Catholic Parish of Lindfield-Killara Diocese of Broken Bay

Transcription

1 Catholic Parish of Lindfield-Killara Diocese of Broken Bay Holy Family Parish Church, Lindfield Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Church, Killara LINDFIELD: KILLARA: MASS TIMES: Saturday 6:00pm Saturday Vigil: 5:30pm Sunday: 8:15am Sunday: 9:15am 10:15am 12:00 (Chinese Community Mass) 6:00pm (for both our communities) Monday 9:15am ~ Tuesday 12:15pm 7:30am Wednesday 9:15am 7:30am Thursday 9:15am 7:30am Friday 9:15am ** ~ Saturday 9:15am SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Saturdays 5:00 5:30pm (Lindfield) For 15 minutes after the 5:30pm Mass (Killara) ** NO Mass at Lindfield on the second Friday of each month *** Healing Mass for whole parish at Killara at 10am each 2nd Friday of each month FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT This week: Deut 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13 Next week: Gen 15:5-12, 17-18; Phil 3:17-4:1; Lk 9:28-36 The First Sunday in Lent always places the temptations of Jesus before us. Temptations. Those things that distract us from what s really important. And one of those important things is time: what we give our time to, what we make time for. We find time for what s important to us. Lent asks us whether we find time for God, for spirituality, for prayer; or whether God gets the time that s left over. What we find time for reveals what s important to us. What do I find time for? Fr Colin

2 2 Parish Staff and Contact Information We are the one parish of Lindfield-Killara containing our two distinct but collaborating and cooperating communities centred on our two churches at Killara and Lindfield. Holy Family Church: Immaculate Heart of Mary Church: Parish Priest: Fr Colin Blayney Assistant Priest: Fr Stephen Hamilton Cnr Pacific Hwy and Highfield Rd, Lindfield Cnr Fiddens Wharf Rd and Charles St, Killara Apart from the case of emergency please restrict the use of the above numbers to between 9:30am and 5:00pm. For office or routine enquiries please contact the Parish Office during office hours. PARISH OFFICE: Parish Secretary: Philita Marundan: Address: Level 1, 2 Highfield Road (cnr Pacific Hwy) Lindfield NSW 2070 (Postal: PO Box 22, Lindfield NSW 2070) Ph: Fax: parish@lindfieldkillara.org.au Parish Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30am-1:00pm and 1:30pm-4:00pm Catechist Coordinator (Primary Schools): Sue-Anne Sherwood Sacramental Programme Coordinator: Sue-Anne Sherwood Assistant Sacramental Programme Coordinator: Trish Rodgers Parish Bookkeeper: Alison Williams Parish Facilities Coordinator (voluntary): Anthony Cassidy sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au trish@lindfieldkillara.org.au Parish Primary School: Holy Family School 2-4 Highfield Rd, Lindfield 2070 Ph: Fax: Principal: Mr Lou Dogao info@holyfamily.nsw.edu.au School Website: Parish Website: Saturday 13 Feb 20 Feb Lindfield 6:00pm Fr Stephen Hamilton Fr Colin Blayney Killara 5:30pm Fr Colin Blayney Fr Stephen Hamilton Sunday 14 Feb 21 Feb Lindfield 8:15am Fr Stephen Hamilton Fr Colin Blayney Killara 9:15am Fr Colin Blayney Fr Stephen Hamilton Lindfield 10:15am Fr Stephen Hamilton Fr Colin Blayney Lindfield 12:00noon Fr Stephen Hamilton Fr Stephen Hamilton Lindfield 6:00pm Fr Colin Blayney Fr Stephen Hamilton

