``Catholic Parish of Lindfield-Killara

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) Weekdays: Monday 9:15am 7:30am Tuesday 12:15pm 7:30am Wednesday 9:15am ~ Thursday 9:15am ~ Friday 9:15am * 7:30am ** Saturday 9:15am SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Saturdays 5:00 5:30pm (Lindfield) For 15 minutes after the 5:30pm Mass (Killara) * NO 9:15 Mass at Lindfield nor 7:30am Mass at Killara on the 2nd Friday of each month ** Healing Mass for whole parish at Killara at 10am each 2nd Friday of each month SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME This week: Wis 12:13, 16-19; Rom 8:26-27; Mt 13:24-43 Next week : 1kg 3:5, 7-12; Rom 8:28-30; Mt 13:44-52 Today s Second Reading carries the encouraging message that when it comes to our prayer life it doesn t all depend on what we do that the heart of what happens in prayer is in God s hands. The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. This is in fact the message of the great saints and mystics in our tradition. So often we feel that prayer is all about what we do and since we so often are unfocussed, distracted or inattentive when we try to pray then the conclusion we draw is that our prayer is deficient and mediocre. If we sit down and try to give fifteen minutes to prayer and at the end realised that our mind must have wandered for thirteen of those minutes then we do a quick mental calculation and decide that we only really prayed for two minutes. Wrong! Is the message of the great teachers of prayer. We prayed for 15 minutes, because from our side of things the heart of prayer is that we tried, that we wanted to pray, that we desired to pray. And the real heart of the prayer is that once we tried, once we sat down to pray, it was God who prayed in us. The true heart of prayer is what God does in us, despite the wandering mind and fidgety legs. If we at least want to & try to pray God does the rest slowing working to change us and help us grow. It s an encouraging message and it urges us to keep praying even when we don t seem to achieve anything because the true test is not what we do, but what God does, in us. 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: cnr Pacific Hwy and Highfield Rd, Lindfield Immaculate Heart of Mary Church: cnr Fiddens Wharf Rd and Charles St, Killara Parish Priest: Fr Colin Blayney Assistant Priest: Fr Thomas Alackakunnel VC 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: Maia Schulze Tsang Parish Priest s Secretary: Maia Schulze Tsang sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au maia@lindfieldkillara.org.au maia@lindfieldkillara.org.au Parish Bookkeeper: Alison Williams alison@lindfieldkillara.org.au Parish Facilities Coordinator (volunteer):anthony Cassidy anthony@lindfieldkillara.org.au Youth Ministry Coordinator (volunteer) Jean Shatek youth@lindfieldkillara.org.au Parish Primary School: Holy Family School, 4 Highfield Rd, Lindfield 2070 Ph: Fax: Principal: Mr Lou Dogao info@holyfamily.nsw.edu.au School Website: Parish Website: Saturday Lindfield 6:00pm Killara 5:30pm Sunday Lindfield 8:15am Killara 9:15am Lindfield 10:15am Lindfield 12:00noon Lindfield 6:00pm 22 July Fr Colin Fr Thomas 23 July Fr Colin Fr Thomas Fr Colin Fr Gerard Kelly Fr Thomas 29 July Fr Thomas Fr Colin 30 July Fr Thomas Fr Colin Fr Thomas Fr Visitor Fr Thomas

