
Hi Daniel, happy Advent! We hope you're already feeling the joy and anticipation of Christmas, which is only a few weeks away. In this edition of the newsletter, you'll find: A message from Fr Dan Mission updates: Our Volunteers Dinner and other events Meet the team: Karen Luzan Recommended resource: The Myth Pilgrim podcast Upcoming events 70th Anniversary parish history book A prayer for Advent
Message from Fr Dan Dear Parishioners and friends, This season of Advent is a special time for us to tap into our deep spiritual longing. St Augustine famously said that although we desire many things, our greatest longing is for God. The liturgies during Advent help us to become aware of this deep longing, whilst also reminding us that our longing for God is a mere reflection of God’s longing for us. Time and time again, the scriptures reveal a God who is constantly coming, in love, towards us! (The word advent means “coming”). Incredible, right? The creator of the universe longs for you...yes, despite your weakness and failures! Perhaps during Advent, you can spend some time pondering this truth. During Advent, we actually anticipate two comings of Christ. Firstly we look forward to the second coming of Christ, the promised time when the victory of Jesus on the cross will be fully manifest, and the whole universe will be finally overcome by love. Then there will be a “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1). And what a sight it will be! The other “coming” we anticipate during Advent is the coming of Christ in the humanity of Jesus. Our Mass readings over these weeks take us back to the experience of God’s people in the Old Testament, who were longing for a king to save them from the ongoing threat of foreign powers. God heard their cry and promised to provide them a king who would deliver them, and rule over his people for ever and ever. This is the same king prophesied by the prophet Isaiah: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." (Isaiah 9:6-7) God's people saw the rise and fall of many kings. Some were better than others, but all of them ultimately failed to deliver on God's promise. But then came Jesus. Through his ministry and teaching it becomes clear that Jesus is the one that God's promises were pointing to. It is Jesus that carries the spirit of God, who heals and restores, and brings about perfect justice. Jesus is the faithful king who offers a peace that has no end. He is the "ruler of the kings of the earth" and the "king of kings and the Lord of Lords", as we hear in the book of Revelation. During advent we are invited to submit ourselves to the authority of this King. Jesus is the love and power of God that our hearts are longing for, the one who truly delivers us. Our task during Advent is to become conscious of this longing, invite his presence, and patiently wait for his coming into our hearts, and into all the circumstances that we give him permission to enter. During Advent the church also encourages us to take up some spiritual disciplines (like with Lent) as a way of carving out space for this coming of Christ. There are many things we can do, but my strong encouragement is to make a conscious effort to simplify your schedule so you can invest more time with God. Our lives are generally so manic, and often for "good" reasons. But nothing is as good for us (and for our loved ones) as investing time with God. Do you think you can manoeuvre things around so you have at least fifteen minutes of undisturbed time with God each day? Or perhaps you could be really radical and aim for thirty minutes, or even an hour?! Of course, this will be easier for some. Parents with young children might find this especially difficult, but I encourage you to have go! See what you can manage. Spend some time each day reflecting on your longing for God and God’s longing for you. Open your heart to the Christ who has come, and is coming, and will come again. Invite his saving presence into the areas of your life where you need him most. You might also use the scripture texts we are providing in the bulletin inserts during Advent. We look forward to sharing in this special time of year with you! In faith, hope and love, Fr Dan
Mission Updates Volunteers Dinner Our end of year thanksgiving dinner was such a treat! It was wonderful to see volunteers of all generations enjoying lots of good food, conversation, laughs and a few fun activities. It was also so encouraging to hear a few stories of how God has been at work through our community this year. Patrick shared about his experience of coming to our community as a non-Christian. He said that from the moment he arrived at his first Mass he felt welcomed and accepted. He was then encouraged and supported through Alpha and RCIA, was baptised in the Easter Vigil, and is now an active volunteer himself! His basic message was that this was all possible because of the many volunteers in our parish who gradually drew him into our family! A huge thank you to everyone who contributes to the life of our parish – you are blessing the lives of so many, more than you will ever know! Read more
Mission updates Other events November featured the finale of our latest Alpha Course, where we completed the ten-week journey with a record number of guests. We also began our new ßeta short course, developed by our team as a next step for those who have completed Alpha. At the end of October we celebrated our 70th Anniversary Dinner with over 170 people in attendance. The night truly embodied the rich and beautiful spirit we share at St Ben's: a broad mix of generations and cultures, lots of food, fun activities, some personal sharing, and of course, lots of dancing to a great mix of tunes from our resident DJ, Deacon Justin. Thanks again to the team who made the night happen. We look forward to our next Dinner Dance in 2023!
Meet our people Karen Luzan Youth Coordinator / Social Media Coordinator Hi everyone, I’m Karen and I enjoy long black coffees, ice-cream and anything adventurous. I’m passionate about helping others encounter God’s love... Read more
Recommended Resource The Myth Pilgrim podcast This month's recommended resource comes from our very own Br Lawrence MGL, creator of the Myth Pilgrim podcast. It's all about the stories we know and love, and the nourishment for our faith we can find within them. Think the connections between Narnia, fairytales or Lord of the Rings, and discernment, the Beatitudes or St Therese of Lisieux! Some episodes you might like to try during this season: Hobbits and Christian Hope Today The real story of St Nicholas (aka Santa Claus) For the main website, click below, or search "The Myth Pilgrim" where you would usually find your podcasts. The Myth Pilgrim website
Parish History book Take a look back at our Parish through the years. Learn about our history, hear some stories, look at some photos and read about our 70th Anniversary Celebrations. Make sure you don't miss your chance to get one of these keepsakes for your bookshelf! We are planning to have the books available for collection from the Church before Christmas. Pre-order your copy
Upcoming events Christmas Mass times Outdoor family Mass - 24th December at 6pm Midnight Mass, with carols from 11:30pm 10am Christmas Day Mercy night - An opportunity to encounter God's mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation and to prepare our hearts for Christmas. This event will be held at St Scholastica's Church on the 15th of December at 6:30pm Taize Prayer night, 9th of December at 7:30pm at St Ben's
A Prayer for Advent In this Advent of expectation draw us together in unity, that our praise and worship might echo in these walls and also through our lives. In this Advent of expectation draw us together in mission, that the hope within might be the song we sing, and the melody of our lives. In this Advent of expectation draw us together in service, that the path we follow might lead us from a stable to a glimpse of eternity. Source
St Benedict’s Catholic Community 301 Warrigal Rd Burwood VIC 3125 Tel: 9808 2492 Email: admin@stbenedicts.com.au Web: stbenedicts.com.au YouTube: youtube.com/StBenedictsBurwood

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