Our Lady of Good Counsel Church

Johnstown /Killiney Parish Churchview Road Killiney Co Dublin 01 2351416

January 31 2016 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

People who play the lottery are always hoping for that big chance to win a super jackpot.

Against all odds (literally!) they imagine winning millions. After all, someone has to win.

It might as well be me. It's almost contradictory that lotteries have become part of state

budgeting, when many of us believe in the values of hard work and earning a living as op-

posed to the gratuitous windfall that a lottery would give someone. Everybody who wants

something for nothing is involved. For the outlay of a miniscule amount of cash, a player

dreams of an immense return. And the state gets a bonus to its income without having to tax

its citizens more.

In today's Gospel, the people of Nazareth are acting a bit like lottery hopefuls, with high

expectations for a significant pay-out with the investment of very little. They've heard about

all the great things that Jesus did in Capernaum, and now they are expecting to cash in on

the local boy made good. Surely he has got to work some astounding miracles here.

But Jesus is not a lottery ticket. And faith in him is not a something for nothing proposition

in which all the benefits are reaped with very little investment. As we will learn as we read

from Luke's Gospel in the weeks and months ahead, Jesus is headed on a journey to

Jerusalem. His destiny lies in that city where he will suffer and die, and finally, through his

resurrection, he will usher in the era of the Spirit that is poured out on the church. For us,

following Jesus is a lifelong journey to our own Jerusalem in which we empty ourselves in

the service of others. It is no lottery that we hope to win, but a share in Christ's journey

through death to resurrection.

©2012 Liturgical Publications Inc

Masses

Sunday

Sat 7.00 pm (Vigil)

Sunday 10.00 am, 11.15 am,

12.30 pm.

Weekday

Monday To Saturday

10.00 am

Miraculous Medal

Devotions and

Benediction following

Monday Mass

The Parish takes responsibility

for Mass, Fridays 4.00 pm

Holy Year Oratory

Dunne's Store

Sacrament of

Reconciliation-Confession

Saturday after 10.00 am Mass

Reconciliation Services

as announced.

Sacrament of Baptism

1st. Sunday of the month

at 1.15 pm

Please allow two months notice

to secure your chosen date.

Year of Mercy

World Day of the Sick 2016

The Mass of Healing and Anointing of the

Sick is on Sunday 7th February at 3.00 pm in

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Merrion Road

(opposite St. Vincent’s Hospital).

Main Celebrant Archbishop Diarmuid Martin

All are welcome

New Parish office hours

The Parish office will be

open Monday, Wednesday,

Friday

10.30 am to 1.00 pm

Why the need for change.? Below is a list of general

responsibilities for a parish secretary:

Receiving members of the parish and public and

dealing with enquiries

Providing an administrative service to the parish

Managing the parish office with the effective use

of up-to-date office systems.

Maintaining & up-dating computerised parish

accounts

Recording and managing parish records.

And more….

The first responsibility is the most common for the

general parishioner. Our parish secretaries provide a

wonderful service to the parish, but they also need time

to attend to other responsibilities.

So on Tuesday and Thursday the parish

office will be closed to general enquires.

However, Mass intentions may be recorded

after morning mass, in the Sacristy.

Please plan to make phone calls, to send emails,

if possible on Monday Wednesday or Friday.

Urgent Parish business please

call 01 2856660 or 086 8122651

johnstowmkillineyparish.com

Catholic Schools Week is an all-Ireland annual event

which invites Catholic schools to give expression in a

special way to the ethos of Catholic education. It is a

celebration of Catholic schools throughout Ireland, North

and South which acknowledges the tremendous contribu-

tion that our Catholic primary and post-primary schools

make not just to Irish society, but to the mission of the

Church

The schools in the parish will celebrate

“Their Classroom Sacred Spaces” Fr. John will visit the

classes and award the great work of the pupils and staff.

