- Next Sunday's Masses (December 19th): 6.30: Mary Giblin; 11.00: Anne Duggan; 6.30: Roderick Carr.
- The collection last Sunday was € 930.00. The collection last Sunday was € 913.00.
- The collection for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Wednesday) was € 1715.00, € 1068 of which was collected at the 11.00 funeral Mass.
AS I WAS SAYING...
'Christmas is too commercialised.' 'Christmas is destroyed by materialism.' These clichés are now as much part of Christmas as is the turkey! A Church of Ireland man, one Darren McCallig, writing in The Irish Independent this week, made the point that Christmas is in fact not materialistic enough! We have spiritualised the feast out of meaningful existence, he argues. We have turned it into a 'feel good' season where our hearts are warmed but our minds stay frozen.
If we analyse some of the traditional Christmas Carols, we might find material there to support his thesis. For example, "Away in a Manger" includes the highly unlikely lines: 'The little boy Jesus no crying he makes!' That is as much a cliché as the verbal ones we have already referred to. Well now, where did they get him? (The fellow who wrote the Carol, I mean, not the baby!) Sure the whole point of the Christmas story is that God took on the whole mess of humanity, screaming babies included. The stuff of life can no longer be considered irredeemably evil. Matter matters, if you know what I mean.
Very early in the history of Christianity, many found this truth too hard to take. Surely God could not take on the frail nature of humanity? Surely God must be kept at a safe distance from the mess and the muck of this world! Do we need a God with dirty hands! Early on in the game, theologians emerged to press the point of view that Jesus wasn't really human at all. One particular theologian viewed humanity as God's overcoat: he could wear it or discard it, depending upon the particular mood he was in on that particular day! The Church eventually condemned this and similar views as heretical. That may sound ridiculous to us. But, doesn't our sanitised and other-worldly view of the nativity lean also in this general heretical direction? If we could only give up our cosy images of the Christmas story, we might begin to see the truly shocking nature of the incarnation. We might realise that the swaddling clothes of the 'divine' baby eventually needed changing!
Some ten years ago, Fr Denis Crosby was in the habit of 'staging' a live crib on Williamsgate Street, in that archway leading down to the back of the Skeff every Christmas. The 'actors' were sometimes drawn from the Travelling community, complete with a real, living ass! The lambs were taken from the Tarpey farm in Ardrahan. It was a wonderful stroke of realism, bringing the Christmas story down to earth. (Admittedly, the incarnational pudding was once slightly over-egged when an obviously anxious St. Joseph lit up a cigarette!) It contrasted sharply with nativity scene on the chocolate boxes. We tend to warm our hands before the glowing, romantic traditional crib. Crosby's decidedly unromantic 'Living Crib' challenged us as no other could. In the midst of all the spending, poverty is still at the centre of the Christmas story. If we fail to respond to that, our Christmas story has been reduced to a children's Fairy Tale.
Judging by your response to the 'Giving Tree', this challenging aspect of Christmas is still a deep reality. The response was fantastic. Because of your generosity, a few more people will feel a bit more cherished. On their behalf, thank you.
-Dick Lyng.
EVENTS THIS WEEK
- MASS OF GIVING: Today is, of course, our annual Christmas 'Mass of Giving'. Once again, this year there was an enormous response to this project. Your thoughtfulness and your great generosity will, as always, be very much appreciated by the recipients. The gifts will be carried up from the end of the Church in an Offertory Precession by the children. They will then be placed in the empty crib. (By the way, thanks to Willie Andrew and Larry Carter who put up the crib this year at very short notice. I hadn't realised that we usually had in place for the 'Mass of Giving' ). Our organising committee will meet early in the week, prepare the gifts, and arrange their distribution. The intention is that all the presents will reach their 'targets' by Friday next. Finally, thanks to the organising committee. There is quite a lot of work involved in this project, with the gathering first of all, and then of course with the 'scattering'. Well done!
- GALWAY GOSPEL CHOIR TONIGHT: Don't forget the Christmas concert by the Galway Gospel Choir in the church here tonight, December 12th, at 8.00! A really enjoyable, seasonal night is promised, and a big crowd is expected. Contributions at the door are voluntary and all proceeds will be forwarded to the Simon Community.
- AUGUSTINIAN CALENDARS, 2005: The corrected version of this Mission calendar is now available free of charge. It may be collected in the Priory Office.
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS
- CHRISTMAS DUES: You will have noticed the Christmas Dues envelopes intimidating you as you entered the church! If you wish, take one (at least!) home with you. But don't worry. I will be circulating them by post later this week. In other words, it's going to be rather difficult to escape!
- CHILDREN'S MASS: This celebration will be held this year on Sunday next, December 19th at 11.00. The rehearsals for the play have been tiring and intense. The plan is that the children' s Christmas play which will replace the 'adult' Liturgy of the Word at that Mass. An old fat geezer, with a dirty grey beard and dressed in red, is expected to visit the Priory after that Mass.
- CAROL SERVICE: The traditional Carol Service is almost as much part of Christmas now as the Christmas tree itself! We are delighted to have the boys from St. Joseph' s College ('The Bish' ) here in the Auggie this year. They will hold our Carol Service on Thursday night next, December 16th at 7.30pm. The Service will consist of music, carols and seasonal readings. We would love to see a good crowd there.
- ST. AUGUSTINE: We will hold our final session on St Augustine on Tuesday night next, December 14th at 8.00. Our topic this time will be "Augustine's Vision of Community". The session will follow the usual pattern: Presentation, group discussion and a brief concluding summery. Since this is our last night, we will anticipate the great feast with a few glasses of wine. Augustine would have approved!
- AMNESTY: As you will notice, we are holding three 'Amnesties' this year. Please note the times above and spread the word among your repenting friends.
FULL CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME
Sunday, 12th at 11.00: Christmas Mass of Giving. Sunday 12th at 8.00: Galway Gospel Choir. Thursday 16th at 7.30: Carol Service by boys from St. Joseph's College (The Bish'). Sunday 19th at 11.00: Children's Nativity Play & Mass. CONFESSIONS: Tuesday, 21st: 12.00-12.45; Wednesday 22nd: 12.00-12.45; 3.30-4.30; Thursday 23rd: 11.30-12.30; 3.30-5.30; Friday, 24th: 11.30-1.00; 3.00-4.00. PENITENTIAL SERVICES: Saturday, 18th: 4.30pm; Wednesday, 22nd: 7.30pm Christmas Eve, 24th: 4.30pm. CHRISTMAS MASSES: 12.00 Midnight. 11.00am. Sunday, 26th: 11.00 & 6.30 Monday, 27th December to Monday, January 3rd: 11.00am (One Mass daily) SUNDAY, 2nd January: Usual Sunday Programme PRIORY OFFICE The Priory Office will close at 3.00pm on Christmas Eve. Normal life will resume again on Tuesday, January 4th.
HUNGER AWARENESS
This group will meet in the Priory on Monday night at 8.00. They have 'adopted' a couple of projects in Ethiopia. With this in mind, they have made available Christmas 'Gift Certificates'. The idea is that, instead of sending a present to a friend, you would donate the money to alleviate hunger in Ethiopia. In exchange you will receive a Gift Certificate. It' s a wonderful idea. Think about it! The Certificates and more information is available in the Priory Office, or else go to the meeting on Monday.
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