3 3 RICHARD ROHR S MEDITATION: TRUST THE RIVER Grace and mercy teach us that we are all much larger than the good or bad stories we tell about ourselves or about one another. Please don't get caught in your small stories; they are usually less than half true, and therefore not really "true" at all. They're usually based on hurts and unconscious agendas that allow us to see and judge things in a very selective way. They're not the whole You, not the Great You, not the Great River. Therefore it is not where your big life can really happen. No wonder the Spirit is described as "flowing water" and as "a spring inside you" (John 4:10-14) or, at the end of the Bible, as a "river of life" (Revelation 22:1-2). Strangely, your real life is not about "you." It is a part of a much larger stream called God. I believe that faith might be precisely that ability to trust the Big River of God's providential love, which is to trust the visible embodiment (the Son), the flow (the Holy Spirit), and the source itself (the Father). This is a divine process that we don't have to change, coerce, or improve. We just need to allow it and enjoy it. That takes immense confidence, especially when we're hurting. Usually, I can feel myself get panicky. Then I want to quickly make things right. I lose my ability to be present and I go up into my head and start obsessing. Soon I tend to be overly focused in my head to such a point that I don't really feel or experience things in my heart and body. I'm oriented toward goals and making things happen, trying to push or even create my own river. Yet the Big River is already flowing through me and I am only one small part of it. Faith does not need to push the river precisely because it is able to trust that there is a river. The river is flowing; we are already in it. This is probably the deepest meaning of "divine providence." So do not be afraid. We have been proactively given the Spirit by a very proactive God. Jesus understands this gift as a foregone conclusion: "If you, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give you the Holy Spirit?" (Luke 11:13). Simone Weil said, "It is grace that forms a void inside of us and it is also grace that fills that void." Grace leads us to the state of emptiness, to that momentary sense of meaninglessness in which we ask, "What is it all for? What does it all mean?" Without grace we will not enter into such a necessary void, and without grace the void will not be filled. All we can do is try to keep our hands cupped and open. And it is even grace to do that. But we must want grace and know we need it. Fr Richard Rohr ofm LENT AND EASTER ON THE PARISH WEBSITE You will find plenty of information on our Lenten activities and also the timetable for our Easter celebrations on our website ( This Lenten and Easter information can be accessed either under a new tab under Mass and Prayer Times or even more easily via the special highlight box for Lent (pictured to the left) at the bottom of the homepage.

4 4 Why are we called Fusion? Because we fuse together food, friendship, fun and faith on Friday for a fantastic time! All FUSION meetings are in the Shirley Wallace Centre above the church. Cost is $5, which includes pizza and dessert. All students in years 7,8, 9, and 10 and their parents are invited to our introductory meeting of FUSION YOUTH for Youth at Lindfield-Killara is about creating a space where teens can gather in a safe environment to eat and play games together. We also talk about issues in their lives and how their faith can help them through. Our first meeting will be on Friday 19 February, from pm in the Shirley Wallace Parish Centre above Lindfield church. A light supper will be served. All new and old members welcome. Please join us! SACRAMENTAL PROGRAMME NEWS: 1. ENROLMENT FOR PREPARATION FOR FIRST RECONCILIATION IS NOW OPEN: The (online) enrolment process is open until 20th February. Please go to the parish website ( and click on What s New? on the homepage. 2. UPDATED LETTER WITH SACRAMENTAL DATES FOR 2016: a reminder to discard the earlier version of the sacramental letter as the dates for First Communion and Confirmation have changed. The new letter can be obtained from our website ( by clicking on What s New? on the homepage. KILLARA CARPARK PROPOSAL During February we will be holding the Forums (for those who have put their name down to take part) to explain the proposal more fully and the reasons behind the need for it and to allow for discussion. Our committee has worked to produce a report to form the basis of the discussions at these forums. This Report is now available on the parish website under News and Events Killara Development. If you don t have internet access please contact the Parish Office for a copy. PREPARING TO BE WELCOMED INTO THE CHURCH During Lent our catechumens and candidates are completely their preparation for the Easter sacraments. Please keep them in your prayers: Catechumens preparing for baptism: Monika Ainsworth (pictured - far right) Melissa Willmott (pictured - third from left) Philip Milton (son of Gregory see below) Kate Cribb and her children Grace and Lachlan (not pictured) Candidate for reception into the Church: Gregory Milton (pictured second from left) Completing his initiation into the Church: Wolfgang Liers (pictured far left)

