Parish Notices. 2nd week Lent
Saturday Vigil Mass 5 p.m, Confessions beforehand. Sunday Morning Mass 10 a.m.
Sunday Devotions today at 5 pm Exposition; Rosary; Prayers of Intercession; Evening Prayer of the Church.
Second collection today for the Sick and Retired Priests’ Fund
Wednesday Mass at 10 a.m. Stations of the Cross after Mass
Many thanks to all those who helped organise the World Day of Prayer in our Church on Friday last: helpers , readers, musicians and all who came . It is wonderful we can again have these joint services after years of lockdown . Well Done, Everybody.
Please pray for the sick; Bill Beggs; Bishop Stephen; Jimmy McGraw; Hazel Ross; Christine Campbell; Yvonne Campbell; Margaret Moore; Frances Knotman; Catherine Lynch ; Jean Neilsen ; Fr. Michael Freyne.
Recently deceased; Kathleen McGeoghan; Claire Watt; those whose anniversaries occur around this time ; past parishioners, priests and friends of Our lady’s.
Kathleen McGeoghan R. I. P . The funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, March 18, at 11 a.m.
Service in Perth Crematorium on Monday, March 20, at 10 a.m.
Scripture Corner : Either in the church on Thursday at 7 pm or at home with family and friends
This week we will read from the Book of Exodus chapters 13—-15. Reading Sacred Scripture is a very fruitful form of prayer during Lent. Read the Word of God with Faith and Reverence. The Book of Exodus is a particularly appropriate book to read for Lent as many of the observances /sacraments of lent are based on the events of the Exodus . e.g. the Passover meal ( Sacrifice of the Mass ), the escape through the red sea, ( Baptism ) the feeding with the manna ( Holy Communion ) , the Last Supper, ( Mass ) the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord — his Passover from this life to eternal life
A few Notes on Lent
In the Bible the period of forty denotes a period of purification and also of preparation for the next stage. Our Lent is a period of purification, and preparation for the celebration of Holy Week and Easter , ultimately of preparation for eternal life in heaven with the Father.
Every day during Lent is a day of prayer and penance for all Catholics. Unlike Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, which are public days of fasting, It is left to each person’s individual conscience to decide for himself/herself what to do on the other days of Lent.
We are all bound, irrespective of age and condition, to do penance for our sins .
Using ashes has a threefold significance, based on the Bible : a reminder of our mortality ( what God said to Adam ) , a symbol of repentance ( Job ) and a sign of intense prayer and intercession for others ( Queen Esther )
Wee Boxes of SCIAF
This is a wonderful Scottish tradition of combining alms with penance. it is not another collection, but a means of self-control and alms-giving. Money saved, e.g. from giving up the odd pint/ bar of chocolate etc., can be donated to the wee box—thus helping SCIAF and the third world , while also practising penance. The boxes will be brought up in the offertory procession at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, which is the end of the forty days of Lent and the beginning of the Sacred Triduum, a feast like no other. Holy Thursday was the day of reconciliation for public sinners, e.g those excommunicated from the church for serious sins and crimes They were allowed back into the church on that day, were reconciled in the Sacrament of Penance and could receive Holy Communion again.
Confession /Sacrament of Penance.
Confession, the special Sacrament of God’s mercy for Lent, is available on Saturdays before the Vigil Mass; also on Sunday mornings, before and after morning Mass .
The three activities of Lent : Prayer ( remedy for pride ), Penance ( remedy for self-indulgence ), and Almsgiving ( remedy for avarice ) Note the threefold temptation the Lord resisted in the desert against Satan.
