Working bees around St Anne’s Church resume on Saturday 4 February 2012 starting at 9 til 12.00. Our work will concentrate on the grounds around St Anne’s Church and the Parish Centre. Please bring weeding gear, wheelbarrows, shovels, whipper snipers, etc. All welcome, help make St Anne’s look like the Garden of Eden.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS
As Christ’s disciples, we are called to recognize all of our gifts as God-given – our time, our talents, and our treasure and to use them accordingly, putting them at the service of the Lord.
Today’s readings remind us that it is the Lord whom we serve. In the gospel, when Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, “Quiet! Come out of Him!” the gospel tells us, “The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed.”
It is amazing. God has authority over the whole world, and He has seen fit to bless us with so many good gifts, to give us life and family and faith, time and talents and treasure. It is only fitting that we recognize those gifts as God-given and give of them in gratitude to the One who has blessed us so.
So, we live to love and serve Him in all we do. Whether we are a mother or father, brother or sister, married or single, doctor or lawyer, writer or singer, it is our duty as Christian stewards to live our lives to the praise and glory of God. All that we do ought to proclaim His goodness to those around us.
In the first reading from Deuteronomy, the writer reminds us of this call. Speaking of prophets whose role it is to proclaim the Good News, he says, “But if a prophet presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the names of other gods, he shall die.”
Indeed, it is God whom we serve. We are called to live not for our own sake, but for the sake of the Gospel, being sure that through all we say and do, we help others see God.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS
As Christ’s disciples, we are called to recognize all of our gifts as God-given – our time, our talents, and our treasure and to use them accordingly, putting them at the service of the Lord.
Today’s readings remind us that it is the Lord whom we serve. In the gospel, when Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, “Quiet! Come out of Him!” the gospel tells us, “The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed.”
It is amazing. God has authority over the whole world, and He has seen fit to bless us with so many good gifts, to give us life and family and faith, time and talents and treasure. It is only fitting that we recognize those gifts as God-given and give of them in gratitude to the One who has blessed us so.
So, we live to love and serve Him in all we do. Whether we are a mother or father, brother or sister, married or single, doctor or lawyer, writer or singer, it is our duty as Christian stewards to live our lives to the praise and glory of God. All that we do ought to proclaim His goodness to those around us.
In the first reading from Deuteronomy, the writer reminds us of this call. Speaking of prophets whose role it is to proclaim the Good News, he says, “But if a prophet presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the names of other gods, he shall die.”
Indeed, it is God whom we serve. We are called to live not for our own sake, but for the sake of the Gospel, being sure that through all we say and do, we help others see God.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
WORKING BEE
Working bees around St Anne’s Church resume on Saturday 4 February 2012 starting at 9 til 12.00. Our work will concentrate on the grounds around St Anne’s Church and the Parish Centre. Please bring weeding gear, wheelbarrows, shovels, whipper snipers, etc. All welcome, help make St Anne’s look like the Garden of Eden.
CATHOLICCARE OUTREACH PROGRAM
In the past our community has given generously to Catholiccare. Our community has access to the services provided by this wonderful organisation through the outreach program.
It is run through the Sunbury Community Health Service and the hours of operation are: Mon, Tues, Thurs 9-5; Wed 11.30am-7pm.
Services provided range from individual, couple and family counselling, stress man- agement, grief and loss, pain management and parenting. Please contact 9744 4455 to arrange an appointment if you need to use this service.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READINGS
Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and called the first disciples, inviting them, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”
In much the same way, Christ calls each of us to follow Him and to use the time, talents, and treasure He has given us to build the Kingdom.
St. Paul reminds us, “the world in its present form is passing away.” So, we ought not to get caught up in the things of this world. We ought to live in this world but not of it, proclaiming the goodness of God and the glory of His Kingdom.
Each one of us has been given particular gifts of time, talent, and treasure, and it is up to us to recognize those gifts and to share them lovingly in such a way that God will be glorified and we will call others to come to know him. In all we say and do, we must honor Him. He must be more important to us than anything else – more important than our careers, more important than our hobbies, even more important than our families. The disciples in today’s gospel show us just how unreserved our response to God must be. They left their nets – their careers as fishermen – and left their father, to serve the Lord.
For most of us, the call to discipleship will not require us to leave behind family and friends and even our secular career. But for all of us, the call to be a disciple means God must be first and foremost in our lives, and we must offer Him the first fruits of our time, talents, and treasure as His faithful followers.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
WORKING BEE
Working bees around St Anne’s Church resume on Saturday 4 February 2012 starting at 9 til 12.00. Our work will concentrate on the grounds around St Anne’s Church and the Parish Centre. Please bring weeding gear, wheelbarrows, shovels, whipper snipers, etc. All welcome, help make St Anne’s look like the Garden of Eden.
