Advent

A time of …watchful waiting, preparation, peace and justice

Getting our hearts and minds ready to celebrate Jesus at Christmas time

This Sunday marks the beginning of the second week of Advent. We light the second purple candle on the Advent Wreath. It is called the “BETHLEHEM CANDLE” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. This second candle represents “FAITH”. Mary and Joseph had tremendous faith in God and His plan for them. John the Baptist, who was Jesus’ cousin, also showed unwavering faith.  He proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, he baptised people, and he helped them open their hearts to welcome Jesus.  We too are called to open our hearts in faith and welcome Jesus our Lord and saviour, into our lives. We are called to renew our faith in God during this special time of Advent.

10 ways to strengthen Faith this Advent

Put God first - Make Him important in your life.

Set aside a quiet time for prayer - Prayer is how we build a personal relationship with God (you don’t even have to say anything)

Trust God’s Plan - Look to God for guidance and peace even when times are hard.

Read the Bible - You have to listen to God's word to understand and to live in faith.

Share God’s Word - Tell others about God's love and Jesus' sacrifice.

Don't put too much value in material things - What's waiting in heaven is more important than on earth. 

Resist temptation - Pray that God will help you be strong against sin.

Love others - Treat others with love and compassion. 

Serve others - Honour Jesus by giving your time and energy to other people. 

Say sorry and forgive – Let go of hurts and promote peace and harmony.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to our students who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last Thursday during their retreat day at Trinity Catholic College, Goulburn. May they continue to receive God’s grace through this healing Sacrament.

Reconciliation (one of the 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church) is a beautiful sacrament that brings peace and joy. It is all about God’s forgiveness and mercy. As human beings we are not perfect (Jesus was the perfect human being) but God loves every one of us all of the time anyway. God doesn’t stop loving us when we fail to be the best we can be, but we sometimes stop loving ourselves and others and God knows our human selves need a tangible experience of forgiveness and mercy to be put right again, to be at peace and start afresh.

Jesus gave authority to His Apostles and the priests to hear confessions and forgive sins in His name. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;” (John 20:23). When Catholics go to confession, they own their shortcomings, express their sorrow, and ask for forgiveness. They hear the priest say they are forgiven and experience God’s forgivingness, peace, and grace.

Our students replied…

• “It felt like a miracle was being done to me.”
• “I feel better than I did before.”
• “I feel great.”
• “It feels like I’m all clean.”

The famous psychiatrist Carl Jung was a great supporter of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He believed human beings have an instinctual need to confess their offences against themselves, fellowman, and God and that their sense of wholeness, integrity and community were impaired if wrongs were not confessed. He often recommended the’ Sacrament of Confession’ as part of his treatment.

St Vincent de Paul Christmas Appeal

Thank you to those who have already made donations to our St Vincent De Paul Christmas Appeal.

Let us do everything we can to help the less fortunate in our community and in the wider world this Christmas       

Please feel free to donate any item you would like. Eg…

• Toiletries
• Presents for children in need