Church News 22 December 2024

22 December 2024

4th Sunday of Advent

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Sunday’s Readings
1^st Reading –Micah 5:1-4
2^nd Reading –Hebrews 10:5-10
Gospel Reading –   Luke 1.39-45
Responsorial Psalm – “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

Eucharistic Acclamation –“Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”

We Pray For Our recently departed, RIP: 

Richard Faulding (Auckland), Fr Don Cowan (Auckland), Mary Therese Brownley, Fr Geoff Gray (ChCh, 29/11), Sr Mary Tait (PBVM), Dorrie Lewis (Whanganui), Fr Mervyn McGettigan (Dunedin 28/11), Melville Webb (11/27), Maureen McArdle (21/11), Anne Beckett (7/11), Julie McDonald (5/11)

Mass Intentions/Anniversaries: 

Ashvin Rohit, Ian Matson (13/12), Vanessa Bishop (2/12), Darren Wright (30/11), John O’Brien (4/11), Dan O’Donoghue (25/11)

We Pray For those in our community who need our prayers:

Judith Wall, Kathleen Sheridan, Bishop Owen Dolan, Harvey Gunn, Belinda Blackler, Nicky Burmeister, Ann Toomey, Patricia Lowe, Janet Anderson, Maurice McDonald, Mikulas Oros, Rod and Mary Bennett, Betty Donaldson, Sr Helena Fouhy, Dianne Jordan, Angela Marlow, Michael and Mary O’Connor, Maurice Takarangi, Gye Beehre, Peter Angland, Chloe Young and May Young

WHAT’S ON

There will be prayer teams offering prayer after each Cathedral Mass during Advent on Sundays.  They will remain in the church after the liturgy and will be wearing name badges so you can identify them easily.  Please feel free to remain in the Cathedral after the Mass if you wish to receive prayer from the team.

• Wednesday Evening Rosary will take a break after Christmas and will recommence on Wednesday 8 January 2025  5pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
• Praying the Sunday Gospel on Fridays : This has concluded for the year but will resume on Friday, 7 February, in the Parish Office meeting room. All are welcome.
• Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament of the Cathedral: will take a break after Christmas and will recommence on Tuesday 21 January. Friday evenings on 24 January.
• Weekday Masses at the Cathedral:from Thursday 26 December 2024 to Saturday 18 January (inclusive) will be at 9.00 am – excluding Mondays.
• Weekday Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes: for the same period will be Wednesdays and Fridays at 10.00 am. Sunday Masses at the Cathedral and Our Lady of Lourdes will be at the usual times – Cathedral 7.30 am, 9.30 am, 6.00 pm; OLOL Saturday Vigil 5.30 pm and Sunday 9.30 am.
• Christmas Mass Timetable : Copies available online or in the church foyer.

Small is Beautiful

(Luke 1: 39 – 45)

At our parish we call them L.O.L.s: Little Old Ladies. They’re the backbone of the community. They come to meetings, bake cakes for functions, crochet for fundraising, pray for a storm, drop their money in the baskets, bringing communion to the sick, volunteer for everything. They go about their work almost invisibly, but what they accomplish is enormous. Without L.O.L.s, someone once observed, you could close the doors of most parishes.

Elizabeth was a Little Old Lady. To look at her, one might not expect much more to come from a person of her advanced years. Certainly, the contribution of new life was biologically behind her. Yet God’s grace proved that assumption wrong, as often explodes our careful theories and plans. God’s grace can overshadow us and bring new life from the “too old,” the “too young,” and every other place where we’ve closed a door in our minds. God may be opening a door for you right now, in the place you least expect.

What aspect of your life have you already determined is fruitless or barren? Do you believe God can act there?

Pray

There are times, Comforting One, when we feel puzzled by what we sense your Spirit is leading us to do. In those times, we feel afraid and very alone. Let us hear, in our hearts, the message to “not be afraid” and the reminder that you are with us still. Amen.

Ponder

‘Tis the season to be generous. As we wrap those last presents and send those last cards, remember those who will receive no gift and no friendly greeting. Give a gift that won’t be returned in kind, just as God gave Jesus to us. Merry Christmas. He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength, centred in the majesty of God-Revealed. And the people will have a good and safe home.

Kid’s Corner

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Luke 1: 45)

God has a plan for each of us. It’s up to us to respond. God’s plan for Mary was for her to be the mother of God’s Son. But God didn’t make the decision for Mary. Mary could have said “no,” but she didn’t. Mary said “yes.” In a few days, we will celebrate Jesus’ birth. Jesus is the Son of God. He’s also Mary’s son. Being Mary’s son, Jesus blessed Mary and made her special. When we pray the Hail Mary, we repeat the words of Elizabeth: “Blessed are you among women.” Today, do a chore quietly and without being asked.

Loving God, thank you for Mary! Amen

Christmas and New Year Mass Times(Link)