CATHOLICCARE OUTREACH PROGRAM
In the past our community has given generously to Catholiccare. Our community has access to the services provided by this wonderful organisation through the outreach program.
It is run through the Sunbury Community Health Service and the hours of operation are: Mon, Tues, Thurs 9-5; Wed 11.30am-7pm.
Services provided range from individual, couple and family counselling, stress man- agement, grief and loss, pain management and parenting. Please contact 9744 4455 to arrange an appointment if you need to use this service.
FOSTER CARE
Every night in Victoria there are thousands of children who need a safe place to stay because they are unable to live at home. The long-term benefits of providing a stable and loving home environment are crucial to development of the vulnerable children and young people that MacKillop Family Services work with every day.
If you are able to help a child please contact MacKillop Family Services on 8398 6800 or www.mackillop.org.au
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STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
The theme of today’s readings is one any stewardship parish should be familiar with, and one whose message bears such a significant impact on our lives that it is well worth repeating time and time again.
God calls each one of us to be His disciples. He knows we are made to know, love and serve Him, and so He reveals Himself to us and calls us to Himself. Just as He called Samuel in the first reading, and then Andrew, Simon Peter, and the unnamed disciple in the Gospel reading, God calls us. He invites us to share in His life of love, because He knows that’s what we are made for.
However, His call necessitates a response. God doesn’t force us into a relationship with Him. Rather, He reveals Himself to us, much like He did to the men in today’s readings.
Both the Old Testament reading and the Gospel tell us of men who heard God’s call, responded by willfully following the Lord and then offered themselves to God as His stewards, using their gifts to bring others to Him.
God calls each and every one of us today, and He wants us to respond. We hear His call in numerous ways, and often, just like He did with Samuel and Andrew, the Lord uses other people to reveal Himself to us, to call us to Himself. We simply must be open to the call, keeping our hearts and minds fixed on Him, and then, we must respond to Him. Our response involves a willing gift of self, offering the Lord all we are – our time, our talent, and our treasure – to serve Him. Then, our lives will bear witness to the Love and goodness of the Lord, and, just as Andrew brought Simon, we will help others find the Lord.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
The theme of this Sunday’s Scripture readings is two-fold: God manifests Himself and man responds to that manifestation with gifts of gratitude and conversion of heart.
The Magi, who were likely astrologists and magicians, made the long journey from somewhere far away to see the Savior, and when they saw him, they gave Him themselves. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were likely “tricks of the trade” they surrendered to the Lord upon meeting Him. Then, the Gospel tells us, they departed from another way.
Such language tells us not simply that the Magi traveled home on a different route, but on a deeper level, that their lives were changed that day. Their encounter with Christ made a huge impact on their lives, calling them to give of themselves and then to live the remainder of their lives accordingly.
Their story is a great example to all of us. It speaks of some universal truths.
As Christian stewards, we live for God. Everything we do and say ought to proclaim the Gospel and bring others closer to Christ so that one day, as the psalmist sings “Every nation on Earth will adore” Him.
God has given each one of us many good gifts. As stewards, let us use the gifts He has given us – our time, our talent, and our treasure – at home, at church, at work, and wherever else we find ourselves, to glorify Him and, in so doing, call others to encounter Christ and live for Him.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
YOUTH GROUP
All ‘Youth and Children’ who are interested to join the ‘OLMC Youth and Children’s Choir’ please register your names, choir practice will be starting ASAP.
Contact Garnet Jacob on garnetjacob@yahoo.com or 9740 8328 or 0411 286 428.
THANK YOU
Thank you for the generosity last week for Melbourne Overseas Mission special collection.
$823.50 was raised in total.
The funds raised will go to the people in Papua New Guinea, Timor, India, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Botswana, Nigeria and Peru.
CHRISTMAS INVITATION
Sunbury Baptist Church warmly invites you to a Free Christmas Lunch.
On December 25 from 12-2pm at Sunbury Baptist Church at 207 Gap Rd, Sunbury.
RSVP 9740 7683.
Please don’t be alone this Christmas.
More information in St Anne’s Church foyer.
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
CHRISTMAS DAY
Today, we celebrate the tremendous love Christ has for us, the love that led Him to enter into human history. On that first Christmas many years ago, Jesus became man. He existed before the world was made, He, in fact, has no beginning, because He is God and, therefore, has always existed, took on humanity, became one of His mere creatures and then entered into human history.
It is a baffling mystery.
How Christ can be fully God and, at the same time, fully man is beyond our comprehension. Yet, we know that He is. That first Christmas, when Mary and Joseph welcomed the sweet baby into the world, they were, in fact, welcoming their Lord and God.
