“SPRINGS IN THE WILDERNESS” ~ OUR ADVENT SERVICE.
St Paul’s Church in Yate.
Let's join together with our Parishes in Communion on Thursday 7th December in St Paul's at 7.30pm at for an Advent service.
St Paul’s Church in Yate.
Let's join together with our Parishes in Communion on Thursday 7th December in St Paul's at 7.30pm at for an Advent service.
All are welcome.
The fabulous photobooth gang have nearly finished working on the brilliant pictures taken at the 'Countdown to Christmas' event - so look out for your photo in your email inbox in the next week.
Please feel free to share your own pic on our Facebook page if you would like to - we'd all love to see them!
Here is a message from Bart, the Community Participation Officer for CAFOD in Bristol.
"I write to you today as we watch with hope and apprehension the unfolding crisis in the Holy Land.
Let me first of all reassure you that, though heavily restricted, humanitarian aid is reaching people worst hit in Gaza through CAFOD’s partners who live and work in the region. Thank you, so much, to all those of you have donated or fundraised so far to resource this aid.
However, with great sadness I must report to you more deaths of staff and volunteers in our partner organisations. Please do pray for their families and colleagues as you pray for the conflict to end. Their colleagues continue to risk their lives daily, to provide life-saving help to others in great need.
As the conflict enters its ninth week, we are now also asking all parishes to do what they can to support our Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.
We also invite your parish to join us in calling for a lasting peace by writing to the Foreign Secretary. Thank you to the over 6,500 supporters and volunteers who already have. (See Link)
We join with the Bishops Conference in praying that:
‘as we approach the Holy Season of Advent…Christ the Prince of Peace will guide all devastated by this conflict into the ways of truth, reconciliation, and respectful co-existence.’
We are acutely conscious of this busy season of Advent and Christmas in your communities, a season when we go in our minds and our hearts to Bethlehem and Judea; and so we hope you and your parish will find our Advent and Christmas parish resources useful.
Together we can dare to hope for peace in the Holy Land this Advent.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
In Christ, Bart"
"I write to you today as we watch with hope and apprehension the unfolding crisis in the Holy Land.
Let me first of all reassure you that, though heavily restricted, humanitarian aid is reaching people worst hit in Gaza through CAFOD’s partners who live and work in the region. Thank you, so much, to all those of you have donated or fundraised so far to resource this aid.
However, with great sadness I must report to you more deaths of staff and volunteers in our partner organisations. Please do pray for their families and colleagues as you pray for the conflict to end. Their colleagues continue to risk their lives daily, to provide life-saving help to others in great need.
As the conflict enters its ninth week, we are now also asking all parishes to do what they can to support our Israeli-Palestinian Crisis Appeal.
We also invite your parish to join us in calling for a lasting peace by writing to the Foreign Secretary. Thank you to the over 6,500 supporters and volunteers who already have. (See Link)
We join with the Bishops Conference in praying that:
‘as we approach the Holy Season of Advent…Christ the Prince of Peace will guide all devastated by this conflict into the ways of truth, reconciliation, and respectful co-existence.’
We are acutely conscious of this busy season of Advent and Christmas in your communities, a season when we go in our minds and our hearts to Bethlehem and Judea; and so we hope you and your parish will find our Advent and Christmas parish resources useful.
Together we can dare to hope for peace in the Holy Land this Advent.
Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support.
In Christ, Bart"
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Shafts of Light, Shafts of Hope in Advent.
Advent is a time of light, of waiting and hope, of light and joy. Join us as we reflect on these great themes with music, art, and scripture. See it as a mini retreat to give some focus to this busy time of present buying, food shopping, baking and wrapping of gifts.
The mini retreat will be run by The Clifton Evangelist Diocesan team twice online, just click on your chosen session link below:
Thursday 14th December 7-8pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bef05e7a-38d9-4349-8c6c-39c0d79dda93@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94
Repeated on,
Tuesday 19th December 3-4pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e1cc27ee-0fba-403e-a6a4-86c34a930b1a@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94
Thursday 14th December 7-8pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/bef05e7a-38d9-4349-8c6c-39c0d79dda93@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94
Repeated on,
Tuesday 19th December 3-4pm: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/e1cc27ee-0fba-403e-a6a4-86c34a930b1a@f10b8f13-604e-4fa2-9e12-04a7fad22e94
Vacancy at Clifton Diocese - Safeguarding Officer.
Part-time – 21 hours per week (Wednesday to Friday)
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is committed to safeguarding and this vacancy provides an opportunity for a skilled and experienced professional to join the Safeguarding team at Alexander House, Pennywell Road, Bristol.
