2ND SUNDAY – ADVENT 08 DECEMBER 2024 Newsletter —– Christmas Services All Parishes
Penitential Rite
The Lord our God is close at hand.
You prepare the way, O Lord, that we may prepare for You. Lord have mercy
You call us to new life, a life of justice and compassion. Christ have mercy
You bring us together, with the poor and the destitute. Lord have mercy
May our gracious God, who calls us to prepare, by lives of justice and compassion, forgive us our sin and bring us to life everlasting. Amen
Baruch 5:1-9
See, Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever, wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you, put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head: since God means to show your splendour to every nation under heaven, since the name God gives you for ever
will be, ‘Peace through integrity, and honour through devotedness’. Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east: see your sons reassembled from west and east at the command of the Holy One, jubilant that God has remembered them. Though they left you 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, of 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. And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel at the command of God; for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory with his mercy and integrity for escort.
Philippians 1:3-6. 8-11
Every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. I am quite certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes. God knows how much I miss you all, loving you as Christ Jesus loves you. My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception. so that you can always recognise what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of
Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, Alleluia
Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight and all mankind shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia
Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the lands of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrach of Abilene, during the pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas the word of God came to John son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. He went through the whole Jordan district proclaiming a 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.
Prayer of the Faithful
Lord Father, Son and Spirit, through your love we discover the true beauty of our nature as human beings. We thank you. Lord hear us
Lord God, you call us to prepare for the coming of Christ, by a gentle change of heart. Guide us on our journey. Lord hear us
Lord, in our daily lives, help us to deal with each other with greater patience, understanding and kindness. Lord hear us
We remember all who have died. In this season of hope, we look to the time when we will be happily re-united in the Kingdom of your love. Lord hear us
May we as a society, accept our responsibility for those, who are poor, and disadvantaged. May our concern be rooted not in a passing sense of guilt, but in a real desire to change our society. Lord hear us
In silence we remember those in need of our prayer and support………………Lord hear us
Reflection
May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.
May I live this day
Compassionate of heart,
Clear in word,
Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought,
Generous in love.
.
Thank you for visiting our parish website which we hope you find informative and friendly. Our website has been created to offer you helpful information on parish life. As the church where many pilgrims begin their Camino to Santiago in Northern Spain, we provide an Irish passport and stamp.
St James’s Church is situated on the corner of James St. and Echlin St. The parish is served by Dublin buses 13, G1, G2, S2 and 123. The Red Luas line runs close by, with a stop at James St. (turn right at this station on to James St.) and Heuston Station is only a few minutes walk away. Dublin Bikes have two stations at the front and rear of the church.
Passports for the Camino de Santiago are available from
Church Sacristy
on Mon & Tues 9am to 12noon, Thurs 10.30am to 12 noon
Buen Camino!
Reg Chy No 20016166