5 5 LENT IS this a fast, to keep The larder lean? And clean From fat of veals and sheep? Is it to quit the dish Of flesh, yet still To fill The platter high with fish? Is it to fast an hour, Or ragg d to go? Or show A downcast look and sour? No; tis a fast to dole Thy sheaf of wheat, And meat, Unto the hungry soul. It is to fast from strife, From old debate And hate; To circumcise thy life. To show a heart grief-rent; To starve thy sin, Not bin; And that s to keep thy Lent. Robert Herrick ( ) A Sacrament of Grace and Mercy In calling this Jubilee Year of Mercy Pope Francis has issued a two-fold call to us: to come to believe in and experience God s infinite mercy ourselves, and to share that with others through the way we live in the world. As such this Lent could be a time of experiencing the caress of God s mercy in the beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation. The normal weekly times for Reconciliation are given on the front page of the bulletin, page 7 gives details of our special Second Rite of Reconciliation closer to Easter, and of course you can always make a time to see myself or Fr Stephen outside those formal times. Fr Colin

6 6 Entering into the Season of Lent... Like many families in her remote village, Doney and her family have often gone months without enough to eat. But with the support of Caritas Australia and local partner CADECOM, the people of Doney s community have learned to harness their strengths. Today they are building new livelihoods, improving health and growing literacy to create paths towards a better future. Please donate to Project Compassion 2016 and help people in remote areas of Malawi harness their strengths and pave the way towards a thriving future. ROSEVILLE LINDFIELD KILLARA INTERCHURCH FELLOWSHIP LENTEN ECUMENICAL SERVICES We are blessed that this year we will again be having three Lenten Ecumenical Services with our fellow Churches in our local area. Please be part of this wonderful opportunity to build the bridges of Christian Unity during the Lenten season of renewal: Tuesday 16th Feb. at 7:45pm at Holy Family Catholic Church, Lindfield Preacher: Rev. Mary Pearson (from Lindfield Uniting Church) Tuesday 1st March at 7:45pm at Lindfield Uniting Church Cnr Pacific Hwy and Provincial Rd, Lindfield Preacher: Alison Whalley (from St Andrew s Anglican Church Roseville) Tuesday 15th March at 7:45pm at St Andrew s Anglican Church, Roseville Cnr Bancroft Ave and Hill St (just near Roseville Stn) Preacher: Fr Colin Blayney PLEASE BRING A PLATE If you can bring a plate (with something on it!) for the supper following the Lenten Ecumenical Service which we are hosting on the evening of THIS Tuesday 16th February that would be a great help. They can be dropped up to the kitchen in our new Shirley Wallace Parish Centre before the Service if possible (lift access in the side foyer of Holy Family Church). THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION AND LENT Since Lent is the time of Easter preparation please make use of the whole of Lent to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Reconciliation is celebrated each Saturday afternoon as advertised on page 1. When Easter arrives our Lenten preparation is over so please note that there will be NO opportunities for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation once Holy Week begins, including no Reconciliations at the normal Saturday time on Holy Saturday. There will also be a celebration of the Second Rite (Communal Rite) of Reconciliation on Wednesday 16th March (Wednesday before Holy Week) at 7:30pm. This celebration is for our two communities and will take place in at Killara (since the Advent celebration took place at Lindfield).

