4th December 2011 - 2nd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

On this weeks programme, Sacred Space 102fm's good friend Noirin Lynch pops in to fill us in on what is happening around the diocese and at the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre. We have a reflection on the Sunday gospel and an introduction to John the Baptist as well as a few local notices and saints of the week.

This weeks podcast is available HERE.


Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre Update (LDPC)

Noirin re-introduces us to the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre this week which is a resource centre for the work of many groups and organisations around the diocese of Limerick working and praying together in a community of communities. She discusses the possible ways of resourcing parishes and clusters in terms of training and support and highlights how the team at the LDPC is there to resource us as a diocese!


To find out what is being offered in terms of resources by the LDPC check out the Diocesan Website or upcoming events.

Advent resources from LDPC available from Advent 2011: what are you waiting for?.


Gospel - Mark 1:1-8

"Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight"

We really start into the gospel of Mark this year which we will be using for this new liturgical year. We are presented with one of the two Sundays where we are introduced to one of the main figures of Advent in John the Baptist who stands in a great line of prophets who arise to call us again and again to turn back to the Lord. Mark reminds us that John came in fulfilment of prophecy as the herald of the Messiah standing very much in the tradition of Elijah, dressed and preaching as an Old Testament prophet, living a simple and humble life as an example to those to whom he was preaching.


Who are the voices in the wildness of our modern world calling us back to the Lord? People who are on the margins or viewed as eccentrics in the public dessert of our world? In our modern deserts of rural isolation, mental illness, depression, unemployment, who is the prophet calling us to reach out across those deserts and to "prepare the way of the Lord"? 

John stands as an example of humble living, waiting in awareness of the Lord and awaiting his coming, living simply in times of harshness just like the Hebrews lived simple lives in communion with Yahweh during their forty years in the desert. Are we preparing our lives, the way into our hearts for Jesus everyday as he waits to come into our lives?

Some more reflections on this weeks gospel:

• Sunday Homily
• Word on Fire
• English Dominicans
• Sunday Reflections
• Blue Eyed Ennis
• Centre for Liturgy

Local Notices

Details of the upcoming events mentioned on this weeks programme are available here.


Saints of the Week

[For Advent we are only highlighted some of the main saints whose memoria fall during the season as we encourage you to observe a prayerful and peaceful Advent - Ed.]

December 6th - St Nicholas (the original Santa Claus)
December 7th - St Ambrose (Bishop and Doctor of the Church)
December 8th - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Holy Day of Obligation in Ireland). Last years post from Sacred Space 102fm on the feast day.