3 3 RICHARD ROHR S MEDITATION: SILENTLY GAZING UPON GOD In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI invited Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the Anglican Church in England, to address the Synod of Bishops on the topic of evangelisation. Williams is a brilliant theologian and man of prayer. His address to the synod shares the foundational importance of contemplation in rebuilding Christianity. Let his words speak to you: To be fully human is to be recreated in the image of Christ s humanity; and that humanity is the perfect human translation of the relationship of the eternal Son to the eternal Father, a relationship of loving and adoring self-giving, a pouring out of life towards the Other. Thus the humanity we are growing into in the spirit, the humanity that we seek to share with the world as the fruit of Christ s redeeming work, is a contemplative humanity.... We could say that we begin to understand contemplation when we see God as the first contemplative, the eternal paradigm of that selfless attention to the Other that brings not death but life to the self. All contemplating of God presupposes God s own absorbed and joyful knowing of... and gazing upon [God s self] in the Trinitarian life. [1] To be contemplative as Christ is contemplative is to be open to all the fullness that the Father wishes to pour into our hearts. With our minds made still and ready to receive, we are at last at the point where we may begin to grow. And the face we need to show to our world is the face of a humanity in endless growth towards love, a humanity so delighted and engaged by the glory of what we look towards that we are prepared to embark on a journey without end to find our way more deeply into it, into the heart of the Trinitarian life. St Paul speaks (in 2 Corinthians 3:18) of how with our unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, we are transfigured with a greater and greater radiance. That is the face we seek to show to our fellow human beings. [2] And we seek this not because we are in search of some private religious experience that will make us feel secure or holy. We seek it because in this self-forgetting gazing towards the light of God in Christ we learn how to look at one another and at the whole of God s creation. In the early Church, there was a clear understanding that we needed to advance from the self-understanding or self-contemplation that taught us to discipline our greedy instincts and cravings to the natural contemplation that perceived and venerated the wisdom of God in the order of the world and allowed us to see created reality for what it truly was in the sight of God rather than what it was in terms of how we might use it or dominate it. And from there grace would lead us forward into true theology, the silent gazing upon God that is the goal of all our discipleship. [3] I do not need to speak when Rowan Williams has spoken so well. References: [1] Rowan Williams, The Archbishop of Canterbury's Address to the Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, 5, [2] Ibid., 6. [3] Ibid., 7.

4 4 Youth News TAX RECEIPTS Charitable Works Fund receipts are now available in the main foyers of both churches. Charitable Works Fund is 100% tax deductible. COULD YOU HELP US? Many of our groups and ministries utilising the Shirley Wallace Parish Centre often have a need for audio-visual facilities our youth groups, young adults group, baptism preparation programme, adult education just to name a few. Earlier this year we were donated a computer to link into our network and we have now purchased a large screen TV to mount on the wall. This mounting still needs to take place and the TV and computer need to be set up in operating condition. If you would be able to contribute to the cost of providing this AV facility for our parish ministries that would be a tremendous help. The total cost of the purchase of the TV and the installation of the facilities will be in the order of $2500. Please contact the Parish Office if you are able to help. Fr Colin

5 5 MANY THANKS to you all for your contributions to the recent Peter s Pence collection. With further contributions received last weekend a total of $ was raised. This world-wide collection funds the charitable and pastoral works of the Holy See. ST VINCENT DE PAUL- WINTER APPEAL The Society s Annual Winter Appeal for funds concludes this weekend, 22nd & 23rd July. The recent cold weather reminds us of those people who cannot afford high energy costs to keep them warm and of those sleeping out because of homelessness. It is with your generous donations that the Society can provide relief and assistance to those in need. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. Envelopes are available throughout with churches. Include your name and address for your receipt. Eric Atkins THE VIRTUAL PARISH NOTICEBOARD A reminder that our parish noticeboard is located on our parish website. Go to News and Events Virtual Parish Noticeboard to see flyers and other information from groups beyond the parish about up-coming events and activities. Please check it regularly. FIRST HOLY COMMUNION PREPARATION PROGRAMME Enrolments for the preparation programme for First Holy Communion are now open and close THIS Monday 24th July. The enrolment process is an online one please go the parish website ( and go to Sacraments Children s Sacraments to find the instructions for the enrolment process and for full dates and details of our preparation programme. The Commissioning of Our Bells Above: The bells are now hanging in the tower (though they re upside down!). The inauguration of the bells will be spread over two celebrations: we will have the first public ringing of the bells at the 6pm Mass on Sunday 17th September (followed by a chance to see the bells being rung) and we will have the formal dedication of the ring of bells by Bishop Peter on Sunday 12th November at the 6pm Mass (again followed by a chance to see the bells being rung). This will be followed by a parish supper in St Brigid s Hall. As Sunday 12th November was the day already scheduled for the annual visit by the choir from St Francis of Assisi at Paddington the choir will now sing at the 6pm Mass rather than the 10:15am Mass so that we don t have two major events on the same day. Full details about the bells can be found on the parish website by clicking on the hotlink box on the homepage.