7 7 Entering into the Season of Lent... Using the Season of Lenten to nurture, challenge and deepen our faith. Don t let the precious weeks of Lent slip by. We d like to have as many members of our community as possible be part of a Lenten Reflection Group. This year's programme, involving a weekly gathering over 5 weeks of Lent, focuses on the beautiful theme of Mercy put before the Church by Pope Francis in his proclamation of a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Two groups will be meeting: on Saturday afternoons at 2pm, in The Library in the new Shirley Wallace Parish Centre on the first floor of Holy Family Church at Lindfield (lift access via the side foyer on the church). All welcome just turn up. on Thursday mornings at 10am, at the home of Genevieve Dennis. welcome phone Genevieve on to let her know you re coming and for address details. Celebrating Easter Making a Joyful Sound Unto the Lord ~ Please be part of a combined choir for Easter ~ As we are one parish this year we will once again come together for a combined celebration of the greatest liturgical celebration of our Christian Year the Mass of the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night: a single Mass at 7:30pm in Holy Family Church at Lindfield. And also once again we will come together for a single celebration of the Mass of the Lord s Supper on Holy Thursday evening at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church at Killara. Anyone who is interested in being part of the special choir for the Easter liturgy (especially the Easter Vigil but also Holy Thursday and Good Friday for those who wish) is invited to join our Easter choir (even if you are not a regular member of any of our parish choirs). Rehearsals are on Thursday evenings 11th February to 17th March inclusive, from 8:15 to 9:15 pm in Holy Family church at Lindfield. Please contact Christian on or catsanos.christian@gmail.com for further information. Thank you! Please help to make our Easter special. STATIONS OF THE CROSS * in Cantonese: every Friday night from 19th February to 18th March in Holy Family Church Lindfield * in English: every Friday night from 19th February to 18th March in Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Killara CHINESE NEW YEAR We wish all the members of our Chinese Catholic Community all the blessings of this new year. Fr Colin All

8 8 THE PRAYERS AND RESPONSES OF MASS We fast from the joyful words of the Gloria during these days of Lent as we prepare our hearts and our community to celebrate once again the saving death and resurrection of Jesus INVITATION TO PRAYER LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST: Celebrant: Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours.. May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise & glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church. SANCTUS: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. INVITATION TO HOLY COMMUNION: Celebrant: Behold the Lamb of God All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed. MEMORIAL ACCLAMATION:

9 THE PSALM Ps 90: Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shade of the Almighty say to the Lord: My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust! Upon you no evil shall fall, no plague approach where you dwell. For you has God commanded the angels, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you upon their hands lest you strike your foot against a stone. On the lion and the viper you will tread and trample the young lion and the dragon. Their love they set on me, so I will rescue them; protect them for they know my name. When they call I shall answer: I am with you. I will save them in distress and give them glory. At Masses at which the Psalm is sung the response is: Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory! No one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, king of endless glory! 9 THE APOSTLES CREED I believe in one God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (all bow at the following words in bold): who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen STATE SCHOOL CATECHISTS AN UPDATE Many thanks to our many volunteers we now have a catechist available for all classes. A fantastic and generous response! However we still need catechist assistants: Please contact Sue-Anne Sherwood to discuss: or sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au OUR PARISH TO HOST WORLD DAY OF PRAYER On Friday 4th March at 10:30am our parish will be hosting the World Day of Prayer Service for our local area. The celebration will take place at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church at Killara and will bring together our fellow Christians from our local area. See page 10. Please note the date in your diaries and please be there to welcome and to pray with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Fr Colin

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11 SOCIAL JUSTICE : Australia has agreed to accept 12,000 Syrian refugees in 2016 How difficult will it be to adjust to a new country, culture, and language? 11 Roseville Asylum Seeker & Refugee Support Group invites you to a special screening night Thursday 17 March pm at Roseville Uniting Church, 7a Lord Street, Roseville Cost $15 Includes movie, light refreshment (from 7.00 pm)and a short talk from Lee Meredith of the Asylum Seekers Centre. Please bring along a donation of non-perishable food & toiletries. TO BOOK Eva at office@roseville.unitingchurch.org.au Phone Sue Drury on All proceeds of the evening will be donated to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. PART TIME NANNY REQUIRED: Local parish and school family require after school nanny on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Would suit mature lady or uni student looking for part time work. Some driving required. References essential. Please patrice.lumb@optusnet.com.au if you re interested. PARISH YOUNG ADULTS GROUP The next gathering will be tonight Sunday 14th February immediately following the 6pm Mass and will be held in the lounge in the new Shirley Wallace Parish Centre on the first floor of Lindfield church. All young adults welcome a relaxed and informal time (with food). VIRTUAL PARISH NOTICEBOARD Neither of our churches really has a suitable space for a noticeboard to accommodate the many notices we receive and so we will publish flyers regarding coming events, initiatives provided by the diocese and other agencies on a new page of our website : THE VIRTUAL PARISH NOTICEBOARD - which can be found under 'News and Events'. Parish events will of course always be published in the bulletin. NEW PARISH PLAYGROUP Characters Playgroup meets every Wednesday from 10:30am till noon in our new Shirley Wallace Parish Centre on the first floor of Holy Family church. Please register via Trybooking: Please contact Sue-Anne Sherwood for details (see page 2).

