FOURTH ADVENT

24TH DECEMBER 2017

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK

THOSE THAT ARE SICK especially Michelle Owens,

Janette Swanson Logan Mayborn and Christian Vimpany.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE RECENTLY DECEASED

including Julie Knox, Amelia (Millie) Leahy, Peter Grob,

Peter Boyle and Neal Jackson Hope AND FOR THE

THOSE FOR WHOM MASSES HAVE BEEN REQUESTED:

Harold Stevens, Albert, Josephine, Kevin and Chris Ellis,

Grahame Townsend, Patrick McNally, Middy and John

Solomon, Mary, Cecil, Barry and Michael Ellis and Ben

Nydam.

31 CLUB GLEN INNES

We continue through December our daily prayer in our parish for vocations to the Priesthood at the request of our Bishop There are a zillion vocations in the world but Bishop Kennedy has specifically asked for Prayers for Vocations to the Priesthood:

Sunday 24th – M. Willis; Monday 25th – M. Mattewson Tuesday 26th – M. Munro; Wednesday 27th – J. West ; 28th-K. Newsome ; Friday 29th - B. Newsome; Saturday 30th – J. Henry.

Supporting your Priests and your Parish:

1st Collection (supports the clergy & presbytery)

BSB 082 105 Account No 001023535

2nd Collection (supports St Patrick’s Parish)

BSB 082 105 Account No 001000335

Reference with your Planned Giving Number and your name.

Last weekends Planned Giving $1064.00 from 37 envelopes, loose money was $113.00

162 Meade Street, GLEN INNES

Telephone 6732 3045 gleninnesparish@armidale.catholic.org.au

www.gleninnesparish.org.au

A Faithful Catholic Community

• Faithful to the Teaching of the Apostles

• Faithful to Prayer

• Faithful to the Breaking of the Bread

• Alive in the community of the Spirit

• Sharing what we have with those in need

Acts 2:42-46

SVdPChristmas Appeal:

‘Making Christmas Wishes Come True’

Through the generous support from the Glen Innes community, $2,787.50 has been received

in this year’s appeal.

The St Vincent de Paul Society is grateful to the donations from St Joseph’s School

($185.50), the Services Club ($750.00) the Lions Club (Christmas cakes to the value of

$612.00) and from individuals in our parish and the wider community ($1,240.00).

THANK YOU! 55 families have been supported this year by your generosity.

Local Conference members wish all in our parish and community every blessings as we

celebrate the birth of the Christ Jesus.

FOURTH SUNAY IN ADVENT

Liturgy this Week

MONDAY

CHRISTMAS DAY 8.30am & 10.30am at Emmaville.

TUESDAY

ST STEPHEN FIRST MARTYR In the Octave of the Nativity Mass 5.30pm

WEDNESDAY

ST JOHN EVANGELIST In the Octave of the Nativity Mass 5.30pm

THURSDAY

THE HOLY INNOCENTS In the Octave of the Nativity MASS 5.30PM

FRIDAY

NO HOLY HOUR…..5th Day In the Octave of the Nativity Mass 5.30pm

SATURDAY

6th Day In the Octave of the Nativity Mass 9.30am

VIGIL MASS

6PM Vigil of THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH

SUNDAY

8.30am THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY & JOSEPH

From January 7th after the 8:30am Sunday Mass until

Saturday midday Fr Gleeson will be absent from the parish.

For emergency calls please phone:

Fr. Roel Llave (Inverell 02 67 22 1103) or

Fr. Steve O’Shea (Guyra 0431 601 753)

Fr H Kingsley Etoh leaves our parish of St Patrick’s

following the Christmas Mass at Emmaville. He

leaves Australia for Nigeria and his home village on

27th December. He will return in early February to

move to Moree to take up his appointment as

Assistant Priest. Fr Kingsley wishes to thank the

parishioners of Glen Innes for this generosity and

kindness during his six months in the parish.

St Augustine on Christmas Eve

From a sermon by Saint Augustine

Truth has arisen from the earth and justice has looked down from heaven

Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man.

You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come.

Let us then joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festive day on which he who is the great and eternal day came from the great and endless day of eternity into our own short day of time.

He has become our justice, our sanctification, our redemption, so that, as it is written: Let him who glo-ries glory in the Lord.

Truth, then, has arisen from the earth: Christ who said, I am the Truth, was born of the Virgin. And jus-tice looked down from heaven: because believing in this new-born child, man is justified not by himself but by God.

Truth has arisen from the earth: because the Word was made flesh. And justice looked down from heaven: because every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.

Truth has arisen from the earth: flesh from Mary. And justice looked down from heaven: for man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

Justified by faith, let us be at peace with God: for justice and peace have embraced one another. Through our Lord Jesus Christ: for Truth has arisen from the earth. Through whom we have access to that grace in which we stand, and our boast is in our hope of God’s glory. He does not say: “of our glo-ry,” but of God’s glory: for justice has not come out of us but has looked down from heav-en. Therefore he who glories, let him glory, not in himself, but in the Lord.

For this reason, when our Lord was born of the Virgin, the message of the angelic voices was: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will.

For how could there be peace on earth unless Truth has arisen from the earth, that is, unless Christ were born of our flesh? And he is our peace who made the two into one: that we might be men of good will, sweetly linked by the bond of unity.

Let us then rejoice in this grace, so that our glorying may bear witness to our good conscience by which we glory, not in ourselves, but in the Lord. That is why Scripture says: He is my glory, the one who lifts up my head. For what greater grace could God have made to dawn on us than to make his only Son become the son of man, so that a son of man might in his turn become son of God?

Ask if this were merited; ask for its reason, for its justification, and see whether you will find any other answer but sheer grace.