6 6 THE PRAYERS AND RESPONSES OF MASS GLORIA: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 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:

7 THE PSALM Ps 85: O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of love to all who call. Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer and attend to the sound of my voice. All the nations shall come to adore you and glorify your name, O Lord: for you are great and do marvellous deeds, you who alone are God. But you, God of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, O Lord, abounding in love and truth, turn and take pity on me. At Masses at which the Psalm is sung the response is: Lord, you are good and forgiving. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia, alleluia! Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the kingdom. Alleluia. RESPONSES TO THE PSALM Mon: Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory. Tues: Those who sow in tears, shall reap with shouts of joy. Wed: The Lord gave them bread from heaven. Thur: Glory and praise for ever! Fri: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. Sat: Offer to God a sacrifice of praise. CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK: SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME Tues.: Feast of St James, apostle Wed.: Memoria of Ss Joachim and Anne, parents of Our Lady Sat.: Memoria of St Martha. 7 THE NICENE CREED I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, (all bow at the following words in bold): and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father & the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen

8 GOSPEL REFLECTIONS 8 From the Tiny Seed. BY: BERYL CATES Though probably delivered at various times during Jesus ministry, Matthew grouped together three disparate parables Jesus told to encourage his disciples, already experiencing hostility from the establishment, of the progression of his teaching, despite any dissention from within or without. It was like a planted tiny mustard seed having implicit within it a great tree with branches stretching out everywhere into the world to people of all cultures and callings changing hearts and influencing history as no other The largest tree of all Matthew wrote. Scholars say there was some parabolic license in Matthew s mustard tree s seed and size. Exegetes speculate the birds sheltering in its branches are people following different traditions and faiths that hold truths in common with Christians, having places in God s Kingdom Living Jesus prophecy, we are continuing the Bible story. Christianity, as it grew out of Judaism, is a comparative newcomer to the world, still in its developing years, ever extending and enhancing its vision with further illumined insights into the timeless truths Jesus revealed of the essentially incomprehensible Transcendent. Ever deepening our appreciation of the closeness of the love of God for each of us as a unique once- only person and our response to that ineffable love. It is a sobering thought, that though Jesus often foretold the indestructability of God s Kingdom on earth, he never said that it would not wane and lose influence in any particular place. When branches no longer respond to life-giving sap from the tree, they wither and can die, Asked to speculate on the why for creation, astrophysicists offer various answers occasionally it is meaningless but when some join theologians saying for life to exist, it can jolt us. For us to be here. That through billions of years of evolution, earth finally was brought by its Creator to an awareness of itself through the arrival of inspirited thinking, self-conscious, free-willed creatures, capable of good or evil - us. We are the self-reflection of the universe. We allow the universe to know and feel itself The primeval fireball existed for twenty billion years without self-awareness. The creative work of the supernovas existed for billions of years without self-reflective awareness. That star could not by itself, become aware of its own beauty. But the star can, through us, reflect back on itself. In a sense you are the star. Look at your hand do you claim it as your own? Every element was forged in temperatures a million times hotter than molten rock, each atom fashioned in the blazing heat of the star. Your eyes, your brain, your bones, all of you are composed of the star's creations. You are that star brought into a form of life that enables life to reflect on itself.. - Dr Brian Swimme The Universe is a Green Dragon Physicists, philosophers, theologians, scholars as diverse as Karl Rahner, Allan Watts, Eckhart Tolle, William Berry and Carl Sagan agree. Theologian: Denis Edwards; The human person can be understood to be the cosmos itself coming to self-consciousness. It is the nature of matter to develop toward consciousness, and the material universe achieves its own self-awareness in human persons, and in human community. - Jesus and the Cosmos In the interconnectedness of all things, each person changes the world by being here and the manner of our living affects, for good or otherwise, the progression of our world and its divinisation. Too heady? What about this: You are here to allow the Divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are. Eckhart Tolle The Power of Now. (continued on page 9)