12 12 Gospel Reflections by: Beryl Cates Tempted as we are The place traditionally associated with Jesus retreat is among the most desolate in the Judean desert. The sun scorches the barren terrain, vultures circle overhead, snakes bask in the sun, centipedes and scorpions seek shade beneath rocks, and at the time of Jesus, jackals, wolves and leopards roamed. It was commonly believed the desert was the home of evil spirits, and on the Day of Atonement an unfortunate goat was charged with the sins of Israel and driven there (Lev.16). It was also traditional for holy men to spend time in the comfortless landscape wrestling with their inner daemons and strengthening their commitment to God. Exegetes speculate that it was during his Baptism that Jesus made his commitment to the public ministry he had long been considering. His calling affirmed, he was led by the spirit to the silence & solitude of the desert to fast, meditate & pray. After forty days and nights of fast a long period, our Lent fatigue & gnawing hunger began disturbing his peace of mind. He had long known the challenge & danger in his calling. The rejection, humiliation & scorn he could expect. The real possibility of death. Now, it all struck him with a renewed & terrible vigour. Thoughts of beguiling alternatives began. Whether Satan is an intelligent spirit of evil, or a primal tendency to evil lies latent in the baggage of the collective unconscious we all carry with us, has long been under scholarly debate. When our Creator began drawing us up from interrelating with others as instinctual creatures, to a knowledge of good and evil (Gen;2:17) we developed moral consciousness and first knew sin (cf. Rom. 7:7-11). And began sinning. Evil remains within those primal thoughts and preliminaries to action within us, coiled and undisturbed until conditions are such they are aroused. Certainly there is no such creature as that hideous figure with horns, tail and pitchfork of ancient Persian Zoroastrianism that the Jews brought back with them after the exile, and which should never have been granted a visa. It made its way into Christianity and it is extraordinary how it still holds a place in art and Christian imagery. The OT story that there was a magnificent angel of light, Lucifer, whose pride brought him (spirit has no gender) to fall into darkness and become a power for evil (Is: 14:12-15) bears no resemblance to Satan in the book of Job (c. 7-8 BC). There Satan is one of God s attendants, among the sons of God whose role was to run to and fro throughout the earth (Job 1:6) testing people s loyalty to Yahweh. Satan s persona is further developed in Scriptural texts to become more an opponent of God and a tempter of humankind. Whether the psychologist is right about the collective unconscious, or Satan a real spirit, no one can deny evil is real, malevolent and within us all. Scripture tells us that Jesus was not exempt from wrestling with its powerful and persuasive force. Jesus inner life is his own and we can only surmise his turmoil when he was tempted to forgo his mission. He knew he was uniquely God-gifted, a leader and extraordinary healer and in the desert he was torn between using his attributes for self-aggrandisement and gratification or following his God-given mission as an itinerant preacher, sleeping wherever a bed could be found, supported by handouts and inevitably suffering ridicule and the wrath of the establishment. Did hunger, sun and glare make him so light headed he visualised the desert stones as bread which he could change into what, he so desperately wanted to satisfy his ravenous hunger? No! The soul has cravings for nourishment as much as the body and no earthly bread can satisfy it. (continued on page 13)

