THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS OF MYRA - WELCOMES YOU

While Level 5 restrictions continue, there is no public celebration of mass, other than funerals which 10 people may attend. This is essential in order to keep one another safe.

Sunday Service - 07 March available here later today

 
THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT - 07 MARCH 2021 (text)

Exodus 20:1-17

Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work -- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

1 Corinthians: 1:22-25

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Gospel Acclamation

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believe in him might have
eternal life.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!

John 2:13-25

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six Years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Sermon: Here

Prayer of the Faithful

God who loves us, you are present with us in every aspect of our lives. We thank you. Lord hear us

God who loves us, you grant the gift of your Word which strengthens us to live our lives fully. We thank you. Lord hear us

God who loves us, you call us to belong to one another, so that we are never alone on the journey of life. We thank you. Lord hear us

In a spirit of joy and hope, we remember those who have died and gone to the Lord. Let the goodness of their lives inspire us to be more faithful to God’s Word. Lord hear us

Lord, you know our deepest needs. Help us to recognise that in You alone, can they be truly fulfilled. Lord hear us

In quiet, we call to mind all who need our prayer and support………………Lord hear us

Reflection

We were brought up to believe God was in the church. We had to kneel and say our prayers and be quiet, and even if we moved ever so quietly, we were hushed up. I often wondered, as a child, was God not awful lonely, locked up in the church—especially at night, in the dark with no one for company. Night time was scary at the best of times, but to have no one with you, well that was beyond my comprehension. We only went to the church on Sunday, so the weekdays must have dragged out something terrible for God. Boredom on top of loneliness—how could anyone put up with that. I decided to pay God a visit, on a weekday. Our church had that funny smell that churches have. I never quite knew what it was. If you were wearing your good shoes, no matter how quietly you moved the echo was something else. Maybe that’s how God knew you were there, I thought to myself.
I went right up to the front and sat in a seat I never got to sit in on a Sunday. Just then I felt a tap on the shoulder. I jumped and turned with the speed of the wind. It was the priest. He obviously wasn’t wearing his good shoes, because I never heard him. “Well son, what brings you here on a weekday” he asked. I thought God might be lonely or a bit bored. “Lonely?” he replied, with a chuckle. “Sure, God doesn’t have time to be lonely. Isn’t he off out there when you’re at school and out playing in the park, keeping an eye on you. And who do you think looks after your da when he’s at work or your mam when she’s killing herself doing the washing and feeding you. Bored? Doesn’t he have to be here when people come to visit to listen to all their troubles and woes. No son, God doesn’t get lonely or bored. He has too many people to care for and too many places to be. And by the way son, if you’re lighting a candle, don’t forget it’s tupence.” God wasn’t lonely or bored after all, and the priest was making sure he wouldn’t be poor either.

"Childhood Reminiscence" - Anonymous

Those Remembered in this Weekend's Liturgy

Liam Stynes 1st Anniversary
Annie Clark 6th Anniversary
Christy Stynes 1st Anniversary
Roman Laussermayer 2nd Anniversary
Mary Deasy 1st Anniversary
Michael Carroll 8th Anniversary
Simon & Josie Dunne
Pauline Marshall
Simon Meyler
Eileen Gayson
Paddy & May Hoare,
Bernie & Bobby Richardson
Henry Doherty,
Kenneth Kirkwood



 

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