9 9 (continued from p. 8): We re more than a collection of recycled molecules living in designer bodies, beginning and ending in the here and now. We re spirit people ensouled with intelligence, will power, creativity and a destiny unending, beyond human imagining ( 1 Cor 2:9). Work is not what we do between paydays. It involves even more than enjoying a satisfying career with monetary returns sufficient for expensive extras to life. Work is a privileged mandate given us to co-create (co-operate) with the Creator Spirit our evolving physical and ethical world.. No one with a walk in, walk out part - each living an integral role in the creation s progression. We may perhaps imagine creation was finished long ago. But that would be quite wrong. It continues still more magnificently, and at the highest levels of the world and we serve to complete it even by the humblest work of our hands. And, what evokes reflection. Like particles immersed in one and the same spiritual fluid, souls cannot think or pray or act or move, without waves being produced, even by the most insignificant among them, which set the others in motions; behind each soul a wake is formed which draws other souls either towards good or towards evil - Teilhard de Chardin Le Milieu Divin. What of those who yearn to be in the workforce but are so chronically handicapped mentally or physically through a genetic inheritance, accident or illness they cannot? Deprived of that indescribable feeling of well-being and self-worth when utilising our creative and healthy creaturely attributes, they make their own significant contribution. Their acceptance of the deprivation and suffering, humble dependence on others for support, patience that extends into godly endurance, sends out energies for good through all humanity. As vital as the yeast in Jesus parable leavens the baker woman s flour. De Chardin s vision: Right from those who knead the dough, to those who consecrate it, the great and universal Host should be prepared and handled in a spirit of adoration. - Le Milieu Divine. RENOVATIONS & BUILDING MAINTENANCE CHRIS IACONO Parishioner All work large and small Lic 89879c Fully Insured 50 years experience Mobile : Phone : chris.iacono@bigpond.com Comfort Inn North Shore Family owned and professionally operated motel with on-site restaurant Address: 1 Gatacre Avenue, Lane Cove Phone: res@cins.com.au Website:

10 10 FROM THE SOCIAL JUSTICE TEAM Please join us for the next Social Justice meeting on Tuesday 25 July at 7.30pm in the old Parish Meeting Room under Holy Family Church. We are planning our activities and your input is very welcome. If you can't make it but would like to be involved or have a suggestion, please LKsocialjustice@gmail.com Everyone welcome! NEXT LINDARA MARKET When: Saturday 12 th August 8am-1pm Where: Lindfield Uniting Church, 454 Pacific Highway (Cnr Provincial Road) Come & bag a bargain-books, jewellery, linen, cakes, jams, art/works, morning tea/coffee,bbq & much more. All funds raised by Lindara Market activities go to the Lindara Homeless family Program, administered through CatholicCare Broken Bay to provide lifestyle changes for families. Extra helpers always welcome. Noella & Malcolm Allerding Joan SEEKING ACCOMMODATION Young Catholic woman seeking accommodation and willing to look after elderly parishioners, provide companionship and can help with their household chores if needed. References available. Also, willing to pay rent. Please contact: Alka Jose !!!URGENT!!! We are looking for 2 new catechists to start asap. Lindfield Public: Yr 6 - Tues am Beaumont Rd: Yr 4 - Tues pm Do you have 30 min a week to help our young people know Jesus? 1 catechist was doing both these classes but she has had to resign. Please contact sue-anne@lindfieldkillara.org.au or

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12 PARISH YOUNG ADULTS GROUP - the next gathering takes place today Sunday 23rd July immediately following the 6pm Mass in the lounge in the Shirley Wallace Parish Centre on the first floor of Lindfield church a relaxed gathering over a meal with discussion. 12 ALPHA You have probably heard of the Alpha programme which has operated in many churches across a wide spread of denominations. Alpha originated in England and is essentially a mini refresher or introductory course in Christian faith and discipleship. We have a small team of parishioners who are keen to introduce this into our parish as an opportunity for faith enrichment. They would be very happy to have others join them so that we can achieve this. Please come along to the next Alpha committee meeting this Tuesday 25th July from 7-8pm in the Library in the Shirley Wallace Parish Centre. THE ROYAL COMMISSION, THE CHURCH, AND THE MEDIA An interesting article offering thoughts on matters relating to the Royal Commission and media reporting related to it can be found at: PHYSIOFIT Lindfield Parishioner PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: KERRY WESTON (Bogard) THERESA GUDE Hands on treatment Exercise prescription Exercise classes We are located at 7/345 Pacific Highway, Lindfield 2070 (Scholastic Building) Ph: Mob: kerry@physiofitlindfield.com.au Advertising Space Available Please contact Parish Office at 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

