SUNDAY MASSENTRANCE ANTIPHON:Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King, who rules heaven and earth forever.FIRST READING: Numbers 6:22-27.RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 67.RESPONSE:O God, be gracious and bless us.1. O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your salvation. ℟2. Let the nations be glad and shout for joy, with uprightness you rule the peoples; you guide the nations on earth. ℟3. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. May God still give us his blessing that all the ends of the earth may revere him. ℟SECOND READING: Galatians 4:4-7.GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:Alleluia, alleluia! In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. Alleluia.GOSPEL: Luke 2:16-21.COMMUNION ANTIPHON:Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

CCCCatholic ink inkinkinkL Christmas PrayerMary, Mother of God Year A Divine Office: Week II 1 January 2017

Copyright. Do not reproduce without permission. © Redemptorist Pastoral Publications, P O Box 341, Merrivale, 3291. Phone 087 808 2369. Fax 086 545 4381. Email: janet@rpp.org.za. Internet: www.rpp.org.za. Printed by Paarl Media.

RedemptoristPublicationsSouthAfrica

Mar y, Mother of God

Book

s fro

m R

edem

ptor

ist P

asto

ral P

ublic

atio

ns

To order contact Innocent on 087 808 2369,email orders@rpp.org.za, or order directly from our website www.rpp.org.za

IT IS NO small coincidence that the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God falls on January 1st, New Year’s Day. Then again, someone once

described a ‘coincidence’ as the working of God’s providence where God simply chooses to remain anonymous. The providential grace of today’s feast is that it enables us to call upon Mary to intercede on our behalf as we shape our hopes and dreams for the New Year.

But, truth be told, today’s feast is simply because January 1st marks the f inal day o f t h e O c t a ve o f Christmas, not because it is the f irst day of a new calendar year! ‘Octave’ comes from the Lat in word for ‘e ight ’, referr ing to early Church practice of celebrating feasts for eight days. This comes straight out of the Bible. The Hebrews observed many of their feasts for a period of eight days, such as the ‘Feast of Tabernacles’ and the ‘Dedication of the Temple.’ In the Church’s current practice, only Easter and Christmas are kept as octaves.

The idea behind taking eight days to celebrate big feasts is that their signif icance is so profound, so important, that we need time to absorb their meaning more fully. The biblical notion of an octave became the obvious time-frame for the necessary period of reflection. So after Christmas we are given eight days of special contemplation, to do what Mary herself did: ‘treasure these things and ponder them in [our] hearts.’ And we end the eight days of Christmas today by giving

thanks to God for the very person in whose womb the Word was made flesh: Mary.

‘Mother of God’, in Greek ‘Theotokos’ (bearer of God), is the greatest title the Church gives to Mary. It became off icial in the year 431AD

during the Council of Ephesus, which taught that Jesus’ humanity and divinity could not be separated, and therefore Mary can rightly be given the title Mother of God. Mary brought Jesus into the world, and so she truly is God’s mother, since Jesus is fully God and fully human.

Mar y is not only Mother of God but is also our mother. When she said ‘yes’ to the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation,

she said yes to becoming the mother of Jesus and everything that implies. At the foot of the cross St John represented the whole Church when Jesus instructed him: ‘Behold your mother!’ From the moment Mary gave her yes to God, she gave her yes to us too. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that Mary is our mother ‘in the order of grace’: ‘Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. In a wholly singular way she co-operated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Saviour’s work of restoring supernatural life to humanity. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.’ (CCC 968)

The essence of motherhood is that it is life-giving. May Mary’s intercession be life-giving for all of us throughout 2017!

Live the Word T H E W E E K A H E A D

(KEY: SOLEMNITY; FEAST; Memorial; (Optional Memorial)Colour = Liturgical colour of the day or feast)

Mon 2 Jan Ss Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops & Doctors 1 John 2:22-28; Psalm 98; John 1:19-28 St Augustine is credited with saying, ‘A person who sings prays twice.’ Do you sing joyfully or do you just listen or mouth the words of hymns timidly at Mass? Sing to the Lord a new song!

Sun 8 Jan EPIPHANY OF THE LORDIsaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Matthew 2:1-12Epiphany is a revealing of the divine self to us. Today let us reveal ourselves to God – in prayer – opening ourselves, sharing our innermost secrets, speaking to God as our most beloved and intimate friend.

