This week in St. Ninian's
Sunday 24th March: THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR C

“The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.”

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-8. 13-15
Today’s Old Testament reading records Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush.
Moses was working as a shepherd for his father-in-law Jethro, and in a lonely place on the steppes of Mount Horeb he saw at a distance what appeared to be a ‘bush blazing, but not being burnt up’. He approached the place to see what it was, and now “God called to him from the middle of the bush”, telling him “Come no nearer”. “Take off your shoes” God said, “for the place on which you stand is holy ground”.
Then God revealed to Moses his plan to liberate the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt, and commissioned Moses to be his messenger to them. Moses was afraid that they would not receive him, and asked God by what Name he should call him, so as to identify himself as God’s messenger to the Jewish people. God replied, “I Am that I Am”. … “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. This is my name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come.”

Second Reading: First Letter to the Corinthians 10:1-6.10-12
Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth of the marvellous way in which Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and on towards their promised land. The people, he says, “were all baptised into Moses”; “all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink”, i.e. water from “the spiritual rock that followed them”, the “rock” that was Christ. Despite all this, however, “most of them failed to please God” and died in the wilderness.
He tells us this is a warning to us: “it was written down to be a lesson for us who are living at the end of the age”. The reading ends with a rather ominous warning against complacency: “The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall”.

Gospel Reading: Luke 13:1-9
Today’s gospel reading is also a warning against complacency. People came and reported to Jesus that several of their nation – certain “Galileans” – had been slaughtered by the Romans at the very moment when they were making a sacrifice to God. Our Lord assured them that those Galileans “were no greater sinners than any other Galileans”, and warned them, “unless you repent you will all perish as they did.”
He then went on to tell the parable of the fig tree which “a man … planted in his vineyard”. For three years he came “looking for fruit on it but found none”, and finally said to his gardener, “Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?”. But the gardener pleaded with him: “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year”, but “if not, then you can cut it down.”

The season of Lent is surely a good time for us to ‘dig around’ in the roots of our own lives? – uncomfortable as the process may be. . .

Parish Notices

MASS TIMES AT SAINT NINIAN'S

Saturday Vigil: 6.00 pm (Vigil Mass fulfils the Sunday obligation)
Sunday Mass: 9.30am
Weekday Masses: Mon, Wed & Fri:10.00am

CONFESSIONS: Saturday: 5.15 to 5.40 pm

 

For the latest Bulletin from Saint Ninian's, CLICK HERE

SICK & HOUSEBOUND: Please click on the link to this week's BULLETIN to see our list of sick and housebound in need of your prayers this week.
If you know of any parishioner who is housebound, please contact a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society to arrange Holy Communion.
HOSPITAL chaplaincy Please note the change in contacts for requesting a priest to visit a person in hospital. Fr Ninian Doohan has advised of new telephone numbers to contact the Hospital Chaplain: 07821 624124, or 01382 660111 to page him. Please alert him when someone requires Pastoral Care while in any of the hospitals.

WANTED! READERS & EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS - Please consider taking a more active part in the Liturgy as a reader. Readers are currently in short supply, especially for our Saturday Vigil Mass. If you would like to participate as a reader please add your name to the sheets at the back of the church or speak to Canon, Theresa or May. Thank you. New rotas are now available in the porch.

SERRA MASSES FOR VOCATIONS
Serra Masses will be held at 7pm in Lawside Convent on the last Tuesday of each month – See poster in porch. Our need for vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life has never been so critical and we should all pray fervently that the Lord will send us the Priests and Religious who are so necessary to preserve our Church in these difficult times.

Are you interested in the Priesthood? - If you would like more information about the priesthood, please contact the Director of Vocations, Father Jim Walls at St. Stephen's, 8 Bank Street Blairgowrie: tel:01250 872171, or email: jimwalls@btinternet.com

THE PERMANENT DIACONATE
The Church is in great need of vocations to the permanent diaconate. If you are a man over 30yrs old - married or single, please consider whether you may be being called to offer yourself in service to the Church as a Deacon. To read more about the permanent Diaconate, click on the link DEACONS

DUNDEE LATIN MASS
"The Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the Traditional Latin Mass, began to be offered once more in St Joseph’s Lawside Convent Dundee on the fourth Sunday of Lent, March 15th 2015. The Lord Bishop of Dunkeld invited Father John Emerson (of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter) to re-establish this liturgical apostolate at the request of the lay faithful of the diocese." For further information about Mass times please visit the website, at https://dundeelatinmass.com/

CHILDREN'S LITURGY
There is a 'Little Church' for children every Sunday Morning. Children rejoin the people at the Offertory procession, having been out for a while learning about the readings of the day in their own way.
We are still looking for at least one volunteer to help with supervising, assisting the liturgists in the activities. This would mean taking a turn about once a month. Please see Mgr. if you can help. Thanks a lot!

ST. NINIAN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL
St. Ninian's Primary School Parent Council
If you would like to get in touch with the School's Parent Council for any reason, their email address is stninians@dundeeparentcouncil.org

CAKE & CANDY:
The Cake & Candy table at our Sunday Mass is in great need of helpers to sell our cakes. If you feel you are able to give a few minutes once a month, please contact Helen Scroggie. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

DUNDEE FOOD BANK:
Many thanks for your donations. This is an ongoing project in the parish and there are boxes at the back of the Church, and lists of foods this charity needs posted on the notice board. Your donations also would be most gratefully received.

EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network)
Have you discovered EWTN yet?! - the TV network for Catholics. Traditional Catholic programmes for all ages. Fascinating interviews, wonderful children's programmes, live Mass, Rosary, Papal audiences, etc. etc. Visit the EWTN website by clicking HERE.
You can get EWTN If you have Sky t.v., or a Freesat box for either Sky or BBC on the 'Religion' tab, number 589; and you can watch it live on your computer as it goes out on the TV channel.