Weekly News and Events for Sunday November 22nd
During this second lockdown period our Parish Mass will be “live streamed” every Sunday at 9:30am on our Facebook page. Our Church is open daily from Tuesday – Friday 9:00am – 10:00am for private reflection and prayer. Fr Paul is offering the Daily Prayer of the Church at 9:00am and 5:00pm.
This Sunday – November 22nd is the Feast of Christ the King. Parish Mass “live streamed” at 9:30am.
Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In the “Our Father” we pray “Thy kingdom come”. However, when Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, he means something very different from kings and kingdoms so often associated with excessive wealth and the abuse of power. In the New Testament, it is the term most used by Jesus to define his mission. Jesus is a different type of king. In the first reading, He is presented as the shepherd who tends and defends his flock. In the final judgment in St. Matthew´s Gospel, He uses criteria different from those of earthly kings: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me…”. The poor, not riches or power, are the sacrament of Christ the King´s presence in the world.
This Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent is also known as ‘stir up Sunday’ taken from the words at the beginning of the collect for the day found in the Book of Common Prayer 1662. ‘Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people’ According to tradition Victorian families would gather on this Sunday to make and stir up their Christmas puddings, which as all good cooks know should be made in advance of the big day. Silver six penny pieces were put into the puddings to bring good luck and each member of the family stirred it whilst making a wish for the coming year. Perhaps we should also pray that our wills be stirred up enough to make a difference in our world as we look forward to our coming journey through the holy season of Advent.
CHRISTMAS WORSHIP AT HOLY TRINITY.
Please note that we are hoping to offer a full and exciting programme of Christmas worship. The plan will of course be totally dependent on how the Covid-19 restrictions apply as we move out of this current lockdown.
December 13th at 3:00PM A Special Christmas Service of Lessons and Carols.
December 24th The First Mass of Christmas will be at the earlier time of 10:30PM with the Blessing of the Crib.
December 25th Christmas Day Family Mass will be at 10:00AM
December 26th The Feast of St Stephen. Mass at Noon.
December 27th Sunday The Feast of the Holy Family. Mass at 9:30am
December 28th The Feast of the Holy Innocents. Mass at 6:00pm