| Sunday
1st March 2009
1st
Sunday in Lent
The
Kingdom of God is Close at Hand
Jesus said:
"Repent and believe the Good
News". At the beginning
of Lent, this call of Christ sets
the agenda for the next six weeks.
The first thing we have to do is 'repent'.
What does that mean for us? It simply
means 'let go' - let go of the things
and the ways of living that limit
our freedom to love God with our whole
heart and strength and our neighbour
as ourselves. Secondly Christ calls
us to 'believe the Good News'. This
means to live the Good News, to practise
being happy, to bring joy and peace
and healing to all those we live with
and those we meet. This obviously
has huge implications for married
couples in their relationship; for
families in their life together; and
for every parish community. Lent is
not just about giving things up but
rather about changing in ways that
will bring life to others. Six weeks
practice should make a profound difference
to our lives.
Fr. Johnny
Doherty, C.Ss.R.
First Reading
Genesis 9: 8-15
Tells of the friendship agreement
which God established with Noah.
Second Reading 1 Peter 3:
18-22
The waters of the Flood of Noah’s
time are a symbol of the waters of
baptism by which we are saved.
Gospel Mark 1:12-15
After his baptism Jesus spent forty
days in the desert during which time
he was tempted by Satan.
MASS
TIMES
The Masses
this week will be offered for all
the families in the parish
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
& Thursday, 10 am;
Friday, the First
Friday of the Month, 8 pm;
Saturday, 10 am.
Stations of
the Cross,
Wednesday, 7.30 pm.
Saturday, Vigil, 8
pm;
Sunday, 8.30 am & 11 am.
Confessions
Friday, 7.15 pm-7.45 pm;
Saturday, 7.15 pm-7.45 pm.
Month’s
Mind
Vigil Mass tonight 8 pm: Ellen Cavanagh,
Magherard.
Next Week's
Anniversaries:
Vigil Mass 8 pm: Neil & Mary Ann
Duffy
Sunday 11 am: Donal McCarron
Weekly
Offering: €1,485; Development
Collection: €915.
Thank
you for your generosity.
Youth Club
Rota – 6 March 2009:-
Tina Crumlish, Eilish Bell, Marian
Keddy, Jason Conroy, Carmel McLaughlin,
Mary Collins.
N.B. The Bocan
Youth Club AGM will be held
on Tuesday, 24 March at 8 pm. Parents
of all youth club members are welcome
to attend.
The whole community
were united in sadness yet gratitude
for the life of Maggie Farren
[Dene] who died at the age of 102.
Maggie was blessed in that she was
in full possession of her senses until
the end. Our deepest sympathy to her
nephews, niece, wider family circle
and many friends. We will never see
her like again.
“Love
and Land”
The final presentation of the Play
by the Bocan Drama Club will be this
Wednesday night [doors open at 8 pm,
curtain up at 8.30 pm]. All proceeds
this time go to the schools of the
parish. If you haven’t yet seen
it then you are missing a great night’s
entertainment.
N.B The
DVD of Love and Land is now available
- cost €20. You can get a copy
from Fairgreen Videos by ringing 0749367147
Congratulations
to
Aislinn McCann, Greenans,
on being presented
with the Pope John Paul II award by
Cardinal O’Brien
from Scotland. Aislinn is one of our
regular readers and also is involved
in voluntary charity work in Moville,
hopefully her example will inspire
others.
Bocan Defibrillator
Re-certification will take place on
Monday, 2nd March at 8 pm.
Culdaff Care
of the Aged
Meeting in Bocan Old School on Thursday
5th March at 8 pm. All members are
asked to attend.
Serenity
House
Woman's World Day of Prayer –
In the Methodist Hall, Moville on
Friday, 6th March at 8 pm. All are
welcome to attend.
Active Retirement Association–
A 6-Day trip to Tullamore is being
organised for the 17th May. Details
and booking to Serenity House on 9382945.
Carndonagh
Community Library
To celebrate National Tree Week, Carndonagh
Community Library invites you to a
talk on ‘The Value of Community
Woodlands and the Power of Trees’
on Thursday 5th March at 8 pm. The
talk is given by Steven Meyen. All
welcome.
Whist
1st: Betty Houten, Culdaff
2nd Seamus Harkin, Gleneely
3rd John Duffy, Derry
Tickets: Paddy McLaughlin,
John Duffy, & Mick Hirrell
Other Winners:
Jason Doherty,
Eamon Donaghy, James
McLaughlin & Gerard Doherty.
Whist every Friday
night at 8.45 pm in Bocan Hall. Snowball
€40 for 189 or less.
The
Deep End – Reading in the Wilderness
I've heard it said that some people
who suffer from burnout have never
been on fore. Ouch! Today’s
Gospel reading [Mark 1:12-15] brings
that to mind: ‘And the Spirit
immediately drove him out into the
wilderness.’ No sooner does
the Father declare Jesus to be his
Son, the Beloved [v 11] than the Spirit
shunts him off to the wilderness.
Why? So that the ecstasy of his baptism
doesn’t turn his head? So that
his divinity doesn’t overpower
his humanity? So that he opts for
service and not for privilege? Fired
with the Spirit he hurries there to
learn how to read his person and his
mission.
A plan of cosmic
scale clicks into play. The air tingles
with urgency as Jesus reaches the
wilderness. The words of Paul [Rom
8: 22-23] time travel back to us,
‘We know that the whole creation
has been groaning in labour pains
until now…and we ourselves groan
inwardly while we wait for adoption,
the redemption of our bodies.’
That’s what the urgency is about:
humanity’s impending redemption.
It’s what we groan for to fill
the emptiness within us. It’s
what we search for to complete ourselves
as a person. But have we learnt how
to read our person and our mission?
If we’ve not allowed God’s
Spirit to fire us to seek the wilderness,
we will groan for all the wrong things:
money, power, fame, drugs and sex
– and just burn out.
Lent leads us into the wilderness.
Let us enter and spend time there
with the demons and the angels.
Fr Tom Cahill SVD
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