Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
To be a vibrant Catholic Community
unified in its commitment
to growing disciples for Christ
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
ssm77097@bigpond.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Secretary: Annie Davies / Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Jenny Garnsey
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Parents are asked to contact the Parish Office to make arrangements for attending a Baptismal Preparation Session and booking a Baptism date.
Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.
Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program
Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests
Reconciliation: Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am)
Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm – 5:45pm)
Care and Concern: If you are aware of anyone who is sick or in need of assistance in the Parish please visit them. Then, if they are willing and give permission, could you please pass on their names to the Parish Office. We have a group of parishioners who are part of the Care and Concern Group who are willing and able to provide some backup and support to them. Unfortunately, because of privacy issues, the Parish Office is not able to give out details unless prior permission has been given.
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Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Weekday Masses 10th - 13th October, 2017
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Ministry Rosters 14th & 15th October, 2017
Devonport: 
Cleaners. 13th October: B Paul, D Atkins, V Riley 20th Oct: M & R Youd
Ulverstone:
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
Readings this week – Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
PREGO REFLECTION:
I read the text prayerfully, asking the Lord to help me
listen to God’s word through this passage of Scripture.
Where, or to whom, in
the reading, do I find myself drawn?
I ponder… Am I receptive to God’s voice
through the messengers he sends?
There may have been occasions when I have not
been open to others … or, conversely, I may remember times when I have felt
able to welcome others, even when it has cost me in some way … Perhaps I can
recall a time, when, like the landowner, I put my heart into something, only to
see it rejected.
I talk about all this with the Lord who, even now, asks me to
tend his vineyard.
I listen to him.
How do I feel?
In time, I take my leave,
and with thanks I end by praying, Our Father …
Your prayers
are asked for the sick: Matthew Gough, Allan Pearson, Rosemary
Harcourt-Spencer, Dolor Hewison, Margaret Kenney, Rex Bates, Victoria Webb, David
Welch, Dawn Stevens & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently: Betty Lewis, Vern Cazaly, Agnes Bonis, Joyce Landford, Jack
Corcoran, Joe Sly, Cyril Smith, Rita Walker, Katherine Adams, Ray Duffy, Dorothy
Leonard, Wendy Lander.
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 4th
– 10th October
Weekly
Ramblings
Two weeks ago I mentioned that Br Cris Mendoza, who worked
in the Parish in the latter part of last year, will be ordained to the
Diaconate on Tuesday 17th Oct at 7pm at St Paul’s Bridgewater. Br Cris has sent
through an invitation to his ordination – a copy can be found on the
Noticeboard. At this stage Br Cris will return to the Philippines when his
tourist visa expires in December and he will then be applying for a permanent
visa – this could take 6 months or more. It is envisaged that he will ordained
in the Philippines sometime next year (possibly by Archbishop Julian) after
which he will return to the Archdiocese to be appointed to work in a Parish.
The Parish Pastoral Team meets this coming Wednesday and
will be exploring the steps we can take to further develop our vision and build
on our two major themes – our Weekend Masses and Prayer. Following the meeting we
hope to be able to provide an update of our Mass Centre Bus Stops with more
information being made available as it comes to hand.
As mentioned last weekend we are inviting you to make note
of some dates – another date that I missed last week was the Open House on the
1st Friday of November (3rd). The gathering will be at the Parish House in
Devonport – a great opportunity to meet and get to know better parishioners
from different parts of our Parish.
I know it is mentioned elsewhere but I would also like to
add my thanks to the work done by Mary Webb and Zillah Jones for our Footy
Margins Fundraiser. Together with the support of the girls in the Office their
fundraising efforts provide much needed funds for keeping the Parish afloat
because without them and the Bingo Team we would be struggling. Thanks to all
for your great work.
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
ST VINCENT
DE PAUL COLLECTION:
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE:
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE BOOKS:
FOOTY POINTS MARGIN: GRAND FINAL
RICHMOND Won by 48
points
Lucky winners of the $500 are: Semone Riley & John
Bloomfield.
Winners of $100 (number either side of winning
margin);
We hope you have enjoyed
supporting our Footy Margin Fundraiser for 2017!!!!
Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall,
Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers
for Thursday 12th October – Merv Tippett & Alan Luxton.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
SOLEMNITY OF ST TERESA OF JESUS
- A Sung Mass will
be celebrated in honour of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), the foundress of the
Discalced Carmelite Order, at the Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge St.,
Launceston Sunday 15th October at 9:30am. Archbishop Julian will be the
principal celebrant and homilist. Morning tea will follow Mass. All welcome. A
Novena of Masses and Prayers will also be offered in preparation for the feast
from 6th – 14th October. Intentions may be sent to Mother Teresa-Benedicta at
the Monastery.
