew they had sinned; was the exile the result of their sins, had God totally deserted them? Jeremiah reassures them: No! God has not given up on them. The time was coming when a righteous shoot of David would lead them, and Jerusalem would be made safe. St Paul tells the Thessalonians – anxious that the Lord would come soon – that all they have to do is abound in love for one another and thus be blameless before God at the Lord’s coming. These are comforting words, particularly in light of Jesus’ warnings in the Gospel where He speaks of dread-filled signs in the heavens and of death. He adds that when we see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory, we should be ready, lifting our heads, because our redemption is at hand. Waiting for the Lord to come again is the focus of this first week of Advent. This waiting for the Lord demands that we make the best use of the time we have before He comes.
Today’s gospel begins with the disciples marvelling at the glory of the Temple; it must have been truly wonderful to see. It had taken fifty years for Herod to rebuild the Temple. Solomon’s original Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 588 BC, when the Israelites returned to Jerusalem in around 528 BC the people first had to rebuilding their homes, it took about fifteen years for them to begin building a new Temple. In 26 B.C. Herod decided to restore the Temple to the Glory of Solomon’s Day. The work on the Temple had just been completed when Jesus’ disciples looked on amazed at the precious stones and votive offerings. In response to their wonder Jesus said to them it really doesn’t matter, it’s all going to come to a ruin anyway. The voice of the Lord rings out: But before all this happens… that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Jesus challenges us to stand up for Him, His kingdom and the Christian way of life in a self-centred world: Your endurance will win you your lives. We are, each of us, Temples of the God’s Holy Spirit and as such we bear witness to Him in our daily lives. Let us pray for the grace to endure any trials that are essential to our witness of Jesus Christ.
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PARISH CHRISTMAS COFFEE MORNING in the parish centre on Saturday 23rd November between 10am and 12 noon. Meet Santa in his grotto and there will be tombolas, stalls and children’s activities. Tickets on sale after weekend Masses or pay on the door – £1 to include drink & mince pie.
No longer lost for today salvation has come to this house! Sometimes we can feel as though we are just going through the motions of living a proper Christian life. Perhaps in such moment today’s Gospel can help us. When we walk in through the doors of the church, we are taking steps to try to get a fresh glimpse of Jesus. Our walking through the church door can be like Zacchaeus climbing the sycamore tree to get a good view as Jesus passes by. Like Zacchaeus we don’t expect Jesus to notice us. We certainly don’t expect Jesus to single us out from the crowd; but discreetly, He does. He stands beneath the tree we have climbed and He calls us by name; He invites us to join Him. He wants us to be at one with Him, and with ourselves. When we feel lost in a crowd, Jesus is there, watching and waiting for us to come to Him. If Jesus seems distant to us, it’s usually because we are not hearing His call or because other things are getting in the way and blocking our view. Let’s ask Jesus to rid us of any distractions that prevent us from seeing and listening to Him.
George Airey will be giving a talk after the Gospel at 10am Mass on Sunday 4th November. George completed the Camino (with Marian) in memory of her late daughter Sophie who took her own life in December 2018. George has selected some beautiful images and created a poster and calendars to raise awareness of, and funding for PAPYRUS, the national charity devoted to the prevention of young suicide. Please support their work through the purchase of a beautiful gift! Thank you.
White Peace Poppies will be available at Masses this weekend. The tradition started in the 1930’s when war widows and others wanted future conflicts to be resolved without violence. The net cost of a poppy is 60 pence. Any extra money raised will be sent to the Peace Pledge Union.
Holy Trinity and St George 