This blog is for the use of the whole parish; please let me know if you'd like to contribute.


Chris (email link at the bottom of each page)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel

Permalink

2 Samuel 7:1–5, 8–16 • Psalm 88(89): 2–5, 27,29 • Luke1:67–79

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David even as he proclaimed, by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us.  Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus he remembers his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days.  And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.  To give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

Comments

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Permalink
How shall we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus as our King this Christmas? A king can rule only when the people give him authority to reign over them.  Jesus will be our king only if we invite him to rule over us by placing our whole lives under him, leaving no area of our lives outside his kingship and holding nothing back from him. We must make the decision to follow him, obey him and serve him with all of our hearts. Do you want Jesus to reign in your life?  What areas of your life do you wish to place under his kingship?

Use these precious days before Christmas to ask the Holy Spirit to show you any areas that you need to place under his rule.  Jesus is coming. Welcome him with great joy! Jesus longs to be your king. Invite him to reign over your life!

Jesus was born to deliver us from the dominion of darkness and to transfer us into the kingdom of light (see Col 1:13).  He inaugurated the kingdom of God: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Matt 4:17).  Using many parables he teaches us about the kingdom of God.  He insists that only the docile and humble can receive the kingdom:

Jesus you were born to be my Saviour and my King I invite you to be my King and to rule over my whole life.


Comments

The Root of Jesse

Permalink
Isaiah 11:1–11
 
1 And a rod will go forth from the root of Jesse, and a flower will ascend from his root.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety.
3 And he will be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He will not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears.
4 Instead, he will judge the poor with justice, and he will reprove the meek of the earth with fairness. And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and he will slay the impious with the spirit of his lips.
5 And justice will be the belt around his waist. And faith will be the warrior's belt at his side.
6 The wolf will dwell with the lamb; and the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion and the sheep will abide together; and a little boy will drive them.
7 The calf and the bear will feed together; their young ones will rest together. And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 And a breastfeeding infant will play above the lair of the asp. And a child who has been weaned will thrust his hand into the den of the king snake.
9 They will not harm, and they will not kill, on all my holy mountain. For the earth has been filled with the knowledge of the Lord, like the waters covering the sea.
10 In that day, the root of Jesse, who stands as a sign among the people, the same the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulcher will be glorious.
11 And this shall be in that day: the Lord will send forth his hand a second time to take possession of the remnant of his people who will be left behind: from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Ethiopia, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Comments

Our goal, destiny and purpose

Permalink

field and sky with figure

Luke 21:34–36

Jesus understood the human: condition with all its weaknesses, inclinations and peccadillos. He counsels us to be careful or our hearts will be weighed down with three things: dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and ‘that day’ will close unexpectedly on us like a trap. The day the Lord was referring to is the day of his coming, the day of judgement but also the day of our death. We know for sure that these things will come upon every person who lives on the face of the earth (v. 35).

Since the beginning the Christian faith has encouraged the idea of keeping watch, being vigilant and in constant prayer in anticipation of the coming of the Lord. In this we are united to our brothers and sisters in the Jewish faith, who pray and long for the first coming of the Messiah in glory and honour. We pray for Jesus’s second coming, for we believe he is the promised Messiah, and returns in glory and honour after securing our eternal salvation.

However, truth be told, if we can resist being dissipated and drunk, most of us succumb to being overwhelmed by the anxieties and cares of life. When this happens, we  are easiiy  confused, lose clarity and are consumed with the things of this world. The real challenge for all of us is keeping our goal, destiny and purpose to the forefront of our minds and hearts.

What is our goal, destiny and purpose? To be with God, to share in the joy of heaven, to know the resurrection life – these are the end realities for which we long and pray and which one day will be a reality. For sure we need to strive, for sure we need to apply ourselves and work, but more, much more than this, we need to turn humbly to the Spirit who helps us in our weakness.