JOURNEY TO CARMEL THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN: A weekend retreat on Carmelite
Spirituality at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 20th – 22nd
October. Fr Paul Maunder OCD Retreat Director. Cost for weekend $170.00
includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Robert Archer
6396:1389.
Moving from a Still
Center
Action and contemplation need and feed each other. Without
contemplation, our actions will be unconsciously rooted in ego. Without action,
our “inner work” may be narcissistic and ineffective.
Each Saturday I offer an invitation to contemplative
practice. There are many different ways to meditate or pray such as Centering
Prayer, yoga, walking meditation, or simply focusing on your breath. [1] If you
haven’t yet found a regular practice, I encourage you to choose one and stay
with it for a while, practicing each day for as little as twenty minutes or as
long as you’re able.
Over time—months, years, a lifetime—contemplation
gradually opens our hearts, minds, and bodies to Love as our True Self.
Each week, I also suggest a different “Gateway to Silence,”
a phrase to help lead you into nondual consciousness and openness to God’s
presence. You might repeat the phrase to set an intention at the beginning of
your practice. Explore the words through journaling or art. Or you could choose
a single word from the phrase to use as a touchstone in Centering Prayer, for
example “Be” or “Move.”
As you go about your day-to-day routines, recall and return
to your intention and open-hearted presence. Listen and look for ways of
embodying your most loving and True Self. How are you called to move outward
from your still center in ways of compassion and courage?
Gateway to Silence:
Reference:
HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FEAR OF GOD
This article is by Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. The original of the article can be found here
As a theologian, priest, and preacher, I often get asked: “Why isn’t the church preaching more fear of God anymore? Why aren’t we preaching more about the dangers of going to hell? Why aren’t we preaching more about God’s anger and hellfire?”
It’s not hard to answer that. We aren’t preaching a lot about fear because to do so, unless we are extremely careful in our message, is simply wrong. Admittedly fear can cause people to change their behavior, but so can intimidation and brainwashing. Just because something is effective doesn’t mean it is right. Fear of God may only be preached within a context of love.
Scripture itself seemingly gives us a mixed message: On the one hand, it tells us that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, even as it tells us that virtually every time God appears in human history, the first words from God are always: “Don’t be afraid!” That phase, coming from the mouth of God or from the mouth of God’s messenger, appears more than 300 times in scripture. The first words we will hear every time God appears in our lives are: “Don’t be afraid!” So we must be careful when we preach fear of God. Fear of punishment is not the real message we hear when God enters our lives.
Then how is fear of God the beginning of wisdom? In our relationship with God, just as in our relationships with each other, there are both healthy and unhealthy fears. What’s a healthy fear?
Healthy fear is love’s fear: When we love someone our love will contain a number of healthy fears, a number of areas within which we will be healthily cautious and reticent: We will fear being disrespectful, fear despoiling the gift, fear being selfish, fear being irreverent. All healthy love contains the fear of not letting the other person be fully free. Reverence, awe, and respect are a form of fear. But that kind of fear is not to be confused with being frightened, intimidated, or dreading some kind of punishment. Metaphorically, love’s fear is the fear that God challenges Moses with before the burning bush: Take off your shoes because the ground you are standing on is holy ground!
How are we to understand fear of God as the beginning of wisdom? We are wise and on the right path when we stand before the mystery of God (and of love) with our shoes off, namely, in reverence, in awe, in respect, in unknowing, without undue pride, humble before an infinity that dwarfs us, and open to let that great mystery shape us for its own eternal purposes. But that is far different, almost the antithesis, of the fear we experience when we are frightened of someone or something that threatens us because the person or thing is perceived as being mercilessly exacting or as being arbitrary and punitive.
There is too a healthy fear of God that’s felt in our fear of violating what’s good, true, and beautiful in this world. Some religions call this a fear before the “law of karma”. Jesus, for his part, invites us to this kind of holy fear when he warns us that the measure we measure out is the measure that will be given back to us. There’s a moral structure inherent in the universe, within life, and within each of us. Everything has a moral contour that needs to be respected. It’s healthy to be afraid of violating any goodness, truth, or beauty.
We need to preach this kind of healthy fear rather than that God needs to be feared because of the punishment he might eventually deal out in some legalistic and exacting fashion. Whenever we preach this kind of fear, of a God who deals out hellfire, we are almost always also preaching a God who isn’t very intelligent, compassionate, understanding, or forgiving. A God who is to be feared for his punitive threats is a God with whom we will never find a warm intimacy. Threat has no place within love, except if it is a holy fear of doing something that will disrespect and despoil. To preach hellfire can be effective as a tactic to help change behavior, but it is wrong in terms of the Gospel.
