Christ-like Love
Peter in the house of Cornelius comes to realise that God does not recognise human distinction between Jew and Gentile, between Christian believer and unbeliever.  God does not have favourites.  All who seek what is good and true with sincerity of heart are acceptable to him.  The Jewish Christians who accompanied Peter on his visit to the pagan house of Cornelius were astonished when the Holy Spirit came upon the unbelievers, on the outsiders.  We, like those disciples, need to be open to others, to have respect for otherness.  God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son for all of us, not just for some.  God’s love is a unifying, life giving love, is the source of all authentic human love. That love of God for us is revealed by Jesus and indeed is revealed in the sending of Jesus by the Father.

Jesus calls us friends. Friends gaze together and see things in the same way, they have a shared viewpoint and confide in each other. Being called into friendship with Jesus means being called into his attitude of love towards those we love, and those we don’t love that much, or at all. He gives us a new commandment, “love one another as I have loved you.” Love one another in the same way that he loves us, a love of tenderness, forgiveness, love without conditions. St John in today’s first reading points out that if we fail to love, then we have failed to really know God at all.

Confirmation
Our thanks to Bishop John who presided at our Confirmation Ceremony on Thursday. Congratulations, prayers and good wishes to the forty-eight Bunscoil Chríost Rí pupils who were confirmed, to their families and teachers.

Parish Assembly:  Meeting this Thursday 9th March in Parish Centre at 8.00 pm.

Deaths:  We remember in our prayers Dan Harris, Palaceanne Lawn who died recently, and extend our sympathy to his family.

St. Joseph’s Young Priests Society meet on Tuesday 8th May 7.30 pm.

Ministers of the Word: A new Rota begins this weekend, copies in the Sacristy for collection.

The SMA National Novena in honour of Our Lady of Knock: Begins on Friday 18th May at African Missions Church, Blackrock Road and ends on Saturday 26th May which concludes with our Annual Pilgrimage to Knock.  The Novena will be celebrated at 7.30pm (except on Saturdays when it will be at 7.00pm).  For further information please contact SMA Blackrock Road at 021-4292871 or SMA Wilton at 021-4541069.

Pre-School: Little Turners Community Pre-school at 25, Capwell Road, Turner’s Cross, are now enrolling for September 2018 – Free Child Care places available. Phone 021 4915934.

National Day of Prayer and Reparation for the protection of the Unborn & in Reparation for the ways Ireland has turned away from God on Sunday May 13th in St. Joseph’s Church, Wilton, at 1.30pm.  Please come along, urgent prayer is needed. Contact: Human Life International (Ireland), Knock. Tel: 094-9375993.

Annual collection for the Diocesan Pastoral Development Office will be taken up at all Masses next weekend – Saturday/Sunday 12th/13th May.  Your generosity to this collection enables the office to continue to offer training and formation for pastoral groups and parish ministries, adult faith development opportunities, and the preparatory programme towards the World Meeting of Families.

Colaiste Stiofain Naofa (CSN) will hold its Annual Plant Sale on Tuesday15th and Wednesday 16th of May. This plant sale showcases the work of the Horticulture students at CSN. Plants available include annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, trees, and shrubs. Opening times 9am to5pm. All welcome.

Data Protection Officer
The Dioceses of Cashel & Emly, Cork & Ross, Limerick, Cloyne, Kerry, Waterford & Lismore, and Killaloe invite applications for the position of Data Protection Officer – DPO.  This is a 2-year Fixed Term Contract.  The purpose of this role is to assist the Dioceses in Munster and their parishes and agencies in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Good pastoral care and respect for the dignity of every person requires that personal data should be sourced, stored, processed and eventually disposed of in an appropriate manner. A detailed job description and is available on www.cashel-emly.ie <http://www.cashel-emly.ie> .   Applications by post or email must be received at or before 5.00 pm on Monday, May 14th 2018 by the Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly, Archbishop’s House, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Email: office@cashel-emly.ie <mailto:office@cashel-emly.ie> ,  Phone: (0504) 21512

South Central Community Safety Forum
Tuesday 8th May at 7.30 pm in the Ashe Room, Nano Nagle Place (Entrance via Evergreen Street). This is an opportunity to raise community safety issues of concern to you in your area.

PRAYER FOR LIFE
 Heavenly Father, we are all your children,
sons and daughters of the same loving Father,
and for this we praise you.
We thank you for the gift of life.
Help us to appreciate the great dignity of every human being.
Open our hearts to welcome every child as a wonderful gift.
May the life of a mother and her baby in the womb be equally cherished and respected.
Help us to realise that every person is precious that every baby deserves love, that every baby deserves life.
Help those who make our laws to uphold the unique dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.
May Mary and St Joseph pray for us at this time.
We make all our prayers through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

              Bring flowers of the rarest – our May hymn to Mary. We encourage you to pray the Rosary (even one decade), during May. The Rosary is prayed here before the 10.00 am weekday Mass.

Bring flowers of the rarest,
bring blossoms the fairest,
from garden and woodland
and hillside and dale;
Our full hearts are swelling,
our glad voices telling
the praise of the loveliest flower of the vale.

O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May,
O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May.

Their lady they name thee,
Their mistress proclaim thee,
Oh, grant that thy children
on earth be as true.
As long as the bowers
are radiant with flowers,
as long as the azure shall keep its bright hue.