Young Adults Catholic Organisation Rustenburg Diocese

13/12/2020

8th Dec
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING
GN 3:9-15, 20

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with meC
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."

The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.

PSALM
PS 98:1, 2-3AB, 3CD-4

Response: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

SECOND READING
EPH 1:3-6, 11-12

Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.

GOSPEL
LK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

11/10/2018

HOLY SPIRIT, POSSESS ME (Fr Karabo Baloyi

Come, Holy Spirit, possess me.
Come Holy Spirit Fire; possess me completely.
Come Holy Spirit, take over my life.
I give myself completely to you.
I give all of me to you.
I give you my body, my mind and my heart.
I give you all my being, Holy Spirit.
I consecrate myself totally to you.
Today I choose you, Holy Spirit, as the Lord and God of my life.
I open myself to you.
Fill me with the abundance of your love.
Fill me with yourself Holy Spirit.
Fill me with your love, your power, your fire and your grace.
I bow before you, Holy Spirit, in total submission.
I submit to you as God.
Guide me, direct me, rule me and lead me.
I dedicate myself to you, Holy Spirit.
Take me as your possession.
I want only you, Holy Spirit.
I want no other spirit but You.
I don’t want to be filled by any other spirit but You.
I desire You, Holy Spirit.
I was created for You alone.
My body is your temple and dwelling place.
Fill me with your anointing.
Envelope me completely with your holy presence.
Inflame my heart with your love, Holy Spirit.
Burn in my heart completely, so that I may worship you always and everywhere.
Come Holy Spirit. Take over my life.
Come Holy Spirit, Possess me completely.

04/10/2018

PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Happy Feast of St. Francis of Assisi!

04/10/2018

St Francis of Assisi is called "Seraphic Father" by his children (The Franciscans). A seraph is an angel belonging to a group of angels called, "Seraphs/Seraphim", meaning burning ones. A Seraph burns with love for God, since they are ministering spirits who are very close to God. They burn with the love of God just like the God they minister to, who is a consuming fire, a fire that burns but is not consumed.

St Francis received a called from God, "Rebuild my church which is falling apart as you see for yourself." For him to fulfill this mission, he had to be completely transformed into fire, by the love of God. This teaches us the building of the church cannot be possible without people who are set on fire by the love of God. For the church to be renewed too, we need people who are transformed by the consuming fire of the Lord. A church that is renewed and set on fire by the transforming love of God can transform the world. Christians who are renewed and transformed by the consuming fire of the love of God, can transform the world, the church and their families.

LORD SET US ON FIRE WITH YOUR TRANSFORMING LOVE. LORD FUEL IN MY HEART THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE. ANNOINT ME WITH YOUR FIRE TO KEEP ME TRUE AND FAITHFUL TO THE MISSION YOU HAVE ENTRUSTED TO ME. BURN ME COMPLETELY WITH THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART FOR YOUR KINGDOM. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART FOR SERVICE IN YOUR CHURCH. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART TO SERVE BROKEN HUMANITY. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART TO DEFEND THE POOR AND TO FIGHT FOR THE DOWN-TRODDEN. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART, TO SPEAK OUT FOR THE VOICELESS. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND PROMOTE THEIR WELL-BEING. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART TO CARE FOR THE WEAK, SICK AND AGED. AROUSE A NEW PASSION IN MY HEART TO GO OUT TO FURTHEST ENDS OF THE WORLD AND HUMAN CONDITIONS, TO ANNOUNCE THE GOOD NEWS OF YOUR TRANSFORMING LOVE. MAY THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE FALL ON ME TODAY. MAY THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE BURN MY HEART AND CONSUME ME COMPLETELY.

COME HOLY SPIRIT FIRE!!!

St Francis of Assisi, Seraphic Father, pray for us, that our hearts may burn with the love of God, that we may be turned completely into fire.

12/09/2018

Today, September 12 is the Feast of The HOLY NAME OF MARY . . .

HEAVENLY FATHER, of Whom Mary is the Daughter, have mercy on us.
ETERNAL WORD, of Whom Mary is the Mother, have mercy on us.
HOLY SPIRIT, of Whom Mary is the spouse, have mercy on us.
DIVINE TRINITY, of Whom Mary is the Handmaid, have mercy on us.