The Safeguarding Officer role supports the ongoing development of safeguarding across the Diocese and the management of cases. The successful applicant will need to have comprehensive knowledge and experience of safeguarding legislation, policy procedure and best practice guidance and come from a background of either Social Work, Policing, Health or Probation.
For further information about this role please visit www.cliftondiocese.com/Diocese/working-for-us or contact Janice Pearson or Tracey Holford, Clifton Diocese on 0117 954 0993. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 5th January 2024 with the intention of interviewing on Thursday 18th January 2024.
Part-time – 21 hours per week (Wednesday to Friday)
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton is committed to safeguarding and this vacancy provides an opportunity for a skilled and experienced professional to join the Safeguarding team at Alexander House, Pennywell Road, Bristol.
The Safeguarding Officer role supports the ongoing development of safeguarding across the Diocese and the management of cases. The successful applicant will need to have comprehensive knowledge and experience of safeguarding legislation, policy procedure and best practice guidance and come from a background of either Social Work, Policing, Health or Probation.
For further information about this role please visit www.cliftondiocese.com/Diocese/working-for-us or contact Janice Pearson or Tracey Holford, Clifton Diocese on 0117 954 0993. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 5th January 2024 with the intention of interviewing on Thursday 18th January 2024.
Thank you to Deacon Vincent for your Reflections for the Feast of Christ the King Year A.
1st Reading from the prophet Ezekiel 14: 11-12, 15-17.
Ezekiel was in the first set of exiles to Babylon, he was a priest like Isaiah and Jeremiah, He had a very powerful call from God as he describes at the beginning of the book. He uses a wide range of literary forms. Ezekiel’s calling by God, is to proclaim God’s message not only for those in exile but also for those still in Judah. Ezekiel uses symbolic actions to illustrate the message God has given him. He is a very strange but fascinating character. Our extract that we have today is proclaiming that Israel will rise again. God has eloquently described to Ezekiel how he is to be viewed by the people. God is a good shepherd who looks after the weak as well as the healthy. God knows those who are his sheep, and those who pretend, he also knows those who are the rams and goats. God knows all his sheep!! Sometimes our life in this society is very much like being in exile, Ezekiel’s messages from God can be of great assistance to us today, especially the encouragement to persevere, hope and trust in the Lord.
Psalm 22: 1-3, 5-6.
This beautiful poem continues our theme of the Good Shepherd. God is our good shepherd, he is always seeking our welfare and guarding us against the evil one, feeding us and filling us with his goodness. This psalm never fails to lift our hope and trust in God, especially when we are feeling low.
This beautiful poem continues our theme of the Good Shepherd. God is our good shepherd, he is always seeking our welfare and guarding us against the evil one, feeding us and filling us with his goodness. This psalm never fails to lift our hope and trust in God, especially when we are feeling low.
2nd Reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 15: 20-26, 28.
In this extract Paul runs a parallel between Adam and Christ. Adam brought death into the world; Christ is God’s answer to death. This death will gradually be eliminated in the universe, but in their proper order; Christ first, then Christians and finally the whole of creation, as it is restored to its’ proper order as God had designed it. Paul has given Jesus a very high status, calling him Lord, and clearly has some understanding of Christ’s equivalence to God. However, Paul now moderates his thoughts by accounting how Christ will then hand everything over to the Most High God, and Paul emphasises that the Son is also subject to God. We see how the community was still teasing out its’ early Credo. Maybe we are still exploring that relationship today.
The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 25: 31-46.
This passage portrays Christ as the Judge enthroned as King in all his glory, surrounded by his angels. Jesus gives us a vision of a shepherd king dividing the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be admitted to God’s kingdom because they treated Christ charitably, when he appeared in the form of one of the least of his brothers and sisters, whereas the goats will be cast out because when Christ appeared as one of the least, they sent them packing without any assistance. Both sets will be astounded and inquire as to when this all happened. Jesus tells us that he is in each every one of us, rich or poor alike and when any of us need assistance we are expected to provide loving care. We are judged by how we behave to each other. This is another illustration of Jesus answer to the scribe who asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus’ response was and still is today, “Love God with all your heart and soul, this is the greatest and the second is similar to the first, Love your neighbour as yourself.” That is the challenge to all of us throughout our lives, without exception. It is a challenging end to our ecclesiastical year and is Matthew’s final word before he relates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God give us the insight to see you in the disadvantaged of this world. Deacon Vincent
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