13 13 Snippets [of faith] As you know, I ve started a regular bite-sized snippet - which over time will range across a broad spectrum of Christian faith and spirituality a little re-cap, as it were, of what our faith and spirituality are about. Fr Colin SALVATION At the heart of Christian faith is the message that we are saved. Indeed the very name of Jesus comes from the Hebrew phrase God saves. But what does salvation mean? What are we saved from? In the Scriptures there s more than one word for salvation ( redemption, atonement, justification, etc.) which is a good sign that we re dealing with a mystery a reality which was intuited by the first Christians and which they were seeking words to describe. Perhaps to best grasp what this deep Christian intuition is about that we need to be saved we need to reflect on our own human nature, and its relationship to God. We are creatures we are loved into being by God, but we are not God. We're limited, finite, imperfect. And yet, as St Augustine put it, we are made for God our destiny is to be united to God ( You made us for yourself O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You ). But there is a problem we, the creature, in our finiteness, cannot bridge the gap of being between ourselves and the Creator, who is Infinite. That gap can only be bridged by God. It is God s initiative to reach out and gift human nature with divine life. This is in fact the great message of St Paul that all is grace, that all is gift: that we can t earn salvation, nor do we need to. The beautiful mystery at the heart of Christian faith is that God makes the offer of self-gift to us we merely have to respond and open our hearts and accept the gift. This is what we mean by salvation. Of ourselves we are unable to unite ourselves to God, who is our destiny. Our very being cannot attain its purpose. But the Good News is that God, who is Love, reaches out to us, gifts us with the very being of God, makes us capable of achieving our eternal fulfilment and destiny (union with God): saves us. Salvation is but another name for our experience of God as Trinity: the God who is Father, reaching out in love through the Son, who by the power of the Spirit takes on human flesh, and who by his self-gift in returning to the Father draws us, in the same Holy Spirit, into the life of the Father. Salvation, grace, God s saving self-gifting to us this is the mystery, and the Good News, at the heart of our Christian faith.

