THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (C)
12th December 2021
Dear Parishioner
The readings of today are focussed on the theme of joy and the call to be joyful. In the First Reading (Zephaniah
3:14-18), the prophet convokes us to "Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice; exult with all
your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! … The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to
fear." What else can give us greater joy than the very thought of God being present in our midst; and the word
Emmanuel assures His abiding presence amongst us. John the Baptist, when in his mother's womb recognised this abiding
presence of God-with-us when he leapt for joy at the very presence of the unborn Holy Child Jesus. John the Baptist
establishes the fact that God in Jesus is the true fount and source of our joy! Therefore our preparation should go in par
with John the Baptist because he, himself was prepared from time immemorial to be the forerunner of Jesus Christ and to be
the one to point Him out to us; "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". We may not be
forerunners like Baptist but we are called to be proclaimers, to go out and spell out the good news to others through our
lives. Therefore, the necessity and the urgency of our preparation to receive Jesus Christ.
This Sunday's Gospel continues last week's focus on John the Baptist and his role in preparing the way for
Christ. If we were to read Luke's Gospel continuously, we would learn about John the Baptist challenging the crowds who
came to him and calling upon them to show evidence of their repentance. Repentance, rather, must be observable in one's
actions. Here, Luke is continuing to set up two important themes of his Gospel message: the Christian faith is expressed in
one's actions, and the call to salvation is extended to everyone, Jews and Gentiles. In today's Gospel reading, the
crowds ask John the Baptist for specifics. What evidence of repentance is required? John replies by naming concrete
actions: crowds should share their food and cloaks; tax collectors should be just; soldiers should act fairly. The concern
for justice is a hallmark of Luke's Gospel.
The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday". "Gaudete" means "Rejoice!" This is
the theme expressed by St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians: "Rejoice in the Lord always!" The word
"rejoice" is composed of two words: "re" (again) and "joy". So St. Paul repeated his
exhortation: "I shall say it again: rejoice!" We must remember that he wrote this Letter to the Philippians while
he was in a dark Roman prison and without any certainty that he can still come out alive. Definitely, there was nothing to
rejoice about in that situation. But joy is a virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit and rightly, because of that St. Paul
said: "Rejoice in the Lord always. Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near".
Fr Jijo George
Notices:
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Cashless giving: In response to requests from parishioners and to keep up with the times QR codes have
been provided by the Diocese to enable cashless giving. These have been placed at the doors of our church. Please scan
the amount you want to donate and the money will automatically go into the parish bank account. The Donate link has
also been set up by the diocese to pay in directly to the parish account http://stream.seccomgroup.com/donations/saoc. Thank
you for your continued generosity.
- Priest Surgery: There will be Parish Priest surgery on Thursdays 5.30pm - 6.30pm. Please in order to
book a baptism date for your child, please attend the weekly Parish Surgery.
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Baptism Enquiries: Kindly use the parish email (click
here) for any request. Please ensure that you give us your contact number/email address for further communication.
Kindly do not leave your contact number via the phone answering machine. Please do come to the Thursday parish priest
Surgery.
- Baptism Preparation: If you have booked in for a Baptism, you are asked to take part in a Baptism
Preparation Course. The course will be conducted by the Parish priest on first Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm or by
appointment. The Parents and God-parents are expected to attend the course. The baptism dates will be available on first
and third Saturdays of every month and the time for Baptism would be at 12 noon.
- RECEIVING COMMUNION Please consume the Body of Christ in front of the Priest or Minister of
Communion NOT in your seat.
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NEW YEAR YOUTH 2000 RETREAT Why not try something NEW this New Year? Join Youth 2000 at Trinity
Catholic High School in Woodford Green. NEW will be a weekend filled with fun, friendship, inspiring talks and, of
course, lots of praise as we welcome in 2022. The retreat will run from Fri 31 Dec - Sun 2 Jan 2022. Book today at
https://www.youth2000.org/new
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CHRISTMAS POSTERS Last Christmas, the Knights of St. Columba made available a poster to print and
display in your windows. If you still have the poster file, please print it and display it again, and print one for a
friend or neighbour who cannot do it themself. If you need a copy again, please click here to
Email.
- JOINT CAROL SERVICE at St Augustine's on Sunday afternoon 12th December at 4pm. The service will
follow the traditional Nine Lessons and Carols form. Please come along to enjoy the approach of Christmas with our
Anglican/Free Church friends in our shared church.
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FAITH TALK ON THE CHRISTMAS GOSPELS: As Christmas draws closer we shall be reading the sections of the
gospels commonly known as 'infancy narratives' with their stories of the births of John the Baptist and of
Jesus. The three parts of this talk consider Matthew chapters 1-2, Luke chapters 1-2 and John chapter 1. The videos
given by Fr Adrian Graffy, parish priest, Scripture scholar and member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission are
available free of charge on www.whatgoodnews.org.
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THE THRESHOLDS OF HOPE QUESTION: What does the Incarnation of Christ mean? takes place by Zoom
today Sunday 12th December, 4.00 - 5.00 p.m. The input and discussion will be led by Fr David Pearce.