Fear is a gift. It is also one of the deepest, life-preserving instincts within you. Without fear, you won’t live very long. But fear is a complex, multi-faced phenomenon. Some fears help you stay alive, while others deform and imprison you. There are things in life that you need to fear. A playground bully or the arbitrary tyrant can kill you, even if they are all wrong. Lots of things can kill you, and they merit fear.
But God is not one of those things. God is neither a playground bully nor an arbitrary tyrant. God is love and a perpetual invitation to intimacy. There is a lot to be feared in this, but nothing of which to be afraid.
Francis of Assisi: A gospel way of life
The complete article, by Brian Purfield, a member of the Mount Street Jesuit Centre team who also teaches short courses in theology, can be found here
We have spent a lot of time over the past month trying to get to know Pope Francis, but how much do we know about the man whose name he has taken? Brian Purfield explores Francis of Assisi’s unique way of witnessing to the gospel and embracing its challenges.
The figure of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) has always captured the imaginations of people from all walks of life: Christians and Muslims, royalty and prime ministers, rich and poor, intellectuals and workers, philosophers and theologians, poets and novelists, artists and filmmakers, historians and sociologists, peacemakers and environmentalists, people of all religions or none. Now, for the first time, we have a pope that has chosen the name ‘Francis’.
Shortly after his election, Pope Francis was asked why he had chosen this name. He replied that during the conclave he was seated next to his friend, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes. When it became clear that the cardinals had elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be pope, Cardinal Hummes embraced his friend and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor!’ It was at that moment that the newly-elected Pope thought of St Francis of Assisi who was, he said ‘a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation.’
You can continue the article by clicking here
REBUILT | 2018
This is taken from the weekly blog by Fr Michael White. You can find the original article here. You may never get to anything like this but it is good to see what other people are doing.
This week, registration opened on our brand new website for our brand new conference, Rebuilt | 2018, check it out at rebuiltconference.com.
For a number of years a few of years ago, we hosted an annual gathering each fall for our staff and lay leaders, including the Parish Council. The purpose of this mini retreat was to get everyone on the same page, moving into a new year, regarding mission, vision, and strategy. As this became more elaborate, with music and technology and a slate of speakers, we found ourselves opening it up to all our volunteer ministers.
Then, back in 2013 a funny thing happened. A few other parishes who had heard about our gathering asked if they could attend. We had been attending church conferences at Evangelical churches in various parts of the country for years, but it had never occurred to us to try one ourselves. We branded that first effort “Matter” (a name I still like a lot).
After Rebuilt was published, and quickly reached best seller status, the conference really took off. In 2014 and 2015 we sold out, though we were limited to 500 guests, given the space limitations of our facility at the time. We learned a lot and discovered we actually enjoyed welcoming churches from all over the country to learn and grow together.
Unfortunately, one of the victims of our recent construction was the conference. It was already a tight fit, and with our campus turned upside down, it would have been impossible.
Now that construction is complete, we’re more ready than ever to host our church conference. We’ve rechristened ourselves
Rebuilt, to more closely associate it with the book and the brand.
What is Rebuilt | 2018 ?
The conference is for pastors, parish leaders, and anyone who is interested in the heart of the Church that is the local parish community. At Rebuilt you’ll attend three main sessions: I’ll be doing the opening, and Tom Corcoran, my associate, will do the closing one. We will also hear from Biblical scholar and best selling author Jeff Cavins. Via video, we’ll also be hearing from best selling author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni and Pastor Craig Groschel, founder and pastor of LifeChurch, the largest church in the country. Our keynoters will be reflecting on their latest insights into leadership and how to really make church matter.
Additionally, there will be dozens of breakouts, workshops, and roundtable discussions on every possible aspect of parish life: adult, kids, & student ministry, administration, fundraising and finances, liturgy & music, HR, staffing, maintenance, communication and marketing, you name it. Besides all that, we’ll experience some amazing music and worship in our amazing new church building, and have a lot of fun. You and your team will return home completely excited and energized to lead your parish. You will learn all about what you can do right now.
Take a closer look on our website, and consider registering now, while you can enjoy our super early bird special.
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Weekday Masses 10th - 13th October, 2017
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 10:30am Eliza Purton
12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Next Weekend 14th & 15th October, 2017
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
Devonport L.W.C.
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone L.W.C.
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield L.W.C.
