Newsletter - 11 December 2022
Silence
‘A future not our own ‘ - Archbishop Oscar Romero
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our liftetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders ; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.
Bless the Lord my soul
And bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord my soul,
Who leads me into life
RORATE MASS
During the Fridays of Advent we will be celebrating the “Rorate Mass,” at 7:00 am. This is a mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is traditionally celebrated in candlelight just before dawn. The mass lasts 30 minutes and will be followed bt breakfast in the large hall.
Focus of the Week
SERVICE OF RECONCILIATION
Tuesday 13 December
7.30pm – 9.00pm
In order to prepare ourselves for Christmas all are invited to a Service of Reconciliation with an opportunity for personal Confession and writing of letters or prayers which will be offered at Mass.
CAROL SERVICE IN THE CHURCH
Saturday 17 December 7-8pm
Followed by mulled wine in the Hall
Come along and spend an hour singing carols with your church community - the ideal preparation for Christmas!
(Put the Strictly Final on record!)
