The Baptism of the Lord, 8th January, 2023, Cycle A
St John the Evangelist
128 Bebington Road, New Ferry, CH62 5BJ
Diocese of Shrewsbury (reg. charity 234025)
Parish Priest: Fr Mario Ashuikeka and Fr Emmanuel Chukwujekwu
Deacon: Revd Michael Daly Phone: 0151 645 3314
Email stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com Websites http://www.stjohntheevangelistnewferry.com www.lpa24.org
The Baptism of the Lord 8th January, 2023. Cycle A
FAITH IN FOCUS: PERSONAL STEREO RELIGION
Life seems to become more and more privatised as the days go by. For whatever reason, we don’t see many children playing games together in our streets or our parks. Buses and trains are full of people who don’t talk to each other because they sit listening to music on their own personal stereos. Teenagers are said to spend many hours a week by themselves in their bedrooms on the computer. And families claim that life is so frenetic that they have to make a special effort to eat a brand of gravy together once a week.
Of course, there are some people whose religion is exactly the same. It’s about them and God, about them getting holy and going to heaven. If others can do the same, all well and good; but they don’t actually affect them in any way. These are the sort of people who prefer a “private” wedding or a “private” funeral. After all, it’s about them, not the rest of the parish. Or is it?
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord turns all of this on its head. For it reminds us that at our own baptism we were anointed by the priest or deacon. We were anointed with oil so that we could become “priests…prophets…and kings (or queens).” To be a priest means that we offer every moment of our lives to God that they may become sanctified and profitable. To be a prophet means that by our words and actions we are to speak out to our world as spokesmen and women. We are to say what God wants the world to hear. To be a king or queen means to accept responsibility for our world as well as for the kingdom of God. The world we have been given is on loan to us; we are to watch over it, to protect it and hand it on to the next generation in even better condition.
Our religion is the expression of our baptism. We are baptised into a living, believing community that worships collectively, that publicly makes its stand for the power of God’s word in our world and is ready to come to the aid of those whose human dignity is under threat. That’s because our baptism calls us to be other Christs in our world. Far from being a private hobby it is a reminder that our vocation is to be part of the ever-advancing People of God. And if we’re to be part of a people, then we need others.
Baptism leads to community and commitment. We baptise into the Christian community because we need each other. Living out our baptism is not easy. There will be struggles and pain. We need others with whom to share these struggles. We need to tell each other the stories of how we have grown through suffering. We need to explore what our baptism means to each of us in our varied stages of life. We need the encouragement of one another when we find it hard to live out our ministry. (Roger Haugen)
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ENTRANCE ANTIPHON: After the Lord was baptised, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered; This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
RESPONSE TO THE PSALM: The Lord will bless his people with peace.
GOSPEL ACCLAIMATION: Alleluia, alleluia! The heavens opened and the Father’s voice resounded; “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.” Alleluia!
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Behold the One of whom John said; I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.
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As you can see from the Mass Table ALL MASSES will be celebrated at St Anne’s until repairs are completed at St John’s. Please be aware of the change of time for the Sunday 11.00am Mass to 11.15am. THERE IS AMPLE PARKING BEHIND ST ANNE’S CHURCH.
Devotions/Adoration: ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
If you have any queries or ideas, please continue to contact Deacon Mike Daly on 07542463319 or Carol Dalziel on 07808975011 on any Parish matters, or if you wish to arrange a Baptism, Wedding or Funeral.
Mike Daly’s Homilies are now available on the Parish Website. Log in details to the Website are www.stjohntheevangelistnewferry.com
Mass Intentions If you would like to have a Mass said for your own or someone else’s intentions please fill in one of the Mass offering envelopes at the back of Church, place a donation in it & put it through the presbytery letterbox. Thank you.
Please continue to keep all of our sick parishioners in your thoughts and prayers.
CARITAS AT CHRISTMAS APPEAL: As a result of the burst pipes and the moving of all our services to St Anne’s until repairs are completed, AND, AS WE CELEBRATE OUR SERVICES, PLEASE DONATE YOUR OFFERINGS TO STANNE’S CARITAS CRIB APPEAL. Your offerings at the Crib during the Christmas Season will support the work of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury (formerly the Catholic Children’s Society) who offer much care and support to needy families. 100% of your donations will go to those in the most vulnerable situations within the diocese, ensuring they receive crisis food vouchers and practical support as quickly as possible when it is most needed. Thank you for your continued support and generosity.
Children's Liturgy will resume when the repairs are completed at St John’s.
Last Weeks’ Offertory Collection amounted to £413.27p. Please try to be as generous as you can during these difficult times.
The Loop System in the church is now fully operational. To benefit, please set your hearing aid to the "T" setting and adjust your volume as appropriate.
Mother’s Prayers - Please see the poster about this group of mothers from our parish who meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 7pm, to pray for their children and grandchildren and offer each other support. The next meeting is Tuesday 16th January. All most welcome, DEPENDING UPON THE REPAIR OF THE LEAK.
If you know of any St John's parishioners, who would welcome a home visit by members of the S.V.P, please email St John's with details and we will pass on the information, which is treated confidentially, to Steve Bell, President of St John's SVP. Please ask the person or persons involved if they would like a visit before passing on their details. stjohntheevangelist@gmail.com
Partnering Nigeria: Fr. Mario and Fr. Emmanuel have connected our church with a catholic church in Nigeria. The idea is to share, care and show God’s love to one another. If you would like to write a card or letter or give a further donation, please place them in the general collection, clearly marked 'Nigeria' and they will be forwarded by Fr. Mario. The recent collection from St John’s for Nigeria amounted to £846.32. Thank you to all those who contributed.
Wirral Foodbank Christmas Appeal: Please help support your Foodbank with food and funds this New Year. All donations need to be non-perishable, please refer to the list on the notice board of items urgently needed. Please continue to support this as much as you can in these difficult times and thank you for your continued generosity.
THE BIG CARD: Due to the situation with the burst pipes, we will hold a retiring collection for The Ark when we return to church after repairs are completed.
Altar-Servers - Could you please encourage any child who has made their First Holy Communion to consider becoming an Altar-Server. If you could give their names to Mike Daly, he will arrange for their training and support. We were renowned for our team of 'servers' and it would be great to create such a team again.
St John’s Catholic Pre School - St John's Catholic Infant School If your child will be 3 years of age by 31st August 2023, they will be able to join us for their Pre School year in September 2023. Please come along to our OPEN EVENING, Tuesday 24th January 2023 4.00pm – 5.00pm where you will be able to collect an application pack and view our setting. Please note this is for ADULTS ONLY, we are unable to accommodate children at this time. Any queries please email Bernadette at Preschooloffice@stjohns-infant.wirral.sch.uk
Let us all celebrate Jesus’ Epiphany and baptism by reaching out to those in need both near and far.
“An epiphany is a sudden understanding or illumination of something. For many of us epiphanies are spiritually inspired, much as if we have emerged from the dark and are now in the light, able to see life’s colours.”
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