Tomorrow the season of Advent and Christmastide begins and we enter a time of waiting, longing and hoping as the liturgy makes present to us the events, the drama and the grace of Jesus’s first coming, while looking forward to his second, his return in glory but also to his coming into our lives in a new, exciting and dynamic way.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. With eyes of faith we see his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father full of grace and truth.

Chris 

From Bible Alive

 

 Apocalypse 22:1—7 •  Psalm 94(95):1–7 • Luke 21:34–36

 

 

 

 

Photograph ©2020 threeshoes photography

Comments
Acts
Adult Education
Advent
alms
angel
angels
anger
annunciation
answer
Apocalypse
apostles
apostolic
archbishops
architect
ascension
ask
atonement
banquet
beatitudes
bishop
bishops
Blessed
blessings
blind
blood
body
bread
brokenness
burden
CAFOD
care
centurion
chances
change
charity
Children
Christ
Christian
Christian Aid
Christ the King
church
Churches Together in Biggleswade
cleanse
come
comfort
coming
commandment
commitment
compassion
Conference
contemplation
conversion
coordinator
Coronavirus
courage
covenant
COVID-19
cross
cure
daily bread
Damascus
death
death to self
delight
desert
Devil
diocese
disciples
divine
Divine Office
divine work
divinity
Dominicans
doubt
Downside
earthly matters
Easter
eat
effort
encouragement
end-time
enemy
equality
eternal
Eucharist
evangelical
evangelise
evil
example
fairness
faith
faithfulness
fasting
Father
faults
fear
fear of God
feed
fever
fiat
find God
fire
fish
food
foretold
forgive
forgiveness
foundations
fountains
Francis
free
fruit
fruitfulness
Fund-raising
future
Gabriel
generosity
gentle
gift
giving
glory
God
God's
God's Plan
God's will
God-man
Godhead
Golden Rule
good
gospel
grace
gratitude
greatness
heal
healing
health
heart
heaven
heavenly matters
High Priest
Holy Spirit
Holy Week
Holy_Spirit
homeless
hope
Hosea
humble
humility
hypocrisy
I AM
immortality
incarnation
increase
In Jesus's Name
innocence
insight
Internet
jealousy
Jesus
joy
justice
Justice and Peace
kindness
King
King David
kingdom
knowing
knowledge
law
Lent
leprosy
life
light
live streaming
living
loaves
Logos
Lord
Lord's Prayer
lost
love
lunatic
Magi
manna
maranatha
martyr
Mary
Mass
Matthew
meaning
meditation
mercy
Messiah
mindfulness
Ministries
miracle
miracles
moral
Mount
mountains
mystery
mysticism
name
narrow path
Nazereth
neighbour
new creation
new life
New Testament
New Year
Nineveh
None
obedience
Old Testament
OneWorld
online
Organisation
Our Lady
outcast
outcasts
Palm Sunday
parable
Paraclete
Parish
Parish Youth
Passion
Paul
peace
penance
perfect
perfection
Peter
Pilgrimage
pity
poem
poor
Pope
power
praise
prayer
Prayers
preparation
proclamation
Prologue
promise
prophesy
prophet
prophets
protection
question
rebellion
recovery
reflection
refugee
reign
rejection
rejects
renewal
repentance
rest
resurrection
revelation
rich
righteiousness
righteousness
risen
Rock
Rolheiser
Sabbath
Sacraments
sacrifice
Sadducees
Safety
salvation
Satan
save
Saviour
sayittogod
Scriptures
second
Second Coming
seed
self-indulgence
self-sacrifice
sent
sermon
serve
service
sheep
shepherd
sights
signs
silence
sin
sinfulness
sinners
Social
Solomon
Son
Son of God
soul
sower