Sat 7 Jan (St Raymond of Penyafort, Priest) 1 John 5:14-21; Psalm 149; John 2:1-11This Christmas season is ultimately the season of the child Jesus, God among us, touching all cre-ation, setting free in everything the joy of God’s nearness, protection and cleansing.

Fri 6 Jan Liturgy of the Day1 John 5:5-13; Psalm 147; Mark 1:7-11Here John speaks of eternal life as something we have, like a possession. It gave hope and promise to the persecuted communities of his time, taking them beyond all their worries, dif f iculties and fear.

Thu 5 Jan Liturgy of the DayI John 3:11-21; Psalm 100; John 1:43-51Nathanael was prejudiced in his response to Philip. Can we, like Nathanael, put aside our prejudices and the ‘labels’ we give to people – at least temporarily – and ‘go and see’ for ourselves.

Wed 4 Jan Liturgy of the DayI John 3:7-10; Psalm 98; John 1:35-42When Jesus asks the soon-to-be disciples what they are looking for, they don’t answer. Do they even know? Yet after spending time with Jesus they are trans-formed. Jesus invites us, too, to spend time with him.

Tue 3 Jan (The Most Holy Name of Jesus)1 John 2:29–3:6; Psalm 98; John 1:29-34Many people love to embellish the writing of their names with titles and degrees. Yet as Christians there is no greater title than ‘Child of God’. It is the essence of our identity, reminding us of our relationship with God.

This booklet is f i l led with questions, answers, and fun things to do. Read about eating lunch w i t h g r a s shoppe r s and yawn ing l i ke a hippopotamus. Find out what you might have in common with some very unusual animals, vegetables, and minerals a s you explore our amazing planet.

Teachers Love the Fun Facts Series because its vignette style of fers a great daily read-aloud on a variety of topics; and symbols, saints, and Bible stories are presented in terms children understand. R220 plus postage

WEEKLY DIARY MASS INTENTIONS

Jan 2 Mon Holiday Mass at 8.30am Only

6.15am No Mass 8.30am Private Intention

Jan 3 Tues Mass at 8.30am Only 6.15am No Mass 8.30am David Whitefield - Rip

Jan 4 Wed Mass at 8.30am Only Rosary after 8.30am Mass

6.15am No Mass 8.30am John & Janet Noah - Rip

Jan 5 Thurs Mass at 8.30am Only Novena 7.30pm in the Church

6.15am No Mass 8.30am Private Intention

Jan 6 Fri Mass at 8.30am Only 6.15am No Mass 8.30am Deceased Family Members - Rip

Jan 7 Sat. Masses 8.30am & 6.00pm 8.30am Private Intention 6.00pm Private Intention

Jan 8 Sun EPIPHANY OF THE LORD Theme: The Star that Guides All People. PAGE: 68 in New Sunday Missal. Year A

7.00am Mortuary List 9.00am Deceased Sacristans - Rip 11.00am Parishioners 6.00pm Private Intentions

CONTACTS

Bergvliet Road, Bergvliet, 7945

021 712-2210 or 712-1181

021 712-4271

9.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday

parish@holyredeemer.co.za

www.holyredeemer.co.za

ricardo1duncan@gmail.com

Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Bergvliet

HOLY REDEEMER PARISH

Parish Priest: Fr Gerard McCabe C.Ss.R � parishpriest@holyredeemer.co.za

Assistant: Fr Scott Davidson C.Ss.R

31 DEC 16 / 1 JAN 2017~ SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

PAGE: 61 in New Sunday Missal. Year A. Theme: Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace

WEEKEND SUNDAY MASS TIMES :

SATURDAY: 6.00pm

SUNDAY: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.00am and 6.00pm

FRENCH MASS: SUNDAYS: 1.30pm

DAILY MASS TIMES:

MON to FRI: 6.15am (or Communion Service)

MON to SAT: 8.30am

MORNING PRAYER: MON to FRI at 8.00am

ROSARY: WEDNESDAY after 8.30am Mass

CONFESSION TIMES:

THURSDAY: 7.00 to 7.30pm

SATURDAY: 9.00 to 10.00am & 5.00 to 5.55pm

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT:

MONDAY to FRIDAY: 9.00am to 9.00pm

except THURSDAY: 9.00am to 7.30pm

NOVENA & BENEDICTION:

TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

THURSDAY: 7.30pm

NORMAL WORSHIP TIMES

Catholic Counselling

Network

Need somewhere to talk that is safe, where there is total confidentiality and where you will not be judged?

