St Teresa & St John Southworth Churches, Cleveleys
Fr Chris Cousens—Phone: 853340
Rev Bernard Ward (Deacon) (Tel: 858346)
Enquiries for St John Southworth: Phone: 853340
8 December 2024
http://www.st-teresas-church.co.uk
Email: st.teresas.cleveleys@gmail.com
Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trustees Registered Charity Number 23433
Sunday : 2nd Sunday of Advent
Contents: Gospel
Notices
Reflection
Gospel : Luke 3:1-4
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Ceasar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was a governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechaeriah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice cries in the wilderness;
Prepare a way for the Lord,
Make his paths straight.
Every valley will be filled in,
Every mountain and hill be laid low,
Winding ways will be straightened
And rough roads made smooth.
And all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Gospel Reflection : Prepare The Way
Everything we do can prepare the way for God, for God makes his home among us, and Jesus is born to dwell within each of us. In love and in friendship there is the meeting-place of God and people, as in the love and the promise of Mary there was the space for God to become one of us.
In our human love we prepare the way for the love of God; in our human forgiveness we prepare for the forgiveness of God; in our human compassion we prepare the way for the compassion of God.
Our human work to help people’s lives prepares the way for the justice of God, and our human way of reconciliation prepares for the grace of reconciliation between God and his people.
In our daily love, forgiveness and compassion we are sharing in the very life of God.
Without our cooperation, there can be no justice of God, no reconciliation of God, no speaking of the word of God, for without our voice the word of God is silent.
We Remember In Our Prayers Margaret Platt whose Funeral Service is at Carleton Crematorium on Thursday 12th December, at 2.45 pm. We remember her and her family, and those whose anniversaries are at this time. May God’s peace be with them all.
We Welcome Into The Family Of The Church Those Whose Baptisms Take Place This Sunday At St. Teresa’s Ryan Callum Selmes, Racheal Levaine Selmes, Malcolm Bobby Junior Boyd, and Katie Levaine Boyd.
St. Teresa’s Christmas Fair Last Sunday : The Parish Council would like to thank all who helped, in whatever way, towards this year’s Fair. Lots of hard work from many people ensured that the Fair was a great success, and it raised the fantastic sum of £2516.34. Many thanks too to all who supported the raffle. A list of all prize winners is available in the church porch. Prizes can be collected from the church sacristy before or after any Mass.
Becky Connor, on behalf of all who organised the recent Hoedown social in the Parish Hall recently, would like to thank everyone for the success of the evening. “We are giving £300 to Brian House, the Childrens’ Hospice, and £200 to the church, to help with the very costly roof improvements.We all had a great night, and look forward to doing more next year” Thank you very much Becky.
The Church Shop ‘Thank You’ Draw As a thank you for your continued support throughout the year, free tickets,will be handed out with every purchase made in the shop this weekend. The draw will take place on 16th December, and the winner will receive a mini food hamper. The Church shop, on the right as you come into the church porch, is open before and after each weekend Mass at St. Teresa’s. You are very welcome to browse.
The next SVP Collection, for those in need locally, is next weekend, 14th/15th. A big thank you to those who have generously contributed to this year’s Shoe Box collection, with items which are so useful to the homeless and the needy.
During Advent We Have Morning Prayer Together At 9.15 am, that is before each weekday Mass at St. Teresa’s.
Carols In Cleveleys : Join with local churches to sing carols and share joy together. This is next Saturday 14th December, 11 am – 11.30 am, outside Poundland, Victoria Road, Cleveleys (weather permitting)
CAFOD World Gifts At Christmas : As in previous years, CAFOD have produced a catalogue of gifts which will help us remember not just our own families and friends at this time of year but also our brothers and sisters facing the injustice of poverty around the world.These are now in the church porch for us to take and read at home. Please take one today, and see the instructions given.
Christmas Carol Concert St. Kentigern’s Singers are presenting a Christmas Carol Concert in St. Teresa’s Church this Sunday 8th December at 2.30 pm, with guest appearances of Anne and Denise Nolan. All are very welcome. Admission Free. Refreshments will be served after the Concert in the Parish Hall.
The Food Pantry, situated at the back of church at St. Teresa’s, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10.30 am – 12 noon, and on Wednesdays, 2.30 pm – 4 pm. We are so grateful for all the volunteers who work in the Pantry, and all those who donate contributions
Daily Reflections for this week
Monday (Jean Vanier)
Jesus was sent by the Father not to judge us and even less condemn us to the prisons, limitations and dark places of our beings, but to free us, by planting the seeds of the Spirit in us. To grow in love is to allow this spirit of Jesus to grow in us. Growth takes on another dimension when we allow Jesus to penetrate us, to give us new life and new energy.
Scripture (Baruch 5: 1-2, 6-9)
Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of God’s glory for evermore, wrap the cloak of God’s saving justice around you, put the diadem of the glory of the eternal on your head. Though you left on foot with enemies for an escort, now God brings them back to you like royal princes carried back in glory. For God has decreed the flattening of each high mountain, the everlasting hills, the filling of the valleys to make the ground level so that Israel can walk in safety under the glory of God; for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory with his mercy and integrity for escort.
Tuesday (C.S.Lewis)
Now what sort of ‘hole’ has man got himself into? He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself. In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. This process of surrender is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than simply eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years.
Scripture (John 8:31-36)
To the Jews who believed in him, Jesus said “If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will come to know the truth and the truth will set you free. In truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave. Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.
Wednesday (St. John of the Cross)
Mary Magdalene, in spite of her past, paid no heed to the crowds of people, prominent as well as unknown, at the banquet. She did not consider the propriety of weeping and shedding tears in the presence of our Lord’s guests. Her only concern was to reach him for whom her soul was already wounded and on fire, without any delay and without waiting for another, more appropriate time.
Scripture (2 Cor. 1:18-22)
As surely as God is trustworthy, what we say to you is not both Yes and No. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, was never Yes and No: his nature is all Yes. For in him is found the Yes to all God’s promises and therefore it is through him that we answer “Amen” to give praise to God. It is God who gives us a sure place in Christ and has both anointed us and marked us with his seal, giving us as pledge the Spirit in our hearts.
Thursday (Council of African Churches)
We are not required to wait for a distant ‘heaven’ when all problems will be solved. What Christ has done, he has done already. We can accept his work or reject it; we can hide from it or seek to live by it. Our task is to work for the expression of God’s reconciliation here and now.
Scripture (Isaiah 57:14-15)
Then it will be said: Level up, level up, clear the way, remove the
obstacle from my people’s way, for thus says the High and Exalted One who lives eternally and whose name is holy, “I live in the holy heights, but I am with the contrite and the humble, to revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Friday (Pope Paul VI)
Is the Christian life happy or sad? Does the fact that we are Christians make us happy, or does it pile up limits, duties and burdens on our shoulders? Jesus, as a man, experienced the simple, everyday joys of life. The depth of his inner life did not lessen his sensitivity nor make his vision of the world any less realistic. The simple human joys are so real for Jesus that they speak to him of the joys of the kingdom of God.
Scripture (Philippians 1:3-9)
I pray with joy remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished in the Day of Christ Jesus comes. You have a place in my heart, since you have all shared together in the grace that has been mine, both my chains and my work defending and establishing the Gospel. It is my prayer that your love for one another may grow more and more with the knowledge and complete understanding that will help you to come to true discernment.
Martin Bennett