THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS OF MYRA - WELCOMES YOU

New Diocesan Offices, addresses etc., here

SUNDAY 14 AUGUST 2022 - 20TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME

Penitential Rite

Our God is a God of blessings. As we begin our celebration let us call to mind God’s goodness to us.

You make us poor in spirit. Lord have mercy

You fill us with your kindness. Christ have mercy

You make us generous in spirit. Lord have mercy

May the God of Blessings fill us with compassion,
in the face of human suffering.
May he forgive us our sin and bring us
to life everlasting. Amen

Jeremiah 38:4-6. 8-10

The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin. ‘He is in your hands as you know,’ King Zedekiah answered ‘for the king is powerless against you.‘ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank.
Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies’.

Hebrews 12: 1-4

With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord, to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!

Luke 12: 49-53 

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over! ‘
Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.

Prayer of the Faithful

God our Father and Mother, your love gives meaning to our lives. We bless you. Lord hear us

Lord Jesus, you are the Living, Prophetic Word of God. You challenge us to live beyond our own hopes and dreams. We bless you. Lord hear us

Holy Spirit of God, you are the source of our inspiration and courage, drawing us together as One People. We bless you. Lord hear us

Lord, in our personal lives, help us to proclaim your compassion, in particular for those whom society and our Church would rather forget. Lord hear us

We remember, with joy and thanksgiving, all those who have died and especially those who have died through violence and war. May the bereaved families and friends find peace. Lord hear us

In silence we call to mind, all who need our prayer and support…...........Lord hear us

Reflection

Prophets are not people who tell the future. They are those who not only speak the truth but embody it in their living.

Jesus not only spoke the truth, he was the Truth. Every fibre of his being oozed the Truth.

And what is the Truth? It is simple. God is Love and we are the object of his love. This love imbues us with dignity and makes every human being valuable beyond calculation.

Prophets are often unpopular because they refuse to deny the dignity of any human being. They refuse to treat people as outsiders, as unworthy.

Jesus was and is the very expression of God’s love for us. He died, because he refused to deny God’s love for humankind and especially the poorest, and the weakest.

To live prophetically is to live beyond the borders of our own wants and needs. It is to acknowledge, defend and protect the God given dignity of the poorest and the weakest.

Remembered this Weekend

Annette Timmins (recently deceased)
Funeral 10am St. Nicholas of Myra, Monday 15 August 2022

Saturday 6pm Mass
Tom Reck (1st Anniversary)
Lily Mills (4th Anniversary)
Christy Mills
Ethne Brown (35th Anniversary)
Patricia & Mary Fairbrother
Ann Mahony

Sunday 11.30am Mass
Julia Rea (1st Anniversary) & her husband Luigi
Willie & Chrissie Bennett
Fr. Maurice Reidy

 

Feel free to contact us at the email addresses below

TOP

a