DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR JANUARY
Prayer for the New Year
Come, Holy Spirit,
Spirit of the Risen Christ, be with us today and always.
Be our Light, our Guide, and our Comforter.
Be our Strength, Courage, and our Sanctifier.
May this New Year be a time of deep spiritual growth for us,
A time of welcoming your graces and gifts,
A time for forgiving freely and unconditionally,
A time for growing in virtue and goodness.
Come Holy Spirit, be with us always.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Entrance Antiphon
Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion.
1st Reading (Is 60:1-6)
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.
Arise, shine out Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples. Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and daughters being tenderly carried. At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you; the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
2nd Reading (Eph 3:2-3, 5-6)
A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians.
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! We have seen his star in the East; and have come to adore the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel (Mt 2:1-12)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage. When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea’, they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child’, he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say , they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord.
Next Week’s Readings
Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7; Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
PARISH NEWS
WELCOME TO OUR NEWLY BAPTISED
We welcome into our Church community Liam Heagerty and Mila Elle Middleton who are to be baptised this Sunday. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the love of Parents, Godparents, family and friends, we pray that these children will lead lives full of happiness, faith and love.
We thank our parishioners who generously supported our presbytery account with their Christmas Offerings. Your generosity is very much appreciated.
PARISH OFFICE CLOSURE
The Parish office is closed and will re-open on 11 January 2022. Normal bulletins will resume on the weekend of 15/16 January 2022.
BE SUPER CHARGED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Melbourne invite you to the above conference, Friday 14 January 7:00pm to 9:00pm and Saturday 15 January 9:30am to 9:00pm at the Hall under Our Lady’s Church, 49 Nicholson Street, East Brunswick. Cost $40 per person or $70 per couple. Contact @centre@ccr.org.au or call 03 9486 6544.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (RELIGIOUS EXCEPTIONS) AMENDMENT BILL
Catholic organisations, including our schools, have traditionally been able to freely employ those who share our religious beliefs, values and ethos. However, this has now changed due to the passing of the Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Bill in the Victorian Parliament. The new legislation places an unnecessary administrative burden on religious bodies and educational institutes who will no longer be able to employ staff who hold the same religious beliefs and values unless they can prove that it is an ‘inherent requirement’ of the job. Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli has said that the Government's imposition of ‘an unbalanced law on people of faith’ will add to ‘a steady decline of religious freedom in Victoria. More about the bill and our concerns can be found at: www.melbournecatholic.org.au/religiousfreedom