Dear friends in Christ
Central to the message of Advent is the prophet Isaiah. The Mass this Sunday is introduced with his words in the Introit: O people of Sion, behold, the Lord will come to save the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart. This is the invitation of Advent: that we heed the voice of the Prophets calling us to prepare the way of The Lord, to make the mountain of God the highest of the mountains, so that all the nations may stream to it. The First Reading of the Mass this weekend is the beautiful description by Isaiah of what the coming of the Messiah will bring. It is worth reading this passage of the Prophet again and again, since it reminds us in these days of turmoil and confusion, of what we hope and wait for. That day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the people. It will be sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.
You may have noticed over the last couple of weeks, a certain amount of external maintenance happening. With a site the size of this one there is always work that needs to be done. Drains and gutters have been cleared and cleaned, and remedial work carried out on the pipework; also some roof work where leaks are occurring. We also had a Fire Inspection which has reminded us of the importance of ensuring the safety of all who use these premises. A certain amount of safety work needs to be carried out. There is always something to do! The statues of the Apostles are now going away, a few at a time, for cleaning and restoring. St Joseph should be back with us before Christmas. Fortunately this work has been covered by a couple of recent legacies for which we are most grateful. Thank you all for your continued generosity, which makes it possible to maintain our buildings and keep them in good order for the glory of God and our edification.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Lady occurs this week—Thursday 8th—as a jewel in the crown of Advent. By this mystery of Mary’s life, by which she was created as the one perfect human being in the world—without Original Sin— she was prepared to be the Mother of the Messiah. God foresaw this at the start of creation when, after that sin of our first parents, God addressed the Serpent, the Evil One: I will make you enemies of each other, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will stroke its heel. There, at the beginning, God decided that He would create the perfect woman—Mary—to reverse the harm caused by the Evil One. We go to Mary on this lovely feast and ask her to protect us still from the Evil One. On Thursday evening we shall have the praying of the Rosary, Consecration of the Parish to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 7pm. This is indeed a Day for us to consecrate ourselves, our Schools, our homes and families to her Immaculate Heart.
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale