Monday,  Tuesday, Thursday,  Friday — Mass at 10 a.m.

Saturday : Exposition and Confessions.   4.15 – 4.45 p.m.

Tuesday : St Thomas Aquinas. Dominican Priest and theologian. Died 1274

Friday : St. John Bosco. Priest. Founded the Salesian Fathers  and Sisters to care for  deprived children.  Died in Turin in 1888.

Next Sunday : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Gospel of St. Matthew 

The Gospels were written to convert, to infuse faith in Christ our Lord, to enlighten his  followers and defend the faith against its opponents. Matthew wrote his Gospel for Jewish Christians.  He    demonstrates by quotations from the Old Testament that  the Jewish scriptures are fulfilled in  the person and work of the Lord Jesus.   There are five discourses, each introduced by miracles and signs which throw  light on the  following discourse.    Then,  at the start we have the Infancy narrative and at the end we have the account  of the Passion.  In this way Mathew gives us an account in seven acts of the coming of the kingdom of God. He describes for us how the kingdom heaven   came  to us through the life and teaching of Christ our Lord.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Service in the Cathedral this afternoon at 4 pm

All Welcome   

Ash Wednesday :  February 26

Easter  Sunday : April 12

 

Going to Hospital ?

When  a loved one goes to hospital it is very important to inform the chaplain  of this so that he/she can receive the spiritual care which we all need.  Or inform the parish priest who will inform the chaplain for you.

 Phone numbers of the  R. C. chaplains  to Forth Valley  Hospital, Larbert,   are in the porch

The Church Teaching on Baptism :     Catechism —–paras. 1213–1217

The sacrament of Baptism is so called from the Greek ( baptizein ) meaning to plunge or immerse;  the plunge into the water symbolizes the person’s burial into Christ’s death, from which he/she rises up with Him  by the power of resurrection as a new creature.  The sacrament is also called the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit, for it signifies and brings about the birth by water and the Spirit without which no one can enter the kingdom of God.

The bath is also called enlightenment, because those who receive the catechetical instruction are enlightened in their understanding.  Having received in  Baptism  the Word, the true light that    enlightens every person, he/she has been enlightened, becoming a  son or daughter of the Light, indeed becoming light himself.

Baptism  is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.  We call it gift,  grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal and  most precious gift.  It is  called gift because it is conferred on people who bring nothing of their own;  grace, since it given even to the guilty;   Baptism, because sin is buried in the water ;  anointing, because it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed;  enlightenment, because it radiates light;   clothing,    because it clothes our shame;  bath, because it washes ; and finally, seal, because it is  our guard and the sign of God’s lordship.