Third week of Advent “I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God.”  Isaiah 61:10 As we are now in the third week of Advent the candle on the Advent wreath changes from purple to pink.  The third Sunday of Advent is also known as ‘Gaudete Sunday’.  The word ‘gaudete’ in Latin means ‘rejoice’.  Our focus now shifts towards Mary as she prepares to give birth to Jesus very soon and she is filled with joy as she eagerly awaits the time when she will become His Mother.  Mary has also been waiting for the dawning of a new age and time where love, hope, peace and joy will come. God will bring all these wonderful things to the earth when He comes to us as a tiny, helpless baby. Through the readings at Mass, we too are encouraged to be joyful and rejoice in God.  We may search for ways to be happy but the Bible tells us that true and lasting joy and happiness can only be found in God – everything else satisfies us only for a short time and we soon end up looking for other ways to be fulfilled and content.  If we give ourselves to God then He will give us joy which never ends – even when times are tough and we may go through difficulties.  He promises never to leave us alone.  He has come to us and will stay with us for ever. The readings all point to the joy which Jesus, Our God-With-Us and our salvation comes to us. Salvation is not a thing but a person.  Jesus is God’s Salvation in Person and when we receive Him into our lives He brings only light, joy and happiness.  Our lives may seem like we are walking…

Second Week in Advent “A voice cries in the wilderness; Prepare a way for the Lord, make His paths straight.” Luke 3:4 As we come to the second week in Advent, we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah re-spoken by St John the Baptist from within the heart of the wilderness as he preaches conversion, repentance and baptism. During the Second Week of Advent it can be scary to encounter the figure of St John the Baptist. He is the man who lives in the wilderness, wearing clothes made out of camel hair, tied with a leather belt and one who eats locusts and wild honey for his food.   He is the ‘loud speaker’ for the Lord as he is the one who comes before Christ and prepares the way for Him.  The message he preaches is the same as that which Jesus Himself also speaks at the beginning of His Ministry. “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” Our theme for the Second Week of Advent is also faith.  As we journey in faith we seek to move closer to the Lord during this Holy Season let us also seek to draw closer to each other. How are we to make way for the Lord? At this time of year we can be so busy with all the ‘other’ Christmas preparations that our activities of shopping, card writing, decorating, socialising and visiting relatives can drown out the still small voice of God and we could easily forget the real reason for all our hustle and bustle and busyness – the Birth of Jesus, the Word Made Flesh – God with us, God becoming human. God in His love reaches out to us and gently draws us in close to Him once again through the celebration of…

Holy Season of Advent – 1st Sunday in Advent Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.  So stay awake because you do not know when the Master of the house is coming.’ Mark 13:34,35a This weekend begins the Holy Season of Advent.  On Sunday, it will be the First Sunday in Advent.  We are now in the new Church Year and we have also begun our individual Advent journeys. Advent is four weeks of personal spiritual preparation.  As we aim to make more room in our hearts and lives for God by prayer, reflection and acts of kindness towards those in need, our hearts and lives become more ready to welcome the new-born Jesus into our lives anew at Christmas. The word ‘Advent’ comes from a Latin word adveniat meaning either ‘to come’ or ‘to arrive’. During Advent we remember the first coming of Jesus as a tiny baby, born in a stable in Bethlehem and we look towards His Second Coming as our King at the end of time when He will gather all people to Himself. Advent is a time of joyful expectant waiting.  We are to wait in hope because our Saviour is coming to rescue us! The Gospel reading tells us we are to stay awake because we do not know when He will come back again.  We should be “about our Father’s business”, serving Him in how we treat others and how we live our lives. We need to be prepared.  How exactly do we do this?  We can try and make more time for God each day through prayer, attending Mass, going to extra little services/Bible studies/prayer events taking place in our parishes.  We can mark the passing of Advent with…

Jesus Christ the Universal King (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time) Jesus said to Pilate “Yes, I am a king.  I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” John 18:37 These words were spoken by Jesus our King at His trial before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor before He was crucified.  Jesus is a King.  In fact, He is the Mighty King above all other kings.  He is Sovereign over all.  He is King of Majesty, Love and Grace. He is King of the world and the Universe. He is the King of creation. If we choose to love and accept Him, Jesus becomes the King of our hearts. He makes His home in us by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout His Life, Ministry and Teaching, Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of God.  He loved to compare the Kingdom of His Heavenly Father with everyday things and events that He saw around Him. He told lots of parables which helped His listeners and Disciples begin to understand this Kingdom which begins on earth as we believe in Jesus and which is an eternal Kingdom which will never end after death as we shall live with God for ever. To save us, as He suffered His Passion for us, in His Death, Jesus’ Royal kingship was mocked and ridiculed.  He was treated as a mock-king. The Roman soldiers scourged Him, then clothed Him in purple and crowned Him with thorns.   They spat on Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ At the Cross, crucified criminals would have a titulus or placard placed above them to tell the world what they were being executed for.  The placard…

33rd Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time. “But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.” Mark 13:32 Over the past few weeks, in the weekday Gospel readings and the Sunday readings and Gospels at Mass, there has been teaching and healing theme running through them from Jesus and from the selected readings which complement the Gospel readings. The readings for this week have a distinctly apocalyptic feel and theme to them.  As we stand at the end of the Church Year and look forward with hope and expectation into the new Year which begins with the joyful season of Advent, we are faced with the coming again of the Son of Man (Jesus the Messiah) to earth to gather His faithful ones to live with Him for ever in Heaven, to bring His judgment and establish His rule on earth and in Heaven as the King of kings and Lord of lords. During the Month of November, as well as remembering the Saints in heaven, our loved ones who have died and all those who have suffered and died as a result of war and conflict we countdown towards the final week of the Church’s year and the beginning of the Season of Advent.  At this time of year we are to also contemplate the “Four Last Things” which the Church recognises as Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.  In the light of the approaching Season of Advent we are asked to reflect upon our own lives and how we live them out.  How we choose to live will affect what happens to us at death when we come to judgement ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each…

Remembrance 2018 “Yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried.” Isaiah 53:4 These words are taken from the suffering servant song in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Many scholars in the Church believe this is the direct prophecy of what would take place some 700-800 years later when Jesus suffered and died on Calvary for us.  These words can give us comfort in times of sorrow.  We remember this week all those who have died in war. On Sunday, it will be the 11th Day of the 11th Month and at the 11th hour, within our local communities, special Remembrance services will be held to remember all those who have given their lives for their country in times of war and unrest.  This year is of particular significance as it will be the Centenary Year of the Armistice, when the powerful guns of war fell silent after four devastating years of war and violence in 1918. During this weekend and in the days weeks and months to come,  let us remember all who have died and have been injured – and their families and friends– and commit ourselves to be people of peace and love as we seek to imitate Our Lord Jesus in our daily lives.  It is a poignant time of reflection on the courage and sacrifice of so many who gave their lives to secure our freedom. This powerful and reflective verse which is said every Remembrance service is taken from Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the fallen.” They shall grow not old as we who are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them. We will remember them.   These words from the Kohima in Myanmar…