Contact one of our trained counsellors

Annette Milner: 021 715-8177

Cynthia Wiese: ON LEAVE

St. Vincent de Paul Society assists the areas poor.

If you need help / assistance / a visit contact the SVDP pres-ident on 083 450-5479. The matter will be dealt with in confidence.

A WORD FROM YOUR PARISH PRIEST

As we begin this New Year, my prayer for each and every one of you is that this year will be a time when we grow deeper into the joy of peace, and grow in love within our family and parish life. I would like to use my letter this week with some more quotations from Pope Francis’ letter on the World Day of Peace, which will be celebrated within the Catholic Church for the 50th time this year. “Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practice the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures that break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness. Peacebuilding through active nonviolence is the natural and necessary complement to the Church’s continuing efforts to limit the use of force by the application of moral norms; she does so by her participation in the work of international institu-tions and through the competent contribution made by so many Christians to the drafting of legislation at all levels. Jesus himself offers a “manual” for this strate-gy of peacemaking in the Sermon on the Mount. The eight Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-10) provide a portrait of the person we could describe as blessed, good and authen-tic. Blessed are the meek, Jesus tells us, the merciful and the peacemakers, those who are pure in heart, and those who hunger and thirst for justice. This is also a programme and a challenge for political and religious leaders, the heads of international institutions, and business and media executives: to apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost. To do so requires the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process. To act in this way means to choose solidarity as a way of making history and building friendship in society. Active nonvi-olence is a way of showing that unity is truly more powerful and more fruitful than conflict. Everything in the world is inter-connected. Certainly differences can cause frictions. But let us face them constructively and non-violently, so that “tensions and oppositions can achieve a diversified and life-giving unity,” preserving “what is valid and useful on both sides. All of us want peace. Many people build it day by day through small gestures and acts; many of them are suffering, yet patiently persevere in their efforts to be peacemakers. In 2017, may we dedicate ourselves prayerfully and actively to banishing violence from our hearts, words and deeds, and to becoming nonviolent people and to building nonviolent communities that care for our common home. Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. Everyone can be an artisan of peace.” May each of be both inspired and challenged by these words of Pope Francis. At times there seems little we can do about the overwhelming levels of hatred and prejudice and violence in our world, and even here in our own country of South Africa. The temptation for all of us it to lose hope and simply accept that violence and hatred will forever be part of our lives. What inspires us in the words of Pope Francis is that, if each one of us makes a religious and moral decision to choose to live with hearts full of peace to others, then we will each contribute to the building up of the Kingdom of God. Fr Gerard, CSsR

Got questions about life?

Alpha is a series of interactive sessions that freely

explore the basics of the Christian faith.

No pressure. No follow up. No charge.

Then join us, or invite a friend to come along to Holy Redeemer,

Bergvliet on Wednesday 25 January 2017 @ 7.00pm.

The Alpha course can help answer them for you and them!

For further info contact: Paul Miles at

pmiles@sweetvalleyprimary.co.za or on 082 931-5546

CATECHISM TIME TABLE FOR 2017

Level 1 Samantha September & Lianne Greentree

Monday 5.00pm –6.15pm

Level 2 Colleen Murphy & Glenda Campbell

Tuesday 5.00pm –6.00pm

Level 3 Bernadette Sheldon & Rosemary Patterson

Tuesday 4.30pm –6.00pm

Level 4 First Confession and First Communion Lydia van Schoor

Monday 4.30pm –6.00pm

Level 5 Still to be confirmed

Level 6 Aldina Santos

Monday 5.15pm –6.15pm

Level 7 Cornelius Petersen

Sunday 10.30am- 11.30am

Glynis Minnaar will co-ordinate the morning liturgy on a

Sunday morning at the 09.00aam Mass.

2nd COLLECTION

This week: None

CHRISTMAS OFFERING Many thanks for your generous Christmas offering to the Redemptorist Community and the many gifts received. Your generosity is much appreciated.

BAPTISM

No Baptism will take place in January 2017. Parishioners who wish to have their children baptized should contact Fr Gerard beforehand.