14 常年期第十六主日 23/7/2017 讀經一 ( 人在犯罪之後, 你常賜人懺悔 的機會 ) 恭讀智慧篇 12:13,16-19 上主, 除你以外, 再沒有其他照顧 萬物的神 你還要向誰證明, 你的審判 莫不公允? 你的權力, 原是你公義的本源, 因 為你主宰一切, 所以你必能諒解一切 為此, 如果有人不相信你具有絕對的權 威, 你就將你的權力顯示出來 ; 如果他 們知道, 而仍膽大妄為, 你就予以懲 罰 你雖掌有大權, 但施行審判, 卻很 溫和 ; 治理我們, 極其寬仁 ; 因為, 權 能屬於你, 只要你願意, 你就能行使 你這樣做, 是為教訓你的子民 : 義 人必須憐愛眾人 ; 並使你的子女, 滿懷 希望, 因為人在犯罪之後, 你常賜人懺 悔的機會 上主的話 ( 默想片刻 ) 答唱詠詠 86:5-6, 9-10, 答 : 我主, 你又良善又寬仁 ( 詠 86:5) 領 : 我主, 因為你又良善又寬仁, 凡呼 號你的, 你必仁慈厚待他 上主, 求你俯聽我的祈禱, 求你細聽我的 哀告 答 領 : 上主, 你創造的萬民, 齊來崇拜 你, 並宣揚你的名號 因為你是偉 大的, 獨行奇謀 ; 只有你是唯一無 二的天主 答 領 : 上主, 你是良善而又慈悲的天主 ; 你緩於發怒, 極其寬仁, 又極其信 實 求你回顧我, 求你憐憫我 答 讀經二 ( 聖神以無可言喻的歎息, 代我 們轉求 ) 恭讀聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 8:26-27 弟兄姊妹們 : 聖神扶助我們的軟弱, 因為我們不知道 我們如何祈求才對, 14 CHINESE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY 而聖神卻親自以無可言喻的歎 息, 代我們轉求 那洞悉心靈的天 主, 知道聖神的意願是什麼, 因為他 是按照天主的旨意, 代聖徒轉求 上主的話 ( 默想片刻 ) 福音前歡呼 領 / 眾 : 亞肋路亞 領 : 父啊! 天地的主宰! 我稱謝你, 因為你將這些事, 啟示給小孩 子 ( 瑪 11:25) 眾 : 亞肋路亞 福音 ( 讓莠子和麥子一起長到收割的 時候 ) 恭讀聖瑪竇福音 13:24-43 那時候, 耶穌給群眾講了另一個 比喻說 : 天國好像一個人, 在自己田 裡, 撒了好種子 ; 但在人睡覺的時 候, 他的仇人來了, 在麥子中間, 撒 上莠子, 就走了 苗長起來, 抽出穗的時候, 莠 子也顯出來了 家主的僕人, 就來對 家主說 : 主人! 你不是在你田地裡, 撒了好種子嗎? 那麼, 從那裡來了莠 子? 家主對僕人說 : 這是仇人做的 僕人對家主說 : 那麼, 你願意我們去 把莠子收集起來嗎? 家主卻說 : 不, 免得你們收集莠子時, 連麥 子也拔了出來 讓兩樣一起長到收割 的時候吧! 在收割時, 我要對收割的 人說 : 你們先收集莠子, 把莠子捆起 來, 燒掉 ; 再把麥子收入我的倉 裡 耶穌給群眾另設一個比喻說 : 天 國好像一粒芥子, 人把它撒在自己的 田裡 它固然是各樣種子中最小的, 但當它生長起來, 卻比各種蔬菜都 大, 竟成了樹, 甚至天上的飛鳥飛 來, 在它的枝上棲息 耶穌又給群眾講了一個比 喻 : 天國好像酵母, 女人取來, 藏在三斗麵裡, 直到全部發了 酵 耶穌用比喻, 給群眾講解了 這一切 ; 不用比喻, 就不給他們 講什麼 ; 這樣應驗了先知所說的 話 : 我要開口說比喻, 要說出創 世以來隱密的事 那時, 耶穌離開了群眾, 來 到家裡 ; 他的門徒就前來, 對他 說 : 請把田間莠子的比喻, 給我 們講解一下! 耶穌就回答說 : 那撒好種子 的, 就是人子 ; 田就是世界 ; 好 種子, 即是天國的子民 ; 莠子即 是邪惡的子民 ; 那撒莠子的仇 人, 即是魔鬼 ; 收穫時期, 即是 今世的終結 ; 收割者即是天使 就如將莠子收集起來, 用火 焚燒, 在今世終結時, 也將是如 此 : 人子要差遣他的天使, 由他 的國內, 將一切使人跌倒的事, 及作惡的人, 收集起來, 扔到火 窯裡 ; 在那裡要有哀號和切齒 那時, 義人要在他們父的國裡, 發光如同太陽 有耳的, 聽吧! 上主的話 華人天主教會北區中心 主日彌撒 12 時, 彌撒後午餐., 餐費 $5.00 牧職修女司徒金美修女 聯絡 中心聯絡 Gloria Cheung 聯絡 E :contact@ccc-inc.org.au 主日學 Sunday School, Parish meeting room 23/7 舉行 7 月及 8 月生日會及結 婚記念慶祝會, 請各教友參加, 餐費 $5.00

