Palm Sunday of The Passion of Our Lord

Sunday 16th March 2008

Reflection

The acclamation of Jesus by the crowds as he enters Jerusalem contrasts sharply with the humiliation and suffering he endures in his Passion and death. We know that neither of these is the true destiny of Christ. His true destiny is the triumph and glory of the Resurrection. In this is reflected our own destiny and should help us to remember that both worldly success and human pain are things that pass and that our real hope lies in the eternal life of God’s Kingdom.

HOLY WEEK LITURGICAL CALENDAR

Palm Sunday Masses in St. Patrick's Church.
8.00 pm Vigil 9.00 am & 11.00 am Palms will be blessed at 10.50 am in the car park before 11.00 am Mass.

Mass Intentions for this week:
Wednesday 10.00 am - Anv Mass - Denis Harvey

This Week’s Calendar
Monday 17 - Monday in Holy Week
Tuesday 18 - Tuesday in Holy Week
Wednesday 19 - Wednesday in Holy Week
Thursday 20 - Holy Thursday
Friday 21 - Good Friday
Saturday 22 - Holy Saturday

Sunday 16th March
Penitential Service 8.00pm

Monday 17th March
Mass 10.00 am
Confessions after Mass

Tuesday 18th March
Mass 10.00 am
Confessions after Mass

Wednesday 19th March
Mass 10.00
Confessions after Mass
This will be the last opportunity for Confessions
in the Parish before Easter

Holy Thursday
Chrism Mass St. Eugene’s Cathedral Derry
10.00 am Anyone is welcome to attend.
St. Patrick’s Aghyaran
Mass of the Lord’s Supper 8.00 pm
Adoration at the Altar of Repose until 11.00 pm

Good Friday
Celebration of the Lord’s Passion 8.00 pm

Holy Saturday
Easter Vigil begins at 9.00 pm

Easter Sunday
Masses 9.00 am & 11.00 am

Carmelite Retreat Centre, Termonbacca, Derry Three evening retreats in preparation for Easter on Mon.17th Tues. 18th Wed. 19th March (7.30 p.m. -10.00 p.m.) An opportunity to spend some time in quiet adoration, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and celebrate Mass. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Important dates for seniors and others????

Easter is early this year. Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population ha <ve ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

1. The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only people who were around for that!).

2. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Parish Bingo There will be NO bingo on Good Friday

St. Eugene’s High School

present

Stars In Your Eyes

in the school assembly hall on Wednesday 19th March.
Doors open 7pm Show starts 7.30pm. Children/OAP £3 Adults £5 Family of 4 £12.

Lenten Stations
A special word of ‘Thanks’ to the families of the parish who generously welcomed the ‘Station Mass’ into their homes during the Lenten Season. The welcome extended to all who attended and the hospitality offered to everyone. It is nice to see the old tradition still be carried out in the parish.

Derry Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes - 16-21st July 2008
Application forms are available for any young person aged 14-15 years old who would like a place on the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. Special arrangements are made for the youth who will be lead by the Pilgrimage Youth Team. The Lourdes Pilgrimage would be grateful for volunteers who are qualified nurses to work as part of the care team. For further information please contact The Lourdes Pilgrimage Office at 164 Bishop Street, Derry BT48 6UJ. Tel. 028 7126 0293

Legion of Mary
There will be no meeting this Thursday (Holy Thursday)

DON’T FORGET.
Church Envelope Promoters To date, a few updated lists for 2008 have still to be returned. Please return at your earliest as the envelopes have to be prepared and distributed before Saturday 5th April 2008.

The Deep End - Palming off Bread
Mahatma Gandhi once said that the only form in which God dare appear to a starving man is in the form of bread. A startling statement indeed! But is it true? Not entirely, because it doesnÕt go far enough. It stops at the ÔincarnationÕ of bread.

Today's second reading (Philippians 2:6-11) goes all the way. It tells of Jesus, who - though in the form of God - empties himself to become a slave. No salvation from a distance here. Furthermore, the God-man then humbles himself and accepts death on a cross Ð not to provide a starving man with bread, but to offer him eternal life.

What the second reading from Philippians tells us is truly awesome and frightening. It's awesome because it's so up-front about God. Not only does it challenge us to believe in God's existence, it presents that God as so besotted by love for humanity that he becomes one of us - compounding to the nth degree any difficulties we might have with God's existence in the first place. It's frightening because it doesn't try to make things easy. No half-measures with God. Appearing as bread is comprehensible. But appearing as another starving man is breathtaking.
God became one of us. How closely do we identify with those who starve?

Questions people ask
Q. It was necessary that the Christ should suffer.Õ Why was it necessary that he should undergo such a brutal death?
A. The necessity was a consequence of the total love of Jesus, entering into solidarity with all who suffer in any way. He suffered brutal physical violence and the injustice of a sham trial. He felt the sadness of leaving his mother and the disappointment of betrayal and desertion by chosen friends. Most painful was the darkness of alienation from God which is the ultimate pain of sin. Jesus did not remove suffering from the world, but he entered into all forms of suffering so that all who suffer might be strengthened by his presence. ÔHaving loved those who were his in the world, he loved them to the end.

LORD and Father of mankind, we thank Thee for the remembrance of Palm Sunday, with all its glad rejoicing; and we realise that though the troubles of life are many, again and again the sunshine of Thy Love is shown to encourage and cheer us on our upward way. Grant that when the brightness of earthly life seems overshadowed, we may never forget that Divine Power is being built up, so that we may take the next stage of experience with unfaltering steps. Help us to meet the sorrows of tomorrow with a valiant heart, knowing that if the day-time of life is followed by the shadows of night, the dawn will surely come, revealing that one more lesson has been learnt. And because experience has been made our own, we know that with faith we can offer guidance and help to others who are passing through the night-time of physical life. Help us, O Christ, to show something of Thy patience and endurance. Amen

 

Easter Prayer.

"The angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake...And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen." St. Matt. 28: 2-6.

Prayer For Those Who Are Sick

O, God our Father,
bless and help me in the illness which has come upon me.
Give me courage and patience,
endurance and cheerfulness to bear all weakness and pain;
and give me a mind at rest,
which will make my recovery all the quicker.
Lord Jesus, come to me this day and at this time,
and show me your healing touch. Amen.

Prayer for Trust in Jesus

O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness,
give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.

Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us,
for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose,
Your will through all things. Amen

Prayer of Solace

May Christ support us all the day long,
till the shadows lengthen
and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
and the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then in his mercy
may he give us a safe lodging,
and holy rest and peace at the last. Amen.

 

Marriage Preparation Courses.


2008

January 25th & 26th,
February 22nd & 23rd,
April 4th , 5th, and April 25th & 26th,
May 23rd & 24th,
June 13th &14th.
Numbers on courses are limited. The fee of £80 per couple must be included with completed application form and forwarded to the Accord office