Good Shepherd Catholic Parish
Weekly Bulletin - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
Good afternoon,
Please take some time to read over this week’s bulletin.
As we approach Lent, here’s some food for thought:
When we give up something for Lent, we’re ultimately going to experience that moment when we reach for the thing we gave up
and realise that we may need to replace it with something else.
So, the best Lenten advice we can share with you is to prepare for that — to know that you’re going to be tempted, and to have a plan for what you’re going to do in that moment.
So, when you consider what to give up this Lent, also plan for what you’ll replace it with…
Because every time we say “no” to something, we’re saying “yes” to something else — even if we don’t realise it.
Here are things you can say “yes” to while you say “no” to what you’re giving up:
+ If you’re giving up social media: Replace it with reading the daily Mass readings, or a daily devotional, or replace it with listening to a catholic podcast.
+ If you’re giving up podcasts, tv shows, or movies: Replace it with watching or listening to Catholic talks that help you grow in your faith life, like daily homilies you can find online. Take the time you would have spent watching a show and pray the Rosary or visit the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.
+ If you’re giving up shopping for yourself: You can donate what you no longer need or volunteer your time during Lent. You could visit a friend you haven’t seen in a while and ask them if they need something helpful before you drop by.
+ If you’re giving up any sort of food or drinks: You can replace it with a prayer for those who are hungry and in need. For people who are lonely or forgotten, or for the souls in Purgatory.
You can volunteer to make a meal for someone you know or someone in your parish.
Fasting is a way to make space for the Lord to work in our lives, so these sacrifices -- big or small -- give the Lord the opportunity to speak and it gives us the chance to respond to Him and be in relationship with Him.
Whatever you give up, we hope these suggestions will be helpful for you to have a fruitful Lent.
God bless you!
Kind regards
Cathrine La Terra
Parish Secretary
Good Shepherd Catholic Parish
88 South Circular Road
Gladstone Park VIC 3043
Tel:03 9338 2840
Office Hours – Tuesday 10am – 1pm. Wednesday to Friday 10am – 2pm
Email: gladstonepark@cam.org.au
