FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (B)
22nd MARCH 2015
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Dedicate some of your life to
others. Your dedication will not be
a sacrifice. It will be an exhilarating
experience because it is an intense
effort applied toward a meaningful
end.” Dr. Thomas Dooley
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Give me justice, O God, and plead my
case against a nation that is faithless.
From the deceitful and cunning rescue
me, for you, O God, are my strength.
FIRST READING (Jeremiah 31: 31-34)
See, the days are coming - it is the Lord
who speaks - when I will make a new
covenant with the House of Israel and the
House of Judah, but not a covenant like the
one I made with their ancestors on the day
I took them by the hand to bring them out
of the land of Egypt. They broke that
covenant of mine, so I had to show them
who was master. It is the Lord who speaks.
No, this is the covenant I will make with
the House of Israel when those days arrive
- it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within
them I will plant my Law, writing it on
their hearts. Then I will be their God and
they shall be my people. There will be no
further need for neighbour to try to teach
neighbour, or brother to say to brother,
Learn to know the Lord! No, they will all
know me, the least no less than the greatest
- it is the Lord who speaks - since I will
forgive their iniquity and never call their
sin to mind.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 50)
Response: A pure heart create for me O
God
1
Have mercy on me God in your
kindness
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
And cleanse me from my sin.
2 A pure heart create for me O God,
Put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence
Nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
3 Give me again the joy of your help;
With a spirit of fervour sustain me,
That I may teach transgressors your ways
And sinners may return to you.
2nd READING (Hebrews: 5; 7-9
During his life on earth, Christ offered up
prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent
tears, to the one who had the power to save
him out of death, and he submitted so
humbly that his prayer was heard.
Although he was Son, he learnt to obey
through suffering; but having been made
perfect, he became for all who obey him
the source of eternal salvation.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Glory to you, O Christ, you are word of
God! If a man serves me, says the Lord,
he must follow me, wherever I am, my
servant will be there too. Glory to you, O
Christ, you are word of God!
THE GOSPEL (John 12: 20-30)
Among those who went up to worship at
the festival were some Greeks. These
approached Philip, who came from
Bethsaida in Galilee, and put this request
to him, 'Sir, we should like to see Jesus.'
Philip went to tell Andrew, and Andrew
and Philip together went to tell Jesus. Jesus
replied to them: 'Now the hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell
you most solemnly, unless a wheat grain
falls on the ground and dies, it remains
only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a
rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life
loses it; anyone who hates his life in this
world will keep it for the eternal life. If a
man serves me, he must follow me,
wherever I am, my servant will be there
too. If anyone serves me, my Father will
honour him. Now my soul is troubled.
What shall I say: Father, save me from this
hour? But it was for this very reason that I
have come to this hour. Father, glorify your
name!' A voice came from heaven, 'I have
glorified it, and I will glorify it again.'
People standing by, who heard this, said it
was a clap of thunder; others said, 'It was
an angel speaking to him.' Jesus answered,
'It was not for my sake that this voice
came, but for yours. 'Now sentence is being
passed on this world; now the prince of this
world is to be overthrown. And when I am
lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all
men to myself.' By these words he
indicated the kind of death he would die.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Everyone who lives and believes in me
will not die for ever, says the Lord.
produces much fruit,” The selfless
grain is sacrificed for a greater
good. This is what Christianity is all
about. We have to “die to self” to
be of real use to God. It’s only
when we put our personal
ambitions second, and put our
destiny in God’s hands that there
will be any real harvest.
Jesus knew that his death was
imminent and he talked of it more
and more. He could have avoided
crucifixion if he had wanted to. He
could have bypassed Jerusalem
and avoided confrontation, but
that wasn’t what he was about.
Jesus’ purpose was to give his life
so others could find true life; just
as the grain of wheat’s purpose
was to die in order that more
wheat could be produced.
For Tomorrow We Die
In a life or death situation, our
human agenda would always
prompt us to choose life no matter
what the consequences. Jesus’
agenda is different. What point is
there in choosing life if that life
boils down to nothing more than
self-preservation? On the other
hand, what great value death, if
that sacrifice gives others life?
