26th Sunday of Year B - 27th September 2009

"Charity and Mission"

Today, more and more, the laity are accepting the challenge to exercise their baptismal call as ministers in the church. In the first reading, Moses, who is unable to carry the whole load of leadership, appealed to God. "So God took some of the spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied". Eldad and Medad were not present for the sharing, but they also began to prophesy. Some people objected. But Moses answered. "Would that all the Lord's people would prophesy". The same sort of situation arises in the gospel. It is clear then, Ministry is not to be confined to the few -it is the preserve of all.

I ask you to join with me, in giving yourselves generously in proclaiming the Good News.

This weekend is the official beginning of a Jubilee Year in honour the 350th anniversary of the death of St Vincent de Paul and St Louise de Marillac. Fr Gregory Gay CM , Superior General writes, "As we talk about mission in this Jubilee year and reflect deeply upon its interrelationship with charity, we do so in the way that Vincent and Louise did, with others. ... They were all involved in a mission of love. They were bonded by love a deep love of God and deep love of the poor. They carried out their mission with a compassion which was so deep that it continues to be felt and lived in the Vincentian Family through the world, certainly in ways far beyond what even Vincent or Louise would have imagined."

"We are called as St Paul would say, to be 'all thing to all people' because the reality we meet, in many places of the word today, are people estranged from the traditional concept of Church, people who are unaware of God actively present in their life in and though the sacraments. Somehow, through our mission we have to be present to them."

As a Vincentian Parish we must answer this challenge and do all we can to proclaim the Good News to the poor. It is with this in mind that the Pastoral Council have set up an Alpha course to commence next January. I ask, that you give it your full support — prayer, active participation and above all by inviting others to come along especially those who have been estranged from the Church for one reason or another..

May this jubilee year be for our Vincentian Family a year of grace and conversion, and for those we love a year of many blessings. Amen.