youth.sunnybank

Advent is the time where we as Christians begin our preparation for the long awaited Messiah, Jesus the Christ whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. It is a time of waiting, preparation and new beginnings.

Baby Jesus

Of all the ways to bring us a Messiah, who could have expected that God, who can do anything, would choose to deliver him in the form of a tiny, helpless baby to a humble family? This is not what was expected by the Jews, nor would it be expected today. We must therefore ask ourselves, what is God trying to teach us? We begin to see the importance God places on humility, peace and love. To be a follower of God, we do not need to be strong or powerful but to imitate a tiny baby.

Waiting

In our society of instant everything, the concept of waiting for anything is seen as a nuisance and often is undervalued. Yet there will always be things that we need to wait for, and things that are worth waiting for. For many, the birth of a child is a very real reminder of how we need to wait. Children know very well about waiting and often need help being patient. The phrase “Are we there yet?” expresses the impatience we sometimes feel when something we look forward to is approaching. God’s time is eternal, which means that when He’s involved, there can be a lot of waiting!

Anticipation

In Advent we join with Mary who awaited the birth of her child. We also join with all the people of the Old Testament who awaited the Messiah and indeed the whole of creation which as St Paul puts it, has been “groaning in labour pains” (Romans 8:22)to be set free. Advent allows us to participate in the waiting that is part of life. It is an exciting time and full of anticipation and hope.

Preparation

Why are we given this time of waiting? This year with Christmas falling on a Sunday, we have exactly four weeks of Advent. We need to use all this time we have been given to help us prepare for Christmas. We know the ways in which the secular world tells us to prepare: Shopping for gifts, cooking, Christmas Cards, Christmas Parties, and Holidays. It is important to also prepare for Christmas in our hearts. From experience, we know that the more we prepare ourselves for something, the more we get out of it. What are the ways in which we can prepare for Christmas? Whatever way you choose, it will certainly involve taking some time out of the busyness of the world to reflect on what this time can be used for.

New beginnings

With the birth of a new child comes many new beginnings for a family. Advent is also the beginning of the new liturgical year. Therefore we can also use this as an opportunity to make a fresh start in our faith journey. What things do I feel called to change about my life? What should I be doing more of, less of? Advent can be a time for resolutions – after all, it is the New Year! We invite you to give yourself a chance to “prepare and begin anew”.

(Taken from

Warriors 11/08/2011

FOR THE MEN::::::::::::

Stand up and be warriors for God

How many times have you been with a group of people and something was said that you know in your heart and by your faith isn’t right? How many times have you been driving down the road, seen someone broken down and you have chosen to keep driving? How many times have you seen explicit ads on TV, at bus stops and on those big billboards as you drive around and you choose not to do anything about it.

Men it is time to stand up and be counted. God put us here to stand up for what we believe. For too long we sit on our hands on the side lines and choose to do nothing about the things that are destroying our lives, our families our loved ones and this earth that God has made for us.

Come on MEN you can do it. Stand up for what is right. Become that warrior for God.

And women our men need you to. Every great man needs an even greater woman standing alongside him helping him to be better and to do greater things.

Have a great week

Post Title. 10/22/2011

I know 2 posts in one day... This is a reflection on the gospel at Mass today.
(from http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/)

A "WHOLE" IN MY HEART "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart." —Matthew 22:37

We disciples are called to holiness. We are also called to "whole-liness." We are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind (Mt 22:37).

It all begins with God's love for us. "The love of God [is] poured out in our hearts" (Rm 5:5). God's poured-out love fills our hearts with love for Him and for others (Mt 22:37). So "we, for our part, love because He first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19). Now we are full of God's love.

True love, however, is not satisfied with being full. Love wants to grow and is always searching for a never-ending increase of still more love. Impelled by love (2 Cor 5:14), we ask God to give us a new heart (Ez 36:26). Now God pours out His love again (Rm 5:5) and our whole heart is filled. Overflowing with love, we can't help but respond to God with more love. Therefore, we ask God to "enlarge" our hearts (Acts 20:32) so we can love Him even more. We even reach the point where we love God so much that we abide in God and God in us (1 Jn 4:16). This cycle of love continues until the day of our death. On that day, we should have a huge heart of love for the Lord. At our death, we who love the Lord with our whole heart will rejoice as we see "what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9). We will see Him "face to face" (1 Cor 13:12).

Prayer: Father, I can't love You if I don't love Your people. Help me to love myself, then love my neighbor as myself (Mt 22:39). Promise: "Praised be the Lord, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies." —Ps 18:4 Praise: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live" (Ps 146:1-2).

Something to think about... 10/22/2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

We encourgae you think about what you say this week and how you say it... how can you reach out to someone?

Catholic... 10/13/2011

As Catholics, we are called to be holy, which is to be set apart for God. How do we do that? For some people it means working in the Church, becoming a priest or nun, going on mission trips, but for the majority of us it simply means, living in a way that reflects God. To truly reflect and follow God is often not easy; for some it may mean a bit of a life style change, for other it means standing up for what we believe in and not being ashamed of it or becoming aware of how we talk and act.

Church and being Catholic should not just be something that happens for an hour on a Sunday. We should be CATHOLIC in every moment of our lives. Everything that we do and say should be a reflection of who God is. Yes, that could be a big ask but it is so rewarding when we live our lives completely for God. Next time you have the urge to complain/swear/yell/gossip stop and think about whether you are reflecting a God of love by speaking in such a way. Next time you walk past someone that needs help, think about whether you are reflecting a God of love, who always reaches out to help us in the ways we need. Next time you look down on someone or start to judge someone, stop and try to imagine how God sees them, because we are all children of God, we all have good within us.

I encourage you to stop and think every day about how you act, how you speak and how you think. Spend some time praying (even if it’s just a ‘I have no idea what I’m doing or saying God’ type prayer) asking God to show you how you can be a better Catholic.

Knowing those around you............ 10/08/2011

How often do you wear your name badge to mass?

I’m a serial offender of not wearing my badge. Jesus teaches love one another as I have loved you. Are we always being welcoming when we come to mass if we never talk to a stranger is sitting next to us? For all we know it might be this persons first time at mass and an experience of a smile from you, a friendly hello, or offering a handshake at peace time could be the difference in that person ever attending mass again or coming back to OLOL/OLOF. I know Eloise and I are both guilty of being out shopping seeing a familiar face but not being able to name the person we see in our pews every Sunday.

If you don’t have a name badge please contact the office on 33453766 and order one. If you’re like me (and I have 2) and don’t wear it.... please wear it, and if you see me without mine, ask me where it is. There are many ways of meeting new people and getting involved in our parish – we have sooooo many social groups here. The youth have the BBQ twice a month after the youth ministered Mass (YMM) so hang around and chat. On the 30th of October there is a welcoming BBQ for all new parishioners, let us know if you would like to attend that.

And now there is this blog. If you read this please leave your name, age, what you do and what you enjoy about OLOL/OLOF. So we can get to know you.

Hope you all have a happy and safe week

Steven