spirit
Spirit of Christ
Spiritual
splendour
St Benedict
steadfast
Stephen
stoning
storm
storms
strength
struggle
suffering
SVP
talents
teacher
teaching
tears
temptation
tenants
The Cross
Thérèse of Lisieux
time for God
today
transgressions
Trinity
trust
truth
understanding
unity
unworthy
victory
vine
vinedresser
vineyard
virgin
Visits
walk
watchful
water
way
wealth
weary
Website
will
Witness
women
Word
work
World
worm
worship
wounded
yearn
Year of Faith
yoke
You
RSS Feed 
March 2023 (1)
July 2022 (1)
June 2022 (1)
April 2022 (2)
March 2022 (3)
February 2022 (4)
January 2022 (1)
December 2021 (3)
November 2021 (6)
October 2021 (3)
September 2021 (4)
August 2021 (3)
July 2021 (1)
June 2021 (2)
May 2021 (2)
April 2021 (2)
March 2021 (1)
February 2021 (7)
January 2021 (7)
December 2020 (7)
November 2020 (8)
October 2020 (4)
September 2020 (7)
August 2020 (6)
July 2020 (8)
June 2020 (8)
May 2020 (9)
April 2020 (9)
March 2020 (17)
February 2020 (9)
January 2020 (7)
December 2019 (8)
November 2019 (7)
October 2019 (6)
September 2019 (6)
August 2019 (3)
July 2019 (5)
June 2019 (4)
May 2019 (3)
April 2019 (4)
March 2019 (5)
February 2019 (2)
January 2019 (5)
November 2018 (1)
October 2018 (3)
September 2018 (2)
August 2018 (2)
June 2018 (3)
May 2018 (3)
April 2018 (3)
March 2018 (5)
February 2018 (5)
January 2018 (5)
December 2017 (7)
November 2017 (4)
October 2017 (3)
September 2017 (5)
August 2017 (4)
July 2017 (3)
June 2017 (6)
May 2017 (4)
April 2017 (4)
March 2017 (6)
February 2017 (4)
January 2017 (5)
December 2016 (4)
November 2016 (4)
October 2016 (3)
September 2016 (5)
August 2016 (5)
July 2016 (4)
June 2016 (8)
May 2016 (4)
April 2016 (4)
March 2016 (6)
February 2016 (4)
January 2016 (3)
December 2015 (5)
November 2015 (4)
October 2015 (2)
September 2015 (2)
August 2015 (1)
July 2015 (3)
June 2015 (3)
May 2015 (5)
April 2015 (6)
March 2015 (5)
February 2015 (5)
January 2015 (2)
December 2014 (4)
November 2014 (4)
October 2014 (7)
September 2014 (5)
August 2014 (3)
July 2014 (5)
June 2014 (5)
May 2014 (5)
April 2014 (5)
March 2014 (6)
February 2014 (9)
January 2014 (5)
December 2013 (5)
November 2013 (6)
October 2013 (5)
September 2013 (7)
August 2013 (5)
July 2013 (5)
June 2013 (5)
May 2013 (1)
April 2013 (3)
March 2013 (3)
February 2013 (1)
January 2013 (5)
December 2012 (10)
November 2012 (7)
October 2012 (6)
September 2012 (6)
August 2012 (4)
July 2012 (2)
June 2012 (6)
May 2012 (10)
April 2012 (4)
March 2012 (3)
February 2012 (2)
January 2012 (8)
November 2011 (1)
October 2011 (1)
September 2011 (1)
August 2011 (1)
May 2011 (1)
April 2011 (1)
March 2011 (4)
February 2011 (2)
January 2011 (2)
December 2010 (2)
November 2010 (1)
October 2010 (3)
September 2010 (1)
August 2010 (1)
May 2010 (1)
March 2010 (2)
February 2010 (1)
January 2010 (3)
November 2009 (2)
October 2009 (1)
July 2009 (1)
May 2009 (1)
April 2009 (2)
March 2009 (1)
February 2009 (3)
January 2009 (1)
November 2008 (1)
October 2008 (1)
September 2008 (4)
August 2008 (2)

This site uses cookies. Some of the cookies we use are essential for parts of the site to operate and have already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but parts of the site may not work. To find out more about cookies on this website, see our Privacy Policy.