WebCam Schedule
If the live stream is not showing in the frame above please click on this direct link to church Media https://churchmedia.tv/st-agnes-church/embed
REFLECTION 14th/15th SEPTEMBER 2024
All of us were given a name at our birth and was celebrated at our Baptism. Our name signifies our unique identity and that we are special and different. As we grow, we may be given a “nickname”, some pleasant, others not so flattering but I think all of us are happy when we are called by our original name. God spoke to the prophet Isaiah and said, “I have called you by name. You are mine. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.” Thus, we believe each one of us is precious in the eyes of God at all times. When we are called ungodly names, we feel aggrieved, hurt and lessened as human beings.
When Jesus asks his disciples in today’s Gospel, “Who do people say I am?” the answers all point to someone else, John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. In contrast to these answers, Peter speaks on behalf of the disciples who have shared Jesus’s life and identifies him as the Christ. They recognise Jesus as “The Messiah”.
Jesus does not want his disciples to speak of him in terms of being the Messiah as the very word has kingly connotations and Jesus is not a King enjoying privileges, power and status. He does not want to be worshipped as a “king”. Jesus is the Son of God who will have to suffer grievously. He will serve his Father faithfully against all opposition to his identity, message and ministry. Out of absolute complete and self-giving love, Jesus will reveal the depth of God’s redeeming, merciful and compassionate love for all. The complete self-giving of Jesus is the kind of sacrificial love we are each called to imitate for the total well-being, good and betterment of one another, as God expects of us. “Our greatest fulfilment lies in giving ourselves totally to others”. (Henri Nouwen). Jesus’s life was one of total self-giving through which we have true life in God.
We who gather for the Eucharist pledge ourselves to keeping the memory of Jesus alive. We are pledged to live his gospel values. We are pledged to imitate his self-giving love, service and ministry. You and I must make this decision on a daily basis. Strengthened by prayer, by the life of Christ in the Eucharist and re-committing ourselves to God anew each day, we should have no difficulty in answering the question Jesus asked of his disciples: WHO DO YOU SAY I AM? Can we acclaim Jesus as our Lord, God and Saviour? Is our professed belief reflected in our daily living? We are in this world to make a difference by imitating the life of JESUS, THE CHRIST. Let us pray for the graces we need.
Fr. Tony
The Hopes of Pope Francis for the future of the Church
464 Bishops, Priests, Religious and lay people have gathered in Rome for the month of October 2023 to take part in the Synod which is the most important happening in the Church since the 2nd Vatican Council. Of that number 81 are women and 54 of those are voting members.
Pope Francis seeks to bring a revived sense of mission to the Church, and many are hoping that new life will emerge as a result. The documents that will emerge at the end of the month are not the final word, the same people who attend the present gathering will meet again in October 2024, and the Pope is expected to respond to the documents in the months after.
One topic that will be addressed is the role of women in the Church and perhaps we might have women deacons in the years ahead. The Synod will address the role of all those of us who are Baptised and encourage us to become more active in the Church and in our Parishes. We all share in the common priesthood of the Baptised. This gathering is a culmination of the work that took place in our parish and the parishes of Ireland in 2022.
Ireland is represented by Alan McGuckian, Bishop of Raphoe, and Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick, his early years were spent as a child in the parish of St. Agnes.
PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD
We Stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life
And not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time,
In the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen.