5TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME 09 FEBRUARY 2025 Newsletter
Penitential Rite
Our God is a God of openness and generosity. As we begin our celebration let us call to mind that openness and generosity.
You make us poor in spirit. Lord have mercy
You make us mindful of all in need. Christ have mercy
You make us bearers of your vision for the world. Lord have mercy
May the God of generosity and openness fill us with compassion, forgive us our sin and bring us to life everlasting. Amen
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings. And they cried out one to another in this way, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. His glory fills the whole earth.’ The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said: ‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of hosts.’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said: ‘See now, this has touched your lips, your sin is taken away, your iniquity is purged. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
In the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it. but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of people. Alleluia!
Luke 15:1-11
When Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats-it was Simon’s-and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch’. ‘Master,’ Simon replied ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets for a catch.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.
Prayer of the Faithful
Father, Son and Spirit, you are a community of active love. May we too be such a community. Lord hear us
Lord, in a world where so much is uncertain we look to you to guide us on our journey. Lord hear us
The Spirit of God is challenging our church to change direction; to become a church where there is room for everyone’s gifts and abilities. Help us Lord, to face the challenge. Lord hear us
We are mindful of all who have gone before us to the heart of God. We mourn their loss but in a spirit of hope, looking to the day when we will be united again. Lord hear us
As Jesus rejected violence, so may we choose the path of peace and reconciliation. Lord hear us
In quiet we put aside our own needs and remember those who need our prayer and support ……………………………………Lord hear us
Reflection
Our world desperately needs to come in from the lost islands of desiccated individualism and learn to stand again on the fertile earth where vibrant and vital interaction can happen between people. Our world is facing so many crises ecologically, economically, and spiritually. These cannot be overcome by isolated individuals. We need to come together. There is incredible power in a community of people who are together because they care, and who are motivated by the ideals of compassion and creativity. When such a community develops and maintains its own vision, it will not fall into the trap of being prisoners of reaction and beginning to resemble more and more the opposition. It will not play power games, but maintain its care and critical focus. When such a prophetic community is nourished by prayer and animated by Divine Longing, the harvest of creativity and belonging which it can bring is unlimited.
John O’Donohue
.
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