The Prophet
Good morning
In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, we find two prayers which form part of the prayers of Divine Office, which are prayed by religious and lay people throughout the world every day: the Magnificat (vs.46-55) and the Song of Zechariah (vs.68-79). In between these two most important prayer verses is today’s gospel which tells of the birth and naming of John the Baptist. Although we don’t know an awful lot about him, John is often seen at significant events in the life of Jesus, e.g. his Baptism (!) and when Jesus begins his ministry. We do know, though, that he spent his adult life baptising and telling people to repent in preparation for the Lord. This was not always a popular message, as reflected in his untimely death.
The role of a modern prophet is often met with scepticism and sometimes even rejection. After all, modern society tells us that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that no-one should judge another. But we should never compromise when it comes to our Christian faith. Of course, diplomacy is always wise when it comes to sensitive issues, but it is also not productive to subjectively change the truth that is God himself. So love Jesus – and love others as Jesus did.
And now for something completely different:
Wine or coffee and a Zoom chat?
As mentioned in Monday’s newletter, we would very much like to establish a medium for dialogue between the clergy and the parishioners. Therefore, as from tomorrow, we will be setting up an informal Zoom session for anyone who wants to chat to the clergy or each other. It is intended to be a relaxed forum to raise any current issues which are relevant to the church and the parish in particular. However, we don’t want this to become a gripe session – there are other channels for this.
If you would like to join this yet unnamed forum, please send a message to this effect to me, Dc Mike 0823715547, and you will be sent the Zoom codes for the evening. Also, if you have any particular issues that you would like to discuss, please let me know as well so that we can plan the session, which should not be longer than 30-40 minutes. We will aim for 7.30pm so please bring along your glass of wine or cup of coffee. We look forward to seeing you again. Please join us.
Finally, are you missing the Southern Cross? Parishioners can subscribe by emailing subscriptions@scross.co.za or going to www.scross.co.za/subscribe. Let’s support our Catholic press who are missing us as much as we are missing Mass.
See you tomorrow!
God Bless and stay safe. Dc Mike and the team.
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