“Stay awake: you do not know the hour…”
REND THE HEAVENS AND COME DOWN!
The new Church year begins with a plea for God’s visitation. “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,” the prophet Isaiah cries in today’s First Reading.
In today’s Psalm, too, we hear the anguished voice of Israel, imploring God to look down from His heavenly throne – to save and shepherd His people.
SERIOUS MOOD OF TODAY’S LITURGY
We should take note of the serious mood and penitential aspect of the Liturgy today – as the people of Israel recognize their sinfulness, their failures to keep God’s covenant, their inability to save themselves.
WE ARE ISRAEL – WITH HARD HEARTS And in this Advent season, we should see our own lives in the experience of Israel. As we examine our consciences, can’t we, too, find that we often harden our hearts, refuse His rule, wander from His ways, and withhold our love from Him?
GOD HEARD OUR CRY AND CAME TO US
God is faithful, Paul reminds us in today’s Epistle. He is our Father. He has hearkened to the cry of His children, coming down from heaven for Israel’s sake and for ours – to redeem us from our exile from God, to restore us to His love.
JESUS, OUR SHEPHERD, GUIDES US
In Jesus, we have seen the Father and the Father has let His face shine upon us. He is the good shepherd come to guide us to the heavenly kingdom. No matter how far we have strayed, He will give us new life if we turn to Him, if we call upon His holy name, if we pledge anew never again to withdraw from Him.
EVERY SPIRITUAL GIFT IS OURS
As Paul says today, He has given us every spiritual gift – especially the Eucharist and penance – to strengthen us as we await Christ’s final coming. He will keep us firm to the end – if we let Him.
ALERT, WATCHFUL TO THE END
So, in this season of repentance, we should heed the warning – repeated three times by our Lord in today’s Gospel – to be watchful, for we know not the hour when the Lord of the house will return. – (Scott Hahn, St Paul Center for Biblical Theology)
Prepare well, for the Lord is near!
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Parish Contact Details
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Masses 35th 29th Nov – 7th Dec
Saturday 29th
6.30pm Mass (Howard & Mark Fitzgibbon, Crisfield & Regan Families)
Sunday 30th 1st Sunday of Advent
9.00am Mass (For deceased parishioners)
Monday 1st
9.00am Mass (Withenden fm; Tomlinson, Culhane, Godfrey & O’Connor fms)
Tuesday 2nd
9am Mass (Pat Seymour 1st Anniv; Doris Cofield, Paul Wojtowyez)
Wednesday 3rd St Francis Xavier
9am Mass (Ron Rippingale, Gauci fm, Vera & Ron Petteit)
11.00am Holy Communion to Homes
Thursday 4th
11.40am Novena
12.00 Mass (McDevitt, Walsh & Murphy; Hogan fm intentions)
Friday 5th
10.00am Mass at Karinya (Sick; Balldale Majellan Int.)
Saturday 6th
9am Mass (Jack & Marie Kingston fm; Noel Houlihan)
6.30pm Vigil Mass (John Hickey; Presti & Borhi fms)
Sunday 7th 2nd Sunday of Advent
9.00am Mass (All deceased parishioners)
10.45am Coreen Mass
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URGENT: BISHOP ASKS PRAYERS
Prayer: Middle-East Christians in Iraq still suffering torture & exile & need our prayers.
Please also pray for the thousands suffering and the more than 5,000 who have already died from Ebola in West Africa.
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Also Remember in Prayer
Bill Tunstall, Vera Petteit, John Hickey, Mark Fitzgibbon, Noel Houlihan, Hunt family, Kevin Elliott, Jace Whyte, Noreen Rourke, Pat Kelly. Funeral Booklets for deceased at: http://stmaryscorowa.org/honour-roll/
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Roster 6th – 7th December 2014
Gifts:
6.30pm O’Halloran Family
9.00am CWL
Lectors:
6.30pm J & P Schnelle
9.00am B & E Christy
Spec Min:
6.30pm T Drum C Salmon
9.00am K Flower K King
Altar: M Macqueen
Welcomers:
6.30pm D & E Clohessy
9.00am T Moroney
Altar Servers
6.30pm Zac & Steph Lassey
9.00am E Tidd L Mackenzie
Collection B O’Shea
Counters L & N Hughes
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Support Vinnies Giving-Tree For Christmas
Please take an envelope & place items beneath tree, Thanks for your support.
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NOTICES: Meetings / Imp. Dates:
7th Dec (Sunday) 11am Mass Fr John Ware (Rutherglen) 60th Anniversary of Priesthood.
14th Dec (Sun) 7pm St Mary’s hosts Corowa Traditional Christmas Carols Service – Readings, Carols, Meditations and prayers. Participants, Choristers, Readers, please mark your calendar for a beautiful evening of Christmas praise – the perfect spiritual preparation for Our Lord’s birth.
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St Mary’s Parish Annual Christmas Raffle
Prizes- 1st (Value $350) 3 days – 2 nights for 2 or a family, at Alpenhorn Holiday Units, Tawonga South, via Mt Beauty. [Google “Alpenhorn Holiday Units” for satellite image and local beautiful scenery]
2nd (Value $100) Dinner For 2 Voucher at The Easedale Restaurant, Sanger Street, Corowa
3rd (Value $50) Christmas Stocking Games Toys and Lollies
Books of tickets on back table – $2 a ticket (1 Book at $20)
All books to be returned by Monday 15th December. Thank you.
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