13 13 (continued from page 12): The spiritual warfare went on unabated. These were not those fleeting inner debates we have about the good and bad, pros and cons of things before decision making. Or a scholarly debate between two personalities quoting scripture to gain points. They were temptations, tantalising and real, otherwise two evangelists would not have said they were. He was tempted in every way that we are (Heb 4:15). How long his turmoil lasted we do not know but each time he closed his weary soul s sight to the allure of worldly gain and rejected it, another opened before him. Finally, with an irrevocable choice for God, peace filled his storm tossed soul. But, Luke chillingly wrote, later that temptations, would return at the appointed time. (Luke 4:13) In his classic mid last century Jesus in his time, Daniel Rops quoted Dostoevsky saying that Jesus temptations, display the three images which crystallise all the insoluble contradictions of human nature everywhere throughout the world; sensuality, will to power and the desire to transcend the limits of mortality. Follow me Learn of me and, I am with you always Jesus said (Mt 28:20). During those desperate times of battling with the glitz and spurious promises of the illicit, one is never alone. Never without the living spirit of the one now crowned with glory and splendour (Heb: 2:8), knowing us utterly, better than we know ourselves. And when here as a historical person was, not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us. (Heb 4:15) Always with us (John 14:18), supporting and strengthening us when tempted, helping us heroically make the higher, more noble choice and accept whatever the emotional sacrificial cost. Leading us find that peace of soul in the Transcendent which he once described like earthly peace but beyond it (John 14:27). Address: 319 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, NSW King Street, Newton 6 Pitt Street Parramatta Phone: / FAX: W: E: wnbull@bigpond.com.au Member of Australian Funeral Directors Association Precision Dance Academy Web: precisiondanceacademy.com.au Tuesdays & Wednesdays at : 2 Highfield Road cnr Pacific Hway above Holy Family Church Lindfield Contact Miss Regina for enquiries: or dance@precisiondanceacademy.com.au FREE TRIAL FOR ALL NEW STUDENTS Mid-term enrolments are welcome. Jason Roach Licensed Real Estate Agent, Parishioner Jason or Jason.roach@c21group.com If you are seeking authentic advice when buying or selling your home or investment property, call Jason today! Henry & Gloria Cheung Parishioners Serving the Australian Construction Industry for 30 years UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENTS 326 Pacific Hway, Lindfield NSW 2070 Tel no Fax no E:sales@universalinstruments.com.au