The schools will celebrate the contribution of

Grandparents to the life of the schools with a

thanksgiving prayer service

2016

life in the

Spirit Semi-

nars The Life in the Spirit seminars

will be run during Lent

This is a 7 week course starting at 8:00pm

on Wednesday 17th Feb 2016

A word from Fr. John

Mon 01 Feb

Feast of St. Brigid

Tue 02 Feb

The Presentation of the Lord

Candlemas Day

Blessing of Candles

Wed 03 Feb

St Blaise Blessing of throats

Sun 07 Feb

Temperance Sunday

World Day of the Sick

Tue 09 Feb

Ceremony of Light (Girls)

Wed 10 Feb

Ash Wednesday

Mass 10.00 am & 7.30 pm

With blessing of Ashes

Thur 11 Feb

Our Lady of Lourdes

Rosary prayed at 3.00 pm

Wed 17 Feb

Life in the Spirit Seminars

Thurs 18 Feb

Jewish/Christian Celebration

Tue 23 Feb

Ceremony of Light (Boys)

Parenting Course

Continues of Wed 8.00 pm

Next Sunday Masses

Repose of the Souls of 7.00

10.00 Peter Madden

Mary Walsh

11.15 Peter Tracy

12.30 Ursula and Justin

Bradbury

Caroline Heeney

Died in Christ 24 Jan 2016

Betty Clifford RIP

January 31 2016

Dear Parishioners,

I was shopping, last week and already Easter eggs were on sale, and just before lent.

Lent begins on the 10th. February, Ash Wednesday. The earliest Ash Wednesday

can be, is the 4th. February, which is very rare. The last time was 1818 and the next

time will be 2285. Start planning for it now!

Ash Wednesday begins Lent, preparing for Easter, 46 days later, or 40 days not

counting Sundays. The distribution of ashes comes from a ceremony of ages past.

Christians who had committed grave faults performed public penance. On Ash

Wednesday, the Bishop blessed the hair shirts which they were to wear during the

forty days of penance and sprinkled on them ashes made from the palms from the

previous year. The penitents did not enter the church until Holy Thursday. Later all

could receive ashes, out of devotion and as a sign of penance.

The day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday, which has its origins in

the word “strive” which mean to go to confession. In Ireland we call the day

“Pancake Tuesday” reminding us in the past, to use up all extra eggs and fat before

fasting during lent. In France the day is called “Mardi Gras”, Fat Tuesday, for the

same reason.

We are already, remarking that there is “a stretch in the evenings”. The days are

hopefully, getting brighter and longer. But this year we have an extra bonus, one

full day extra day! This year is a leap year, so we have a 29th. of February. Will

this extra day be just another day? I am planning to make the most of this extra day

by doing, please God, something special on that day. How about you?

Kind regards

Happy and Fruitful Lent

Fr. John

Day Care & Respite Centre, Blackrock

Presents

Aspects of Love (A musical journey for Valentine’s Day)

Featuring The HX Brass

Cluny Quartet

(St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School Killiney)

&

Choirs from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish

Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel,

Johnstown/Killiney

At 8 p.m.

Friday 12th February 2016 Admission €10.00

Tickets on sale before & after Sunday, 7th February Masses

johnstownkillineyparish.com

The season of Lent in this Jubilee Year is a favourable time to

overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and

by practising the works of mercy. In the corporal works of mercy we

touch the flesh of Christ in our brothers and sisters who need to be

fed, clothed, sheltered, visited; in the spiritual works of mercy –

counsel, instruction, forgiveness, admonishment and prayer – we

touch more directly our own sinfulness. The corporal and spiritual

works of mercy must never be separated. By touching the flesh of

the crucified Jesus in the suffering, sinners can receive the gift of

realizing that they too are poor and in need. By taking this path, the

“proud”, the “powerful” and the “wealthy” spoken of in the

Magnificat can also be embraced and undeservedly loved by the

crucified Lord who died and rose for them. This love alone is the

answer to that yearning for infinite happiness and love that we think

we can satisfy with the idols of knowledge, power and riches.

Yet the danger always remains that by a constant refusal to open the

doors of their hearts to Christ who knocks on them in the poor, the

proud, rich and powerful will end up condemning themselves and

plunging into the eternal abyss of solitude which is Hell. The

pointed words of Abraham apply to them and to all of us: “They

have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Lk 16:29).

Such attentive listening will best prepare us to celebrate the final

victory over sin and death of the Bridegroom, now risen, who

desires to purify his Betrothed in expectation of his coming.

Let us not waste this season of Lent, so favourable a time for

conversion! We ask this through the maternal intercession of the

Virgin Mary, who, encountering the greatness of God’s mercy freely

bestowed upon her, was the first to acknowledge her lowliness (cf.

Lk 1:48) and to call herself the Lord’s humble servant (cf. Lk 1:38).

