As we begin our celebration, rejoicing in the Lord, let us remember
God’s immense goodness to us.
You open our eyes to new possibilities. Lord have mercy
You open our hearts to your hopes for us. Christ have mercy
You open our minds to your creative power in us. Lord have mercy
May our loving and creative Lord, give us confidence in his mercy,
forgive us our sin and bring us to life everlasting. Amen
Nehemiah 8
Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, consisting of
men, women, and children old enough to understand. This was the
first day of the seventh month. On the square before the Water Gate,
in the presence of the men and women, and children old enough to
understand, he read from the book from early morning till noon; all
the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. Ezra the
scribe stood on a wooden dais erected for the purpose; In full view
of all the people-since he stood higher than all the people-Ezra
opened the book; and when he opened it all the people stood up.
Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people raised
their hands and answered, ‘Amen! Amen!’; then they bowed down and,
face to the ground, prostrated themselves before the Lord. And Ezra
read from the Law of God, translating and giving the sense, so that
the people understood what was read. Then Nehemiah-His
Excellency-and Ezra, priest and scribe and the Levites who were
instructing the people said to all the people,‘This day is sacred to
the Lord your God. Do not be mournful, do not weep.’
For the people were all in tears as they listened to the words of
the Law. He then said, ‘Go, eat the fat, drink the sweet wine, and
send a portion to the man who has nothing prepared ready. For this
day is sacred to our Lord. Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is
your stronghold.’
1 Corinthians 12
Just as a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a
single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so
it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as
well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given
to us all to drink. Nor is the body to be identified with any one of
its many parts. If the foot were to say, ‘I am not a hand and so I
do not belong to the body’. Would that mean that it stopped being
part of the body? If the ear were to say,‘ I am not an eye, and so I
do not belong to the body,‘ would that mean that it is not a part of
the body? If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear
anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?
Instead of that, God put all the separate parts into the
body purpose. If all the parts were the same, how could it be a
body? As it is; the parts are many but the body is one. The eye
cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor can the head say to
the feet, I do not need you.’ What is more, it is precisely the
parts of the body that seem to be the weakest which are the
indispensable ones; and it is the least honourable parts of the body
that we clothe with the greatest care. So our more improper parts
get decorated in a way that our more proper parts do not need. God
has arranged the body so that more dignity is given to the parts
which are without it, and so that there may not be disagreements
inside the body, but that each part may be equally concerned for all
the others. If one part is hurt, all parts are hurt with it. If one
part is given special honour, all parts enjoy it. Now you together
are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the
Church, God has given the first place to apostles, the second to
prophets, the third to teachers; after them, miracles, and after
them the gift of healing; helpers, good, leaders, those with many
languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all
of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have
the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all
interpret them?
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Lord has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim
liberty to captives.
Alleluia!
Luke 1
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and
his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their
synagogues and everyone praised him. He came to Nazara, where he had
been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as
he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll
of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where
it is written: The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he
has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set
the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour. He then
rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down.
And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to
speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you
listen’
Prayer of the Faithful
Father, Son and Spirit, you are the God of love. Our lives flow from
that love. We praise you and thank you. Lord hear us.
As the Spirit moved Jesus to form a community around him, so may we
value and cherish the community we belong to. Lord hear us.
Lord, give us courage to work for a world where there is equality of
opportunity and it is unacceptable to leave anyone at the margins of
our community and society. Lord hear us.
Give us Lord, a true sense of repentance which is about allowing our
hearts to be changed by your loving Word. Lord hear us.
We remember those who have died, Lord. You have called them home to
your heart. We look to the day when we will be united again in your
love. Lord hear us.
In silence we put aside our own needs, no matter how important or
urgent and we call to mind those who need our prayer and
support………………Lord hear us
Reflection
Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. The
best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of
others. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
But service can have no meaning unless one takes pleasure in it.
When it is done for show or for fear of public opinion, it stunts
the person and crushes their spirit. Service which is rendered
without joy helps neither the servant nor the served.
Service rendered for its own sake is the noblest of all.
Humankind becomes great exactly in the degree in which we work for
the welfare of all people.
A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for
the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of
the world. It was a perfect act.
Mahatma Gandhi
Remembered this weekend
Marie Kelly (1st Anniversary)
Carmel & Eddie Walsh
Timothy & Catherine O'Hare
Mona Kelly
Eddie Rogers
Sheila Quinn
Pat & Clare Cushen
Brian Cushen
Fran & Rita Harmon
Patrick & Christina Simpson (nee McMahon)
(100th Wedding Anniversary)
Paddy & Bridget Murtagh
Mary & James Field
Philip & Bernadette Kinsella
Daniel O'Neill
Feel free to contact us at the
email addresses
below.
