Education in Faith Sunday
The Irish Bishops have designated this Sunday 4th February as Education in Faith Sunday and to mark the occasion we are paying special attention to Pope Benedicts first Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (God is Love).
Put out into deep water and pay out your nets! If Jesus sends his followers as fishers of men, it is because they themselves have first been caught in the net of the love of the Father. If you wish to read the Popes Encyclical and find out more about Education in Faith Sunday visit http://www.catechetics.ie/educationinfaithsunday2007/deuscaritasestsummary.html
or http://www.catechetics.ie/
Deaths
We remember in our prayers those who died recently: Eugene OSullivan, late of Congress Rd., Tom Noonan, Evergreen Rd., Finbarr OConnor, Capwell Rd., and Adrian OConnor, Slieve Mish Park, who died recently, We extend our sympathy to their families.
Baptism
We welcome into the Christian Community Baby Rebecca Mary Zoe Twomey, who was baptised recently.
Bible Workshop A Day on Praying with Scripture
(Using the method of Lectio Divina) by Fr. Brendan Clifford O.P.
Sat. Febr. 24th, 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
Venue: Sacred Heart Hall, Western Road, Cork.
Please bring a packed lunch. Tea & Coffee provided.
Parking available. Adm. 10.
World Day of Prayer for the Sick
Sunday next 11th February, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, is World Day of Prayer for the Sick.
The 10 am Mass on Saturday next 10th February will be offered for the sick. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and the veneration of the relic of St. Bernadette will take place during the Mass.
Appeal for Lourdes Invalid Fund
The Diocesan Director of Pilgrimages has appealed to parishioners to continue their generous support for the Diocesan Pilgrimages to Lourdes by contributing to the annual collection.
The collection will be taken up at all Masses next weekend February 10th/11th. This collection subsidises the annual Diocesan Pilgrimage invalids, their helpers and professional staff.
Nemo Rangers Under 12 Boys Gaelic Football
Gaelic Football training for Nemo U12 Boys re-starts Wednesday next 7th Febr. 78 pm at Nemo/Trabeg Sports Complex, South Douglas Road. Any boy born in 1995 and enjoys sport is more than welcome to come along.
Contact 086-255656.
Christ King Secondary School
The Parents Council is holding a fund raising Table Quiz on Tuesday Febr. 13th in Nemo Rangers new Complex, Trabeg, at 8 pm sharp.
Young People Speak Out for a Better World
Come listen to over 400 local young people speak out on social issues that concern them and outline concrete actions they are taking to respond. 10am6pm, Cork City Hall. 8th. Feb 2007. Organised by Young Social Innovators. More information at www.youngsocialinnovators
Catholic Papers
The Irish Catholic, The Universe and The Catholic Times are on sale at the back of the Church every week.
Word
This week we continue our exploration of the Sunday Eucharist with a look to the
LITURGY OF THE WORD WE LISTEN
The Liturgy of the Word is made up of the readings from Sacred Scripture together with the chants occurring between them. The Homily, Profession of Faith, and Prayer of the Faithful develop and conclude this part of the Mass. Our world is full of words. We are constantly bombarded with messages and insights from the news, our work and even our friends. It is not easy to give our full attention to all that we hear or read.
However, the readings at Mass are not just any message. When the reader proclaims the Sacred Scriptures we are hearing Gods words to us. The Liturgy of the Word is that space wherein as a community we enter once again into the unending dialogue between God and Gods people. These are words that are alive and active; these are words that nourish and sustain us.
By breaking open the word the Homily explores how we can translate these words of Sacred Scripture into our lives. It teases out how we can make our lives relevant to and reflective of the words of mercy, justice, compassion, hope charity, love, peace, reconciliation . . . that we hear in our readings. Hopefully from our readings we come away with an invitation and an understanding of how to become doers, as well as hearers, of the word.
Cork Person of the Year Award
Our congratulations to Dan Donovan, Curragh Road, on winning the Cork Person of the Year Award. He was presented with the award by An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Last year, Presentation Collage named their theatre in honour of Dan who taught English, Irish and Latin at the school. He is known and admired as an actor, producer and director in theatre. Dan joins the list of previous winners, including Roy Keane, Sonia OSullivan, Adi Roche and Fr. Seán Healy.
A Thought
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." And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear. ~Luke 5:4-7
There is a lovely message to this story. We can all relate to times when we feel let down by God, when we have tried everything and caught nothing. It is so easy to throw in the towel. Yet the call is to put our trust in God. Simon in our story certainly put his trust in God even though he was skeptical of finding any. It became a life moving experience for him. We may have different questions, we may feel disappointed and upset over events that have happened. Yet the invitation is to trust in God's plans for us. God never abandons us or never tries to outsmart us. Once we are willing to take that initiative and put our trust in God then we are ready to face anything life may throw at us. Fr. James McSweeney