Dates To Remember
6th January: Feast of the Epiphany (Usually celebrated on this date)
THREE KINGS? Did three kings really visit Jesus on that first Epiphany day? The bible simply speaks about "some wise men". The word for wise men is "Magi" in Greek, but it probably refers to priests of the Zoroaster religion. If this is so, then they would have come from the East, as tradition tells us, and in particular from Persia, present-day Iran.The number three seems to have come about as a result of the three gifts they brought to Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh. And with the passing of time they were given legendary names of Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior.So what is the real meaning of the feast? The word Epiphany means "manifestation" or "showing". The Church celebrates the fact that the birth of Jesus was for the peoples of the entire world (hence the wise men travelling a great distance to acknowledge him) and the Epiphany recognises the universality of God's gift of salvation. Jesus was "made manifest" to the world on this day.Today you revealed in Christ your eternal plan of salvation and showed him as the light of all peoples. Now that his glory has shone among us you have renewed humanity in his immortal image. (Epiphany Preface)
2nd Sunday: Baptism of Our Lord
Although we speak of the necessity of baptism for salvation, the Church has traditionally recognised that it cannot be the case that all non-baptised people are excluded from heaven. It would be unthinkable that God should create people only then to refuse them eternal happiness. Theology distinguishes three types of baptism: by water, by blood and by desire.The first is the sacrament celebrated by the church. The second refers to martyrdom for the faith before formal baptism. And the third concerns the death of someone who would have accepted baptism had the opportunity been presented.
13th January: St. Kentigern (or a date chosen near this time)
Kentigern was the bishop of Glasgow in the sixth century and was also known by the name of Mungo. Much of his ministry was spent defending the Church against the heresy of Pelagianism, one of whose teachings was that there was no such thing as original sin and therefore no Christian grace.He had to escape from Glasgow for a while and went to Wales to live with St David in Menevia where he built a school and a monastery before returning to Scotland where he died in 601.
PEACE SUNDAY (Usually mid-January)
The theme of this year's Peace Sunday is "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good".For the establishment of true peace in the world, justice must find its fulfilment in charity. Certainly law is the first road leading to peace, and people need to be taught to respect that law. Yet one does not arrive at the end of this road unless justice is complemented by love. Justice and love sometimes appear to be opposing forces. In fact they are but two faces of a single reality, two dimensions of human life needing to be mutually integrated. Historical experience shows this to be true. It shows how justice is frequently unable to free itself from rancour, hatred and even cruelty. By itself, justice is not enough. Indeed, it can even betray itself, unless it is open to that deeper power which is love. (Pope John Paul II)
21st January: St. Agnes
24th January: St. Francis de Sales
25th January: Conversion of St. Paul
28th January: St. Thomas Aquinas
31st January: St. John Bosco (Patron of Catholic Education)
Bouquets and Flowers For Every Event...
This information is intended for parents of school-age children and teachers who are imparting Religious Education within a Catholic school environment.
PASTORAL NOTES FOR JANUARY
The contents of these documents are related to the present day teaching of the Catholic Church in relation to Doctrine, Liturgy and Catholic practices. There are also special sections on Catholic Marriage and arranging a funeral in the Catholic Church.
Add hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, prayer, meditation, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing-don't do it), and one well-selected resolution.
Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humour.
Then sit back and thank God.
About Baptism
- Baptism is…
- Baptism is how we get into Christ.
- Baptism is always accompanied by faith and repentance.
- Baptism is God's terms of surrender.
- Baptism is our signal to God we have accepted Christ's gospel.
- Baptism is the external washing with water and the internal washing away of sin by God.
- Baptism is "calling on the name of the Lord".
- Baptism is being unified with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.
- Baptism is "clothing" ourselves with Christ.
- Baptism is "accepting" Christ (on His terms, not ours)
- Baptism is when our sins are forgiven.
- Baptism is when we receive the Holy Spirit.
- Baptism is how and when we come into contact with the blood of Christ.
- Baptism is when we are reborn.
- Baptism is an act of faith.
- Baptism is how we enter the kingdom of God.
- Baptism is when we are added to the body of Christ (the church).
- Baptism is when we exchange our life for His.
- Baptism is when we die to ourselves and come alive in Christ.
- Baptism is the washing of regeneration, and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
- Baptism is the starting gun of a race of a new life.
- Baptism is proclaiming in Christ the resurrection of the dead.
- Baptism is when the old dies and the new arises. In this manner we become saved.
- Baptism is the point in time when we become saved.
- Baptism is when we stop living for ourselves and start living for Jesus.
- Baptism is how and when we scripturally make a conscious decision to dedicate our lives to Christ.
- Baptism is how we scripturally enter into a relationship with Christ.
- Baptism is the gavel striking the bench proclaiming forgiveness of sins, the end of the old and the birth of the new.
Living The Beatitudes
- Would you be prepared to accept a lower standard of living, even giving a whole week's wages each year so that the poor and starving of the world could have a better life?
- Would you be prepared to bite your tongue when you feel that you are entitled to mouth off when someone has upset you?
- Would you be prepared to show your sorrow and distress at disaster despite what others might think of you?
- Would you be prepared to become active in a group that sought to uphold the rights of those who are denied justice?
- Would you be prepared not to have your pound of flesh when others have taken advantage of you?