PARISH YEAR PLANNER

Ministries/societies/fundraising groups: please advise the Parish Secretary of dates for future meetings/events for 2017, irrespective of whether you have had meetings in 2016. Only notices received from LEADERS will be accepted. E-mail: parish@holyredeemer.co.za

LIFE TEEN

is looking for scatter cushions or pillows for our Life Night environments. If you're doing a Christmas spring clean and have some of these for which you have no need, we will greatly appreciate it. Please leave it at the parish office marked for Life Teen. Bean bags are also welcome. Thank you. For further information please contact Aldina at 083 303 5149 or aldina@mweb.co.za

CCN COUNSELLOR ON LEAVE

Cynthia Wiese (counsellor) on leave, will resume Wednesday 1 March 2017.

100CLUB

Next draw takes place on FRIDAY 6th January 2017

Please ensure your contributions

are in by end December 2016

Further info: www.holyredeemer.co.za.

CATECHISTS MEETING

Monday 16 January 2017 at 7.00pm Venue - Edna Cottle room

REPOSITORY

Available from the Repository

• A selection of faith themed gift items

• 2017 - Liturgical Calendar, Diaries and Daily Devotionals

• Bibles - New Revised Standard Version - R190.00

• Living Faith - Jan to March 2017

BIG 2017 SAINTS WALL CALENDAR INSIDE

1. What we can expect in 2017

2. How not to fall for fake news

3. SVP’s 160th birthday celebrations

4. Beer helps rebuild quake hit basilica

5. This was SA Bishops’, Pope Francis’ 2016

THIS WEEK’S EDITORIAL: What we pray for in 2017

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HOLIDAY CLOSURE DATES

Office: Monday 26 December 2016 to Monday 2 January 2017 inclusive

Hall: CLOSED until Tuesday 10 January 2017 inclusive

Caretaker on leave: Michael is currently on leave, will resume duties on Monday 16th January 2017. Ministries/parishioners please do not approach him to perform any duties during this period. Thank you.

Adoration Chapel: CLOSED. Adoration will resume as usual from Monday 16 January 2017.

6.15am Mass has stopped for the holiday season 6.15am Mass will resume on Wednesday 11 January 2017

PRAY FOR OUR SICK

Elsa Assante

Lily Ball

Dylan Berry

Jason Bezuidenhoudt

Mark Brand

Jill Buser

Catharina Clavaux

Gloriana Cloete

Michael John Cole

Magdalena Cozett

Trevor De Beer

Jose Dos Santos

Gomes

Christian Engelbrecht

Mary-Anne Esau

Ursula Flatwell

Dawn Forsdicke

Joseph Goemans

Keith Gomez

Dale Heynes

Dawn Heynes

Russell Heynes

Rita Hendricks

Sam Hendricks

Jean Kennedy

Caroline Kirkham

Mafalda Linnegar

Gerald Louw

Michael Maggott

Geraldine Malander

Willi Malherbe

Milly McClement

Brian McEvoy

Joanna Morkel

Des O’Regan

Rozetta Orgill

Monty Pasqualie

Patrick Perreira

Ernest Peskin

Sylvia Peters

Albert Petersen

Blanche Quickfall

Andre Raizenberg

Gail Raizenberg

Joan Sampson

Lionel September

Vera Steyn

Renelda Visser

Sheila Walsh

Jack Whitwam

Eileen(Fr Gerard sister)

Fr Anderson

NOVENA TO OUR MOTHER OF

PERPETUAL HELP

Thursday evening at 7.30pm

Place your special Prayer Intentions & Thanksgivings in the box at the back of the Church.

Also at www.holyredeemer.co.za

If you would like to join the SVDP. We meet every Tuesday at 6.30pm in the Parish Hall.

ADORATION CHAPEL

Please Note that the Chapel is closed for the annual Christmas Season break. Adoration will resume as usual from Monday 16 January 2017.

For further information please contact Carol Cornell on 073 194 7295

TO MOVE A NAME FROM 2016 T0 2017 LIST ADVISE OFFICE OR SMS NAME TO 063 698-5321

2016 LIST WILL BE DELETED AT THE END OF JANUARY

2016 SICK LIST

Fr Lunney

2017 SICK LIST

SMS “CATHOLIC” to 31222

Receive a daily reflection from the Redemptorist Community to your mobile phone. Support the Redemptorist Mission in South Afrca.

A PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

Lord God, we thank you for this new year. May everyone in our family and

in our parish be willing to begin anew with a clean slate. We know that you

are always ready to forgive us. Help us to be willing to forgive ourselves

and to forgive one another.

As we begin a new year, remind us of our truest values and our deepest

desires. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you

want us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past,

so that we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time.