Spiritual Connections

As we continue our Advent journey we contemplate the scriptures for the Sundays of this season. 

The readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent tell us of John the Baptist and his call to repentance. The first reading foretells the coming of John the Baptist. The psalm reminds us that the Lord is kind and just. The second reading encourages us to grow in holiness. And in the gospel, John the Baptist is baptising people in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ.

During the third week of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) the readings encourage us to rejoice because our salvation is near. The first reading foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, the anointed one. The psalm is the Magnificat – “My soul rejoices in my God.” The second reading encourages us to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. And in the gospel John the Baptist tells the priests that he is not the Christ, but that the Messiah is coming.

This is a time of spiritual preparation that begins with an awareness of our own longing and leads us to a deeper openness to the many gifts God wants to give us. As we prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus, we reflect on a different spiritual gift for each week of Advent. 

This week's theme calls us to reflect on a conversion of heart. If you make time for inner preparation, carrying out all the other demands of the season is bound to be more enjoyable. May you have a blessed Advent.

Originally published in Finding God. Now also available at Loyola Press.

Brisbane Liturgy ©:ADVENT

Week Three of Advent: God's Love Placed in Your Heart

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD. I will put my law within them, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Jeremiah 31:31-33

As a child, every year before Christmas I drew up a list of the toys and presents that I had my heart set on receiving. Usually there was that one special item that I just knew would gladden my heart and make me feel complete.

This week in Advent we focus on hearts: glad hearts, sad hearts, hard hearts, broken hearts, longing hearts. In the Scriptures much is written about hearts because the heart represents the person's deepest identity. Our hearts reveal who we most truly are because they hold what we most deeply desire.

What's in your heart? We can give many answers to that question, and it's a good question to ponder during this week of Advent. But God has an answer for that question, too. “I will put my law within them, and write it on their hearts,” says the Lord. So in addition to whatever else might be in your heart, you can also be sure that the law of the Lord is written—in permanent ink—on your heart. That law is love.

It's time to live out what's in your heart. I know that when I've gotten confused and lost in my faith there is one sure way to find my way back, and that is to love somebody. In my confusion, I look around to see who in my life could use a loving response. It might be my daughter, who's confused about a decision she faces and needs someone to listen—truly listen. Or it might be my wife, who is overwhelmed with responsibilities and could use a helpmate to shoulder some of those duties. Or it might be that my parish offers me the chance to help make Christmas happier for a family in need. The Advent gift this week is the love God places in our hearts.

Theme: God Calls Us to Conversion of Heart​

The bottom line is that we have to take responsibility for ourselves. The seed of change in our families, in the community, and in the world begins with answering God's call to meet us and to change our heart. In the midst of a world going insane, it seems a small thing to do. But one heart in tune with God can resonate in our families and through our families and communities into the world.

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION 2024

Sacred Heart Parish and Sacred Heart School wish to invite parents of any baptised child or children from Year 3 and above to discern whether their child or children will participate in the 2024 Sacramental Program. In 2024 we will be preparing for both First Reconciliation, and Confirmation and Eucharist. 

Those children that received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in 2023 will be eligible to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation/Eucharist. 

Those children that received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in 2024 will also receive the Sacrament of Confirmation/Eucharist in 2024. 

The total cost for all Sacraments is $50 per child and includes First Reconciliation, Confirmation and First Eucharist. This is paid once at the school office.

We are looking forward to journeying with your family. 

Dear Lord

We pray for a bright and just shared future for all who call Australia home.

We ask that Your grace of acceptance and compassion will guide us.

Let the Creator Spirit lead our journey with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of this land.

May we share Your Spirit more deeply; celebrate the gifts You have given us.

Help us appreciate true harmony and peace just as our Old People did; Keep us strong, make us resilient and remember us in this time.

Now is an opportunity to change our Nation’s history for the better.

Walk with us as we write a new chapter together and may we be one in Your love.

Amen.

Dom Poppa