Newsletter- 3rd Week of Lent
Confirmation Candidates Enrolment during Mass – Sunday 3rd March: This Sunday we formally welcome our Confirmation Candidates and their families and sponsors to Mass in the parish. After the Creed our young people will stand in their places to make their commitment and we as the parish community will endorse that commitment and offer to them our prayers and loving support as they continue their catechesis and preparation for Confirmation by Bishop Patrick later this year.
The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Lent – Year B help us to understand more fully that we must follow God’s commandments and truly live them from our hearts to find real life and lasting joy in our lives. The first reading at Mass today gives us the Ten Commandments. The second reading reminds us that God’s wisdom is not like human wisdom. The Gospel tells of Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers who put their own desires above serving the Father.
Reverence for the Temple: The Temple was a sacred space for the Jewish people, and it was meant to be a place of worship and prayer. Jesus’ actions demonstrate the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the Temple and not allowing it to become a marketplace. The importance of worshiping and serving God alone is also emphasised in the first reading at Mass today. In both cases, there is a focus on the centrality of God in our worship and church practices. The zeal for God’s house: Jesus’ zeal for God’s house is evident in his actions in the Temple. As modern-day disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we too are all called to have a similar zeal for God’s house and to prioritise our relationship with God above all else. Purity of heart: Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is also a symbol of the purification of our own human hearts. As believers, we are called to strive for a greater purity of heart, which means being mindful of our thoughts, words, and actions, and ensuring that they are aligned with God’s will. The significance of the Eucharist: The Temple in Jerusalem was a foreshadowing of the true Temple, which is the Body of Christ. As Catholics, we believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and that every time we participate in Mass, we are entering into the presence of God. The Gospel reading reminds us of the significance of the Eucharist and the importance of approaching it with reverence and awe. This also ties in with the first reading today, which reminds us to keep the Sabbath holy.
As we journey forward during this Third Week of Lent, let us ask God for the grace to continue to abide by His commandments fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the perfect wisdom. Let us ask too that our hearts and minds may be open to His great love for us and that we may be able during Lent to see the areas of our lives which need to change and be given the grace to make those changes.
Changes to Mass Times and Lent Liturgies this week:
Thursday 7th March – Requiem Funeral Mass – 11 am Mary Walsh RIP
- No Exposition and Silent Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament before Mass today
- No Confessions for half an hour after Mass today
Friday 8th March – Requiem Mass – 11 am Deborah White RIP
- Confessions in church 6 pm – 6.45 pm
- Stations of the Cross in church – 7 pm
Prayer for our Confirmation and First Holy Communion Candidates: Please continue to pray each day in your private prayers for our parish catechists and the two large groups of young people from our parish exploring their faith more fully and preparing to make their First Holy Communion or to receive the sacrament of Confirmation later this year. Our prayerful support of them is an essential part of how we can all accompany our young people and encourage them to grow in the practice of the faith and in the knowledge and love of Christ of His Church.
With prayer and best wishes for you and for your families as we continue through Lent,
Your parish priest and friend,
Fr Jonathan
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2024 3rd March – Newsletter – Download