Jagath Francis Nanayakakkara , from Sri Lanka and a leader there in the Community of the Risen Lord, was our guest speaker for the day at Rozelle. From the moment he entered the hall, quite spontaneously a small group had gathered with him lifting up their voices in praise of God. Drawn by its power, drawn by its prayerfulness, others unobtrusively joined the group to the point where Sandy had difficulty initiating the formalities of the day! Once the whole gathering joined together in praising and worshipping our great God, the place was ‘on fire’ in the Spirit; again it was so powerful, so prayerful...... 

 

 

 

 Once again, the time has come for us to celebrate the birth of the Messiah. As you know, our primary sources for this event are the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Luke (Ch.1&2) and Matthew (Ch. 1&2). These are actually two very different Christmas stories that cannot be readily reconciled. Let us briefly consider them both. In order to properly appreciate Luke’s account, we need to understand the world into which Jesus was born. Augustus was emperor in Rome and, under his wise and benevolent leadership, the Empire was at peace and prospering. Roman fleets had cleared the seaways of pirates, and Roman garrisons had ensured against civil unrest and protected the highways from brigands. Certainly there were the poor, the marginalised and the oppressed in this world but, all things considered, this was a ’Golden Age’ and pretty much “as good as it gets” - at the purely human level.

 

 

 

Golden Jubilee... Rome... Overview Report

 

 

Parramatta CCR marked the 50th year of Catholic Charismatic Renewal with a highly successful Golden Jubilee Celebration weekend 17 - 19 February. Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv. was the main celebrant of the opening vigil Mass at the

Parramatta Cathedral on the Friday evening, 17 February.

 

The celebrations then moved to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Seven Hills, to continue the weekend’s events. The success of these celebrations was a credit to Gerard Marcelo and his Diocesan CCR Service Team, the Parramatta Prayer Groups and most especially to the Community of the Risen Lord who provided immense logistical support. The Liturgy and Praise and Worship were inspired and inspiring, as were the messages delivered by the three main speakers - Archbishop Christopher Prowse of

Canberra, Fr. Ken Barker of the Missionaries of God’s Love and Lalith Perera, Founder and Spiritual Director of the Community of the Risen Lord. Archbishop.........