CHRISTMAS SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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| Isaiah |
52:7-10 |
| Psalm |
97 |
| Hebrews |
1:1-6 |
| John |
1:1-18 |
JANUARY 1st SCRIPTURE
READINGS
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| Numbers |
6:22-27 |
| Psalm |
66 |
| Galatians |
4:4-7 |
| Luke |
2:16-21 |
CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR
On Sunday December 25 we celebrate the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem; on the following January 1st we keep the solemnity of Mary mother of God, Theotokos.
We are so familiar with those feasts and the truths they express that we hardly regard them as in any way amazing. But they are; in fact they are so amazing that the central truth of our religion, that Jesus Christ is 'God from God and light from light and consubstantial with the Father' was forged, not without difficulty at the first ecumenical council, held at Nicaea in 325 A.D. Mary had to wait a little longer till the Council of Ephesus in 431, when she was affirmed to be Mother of God. Christmas and the Hail Mary, which enshrine these truths, were once and even now are not at all obvious, else why would they need ecumenical councils to affirm them?
Yet, despite the fact that we affirm our belief in the deity of Christ and the motherhood of Mary and celebrate their solemnities, we need to remind ourselves of the wonder and mystery of it all: the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger, so apparently frail and dependent on his mother Mary and on Saint Joseph, his foster father, is also the Son of God clad in human frailty. Mary to all appearances an unimportant woman is now revered all over the world. She was conceived without sin (December 8th) like her Son. And again like him at his Ascension was taken up to heaven at her own departure from this world at her Assumption (August 15th) As we read in her Magnificat 'All generations will call her blessed'
One of the important truths for each one of us to learn is the danger of being foxed by appearances. Looking at both of them then, who would have guessed that 2000 years later both of them would have been venerated and worshipped throughout the whole world? 'God does indeed work in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.' The laws of gravity and the rest do not control him. He never ceases to surprise us. The eternal is born in time - an amazing fact - his earthly mother though a virgin and blessed above all, gives birth to him.
In sermon 184 preached at Christmas in 411 A.D. Saint Augustine expresses the truth of the Incarnation as follows. 'Christ was God from his father and man from his mother .... He who lay in the manger contained the whole world.' What more needs to be said?
Fr Anthony Meredith SJ
CHURCH CALENDAR
Monday December 26th (St Stephen), Tuesday December 27th (St John the Evangelist) and Monday January 2nd
are Bank Holidays
Mass: 8am, 6pm
Friday December 30th : Holy Family
Sunday January 1st: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
Sunday January 8th: Epiphany of the Lord
Monday January 9th: Baptism of the Lord
Wednesday January 18th: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins
Friday January 20th: Taizé evening, 7:30pm
Monday January 23rd: CTiW AGM: Is Time running out for Christians in the Holy Land?
Wednesday February 2nd: Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)
7pm Mass for the Unborn
Starting on SATURDAY JANUARY 7th, Saturday Masses will be at 8am and 6pm (Vigil Mass). There will no longer be a mid-morning Mass and we apologise to those who will be affected.
Absences: The Choir is on holiday on JANUARY 1st.
Fr Lawrence will be away during the month of January.
NAMES FOR THE BIDDING PRAYERS
If you would like to have someone prayed for in the bidding prayers at Sunday Masses, either someone who is sick or someone who has recently died or someone whose anniversary occurs, please let the office know by Thursday lunch time.
FARM STREET FILMS
On THURSDAY 12th JANUARY we will be screening The Way (dir. Emilio Estevez, 2011). Tom (Martin Sheen) travels from the States after his son dies on The Camino – the pilgrim way to Santiago. Tom then decides to make the pilgrimage himself. A gently Catholic film – warm, funny and visually captivating – about redemption, and the restoration of human relationships. Catholic actor Martin Sheen plays the father, directed by his son Emilio Estevez, who also plays the son in the film. A must see! Introductory talk by Andrea Kelly at 6:45pm in the Church Hall, screening at 7pm and discussion with refreshments following. Free. All are welcome!
FARM STREET BALL
The inaugural Farm Street Ball will take place on SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY. This will be a great opportunity to come together and enjoy each other’s company to raise money for Farm Street charities. The evening will begin with Mass at 6pm in the church then a dinner and dance at the Lansdowne Club, off Berkeley Square. Tickets will go on sale on Sunday January 8th. More details to come!
Advent events and Christmas Mass times are already advertised on our website. Please visit www.farmstreet.org.uk.
We are very fortunate in the UK to receive an automatic 22 % tax refund on every gift-aided donation to our church. It makes such a difference yet less than 10% of our Sunday donations are put in gift-aid envelopes. Please take a moment to put your offering in an envelop and fill it in. In the present economic climate, every penny counts!
.
MOUNT
STREET JESUIT
CENTRE
114
Mount Street , London W1
www.mountstreet.info
Bookings: msjcbookings@gmail.com or feel free to come along
Information: Lynne
Galloway 020 7495 1673 or lynne@mountstreet.info
THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Facilitated by Brian Purfield
Mondays 11am to 1pm from January 9th to February 13th
or Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30pm from January 11th to February 15th
An overview of Mark’s Gospel – the Gospel for the Sunday Cycle of Lectionary Readings this year – pointing out the meaning of the Gospel in its original context & offering brief & thoughtful leads to how this Gospel can connect with Christian life today.
ONE DAY WORKSHOPS
FINDING GOD IN OUR DAILY LIVES
Facilitated by BILLY HEWETT SJ
Saturday 7th January, 11am-4pm
Exploring ways of letting God relate to us and us to God in every breath we breathe, reflecting on our inner awareness and outer experience and visa-versa. Exploring ways to re-member our lives in special detail, to live our lives in the present moment in the presence of Christ, who adopts us into His life with the Father and the Spirit now.
Men and the Spiritual Dimension
faciltated by KIT DOLLARD, 11 am to 4pm.
Saturday 28th January, 11am-4pm
This workshop aims to encourage men to realize their true nature and make the most of themselves in the service of others. We will introduce some ways for improving self-understanding . We will also look at the work of thinkers like Rohr and Bly to reflect on how men are affected by pressures in the modern world and its culture.
From Sympathy to Solidarity
Facilitated by ALASTAIR MURRAY, 10.30 am to 4pm.
Saturday 28th January, 11am-4pm
A day of reflection in preparation for homelessness Sunday (29 January) for everyone interested or already involved in action on homelessness. We will take practical examples to explore what it means to be committed to social justice and Gospel values in our daily living and volunteering. |
