Blog Posts - St Carthage's Parish, Lismore

Lest we Forget

24/4/2016

The prayers of the Church rise up on this day especially for those fallen in armed conflict for our country. On ANZAC Day we remember those to made the supreme sacrifice: those who gave up their lives for the nation. May ANZAC Day be a moment to pause in gratitude for the sacrifices of our fallen. Lest we forget.

Divine Mercy

3/4/2016

In this year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis we marvel afresh at the Divine Mercy the Heavenly Father has granted in sending His beloved Son for us.

Pope Francis on Mercy:

Mercy is the first attribute of God. The name of God is mercy…There are no situations we cannot get out of, we are not condemned to sink into quicksand, in which the more we move the deeper we sink…Jesus is there, his hand extended, ready to reach out to us and pull us out of the mud, out of sin, out of the abyss of evil into which we have fallen.

Christ is risen. Truly, He is risen.

29/3/2016

At Easter the disciples of Christ celebrate His resurrection from the dead on the third day. This belief is at the heart of Christian hope.
But there have been various theories advanced by various authors about what happened to Jesus. These theories can be categorized under 5 basic headings:

(1) the resurrection really happened,
(2) Jesus only swooned and was resuscitated, not resurrected,
(3) the apostles were deceivers who conspired to foist on the world the most famous and successful lie in history,
(4) the apostles were deceived by a hallucination, or
(5) the apostles created a myth, not meaning it literally.

Peter Kreeft explores the strengths and weaknesses of these 5 theories in the following clip:

Holy Week 2016

20/3/2016

The start of Holy Week presents to us the drama of the last days of Our Saviour’s earthly life. Holy Week is an incomparable opportunity to take time out each day for prayer and meditation.
The contemplative Liturgies celebrated during this week are not simply pious recollections of events which took place 2000 years ago.

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday has a startling variation to the normal text of the Eucharistic Prayer. The text states, “On the day before he was to suffer for our salvation and the salvation of all, that is today” (italics added). The prayer make the remarkable claim that the Last Supper is not consigned to history. In a real but mysterious way the event is made present on Holy Thursday.

Indeed the whole mystery of Christ’s Death and Resurrection is made present in the Liturgies of Holy Week. May Holy Week be a retreat for each of us opening our hearts to the rich graces the Heavenly Father desires to communicate to us.

24 Hours for the Lord - Lismore

6/3/2016

In Rome yesterday Pope Francis began 24 Hours for the Lord in St Peter’s Basilica when the Sacrament of Reconciliation was available through the night. This initiative was mirrored at St Carthage’s Cathedral with our own 24 Hours for the Lord. Many thanks to our adoration volunteers who kept vigil before the Master present in the Holy Eucharist and prayed for our parish and for Lismore.

Door of Mercy Opens

27/2/2016

The Door of Mercy is now open. The Tower Door nominated by Bishop Jarrett as the Door of Mercy was opened on Sunday 21 February. Pass through the door at any Mass at the Cathedral and experience the Mercy of the Heavenly Father.

Family Mass and BBQ

9/2/2016

Many thanks to those who attended and helped at the Family Mass and BBQ on Sunday Evening.

Season of Lent

6/2/2016

This week we start our annual penitential season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. The practice of fasting from food and abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday echoes the theme of self-discipline found in the liturgical prayers of Lent. Self-control can seem to be downplayed in the modern day. Yet there are contemporary examples that remind us that nothing worthwhile is attained without effort and sacrifice. We see this most clearly with our elite athletes. Every single sports champion regardless of natural talent has had to exercise self-discipline to attain excellence. Lent does not teach us that Heaven is gained by natural human effort and striving. But it does remind us that cooperation with God’s grace involves effort and sacrifice. Fr Nicolas Maurice

Candlemas

28/1/2016

On Tuesday we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord also called Candlemas. The name Candlemas arises because there is the opportunity to have candles blessed at the start of the Mass. The light of a candle reminds us of the true Light, Christ Our Saviour. The association between the light of candles and Candlemas is found in the Gospel report of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2). The devout man Simeon holds the Infant Jesus in his arms and declares Him to be a, ‘light to enlighten the pagans’. May Christ, the Light of the world, continue to shed light in our lives this 2016.
Fr Nicolas Maurice

Year Of Mercy

12/12/2015

Pope Francis has inaugurated the Year of Mercy on 8 December 2015. This offers the Church an opportunity to revisit the boundless mercy of the Heavenly Father who extends mercy to all those with open hearts. This mercy of the Heavenly Father has been made visible in the coming of Christ in human flesh. May this year be a time of reflection and renewal of heart as we ponder Jesus Christ, the face of the Father’s mercy.