NEWSLETTER INSERTS ON FEAST OF THE LORD'S BAPTISM

‘Baptism is the foundation of Christian life. This is because introduces everyone to the greatest gift, which has to be children of God, that is, to share in Jesus’ relationship with the Father in the Spirit. There is nothing higher than this baptismal dignity equally bestowed upon each person, through which we are invited to clothe ourselves with Christ and be grafted onto him like branches of the one vine’.

For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission, 2023

‘It is wonderful to become pilgrims of hope. It is wonderful for us to continue to be pilgrims together! The faithfulness of God continues to amaze us. If we do not reduce our churches to monuments, if our communities are homes, if we stand united and resist the flattery and seduction of those in power, then we will be the generation of a new dawn. Mary, Star of the Morning, will always walk before us! In her Son we will contemplate and serve an extraordinary humanity, transformed not by the delusions of the all-powerful, but by God who became flesh out of love’.

Pope Leo XIV, Homily for Feast of the Epiphany, 6^th January 2026

‘Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father, in You we find the light that guides our steps. We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning, and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness. Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by your voice, and to discern our decisions from the closeness to your Heart.

May your Word be nourishment in weariness, hope in darkness, and strength in our communities. Lord, may your Word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts— the Word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of your Kingdom.

Make us a Church that prays with the Word, that is built upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again. May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your Word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life. Amen’.

Prayer by Pope Leo XIV, Intention for January 2026

‘We are called to be living witnesses of the Gospel, to be the salt of the earth, to be a city on a hill, a candle radiating light in the surrounding darkness. We are called, in short, to be united with the others in our Christian community in the building up of God's Kingdom. Our baptism is not simply some past event recorded in some dusty parish register. It is a living reality which is to be constantly deepened and enriched’.

From www.sacredspace.ie

“Before Jesus performed any miracles or preached any sermons, the Father affirmed his identity: ‘this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’. Our worth as a human being is not rooted in our productivity or success but in being God's beloved child through Christ. Am I living and striving for a love and approval that I already possessed by God's grace?”

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