Santo Niño Leicester

FIESTA SEÑOR 2010

Feast-Eve Celebration in Leicester

Blessed Sacrament Church

Gooding Ave, Braunstone, Leicester LE3 1JS

16th of January 2010 (Sat), 5:30 PM

• 8th-16th of January 2010, Side Chapel, 7 PM

• 16th of January 2010, Saturday

5:30 PM  Rosary and 9th day novena prayers

6:00 PM  Holy Mass

7:00 PM  Party at the Church Hall

“ONE PEOPLE OF GOD”

“Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and might” (Ps 95:7)

Who are we? We are God’s people. We all belong to this one family of humanity under God’s Fatherhood (The Almighty Creator).

“As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; And as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you” (Is 62:5)

We who have been set apart as the ‘new chosen people of God’ under the New Covenant are the Church, the bride of Christ (‘The Bridegroom’), the One Body of Christ. Is not the setting of the Gospel appropriate where Jesus made His first miracle in a wedding occasion at Cana , the sacrament of conjugal love? (In the Old Testament the book of the prophet Hosea has this theme that God is presented as the ‘Lover’ who is calling for his ‘unfaithful beloved’, Israel His chosen people, to come back to His love)

“CONTRIBUTING INDIVIDUAL GIFTS”

“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit...[which] produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes” (1 Cor 12:4 & 11)

In the One Body of Christ, each of us has been gifted with spiritual, intellectual, professional, physical, and material wealth proper for the individual’s capacity and uniqueness to be shared for the good of all. All these wealth comes from God; and has been entrusted to us as His stewards. Hence, they are not for our exclusive personal enjoyment; on the contrary, they all are meant for sharing for everybody’s common benefit as we traverse together in this journey of life.

In the wedding at Cana , Mary did her part. What contribution is required of me to share for the good of the community?

Year for Priests. In this Year for Priests, let us also discover and deepen our understanding and appreciation for the gift of Priesthood, both of our common priesthood (all baptised) and especially of the ministerial priesthood of our Bishops and Priests. Let us pray for them and encourage them in their pastoral work. Let pray for more vocations to the priesthood.

“FOR THE COMMON GOOD”

“To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (1 Cor 12:7)

The common good – that is the purpose and reason for all our gifts. Pope Benedict XVI reminds us this of this theme in His recent encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate’ (Charity in Truth). Amidst the chaos of the global financial crisis that shattered the world especially the poorest ones, the issues on the value and dignity of the human being and his life defended in the recent instruction Dignitas Personae (Dignity of the Person) that answers recent questions on bioethics, the issue on climate change that makes us reflect on our stewardship of God’s creation, and more, the Pope reminds us of the message of true charity which brings about truth. In this world that has been plagued with the evil of dishonesty and lie, we need to go back to the basics – the principles of justice and truth – the only way to the common good, the way for true love to reign on earth. How just, sincere and honest am I in all I do?

All biblical quotations are taken from the Liturgical Readings of the 17th of January, 2010, the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C).

8 Jan, Fri (1st Day)       - One in our Faith

9 Jan, Sat (2nd Day)     - One in loving God and one another

10 Jan, Sun (3rd Day)   - One in our humble respect and service for one another

11 Jan, Mon (4th Day)   - One in begging for God’s mercy

12 Jan, Tue (5th Day)    - One in mutual forgiveness

13 Jan, Wed (6th Day)   - One in the practice of moral integrity

14 Jan, Thu (7th Day)    - One in our docile obedience to God’s plans

15 Jan, Fri (8th Day)     - One in our journey to fullness of life

16 Jan, Sat (9th Day)     - One in our pursuit of everlasting happiness