Jesus entered human history as a human being so that He could take upon Himself the sins of mankind and free us from the bonds of sin and death. He came because He loves us so much.
It’s amazing. Our God is wonderful. His love is selfless, and it is boundless.
So, as we sit and exchange gifts with one another in an effort to showcase our love for each other, as stewards, let us be sure to take the time to thank the Lord for the gifts He has given us, particularly the gift of His Son through whom we can attain salvation!
Merry Christmas!
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
In today’s Gospel, Mary finds out she will conceive Jesus. Christmas is right around the corner, but, much like Mary in today’s Gospel, we are still in waiting.
A young Jewish girl, Mary would have been very familiar with the expectant hope for a Messiah. So, you can imagine how flustered, fearful, and even a bit confused she might have been when the angel Gabriel appeared to her, announcing that she had been chosen to bear the long-awaited Savior.
Mary exclaimed, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
There is so much we can learn from Mary’s response. She recognized her life was not truly her own. She surrendered to God’s will. What a powerful witness of the amazing things God can accomplish through us as stewards, when we give ourselves to Him in service, when we surrender our lives to Him.
Because of Mary’s “yes” to God, the Lord will continue the good work He begun in her. The reading from 2 Samuel today communicates this same message. The Lord has done great things for King David – protecting him from his enemies, and more, and, when David sets out to build a temple for the Ark of the Covenant, the Lord reminds him that He is source of all good things, He is the giver of all good gifts, and He promises to care for His people.
Much like David and Mary, we all play a role in Salvation History. We are God’s instruments, His disciples through whom many will come to know Him. He has given us so many good gifts, and it is our responsibility, as stewards, to make a free-will decision, much like Mary did, and allow Him to work through us, to use the gifts He has given us to show forth His glory, living lives that bear witness to His goodness.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING (11th Dec)
Today, we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. In the midst of our preparations for Christmas, we are reminded to stop and spend time rejoicing for what God has done for us.
It is interesting, however, to note that the writers of today’s readings are not simply rejoicing in the mystery of the incarnation. In the reading from Isaiah, the prophet rejoices because the Lord has sent Him to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and release to prisoners.” Today’s Responsorial Psalm, the Magnificat, echoes these same sentiments. In the Gospel reading, we find John the Baptist rejoicing in the mission God has given Him. He tells those who have gathered around Him that He is not the Messiah. He tells them, “I am the voice of the one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’”
What’s more, in his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul reminds us as the Christian Church to rejoice always. We are called to rejoice, proclaim and, as stewards, to use the many things God has given us – our time, our talents, and our treasure – to help others recognize the many good things God does for us.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
STEWARDSHIP……A WAY OF LIFE
CATHOLIC STEWARDSHIP FROM SUNDAYS READING
We have entered the second week of Advent, and we spend our time patiently waiting in anticipation of the celebration of Christmas. But, as today’s readings remind us, we are to actively wait by preparing our hearts and minds through prayer and repentance, and by proclaiming the Good News that God became man for our sake so that He could suffer and die and then come again to bring us into heavenly glory
It is a beautiful message we proclaim. God has done so much for us and continues to do so, giving us innumerable gifts with which we can live our lives. And, much like the prophets in today’s readings, we ought to proclaim His mighty deeds boldly before all the nations.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah proclaims the end of the Babylonian exile, when God will intervene and the Jews will be able to return to Israel and, ultimately Israel will be restored. He knows God will intervene, and, as He waits for that to happen, He is active. He wants all to know of what is to come.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist is the prophet, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. John, too, knows that God is soon to intervene in human history and send the One whom the Jews have long-awaited, and He wants all to know it.
We are privileged to know the One of whom John spoke, the Messiah whom the Jews long awaited. He has come, and, as His disciples, we are to proclaim Him to the ends of the Earth. So, as we wait to celebrate Christmas, as stewards we are called to preach the Good News – to use our time our talents and our treasure to proclaim Him boldly through the way we live our lives.
Copyright © 2011 www.TheCatholicSteward.com
SUNBURY CHAPLAINCY
A special Chaplaincy Service will be held at 7.30pm on Sunday 4 December at Sunbury Baptist Church (Gap Road). At this service, we will be commissioning Alicia Drowley, the Chaplain at Sunbury Downs College and farewelling Tim Cohen who has been Chaplain at Sunbury College for two years. Tim will soon commence a full time position at Castlemaine Secondary College (the position at Sunbury College will be part time next year). We would love to see as many as possible at this special Service to support our Chaplains. Please bring a small plate of supper to share.
SING-A-LONG
Goonawarra Nursing Home, Sunbury
Friday 2 December 2.30—3.15pm
Please come along and help entertain the residents.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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