To join this meeting go to Events at www.thresholdsofhope.co.uk.
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ADVENT SERVICE VIDEO is available to watch on youtube. "The season of Advent, restores this
horizon of hope, a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on God's Word. A hope which does not
disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! He is faithful! He does not disappoint! Let us think about and
feel this beauty." Pope Francis. Go to Thresholds of Hope on youtube or copy https://youtu.be/c2KQhRXzOFU.
- THE SVP GIVING TREE is back and available in the Church after Mass. Could you buy an extra gift for
a child this Christmas? This year, with the rising cost of fuel, the families we support are struggling more than ever.
If you are able to buy an extra gift costing approx. £10, we would like you to choose a gift specified on a tag
from our tree and return the gift, unwrapped, with its tag to St. Augustine's. Deadline for collecting gifts, (so
Santa can deliver them in time for Christmas), is 19th December. We will bring the Tree to Church on Saturday and Tuesday
morning Masses too. Thank you for your continued support.
- FLOWERS FOR THE CHURCH AT CHRISTMAS We are always grateful for any donations to help make the Church
suitably beautiful for the feast of Christmas - please do consider putting a donation in an envelope marked Flowers and
leaving with Cath Lyons after Mass or popping through the Presbytery door.
- The Reconciliation service in preparation for Christmas will be held on 22nd December at 7.30pm. The
Christmas eve mass will be celebrated on 24th December at 8 pm and The Christmas day
mass will be celebrated on 25th December at 9 am, St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church, Springfield.
- POINSETTIAS FOR CHRISTMAS If you would like to donate one in memory of a loved one please bring it
to the Church on Sunday 20th December. Thank you for your support. Cath Lyons.
- ST JOHN PAYNE ADVENT CAROL SERVICE Thursday 16 December at 6pm in Aquinas Hall, followed by
refreshments. Please contact Hannah Kelly, School Chaplain on 01245 256030, for info or just turn up and join in.
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GIDEA PARK STUDY DAY: THE EVOLUTION OF THE MASS Sat 15th Jan Professor John Morrill will lead this
Study Day, tracing the development of the Eucharistic liturgy from the earliest centuries to the present day. He will
explore in particular the teaching of Trent and Vatican II, and the latest papal instructions on the celebration of
Mass. To access this free live stream event simply go to www.whatgoodnews.org. The event begins at 11am and ends by 1.30pm. No prior registration needed. To join
the mailing list simply follow the instructions on the home page of the website.
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The Synodal Pathway: Our Journey Together Coming together with loved ones this Christmas will have a
special significance after the past year. Life has changed and perhaps there are things we see differently now. During
Advent we are asked to listen to one another and to God as the Catholic Church worldwide embarks on our Synodal Pathway
- Our Journey Together. Reflecting on journeys in the Christmas story: What was on the mind of Mary and Joseph as they
made their way to Bethlehem? What did the shepherds say to one another after the angels left them? What did the wise
men discuss as they followed the star? Similarly, we would like you to embark on Our Journey Together and tell us about
your faith journey. Find out more at: https://www.dioceseofbrentwood.net/synod-2021-2023/
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FIVE BIBLE STUDIES ON THE ADVENT SUNDAY GOSPELS Mauro Iannicelli will break-open the forthcoming
Advent Sunday Gospels with in-depth teaching and stimulating questions. Helping to experience Sunday Mass in a new way!
5 Wednesdays: 24 Nov, 1 Dec, 8 Dec, 15 Dec, 22 Dec (7-8pm). Free of Charge. LIVE on YouTube. Info & registration
https://comeandsee.org/advent.
- Parish Income - If you do not pay by standing order and are not able to get to Church, you can pay
directly to "Catholic Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury Springfield" on account 91082884 at sort code
40-13-22. Envelopes can be dropped through the Presbytery letterbox.
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THE AUGUSTINIAN: We are aiming to produce an edition of "The Augustinian" for Christmas.
Contributions to Chris click here to
Email.
- HOSPITAL VISITS: If you go into hospital or a member of your family, inform the Parish Office so
that the priest can visit you in hospital.
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DBS CHECKS: It is a legal requirement for those working with children and vulnerable adults within the
Church to be DBS checked, these checks are now carried out every three years, this must be adhered to. Our Parish
Safeguarding representative is Christina Coen or for info from the Diocese please
click here to Email Antoinette.
- Nigel Anthony David Pye's body will be received into the church on 16th December at 4.30 pm and
the funeral mass will take place on 17th December at 1.30 pm at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church, Springfield.
Thank you for all your Prayers and kind wishes.
Please remember to pray for:
Daily for the sick clergy of our Diocese
The sick and housebound
Those who have recently died
Years Mind:
Sunday: Fr Geoffrey Pye, Fr Eamonn Magrath
Monday: Fr George Carolan, Fr William Evers, Fr Francis Kerrigan
Tuesday: Fr Gerard Kerr
Thursday: Lydia Kalil
Saturday: Jim McEvoy