Parish Newsletter 17th December 2017 17 7 17th Decem mber 20 Decem 17 7 www.dundrumparish.com om m om The Word Of God First reading Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 As Christmas draws near, we all feel a certain ancipaon and excitement. Our first reading captures that mood: it is full of the happiness of faith and joy in life and in God. Second reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 I suppose no one can “command” us to be happy…and yet, Paul does just that in this reading! But he expands and illustrates how we can be not just “reasonably contented” but deeply happy. Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28 You don’t oen hear a Gospel passage where Jesus is absent! But if you listen carefully, you will noce he is present’ Thought for the day Thought for the day In the words of John’s Gospel, John the Bapst came as a witness, to speak for the light, the true light who was coming into the world. In this season of Ad- vent, he points us towards the coming one and he invites us to reflect on our need of the light of Jesus in the darkness of our lives. Darkness means many things: a sense of being lost, a lack of direcon, helplessness, sin or indeed lack of faith. This Christmas, may the God who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). A NEWGRANGE OF THE HEART It is a wonder in every age that no maer what is done to smash the human spirit, to kill its faith, to deny its truth, life begins to push up through the soil again. I saw this in a beau- ful way while working in Russia. All the savage resources of the state were used to poison faith and promote a godless atheism. The shock was for the authories that when they evaluated their efforts, they found faith very much alive. Long before humans used their resources to choke the inner faith of people, our ancestors saw the power and beauty of their world, its seasons, its dying and rising, and they responded by offering homage without understanding much of its meaning, as if to an unknown god. They knew they needed the sun. They knew if the vanishing sun in winter did not turn round, they had no hope. Their genius and their hope built the amazing Newgrange Tomb to proclaim hope even when all was at its winter depths. Christmas is celebrated by the followers of Jesus at the same winter darkness. They saw the Saviour who had appeared among them as a Light for the world, a fellow-human being who had shared their journey, even to death but who had been raised to new and glorious life eternal. “That life was the Light of people”. The resurgent Sun of mid-winter symbolised Him. The Light that lights up New- grange is only a shadow of the Light that now shines for all of us and shines in the world through each of us. For many reasons, many people will find themselves in the dark this winter. It may be because of death or illness, homelessness or domesc violence. Or the sheer poverty of no faith. The Light and Life they so badly need may not be visible. Yet, the ways of God are that we become God’s light for each oth- er. He will not leave us in the dark. “You, YOU, are the Light of the world. Let your Light shine so oth- ers may see”. Michael Screene MSC ACTION— Take on the pracce of doing some Random Acts of Kindness as we journey through Advent As a parish family preparing for the World Meeng of Families in August we could take on our AKP challenge with our own family members. PRAY Along with our Act of Kindnesses let’s pray. It could be a prayer for someone in need, or some quiet me with Jesus, or a decade of the Joyful mysteries. . . Some sugges- ons can be found behind the daily windows of the online Advent Calendar — www.catholicbishops.ie www.sacredspace.ie ADVENT KINDNESS PROJECT Bethlehem
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Parish Newsletter 17th December 2017177 be 017th Decemmber 20Decem 177
www.dundrumparish.comomomom
The Word Of God
First reading Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11
As Christmas draws near, we all feel a certain
an�cipa�on and excitement. Our first reading
captures that mood: it is full of the happiness
of faith and joy in life and in God.
Second reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
I suppose no one can “command” us to be
happy…and yet, Paul does just that in this
reading! But he expands and illustrates how
we can be not just “reasonably contented” but
deeply happy.
Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28
You don’t o�en hear a Gospel passage where
Jesus is absent! But if you listen carefully, you
will no�ce he is present’
Thought for the day
Thought for the day In the words of John’s
Gospel, John the Bap�st came as a witness, to
speak for the light, the true light who was
coming into the world. In this season of Ad-
vent, he points us towards the coming one and
he invites us to reflect on our need of the light
of Jesus in the darkness of our lives. Darkness
means many things: a sense of being lost, a
lack of direc�on, helplessness, sin or indeed
lack of faith. This Christmas, may the God who
said “Let light shine out of darkness,” shine in
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ
(2 Cor 4:6).
A NEWGRANGE OF THE HEART
It is a wonder in every age that no ma�er what is done to
smash the human spirit, to kill its faith, to deny its truth, life
begins to push up through the soil again. I saw this in a beau-
�ful way while working in Russia. All the savage resources of
the state were used to poison faith and promote a godless
atheism. The shock was for the authori�es that when they
evaluated their efforts, they found faith very much alive.
Long before humans used their resources to choke the inner faith of people, our
ancestors saw the power and beauty of their world, its seasons, its dying and
rising, and they responded by offering homage without understanding much of its
meaning, as if to an unknown god. They knew they needed the sun. They knew if
the vanishing sun in winter did not turn round, they had no hope. Their genius and
their hope built the amazing Newgrange Tomb to proclaim hope even when all
was at its winter depths.
Christmas is celebrated by the followers of Jesus at the same winter darkness.
They saw the Saviour who had appeared among them as a Light for the world, a
fellow-human being who had shared their journey, even to death but who had
been raised to new and glorious life eternal. “That life was the Light of people”.
The resurgent Sun of mid-winter symbolised Him. The Light that lights up New-
grange is only a shadow of the Light that now shines for all of us and shines in the
world through each of us.
For many reasons, many people will find themselves
in the dark this winter. It may be because of death
or illness, homelessness or domes�c violence. Or
the sheer poverty of no faith. The Light and Life
they so badly need may not be visible. Yet, the ways
of God are that we become God’s light for each oth-
er. He will not leave us in the dark. “You, YOU, are
the Light of the world. Let your Light shine so oth-
ers may see”. Michael Screene MSC
ACTION— Take on the prac�ce of doing some Random
Acts of Kindness as we journey through Advent As a parish family preparing for the World
Mee�ng of Families in August we could take on our AKP challenge with our own family
members.
PRAY Along with our Act of Kindnesses let’s pray. It could be a prayer for someone in
need, or some quiet �me with Jesus, or a decade of the Joyful mysteries. . . Some sugges-
�ons can be found behind the daily windows of the online Advent Calendar —
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