Third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Parish Notice

As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Word of God reminds us that “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Christ, our light and salvation, calls us to walk together as a community — in prayer, service, and shared life.

Deanery Retreat for Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

Saturday, 31 January 2026 | 10:00 a.m.
St Ann’s Catholic Church, Kingston Hill

On the coming Saturday, St Ann’s will host a Deanery-level Retreat for Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. This will be a time of spiritual renewal, reflection, and prayer for those serving in these important ministries. The retreat will conclude with Holy Mass at 12 noon, followed by light refreshments.

Winter Celebration and Holy Mass

Sunday, 1 February 2026 | From 10:30 a.m.
Holy Cross Preparatory School

Next Sunday, our parish community will gather for the Winter Celebration at Holy Cross Preparatory School.
Please note: there will be no 10:30 a.m. Mass at St Ann’s Catholic Church on this Sunday.

Instead, everyone is warmly invited to assemble at 10:30 a.m. in the school hall, where the day will begin with games and activities, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass and a shared meal.

If you would like to support the day through practical help, food contributions, or hospitality, please make yourself known. A raffle will also take place, and all are welcome to participate.

Let us continue to walk together in the light of Christ.

Homily

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2)

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
This is not just a beautiful line from Isaiah.
This is a life-giving promise.

A Messianic promise is not poetry.
It is a word that breathes life into lifeless situations.
It is a word that arrives exactly when people are tired, confused, and struggling to see meaning.

Israel knew darkness very well.
Slavery in Egypt.
Exile in Babylon.
Occupation under the Roman Empire.

Every phase had a different darkness —
and every phase received light in a different way.

When they were slaves, God gave freedom.
When they were exiled, God sent prophets.
When they were oppressed by Rome, God sent His Son.

But here is the surprise.

The people expected a Messiah who would fight.
A king who would overthrow Rome.
A saviour with weapons and violence.

Instead, God sent Jesus —
gentle, forgiving, loving, wounded, crucified.

Not a victory from outside,
but freedom from within.

Because if Rome had fallen, another empire would have risen.
But when the heart is free, no empire can enslave it again.

That is why Jesus’ way has lasted.
Love lasts longer than power.
Forgiveness travels further than violence.

Now let us be honest.

What is the darkness today?

Not always hunger. Not always persecution.
Very often, it is too much light.

Screens everywhere. Noise everywhere.
Images, opinions, news, pressure — all the time.

No silence. No rest. No space to breathe.

We are not walking in physical darkness —
we are blinded by brightness.

And slowly, we begin to lose ourselves.

We have more things, but less peace.
More connections, but less presence.
More information, but less wisdom.

We are busy having, but not being.

That is where Jesus comes again — not as decoration, not as emergency medicine —
but as the centre of life.

If Jesus is only added when we are desperate,
if His values are treated like a pickle on the side,
if sacraments are used only when life becomes unbearable —
then the light will not last.

But when Jesus becomes the pattern,
the prototype, the rule of life —

then even in suffering, the light remains.

There is a story.

A king once announced a strange competition. He gave a man a goat and said,
“You must feed it every day. After one month, it must return weighing the same or less.
If it gains weight, you will lose your life.”

Many tried. All failed.

One man succeeded.

How? He fed the goat well —
but he tied it in the middle of four wolves.

The goat was constantly alert. Always anxious. Always restless.

It was fed — but never at peace. So it lost weight. That is our life.

God has given us blessings.
Opportunities. Talents. People.

But we have tied ourselves to wolves —
the wolf of noise, the wolf of comparison,
the wolf of dissatisfaction, the wolf of endless desire.

So even when we have enough, we feel empty.

Isaiah’s promise returns again today: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

That light is not an idea. It is a Person.

Jesus.

When He becomes our centre,
when His values guide our choices,
when His way shapes our relationships —

He becomes like a lighthouse on the shore.

Storms may come. Waves may rise.
But the light does not move.

As the Psalm says: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

And again: “Even though I walk through the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

My dear brothers and sisters, every age has darkness, but every age also receives light.

Today, let us not search for a Messiah who fights our enemies,
but for a Christ who heals our hearts.

Let us not ask for louder miracles,
but for deeper conversion.

Because when Jesus is lived — not added —
the light never goes out.

Amen.