The Coming

Welcome to the season of Advent, “The Coming”. We celebrate the fact that we believe in God who comes to us. He came at Bethlehem, he will come again at the end of time, and meanwhile he comes to us in Word and Sacrament among other ways. Truly God-who-comes, God who is with us – Emmanuel!

At Nain, years later, the people who had watched Jesus raise the widow’s son proclaimed that God had visited his people. We have this season, then, to prepare for our greatest visitor, Jesus, true God and true Man. The world is ahead of us in its commercial preparation for the secular Christmas. We start today, the beginning of a new Church year, to show the world what it really means to prepare for Christ-mas, the Mass-of-Christ..

1. I invite you to take time to absorb the Word of God this Advent. Take a look at the accounts of the Christmas story in the opening chapters of the Gospels of St Matthew and St Luke, then move on to the first chapter of St John to see his wonderful meditation on those same events. Use the various publications and online resources that are available to help you.

2. Pope Francis has proclaimed a special Year of Mercy to start on 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The next day, Wednesday 9th we in the so-called Northern Arc of parishes, will celebrate an Evening of Mercy. Fr Isaac, Fr Leyshon and myself will be in St Brigid’s to celebrate mercy through the sacrament of Reconciliation from 6.30pm until 7.30pm. We will then concelebrate Mass for the beginning of the Year of Mercy. I will preside and Fr Isaac will preach. This special evening will replace our normal Advent Penitential service.

3. Our 3 Churches Carol Service this year takes place at St Paul’s on Tuesday December 22nd at 7pm. This will be a great opportunity to usher in the Christmas season together, after school events have ended and most of your home preparations are done. Put it in your diary!

4. Our Christmas Masses will be at the same times as last year. Christmas Eve 6pm at all three churches. 10pm at Christ the King and St Brigid’s. Christmas morning 9am St Paul’s, 10am Christ the King, 11am St Brigid’s. There will be Midnight Mass at St Philip Evans.

So take note of these ways of celebrating the Coming this year – and happy Advent!

Fr Matthew