14 四旬期第一主日 讀經一 ( 選民宣示 己的信仰 ) 恭讀申命紀 26:4-10 梅瑟曉諭以色列子民說 : 司祭由 你手中, 接過滿載初果的籃子, 放在上 主 你天主的祭壇前 ; 然後你就在上 主 你天主面前, 聲明說 : 我的祖先原是個飄泊的阿蘭 人, 南下埃及, 同少數家人寄居在那 裡, 竟成了一個強大有力 人口眾多的 民族 埃及人虐待我們, 壓迫我們, 強迫我們做苦工 我們呼號上主 我們 祖先的天主 ; 他就俯聽了我們的哀聲, 垂視了我們的痛苦 勞役和所受的壓 迫 上主以強力的手 伸展的臂 巨大 的恐嚇, 及神蹟奇事, 領我們離開埃 及, 來到這地方, 將這流奶流蜜的土 地, 賜給了我們 上主, 請看! 我現在把從你賜 給我的土地, 所出產初熟的收穫, 帶來 了 於是, 便將這初熟的收穫, 放在 上主 你天主面前, 並俯伏朝拜上主 你的天主 上主的話 ( 默想片刻 ) 答唱詠詠 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 眾 : 你這在至高者護佑下居住的人, 你 這在全能者蔭庇下居住的人, 請向 上主說 : 我的避難所, 我的碉 堡, 我的天主, 我投靠你 眾 : 災殃不會走近你的身邊 ; 禍患也不 臨近你的帳幔 因為上主必為你委 派自己的天使, 在你行走的每條道 路上, 保護你 眾 : 天使把你托在自己的手掌, 不讓 你的腳在石頭上碰傷 你可在獅 子和毒蛇身上走過 ; 你可踐踏在 猛獅和毒龍身上 眾 : 上主說 : 因為他依靠我, 我必拯 救他 ; 他承認我的名, 我必保護 14 CHINESE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 他 他若呼求我, 我必應允 ; 他若有困苦, 我必與他同在 我必拯救他, 也必光榮他 讀經二 ( 基督信徒宣示 己的信 仰 ) 恭讀聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 10:8-13 弟兄姊妹們 : 經上到底說了什麼? 她說 : 天主的話離你很近, 就在你口 裡, 就在你心中 這就是指我們 關於信仰的宣講 如果你口裡承認 耶穌是主, 心裡相信天主使他從死 者中復活起來, 你便可獲得救恩, 因為心裡相信, 可使人成義 ; 口裡 承認, 可使人獲得救恩 經上又 說 : 凡相信他的人, 不至於蒙 羞 其實, 並沒有猶太人與希臘人 的區別, 因為眾人都有同一的主 ; 他對一切呼號他的人, 都一律厚 待 的確, 凡呼號上主名號的 人, 必然獲救 上主的話 默想片刻 ) 福音前歡呼 領 / 眾 : 基督 天主聖言, 願光榮歸於你 人天主教會北區中心主日彌撒 12 領 : 人生活不只靠餅, 也靠天主所時彌撒後午餐聚會. 餐費 $5.00 說的一切話 ( 瑪 4:4) 請各教友參加. 眾 : 基督 天主聖言, 願光榮歸於牧職修女司徒金美修女你 福音 ( 耶穌被聖神引入荒野, 受魔中心聯絡 Gloria Cheung 鬼試探 ) 主日學 12nooon, 恭讀聖路加福音 4:1-13 ( 國 / 粵語 ) 慕道班, 11:00am-12noon 那時候, 耶穌充滿聖神, 離開 www.ccc-c.org.au 約但河, 就被聖神引入荒野, 四十 14/2/2016 舉行農曆新年慶祝會請各教友參加, 餐費 $5.00 天之久, 受魔鬼試探 耶穌在那段四旬期內拜苦路 19/2/2015 日子, 什麼也沒有吃 ; 過了那段日 子, 就餓了 魔鬼對耶穌說 : 你 如果是天主子, 就命令這塊石頭變 成餅吧! 耶穌回答說 : 經上記載 : 人生活不只靠餅 魔鬼引耶穌到高處, 頃刻間 把普世萬國指給耶穌看, 並對耶 穌說 : 這一切權勢及其榮華, 我都要給你, 因為這一切都已全 交給了我 ; 我願意把它給誰, 就 給誰 所以, 你如果朝拜我, 這 一切都是你的 耶穌回答說 : 經上記載 : 你要朝拜上主, 你的天主 ; 唯 獨奉侍他 魔鬼又引耶穌到耶路撒冷, 把他放在聖殿頂上, 向他說 : 你如果是天主子, 從這裡跳下 去吧! 因為經上記載 : 他為你 吩咐了自己的天使保護你 ; 他們 要用手托著你, 免得你的腳踫在 石頭上 耶穌回答說 : 經上說 : 不可試探上主, 你的天 主 魔鬼用盡了各種試探後, 就離開 了耶穌, 再等時機 上主的 話 星期五 8:00pm Holy Family Church 請各教友參加