MARY, Mother of the Living God, pray for us
MARY, Daughter of the Light Eternal, pray for us
MARY, Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit, pray for us
MARY, our light, pray for us
MARY, the beloved of God, pray for us
MARY, Immaculate Virgin, pray for us
MARY, light in darkness, pray for us
MARY, sanctuary of the Lord, pray for us
MARY, Virgin Mother, pray for us
MARY, Queen of Mercy, pray for us
MARY, consoler of the Church Suffering, pray for us
MARY, our hope, pray for us
MARY, our Mother, pray for us.

O Almighty God, Who beholds Thy servants earnestly desiring to place themselves under the shadow of the name and protection of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, grant, we beseech You, that by her charitable intercession, we may be delivered from all evil on earth, and may arrive at everlasting joys in Heaven, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

02/06/2018

This coming Sunday we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi., the Body and Blood of Christ. The readings this year connect the final moments of Jesus’ life, from the Last Supper to the shedding of his blood to his ascension into heaven.

The first reading (Exodus 224:3-8) focusses on the blood. It can remind us that the shedding of the blood of Jesus is the beginning of the New Covenant of Love that Jesus has established with us.

The second reading (Hebrews 9:11-15) continues this theme. “He has entered the sanctuary once and for all, taking with him . . . . his own blood, having won an eternal redemption for us”.

The Gospel (Mark 14:12-16,22-26) has Jesus saying the words “This is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many”.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, I love you. You have shown your love for me and for all mankind by shedding your blood. You have established the New Covenant of Love. Lord, help me to live out this covenant by showing your love to all people. Amen

11/05/2018

Fr James Juma, now officially a Doctor, & making education fashionable even inside the church! ups to you Dr Fr! 🤗👨‍🎓👌

04/05/2018

It is with great disappointment that the 1 day conference for young adults that was to be held in St Anthony Kanana be postponed.
This is is collaboration with Fr Mark and acting committee members.

The new date and venue for the conference is as follows :
Date : 07 July 2018
Venue : St John the new man (Bapong)

The issues to be settled then will then include :
established parish committees, the selection of diocesan committee ,
preparation for the September retreat at the Betonni center.
The day will begin as planned with mass and a prayer service.

A/Administrator
T. Penyenye

30/03/2018

23/03/2018

FRIDAY Of The FIFTH WEEK OF LENT . . .

Most forgiving Lord, again and again you welcome me back into your loving arms. Grant me freedom from the heavy burdens of sin that weigh me down and keep me so far from you. Amen.

MARY, my loving Mother, please help me see Your Son's great love for me so I may be able to bear my own Cross and I follow Him.
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

21/03/2018

21 March 2018
Wednesday of the Fifth week of Lent

Readings of day
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 8:31-42.
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, 'You will become free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains.
So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father's presence; then do what you have heard from the Father."
They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!" (So) they said to him, "We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God."
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Saint Augustine
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”
“A slave does not remain in a household forever.” That household is the Church and the slave is the sinner. Great numbers of sinners enter the Church. So the Lord does not say that the slave “is not” but that he “does not remain” in the household forever… When the king over all justice is seated on his throne, as Scripture says (Mt 25:31), which of us will be able to boast of having a pure heart? Who will be able to boast of not having been soiled by sin?… What hope do we have, then, we who are not without sin? Listen to your hope: "But a Son always remains. So if a Son frees you, then you will be truly free"… For we were the servants of our own egotism; but being set free, we will become servants of love. This is what the apostle Paul says: "For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love" (Gal 5:13). A Christian cannot say: “I am free; I have been called to liberty: I used to be a slave but have been redeemed, and by my very redemption have been made free, I shall do what I please: let no one stand against my will; I am free!” No, if you commit sin with such a will, you become a servant of sin. Do not abuse your liberty… but use it for the purpose of avoiding sin. You will be free if you become a servant, freed from sin if you become a servant of righteousness.

Sermons on Saint John’s gospel, no. 41, 8