15 15 (continued from page 1): Well, I believe that God does care, and that God cares a great deal because, in the end, we care and small things, as these stories illustrate, effect a great deal. I have always found it ironic that we easily forget the big things, the events that seem of great importance. Who won the Nobel prize for literature two years ago? Who won the academy awards last year? Who won the Super Bowl three years ago? Who won the World Cup 10 years ago? Who starred in that Broadway (or West End) play three years ago? It s funny how quickly we tend to forget these things. It is also curious what we do not forget. We tend to forget quickly who won such or such an award, or who starred in such and such a movie or play. But we remember, and remember vividly, with all the healing and grace it brought, who was nice to us all those years ago on the playground at school. We remember who encouraged us when we felt insecure. Conversely, we also remember, and remember vividly, with all the scars it brought, who laughed at us on the playground, made fun of our clothes, or who called us stupid. Falls come, winters come, springs come, summers come and go, and sometimes the only thing we can remember from a given year is some small mustard seed, of cruelty or kindness. Fr Ron Rolheiser omi, from the website of the Centre for Liturgy, University of St Louis Address: 319 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, NSW King Street, Newton 6 Pitt Street Parramatta Phone: / FAX: W: E: wnbull@wnbull.com.au Member of Australian Funeral Directors Association Lindfield Dental Practice Dr Peter Chung DDS, MDS, PhD Clinical Assoc Professor Open: Mon-Sat P: Suite 1, 345 Pacific Highway (Scholastic Bldg) Next to Lindfield Medical Practice Lord, in Jesus your Son, you restored to us the gift of everlasting life. Grant that life to: Recently deceased: Eileen Lyons, Alan Betts, John Marshall, Geronimo Amurao. Anniversary: Robert de Lorenzo. Please pray for those who are sick : Geoffrey Meere, Fr Franciscus Choi, Ken Kan, Paddy Nolan, Gizelle Tan, Basilisa Choi, Cyril Ferriere, Br Braden, Brian Couper, Kieran Norton, Sean Maguire, Pakie Maguire, Naneth Bernado, Marjorie Simpkins, Michael Swan.

16 16 REFLECTING ON THIS SUNDAY S SCRIPTURES.. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants (Gospel). THINKING SMALL A year ago, I was at a religious education conference which had as its keynote speaker Maya Angelou, a black woman of considerable talent and remarkable graciousness. Among the many things she shared was this story: When I was six years old, she said, one summer day on the playground a little boy called me a nigger. Fall came that year, winter came that year, spring came that year and brought with it all kinds of flowers, and summer came in all its splendour and beauty but, in all that richness, the only thing I can remember from that whole year is being called a nigger! Hearing her, I was reminded of a story I once heard from John Patrick Gillese, one of our Western Canadian writers. He tells the story of going home, to the small town in Alberta where he had grown up, for a funeral of an elderly woman. Among the many messages of condolence that were sent to her family there was a note from a family who now lived in British Columbia and who had left that small Alberta district some 30 years before. The note expressed sympathy to the family on the loss of their grandmother and added simply: We will never forget how kind she was to us back in the 1930s. Here was a family who remembered a small act of kindness, whatever it was, fifty years later. These stories, although they make the point in opposite ways, teach the same thing: Small acts, of cruelty or kindness, leave their effect long after the effects of events of seemingly much greater importance have passed away. There is, I believe, a profound lesson in this. The Kingdom of God, as Jesus assures us, is about mustard seeds, about small seemingly unimportant things, but which, in the long run, are the big things. Not much in our world today helps us to believe that. Most everything urges us to think big and to be careless about small things. The impression is given us that what is private in our lives is little and unimportant. Likewise what is played out on the smaller stage of life in the more domestic areas of family, marriage, and our exchanges with our neighbours and colleagues is also deemed to be of little consequence. The big stage is what is important. What mark have you left in the world? What have you achieved on the bigger stage? What has been your involvement in the great causes? Nobody cares about your little life! Private morality, private grudges, the little insults that we hand out, our many angers and resentments, the small infidelities within our sexual lives, the many little acts of selfishness, and, conversely, the small acts of sacrifice and selflessness that we do and the little compliments that we hand out, these are not valued much in our culture. As a song suggests: Our little lives don t count at all! I remember a young man, very dedicated to social causes, once asking me: Do you really think that God gives a damn whether or not you say your morning prayers, or whether or not you hold some small grudge, or whether or not you are always polite to your colleagues, or whether or not you are always chaste sexually? That s petty, small, private stuff that deflects attention off of the bigger moral issues. (continued on page 15 )