15 15 (continued from page 16): The desert, as we know, is the place where, stripped of all that normally nourishes and supports us, we are exposed to chaos, raw fear, and demons of every kind. In the desert we are exposed, body and soul, made vulnerable to be overwhelmed by chaos and temptations of every kind. But, precisely because we are so stripped of everything we normally rely on, this is also a privileged moment for grace. Why? Because all the defence mechanisms, support systems, and distractions that we normally surround ourselves with so as to keep chaos and fear at bay work at the same time to keep much of God s grace at bay. What we use, to buoy us up, wards off both chaos and grace, demons and the divine alike. Conversely, when we are helpless we are open. That is why the desert is both the place of chaos and the place of God s closeness. It is no accident that Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King felt God s presence so unmistakably just at that point in their lives where they had lost everything that could support them. They were in the desert. Scripture assures us that it is there that God can send angels to minister to us. (Fr Ron Rolheiser omi, from The Centre for Liturgy ) PHYSIOFIT LINDFIELD Parishioner PHYSIOTHERAPIST KERRY WESTON (BOGARD) *Hands on treatment! *Exercise prescription! *Exercise classes! We are located at: 8/345 Pacific Highway, Lindfield 2070 (Scholastic Building) Phone: Mob: kerry@physiofitlindfield.com.au PLEASE CONTACT THE PARISH OFFICE TO ADVERTISE HERE AND TO SUPPORT OUR PARISH St Vincent de Paul Quarterly Collections Our usual collection of clothes, packaged food etc scheduled for 20 th February has been cancelled. The warehouse at Brookvale, where our donations are sorted, is overstocked and cannot handle the quantity our collections generate. The bin at the rear of the church is still available for small donations. The next quarterly collection is scheduled for the 7 th May. Eric Atkins Lord, in Jesus your Son, you restored to us the gift of everlasting life. Grant that life to: Recently deceased: Eileen Carey, Restituto Limson. Anniversary: Cecille McKinnon. And for: Ma. Malu Fernandez Umali. Please pray for those who are sick : Adrian Selwyn, Marjorie Simpkins, Greg Sutherland, Michael & John Swan.

16 16 REFLECTING ON THIS SUNDAY S SCRIPTURES.. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days. (Gospel) THE DESERT THE PLACE OF GOD'S CLOSENESS In her biography, The Long Loneliness, Dorothy Day shares how, shortly after her conversion to Catholicism, she went through a painful, desert time. She had just given birth to her daughter and her decision to have the child baptised, coupled with her profession of faith, meant the end of her relationship with a man she deeply loved. She suddenly found herself alone. All her old supports had been cut off and she was left with no money, no job, few friends, no practical dream, and no companionship from the person she loved the most deeply in this world. For a while she just stumbled on, trusting that things would soon get better. They didn t. She remained in this desert. One day, not knowing what else to do, she took a train from New York to Washington to spend a day praying at the National Shrine of Our Lady. Her prayer there was wrenching, naked. She describes how she laid bare her helplessness, spilling out her confusion, her doubts, her fears, and her temptations to bitterness and despair. In essence, she said to God: I have given up everything that ever supported me, in trust, to you. I have nothing left to hold on to. You need to do something for me, soon. I can t keep this up much longer! She was, biblically speaking, in the desert alone, without support, helpless before a chaos that threatened to overwhelm her and, as was the case with Jesus, both in the desert and in Gethsemane, God sent angels to minister to her. God steadied her in the chaos. She caught a train back to New York and, that very night, as walked up to her apartment she saw a man sitting there. His name was Peter Maurin and the rest is history. Together they started the Catholic Worker. We should not be surprised that her prayer had such a tangible result. The desert, scripture assures us, is the place where God is specially near. Martin Luther King shares a similar story. In Stride Towards Freedom he relates how one night a hate-filled phone call shook him to his depths and plunged him into a desert of fear. Here are his words: An angry voice said: Listen, nigger, we ve taken all we want from you; before next week you ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery. I hung up, but I couldn t sleep. It seemed that all of my fears had come down on me at once. I had reached the saturation point. I got out of bed and began to walk the floor. Finally I went to the kitchen and heated a pot of coffee. I was ready to give up. With my coffee sitting untouched before me I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing a coward. In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God. With my head in my hand, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud. The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I ve come to the point where I can t take it alone. At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before. God sends his angels to minister to us when we are in the desert and in the garden of Gethsemane. This incident in Martin Luther King s life demonstrates how. (continued on page 15 )