- Would you be prepared to be thought of as a prude because you do not join in some of the jokes and language of your friends?
- Would you be prepared to step in to sort out a long-standing family row even if you knew that some members of your family would not welcome it?
- Would you be prepared to make your beliefs known even if it meant being ridiculed or mocked for it?
- Would you be prepared to live the Beatitudes?
Who were the gospels for?
- Matthew writes for the Jews, and portrays Jesus as the Messiah so long waited.
- Mark writes for the Romans, and portrays Jesus as the Servant who makes wonders.
- Luke writes for the Greeks, and portrays Jesus as the Son of man.
- John writes for every body, and portrays Jesus as the Son of God.
Education Prayer
God of wisdom, on this day, and knowing it to be your purpose that all your children should grow in understanding and truth, we pray for all those involved in education:
For all teachers and lecturers whose work shapes the lives of others; for all chaplains in schools, colleges and universities who offer pastoral care and seek to interpret the purpose of education in daily life; for children and students, that learning may be a joy, and gaining knowledge a source of happiness; for administrators, that care and efficiency may go hand in hand; for all involved in the whole task of education, that it may be devoted to justice rather than self-seeking, equality rather than privilege, and creation of community rather than division. We ask this in the name of him who as the Way directs our path, as the Truth is our purpose and goal, and as the Life is the very spirit by which we live.
What Catholics Believe - The Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit…
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity that is God and is the active presence of God in our world. Jesus promised that after his departure from the earth the Holy Spirit would be sent to continue leading Christians in truth. He is the pledge or down payment on the promises of Jesus, guaranteeing the viability of God's kingdom that has already begun on earth. It is the Holy Spirit who inspires goodness in human beings and who is able to sustain us in time of need. The Spirit is the genius in life, that grace-filled spark which lifts us out of deadness and spurs us into all forms of creativity.
God's Spirit blows wherever he wills and the Christian's task is to search for the activity of the Spirit wherever it is to be found, inside and outside the Church. Discerning the Spirit and acting on his impulse is the heart of our search for God, the core of any spirituality.
Christians are particularly united with the Spirit in the celebration of the sacraments and it is only in the power of the Spirit that the Church can claim to act in the name of Christ. Our prayer is only authentic when we allow the Spirit to pray through us, taking our faltering attempts to talk to God and transforming them into dialogue with the divine. And the Spirit is the agent of change, urging us on to be missionary in the proclamation of the good news which is the gospel.
…the holy catholic Church…
The Church is both holy and catholic. It is not holy because it is full of good people but because it embodies the holiness of God within its very being. The Church is a Church of sinners who are trying to be better, but the grace of God resides in the Body of Christ, which is the Church. When we speak in the creed about the catholic nature of the Church we are not implying anything about denomination. The word catholic means universal. The Church is catholic in two main senses. First of all it is to be found throughout the world, having spread by its preaching from the time of Christ onwards. And secondly it is catholic in the sense of being non-exclusive, it is for all people regardless of language, race or culture. Because the Church is a people on the move seeking holiness it embraces all aspects of humanity.
…the communion of saints…
The ties that bind us to our family and friends do not unravel at death. Christians believe that all members of the Church, living and dead, are united in a communion of saints. For those of us still on earth, saint does not imply perfection; it simply means baptised and seeking holiness. We use the saints in heaven as role models, as patterns for living our Christian faith. Their example is able to give us encouragement in our own particular struggle as Christians and for this reason we sometimes call upon them in prayer. Canonisation is for the few; communion for all.
…the forgiveness of sins…
Forgiveness of sins is the reason we "make" Christians when we baptise them. We are not talking about isolated words or actions that we call sin but rather about that propensity to the power of evil that we are all capable of. Our creed tells us that we are rescued from that condition and claimed for Christ in baptism. We still remain sinful people to a greater or lesser degree but we are not slaves to guilt since we know that by his cross and resurrection Christ has set us free to live a life that is not dominated by sin. We too can die daily to sin by the choices we make in our lives to be life-affirming rather than self-seeking. Forgiveness of sins is the most liberating aspect of Christian living.
…the resurrection of the body…
The bible makes it clear that no one knows exactly what we will be like after death, since no one has seen or heard from a dead person. When the creed speaks about resurrection of the body it means more than the flesh, blood and bone. It means our whole selves, our personality. Faith in the resurrection of the body is an affirmation that we will survive the experience of death as oursleves. We will somehow remain intact, not in the sense of hair colour and facial features but that our personality will not be annihilated. We will have a glorified body like the one Christ had when he appeared to his disciples.
…and the life everlasting. Amen.
Christians believe that life has a purpose and that purpose, to reflect the glory and holiness of God, does not end in death. The gospel is full of promises that those who believe in Jesus, even though they die, will have everlasting life. There is no time in heaven and so everlasting life must mean something more than a life that goes on for ever and ever. Everlasting life refers to the quality of life we hope to enjoy. All our longings and yearnings, all that we strived to do and to be, will be perfected in an instant by God's loving kindness. St Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find their home in you". The bible speaks about it as perfect happiness and fulfilment when every tear will be wiped away and we shall see God face to face. It is our final home-coming when all that is now mysterious is made clear and we live fully the life God intended for us since the start of creation.
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