“Unless a grain of wheat falls to
the ground and dies, it remains
only a single grain; but if it dies, it
Today we are asked what ‘dying to
self’ might mean in our own lives.
Dying to self might mean putting
our own ambitions on hold while
we care for an elderly relative or a
handicapped child. Dying to self
might mean giving something up to
help a partner through a period of
difficulty. Dying to self might mean
giving everything up to follow a
vocation.
There’s a saying that goes, “Eat
drink and be merry for tomorrow
we die.” Surely this epitomizes
everything that Christians most
certainly are not. We live to serve
each other in this world, so that we
might gain eternal life in the next.
International
Day
for
the
Elimination
of
Racial
Discrimination 21st March 2015
"Learning from historical tragedies
to combat racial discrimination
today"
This year's theme “Learning from
historical tragedies to combat
racial discrimination today” aims to
explore the root causes of racism
and racial discrimination and will
stress the essential need to learn
the lessons history has provided in
order to combat racism and racial
discrimination today.
Here are a few concrete actions we
can all implement on this day:
Start examining long held
beliefs about other races.



Ask yourself, “Is that really
true, or could I be
stereotyping?”
Learn more about different
racial groups by reading a
book, attending an event,
or making friends with
people from a different
background.
Stop telling jokes or
laughing at jokes that ‘put
down’
people
of
a
particular race.
Speak up when others
make unfounded verbal
attacks on neighbours of a
different colour or culture.
World Water Day (22nd March
2015)
‘Jars of Change’ Water Aid Lenten
Appeal
Turn your small change in safe
water this Lent. The idea is simple.
Throw your loose change into a jar
during Lent and donate it to Water
Aid to help bring water to villages
in Ethiopia.
Donate
online
at
www.wateraid.org/uk
Annunciation of the Lord
March 25th.
The Angel Gabriel gave Mary a
choice. It was God’s plan to use her
as the bearer of his Son, but she
didn’t have to say ‘yes’.
Our Lenten practices are designed
to make us more aware of the
choices and direction in our lives.
We pray that as Mary’s ‘yes’
brought forth the Saviour of the
world, so we too will have the
courage and wisdom to say ‘yes’ to
God’s plan in our lives.
Preparing for the General Election:
a 2020 vision of the Good Society
For the past 40 years churches
across the country have joined
together to run hustings – public
meetings where people can listen
to and ask questions of their
election candidates who hope to
represent them in the UK
Parliament.
Meetings
where
people discuss how their decisions
can create a ‘good society, but
what is a ‘good society’? Read
more
at
www.churchpoverty.org.uk/hustings
Brian Goldsbury, Joanne Ware,
Sheila Burt, Peggy Devine,
Sarah Butler, Joshua Mills,
Tanisha Chester, Jane Hand,
Victoria
Kane,
Katherine
Deasey, Eileen Treacey,
Karen Roche, Jo Page, Teresa
& Eric Williamson, John Collins,
Julien
Clarke,
Anastasia
O’Connell, Peter & Patricia
Collins, Frank Whelan, Trent &
Mary Hobbs, Elliott Cable, Kim
Boulton, Baby Ellis, Mary
Moody, Kay & Ron Chester,
Baby Caitlin Ross, Deacon John
Newman,
Margaret
O’Donoghue, Maureen Burton,
Janet Butters, Bishop Pat
Lynch,
Susan
Graham,
Margaret Ridgewell, Christina
Key and Brenda Batten.
ANNIVERSARIES
SICK LIST
Please pray for all those who
have died recently. Please also
remember
those
whose
anniversaries occur at this time:
James Featherstone, Kathleen
Jones, Alfred Johnson, Michael
Flaherty, Karen Harvey, Mark
Balden, John Connor, Allan
Burfield, Herbert Rushall &
William Harper.
Please pray for Eileen Taylor,
Geoffrey Hope, Phyllis Snuggs,
Ruth Edwards, May Frost, Fr
Harry Reynolds, Claire White,
May their souls and the souls of
the all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest
in peace. Amen.