| Sunday
13th September 2009
24th
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus said, "If
you want to be a follower of mine,
renounce yourself, take up your
cross, and follow me."
In this one sentence from Jesus
there are two things that most of
us don't want to do. Our world teaches
us to 'be yourself'. Jesus teaches
us to renounce yourself. This doesn't
mean to put yourself down but to
let go of your own self-importance
and find your true self in being
loved and in loving. And then he
tells us to take up our cross. Immediately
we think of suffering. Many of us
have suffering in our lives and
certainly this can be our cross.
But more importantly the cross we
need to take up is that of the consequences
of putting others first in love.
It is the cross of moving out of
our own small world of self-preoccupation
and living for others in our family
and our community.
Fr. Johnny
Doherty, C.Ss.R.
 |
I
will walk in the presence of
the Lord in the land of the
living
|
 |
Sunday 13th
September 2009.
24th Sunday
in Ordinary Time
First Reading
Isaiah 50: 5-9
The Servant of God faces suffering
and persecution.
Second Reading
James 2: 14-18
If good works do not go with faith,
it is quite dead.
Gospel Mark
8: 27-35
Jesus, the Son of Man, was to endure
rejection, suffering and death.
MASS
TIMES
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
, Thursday Friday & Saturday,
10 am.
Saturday, Vigil, 8 pm;
Sunday, 8.30 am & 11 am.
Confessions
Saturday: 7.15 pm—7.45 pm
Anniversary
Masses
This Week
Sunday, 11 am—Anniversary Mass
for John Lafferty
Next Week’s
Anniversary Masses
8.30 am: Dan McCann, Ballyharry;
11 am: Mary McDaid, Redford
Weekly Offering: €1,510; Development
Collection, €800;
Good-As-New
Shop, €950 . Thank you for your
generosity.
Coffee Morning
in aid of the Hospice takes
place in Carrick’s bar on Thursday,
17th
September from 11 am- 2 pm. Everyone
is invited to help this worthy cause.
Bocan Community
Playgroup
The Annual General Meeting of the
Playgroup takes place on Monday, 14th
September at 8.30 pm in the Playgroup
premises.
Whist
1st: Dolores O’Donnell,
Carn.
2nd: Fr McGonagle,
Bocan
3rd: Gerard Doherty,
Ourt;
Tickets – Sean
Diver, Gerard Doherty, Matthew Davenport-Doherty,
Paddy McLaughlin, Mary Ellen Ruddy.
Other winners –
Therese McLaughlin, Carrie McLaughlin,
Patricia Harkin, Seamus Coyle, Michael
Hirrell, Matthew Davenport-Doherty.
Whist every Friday
at 8.45 pm
Snowball - €80
for 185 or better
A Mass for
the sick with Eucharistic Blessing
will take place in the Carmelite
Retreat Centre, Termonbacca, Derry,
on Tuesday 15th September at 8.00
pm. All are welcome to attend.
Good-As-New
Shop
The Shop is now open
at Margaret Doherty’s premises
in Carn. All proceeds are for the
Development Fund – please give
it your support.
If you are interested in finding out
more about Samaritans and volunteering
opportunities with your local branch,
please come along to one of four information
evenings to be held the week beginning
14th September. All start at 7.30pm
and everyone is welcome.
Mon 14th Sept Samaritans
Centr 16 ClarendonSt, Derry
Tues 15th Sept Strabane
Council Offices47 Derry Road
Wed 16th Sept The
Plaza, Main St Buncrana
Thurs 17th
Sept SamaritansCentre 16
Clarendon St, Derry
Samaritans are available 24/7 to provide
confidential emotional support.
Tel 028 71 265511
"Youthlife
is offering a new residential programme
for young people who have been bereaved
by suicide in the Residential Centre,
Ulster American Folk Park from 8 pm
on Friday 25th until 5 pm on Sunday
27th September 2009. The loss
of a loved one through suicide brings
with it many different feelings and
emotions. These can appear so
unbearable that young people may feel
they cannot cope. Young people
need to know that it's alright to
show their grief in their own way
without feeling guilty or wrong.
The weekend is open
to young people from the age of 11
upwards. For further information
and application forms please contact
Bridie or Pat at 04871377227, email
youthlife_be@hotmail.com or access
our website on www.youthlife.btik.com"
Serenity
House
Carrowmena Walk and Talk group
will meet on Monday 14 September at
10.30am at Carrowmena Community Centre.
All women welcome.
Workshop
on Depression, given by Aware
will take place in Serenity House,
Moville on 7 October at 7pm, to give
people a better understanding of coping
with Depression. Facilitator will
be Ruth Cleary. Everyone welcome and
refreshments will be served For further
information contact Serenity House
on 9382945
Serenity
House, Moville are holding an evening
of dancing in Caiseal Mara
Hotel, Moville on Friday 18 September
from 9pm to 12 midnight, music by
Ed Sweeney. Raffle and spot prizes
galore, everyone welcome and admission
5 euro.
The Mental Health Association Church
Gate Collection will be taken up at
all Masses this weekend.
British
Pensions - If you
are in receipt of a British pension
and you are a man born between 6/4/33
and 24/10/39; or a woman born between
6/4/38 and 24/10 44 you may be entitled
to increases pension and arrears.
Or if you are due a British pension
and are looking for advice on how
to claim then contact 074 91 28010.
Engagement
Ring: - Lost in Culdaff
yesterday [gold with a pair of diamonds].
If found please contact Ann Darling
on 087 9850843 / 087 2572600.
Inishowen
Regional Pioneers - Annual Dinner
Dance in The Malin Hotel
on Friday, 2nd October. Music by Aiden
Canning & Francis Faulkiner. Meal
served at 9 pm. For tickets contact
– Angela on 9379303 or Peggy
on 9379304. There are also door and
spot prizes on the night.
The
Deep End: - The Cross Section
Fr Tom Cahill SVD
We face the cross again in today’s
Gospel [Mark 8:27-35]. ‘If anyone
wants to become my followers, let
them deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me’ [v. 34].
We’re not allowed to forget
the cross for long, are we? I wonder,
though, did Jesus actually use the
expression ‘take up their cross’.
If, as presented, he were talking
directly to the crowd would he not
have said ‘you’ instead
of ‘any’, and ‘yourselves’
instead of ‘themselves’?
But maybe that’s a translation
issue. Maybe. Was the expression ‘take
up your cross’ common coinage
then? Is it not more likely to have
been a later Christian expression
in the light of Jesus’ death
and resurrection? However, what is
important is that Jesus – and
consequently us his followers –
was not a pain seeker.
Suffering for suffering’s sake
is sick. Suffering for a purpose is
not. Jesus’ death on the cross
is not a justification for us to seek
pain. We’re not masochists.
But neither do we avoid the cross
when it blocks the path to follow
Jesus.
Jesus links crosses with following
him. To follow him is the reason for
carrying them. But not just carrying
them; using them, in fact, to serve
his mission of bringing his good news
to those who need to hear it. Part
of that good news is that love is
greater than fear, that the spirit
to serve God’s kingdom is stronger
than the urge to preserve vested interests.
We never have to go dial a cross.
The true one is always with us.
|