10Th February 2016

Mass Times

10.00 am and 7.30 pm

Blessing of Ashes at each Mass

Pope Francis

Speaks

about Lent 2016

Johnstown

Volunteer Drivers needed

Lunch time 1 hour

Contact Siobhan 086 3778085

Our Church Windows

Stained glass window Our Lady of Good Counsel Church Killiney

Historians say we know a lot more about St. Brigid than we have facts, a polite way of saying that legends swirl about Ireland’s most celebrated woman. But even legends may have cores of truth.

In 471, Brigid founded a monastery for both women and men at Kildare. This was the first convent in Ireland, and Brigid was the abbess. Under her leadership Kildare became a cen-ter of learning and spirituality. Her school of art fashioned both lovely utensils for worship and beautifully illustrated manuscripts. Again following Patrick’s model, Brigid used Kildare as a base and built convents throughout the island.

Brigid’s hallmark was uninhibited, generous giving to anyone in need. Many of the saint’s earliest miracles seem to have rescued her from punishment for having given something to the poor that was intended for someone else. For example, once as a child she gave a piece of bacon to a dog, and was glad to find it replaced when she was about to be disciplined. Brigid exhibited this unbounded charity all her life, giving away valuables, clothing, food—anything close by—to any-one who asked.

Jewish/Christian Celebration

Thursday 18th. February

Johnstown Parish Pastoral Centre, Killiney

The Catechism states that “When she

delves into her own mystery, the

Church… discovers her link with the

Jewish People, "the first to hear the

Word of God." There is a wonderful

opportunity to be enriched by looking at the Jewish roots

of our faith on Thurs. 18th Feb at 8pm till 9.30pm in

Johnstown Parish Pastoral Centre Parish Centre,

Killiney. The guest speaker is Benjamin Berger, a

Messianic Jewish leader from Israel. As an adult, ques-

tioning the meaning of life and of being a Jew, Benjamin

moved from Orthodox Judaism. It was only when he

came to know the God of his fathers, and to recognize

Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah of Israel and Saviour of

the world that his questions were resolved. Benjamin

has a passion for unity in the Body of Christ and has

been involved in the Roman Catholic/Messianic Jewish

international dialogue for the past 9 years.

There is no cost. There will be a free will offering.

All welcome.

Family Faith Formation

Johnstown - Killiney Parish

Temperance Sunday 7th. February 2016 Temperance is a virtue which can help us to moderate the

attraction to substances like alcohol and so avoid excessive

use. Alcohol, when used in moderation, can be good and a

part of our social life. However we must remember that

alcohol is also the number one drug in our country, and

does affect us in some way. Heavy drinking affects the

health and well-being of many of our friends, family and

neighbours We know anecdotally that every family is in

some way affected by alcohol harm in Irish society.

Parents have the greatest influence, power and responsibil-

ity over their children especially when it comes to alcohol

misuse. Parents and guardians are in the position to show

by example, not getting drunk, or showing that alcohol is

not the way to cope, or the only way to have a good time.

A practical suggestion to consider at this time is to refrain

from alcohol during Lent.

Fr Theobald Mathew (1790-1856)

Fr Mathew was a Capuchin friar from Tipperary whose

19thcentury crusade against the abuse of alcohol gained him

the title of “Apostle of Temperance”.

Fr Mathew’s call to sobriety has relevance to modern

Ireland. The cost to the nation by way of, human suffering,

abstention from work, criminality and social upheaval is

inestimable.

Fr Mathew’s Prayer

Compassionate Lord and Saviour,

you inspired the Capuchin Friar Theobold Mathew to show

your compassionate face to those addicted and burdened by

the abuse of alcohol or addicted behaviour, and to promote

temperance.

May we today, continue to serve our brothers and sisters

with love and joy, And to foster balance, and moderation in

our life styles with the help of God.

So, we pray, “here goes in the name of God.

Adapted from Irish Bishops Conference 2012

Entry Forms at the back of the Church

Confirmation Ceremony of Light

Girls Tuesday 09 Feb 7.30 pm

Boys Tuesday 23 Feb 7.30 pm The Ceremony of Light is a pre-Confirmation ceremony, which has

been added to the Confirmation preparation process in recent

years. The key part of the service is when parents hand the lighted

Baptism candle to their child as an acknowledgement that the child

is now ready to be a responsible Christian.

At their child’s baptism parents light the baptismal candle from the

paschal candle, this is a sign that they are willing to hand on their

faith to their child. In the same way, at the service of light, parents

once again light their child’s baptismal candle from the paschal

candle and hand the lighted candle to their children; in doing so

parents promise to help and support their child live out the call of

their Confirmation. They are agreeing, together with their child, to

keep the light of faith burning in all of their lives