The next meeting of the Parochial Church Council will take place on Monday 25th January at 7.30pm.
The mid-week Service (St Agnes) will take place on Thursday 21st January. The Coffee morning will be on Tuesday from 10.00am in the meeting area at the back of church. Please come along for a chat and drink. Meet your friends or make new ones. Alternatively you can just sit in quiet reflection in the church itself.
The winner of last weeks Tote draw was no.205.
Coming into the presence of Jesus was a transformative experience. Whether people were drawn to him or not, the gospels do not leave us with the impression that people were indifferent. In Jesus we see the presence of the God who fills our lives with his Spirit, bringing newness of life out of the familiar, daily experiences. It is no coincidence that the changing of water into wine took place at a wedding feast. Marriage is a sacrament which opens our spiritual imagination to the way in which God has made a new covenant between himself and us. We do not enter into this through a contract which sets out terms and conditions on both sides. It is a relationship of faith, hope and love. By learning to live out this new covenant we find our lives transformed by God’s grace. We need water to live, but wine can bring enjoyment. Jesus came not just to help us survive the experience of life, but so that we might enjoy it in all its variety and richness. Life is God’s gift to us, so let’s not live it with a mean and grudging spirit, but with a spirit of generosity, gratitude and joyfulness.
Father Richard
First Reading: Isaiah 62:1-5 A reading from the prophet Isaiah. About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I will not grow weary, until her integrity shines out like the dawn and her salvation flames like a torch.... Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians. There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.... | Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95 O sing a new song to the Lord, sing to the Lord all the earth. O sing to the Lord, bless his name. Response: Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.... Gospel: John 2:1-11 A reading from the holy Gospel according to John. There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited..... |