I took this photo yesterday last evening outside Carrigaline Church. We had the official switching on of the lights in our church last during the 6pm Mass.
Sunday Homily
Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent which is called ‘Joyful Sunday’. We celebrate good news and good news only. But as we know so well it’s bad news that always makes the headlines. It simply has quicker and faster legs than those of good news. We need to bring the balance back in.
That is why ‘Joyful Sunday’ is one of those days that is so important. There are good news stories all around us but they often get squashed and pushed to one side. These good news stories do not have to make the headlines. It is often the small and insignificant good news stories that really are the best of all.
Christmas can rightly be called a ‘Celebration of Good News’ but especially a celebration of your good news. The message of ‘Joyful Sunday’ is that you are special and always worth celebrating. If we cannot do that, then there is no point having Christmas. Christmas celebrates you and celebrates the something special you bring to each day.
I hope you can pause for a brief moment today and realise you are good news. Sometimes we are slow to believe this. So maybe tell someone special in your life that they are good news. What a beautiful early Christmas gift to share.
(All of the above is updated daily)
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Thought For The Week
On Monday we celebrated Mary’s feast day – December 8th For some it is when the real countdown to Christmas begins. Today was traditionally a day when the Christmas shopping officially began. It may seem just like any other day but it is still a special day during the month of December. Spiritually it marks Mary out as someone special as the mother of Jesus. Like us she experienced the challenges of life too. She also understands our story too.
Very simply she put her trust in God, even when she didn’t fully understand the bigger picture. Her feast day today invites us to put our trust in God. When we don’t fully understand the bigger picture, the best place to go is today. We live today as best we can. This is what Mary did all the way through her life.
Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
