The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has confirmed the approval by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales for the new Lectionary.
The Lectionary, which includes the scripture readings for Mass and the sacraments, will come into use in Catholic parishes in England and Wales from Advent 2024.
Link to article:
Opening CommentToday’s liturgy puts the life-giving words of Jesus before us. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the one in whom we can place all our trust….
Chris McDonnell writes in this week’s Catholic Times of how even a single voice can disturb “our comfort zone and there is an unease, almost guilt in consequence. The social disruption created by the preaching of the Nazarene was equally unsettling. ‘Listen, you who have ears to hear’. It was true when the Lord spoke those words and is still true now.”
America Magazine reports: Some Catholics in the United States are deeply concerned about the German church’s “synodal way.” A quick YouTube search returns titles like, “What is going on in Germany!?!?!”…
Chris McDonnell, writing in the Catholic Times, offers a few thoughts about the season of Advent. “The story of that journey to Bethlehem is mirrored so often in our present day society. Stories of refugee families in transit, struggling to care for young children or newly born infants abound in News programmes. Those living on the streets of this country are a constant reminder of the poverty that exists in our own affluent society.”
(The anniversary Mass is in St Joseph’s Redemptorist Church, Dundalk today.) His wife Leila flew into Belfast airport and was collected by Peter (Eddie’s brother) for this Mass and the…
Two articles that remind us of the huge responsibility there is on all church members to ensure they are not risking life or health when re-opening after lockdowns.
An Irish Times story about a Dublin church being forced to close after ignoring regulations also covers the comment by Archbishop Martin of Dublin about the need to respect the sacrifices made by so many.
“The current public health policy has required sacrifice on the part of all of us. People have accepted that. I think of those who have had to bury a loved one without the normal process of grieving, with funeral rites limited to a bare minimum. We must show respect for those whose sacrifice has been greatest.
Public health policy will only work when its proposals and sequencing are fully respected by all. There is no room for self-dispensation from or self-interpretation of the norms. Jumping the queue by individuals or communities puts everyone at risk”
In another article
Michael J. O’Loughlin of americamagazine.org interviews a man we have become familiar with on our TV news programmes, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
““There have been situations in multiple countries where the source of the cluster was a church service,” he said. “That’s the reason why we gotta be so careful about that.”
As a result, even if churches are open, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions should consider staying home, “because they really are at high risk,” he said. “It would be so tragic for someone who just comes to a place of worship, gets sick themselves, or gets infected and brings it home to an elderly person who might have a compromising comorbidity, and the person gets seriously ill and dies.”
