Homily 1st January, 2012 Mary Mother of God. Year B
P Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary
+++++++++++
How to keep up-to-date with parish news.
Have you signed up to receive the various St Mary’s, Maryborough Parish emails? A fast way of keeping up-to-date
For more info, please visit: http://stmaryextras.blogspot.com/2011/08/have-you-signed-up-to-receive-various.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Even though the church year starts at Advent.
The start of the calendar year is still an important milestone. It is the year of Our Lord 2012. Another year which we dedicate to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
And to which we dedicate our work, effort and prayers to being servants and disciples of Christ.
It is perfectly fitting to celebrate the end of one calendar year and the start of another by the feast of Mary the Mother of God. Mary is so inspiring. Mary is the patron saint of our parish and our schools. And Mary is a wonderful inspiration for us.
To help (in any and many ways that God asks of us).. to establish God’s kingdom in the places we live and work and socialise.
As with Mary, it’s not so much a time of revelry and late partying.. but rather a wonderful chance to treasure all these things in our heart… to ponder everything that has happened to us this last year….. and to prayerfully and quietly reflect on the year ending and the new one beginning.
It is good for us, over the next days, to reflect back and remember all the wonderful gifts and blessings God has enriched us with…. And also remember all the people and event for which we are truly and deeply grateful…. Including our families, our friends, our brother and sister parishioners, our wider community.. our nation…. Which is blessed with so many natural gifts and the gift of relative peace and freedom….. and the gift of our Church too…. and the gift of our faith, which makes us beloved daughters and sons of God…. I reckon as part of our regular prayer its important to keep a prayer diary that keeps a list only of the gifts and graces and blesseings we have received, and all the things we give thanks for … (nothing else… just the positives….).. it won’t take long to fill that book.. I am sure of that… perhaps even in a couple of days, the book could be overflowing… for we are surrounded by so many gifts and blessings.. so much to be grareful for.. that we often can’t comprehend or recall them all….
It is so important to have a grateful, remembering heart. Mary did… even when… (especially when) things were going terribly wrong and didn’t make the slightest sense.. Mary pondered, prayed, cherished…. and trusted in God….
In this mass, (dedicated to Mary the Mother of God), who is the first and most perfect disciple of Jesus…. We present our discipleship and prayers../
We offer up prayers for the year that is ending //…
We offer up all the good we have done to god…. May God transform it for his purposes…
and
we offer up any mistakes and sins of the past year… may God forgive us and heal us….
We think of our loved ones, friends and parishioners who have passed away this year, and pray that they are now enjoying the peace and reward of God’s eternal kingdom.
And we offer up prayers for all our loved ones, friends and parishioners, that God may hold them in the palm of his hand this coming year.
For the new year.. beginning… we ask God to bless and make fruitful our words, our actions and our work…. And help us to live the witness to the good news…
May God bless us and keep us in love, faith, hope and health in this (coming) new year 2012 and beyond…
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
REFERENCES:
· FR. PAUL W. KELLY
0 comments:
Post a Comment