5:00pm Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 14th & 15th October, 2017
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: A McIntyre, M Williams, C Kiely-Hoye
10:30am: F Sly, J Tuxworth, K Pearce
Ministers of
Communion: Vigil: T Muir, M Davies, M Gerrand, M
Kenney, D Peters, J Heatley
10.30am: B & N Mulcahy, L Hollister, K Hull, S
Samarakkody, R Batepola
Cleaners. 13th October: B Paul, D Atkins, V Riley 20th Oct: M & R Youd
Piety Shop 14th Oct:
R Baker 15th October: K Hull
Mowing of Lawns Parish House - October: Steve Berryman
Ulverstone:
Readers: A & F Pisano
Ministers of
Communion: M Mott, M Fennell, J Jones, T Leary
Cleaners: M Swain, M Bryan Flowers: M Swain Hospitality:
M Byrne, G Doyle
Penguin:
Greeters: Fefita Family Commentator: J Barker
Readers: T Clayton, M Murray Ministers of
Communion: M
Hiscutt, S Ewing Liturgy: Sulphur Creek J
Setting Up: S Ewing Care of Church: Y & R Downes
Latrobe:
Reader: M Chan Ministers of Communion: M Eden, Z Smith Procession: Parishioners
Port Sorell:
Readers: M Badcock, E Holloway Ministers of Communion: B Lee Cleaners/Flowers/Prep: A Holloway, B Lee
Readings this week – Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9
Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43
PREGO REFLECTION:
I read the text prayerfully, asking the Lord to help me
listen to God’s word through this passage of Scripture.
Where, or to whom, in the reading, do I find myself drawn?
I ponder… Am I receptive to God’s voice through the messengers he sends?
There may have been occasions when I have not been open to others … or, conversely, I may remember times when I have felt able to welcome others, even when it has cost me in some way … Perhaps I can recall a time, when, like the landowner, I put my heart into something, only to see it rejected.
I talk about all this with the Lord who, even now, asks me to tend his vineyard.
I listen to him.
How do I feel?
In time, I take my leave, and with thanks I end by praying, Our Father …
Where, or to whom, in the reading, do I find myself drawn?
I ponder… Am I receptive to God’s voice through the messengers he sends?
There may have been occasions when I have not been open to others … or, conversely, I may remember times when I have felt able to welcome others, even when it has cost me in some way … Perhaps I can recall a time, when, like the landowner, I put my heart into something, only to see it rejected.
I talk about all this with the Lord who, even now, asks me to tend his vineyard.
I listen to him.
How do I feel?
In time, I take my leave, and with thanks I end by praying, Our Father …
Readings next week – Twenty-Eighth Sunday
in Ordinary Time Year A
First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10
Second Reading:
Philippians 4:12-14. 19-20
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14
Your prayers are asked for the sick: Matthew Gough, Allan Pearson, Rosemary Harcourt-Spencer, Dolor Hewison, Margaret Kenney, Rex Bates, Victoria Webb, David Welch, Dawn Stevens & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently: Betty Lewis, Vern Cazaly, Agnes Bonis, Joyce Landford, Jack
Corcoran, Joe Sly, Cyril Smith, Rita Walker, Katherine Adams, Ray Duffy, Dorothy
Leonard, Wendy Lander.
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 4th
– 10th October
Audrey
Abblitt, Audrey Taylor, Jim Masterson, Jack Bynon, Valma Donnelly, Lorraine
Sherriff,
Kieran McVeigh, Vicki Glashower, Natarsha Charlesworth, Sr Barbara
Hateley, Ashley Dyer,
Helena Wyllie, Elaine Sheedy, Paul
Blake. Also Genaro & Jeffrey Visorro, Fortunato & Asuncion Carcurvas, Patrick
Robert King & Bruce Smith.
May they rest in peace
Weekly
Ramblings
Two weeks ago I mentioned that Br Cris Mendoza, who worked
in the Parish in the latter part of last year, will be ordained to the
Diaconate on Tuesday 17th Oct at 7pm at St Paul’s Bridgewater. Br Cris has sent
through an invitation to his ordination – a copy can be found on the
Noticeboard. At this stage Br Cris will return to the Philippines when his
tourist visa expires in December and he will then be applying for a permanent
visa – this could take 6 months or more. It is envisaged that he will ordained
in the Philippines sometime next year (possibly by Archbishop Julian) after
which he will return to the Archdiocese to be appointed to work in a Parish.
The Parish Pastoral Team meets this coming Wednesday and
will be exploring the steps we can take to further develop our vision and build
on our two major themes – our Weekend Masses and Prayer. Following the meeting we
hope to be able to provide an update of our Mass Centre Bus Stops with more
information being made available as it comes to hand.
As mentioned last weekend we are inviting you to make note
of some dates – another date that I missed last week was the Open House on the
1st Friday of November (3rd). The gathering will be at the Parish House in
Devonport – a great opportunity to meet and get to know better parishioners
from different parts of our Parish.
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
ST VINCENT
DE PAUL COLLECTION:
This weekend
in Devonport, Ulverstone, Port Sorell, Latrobe and Penguin to assist the work
of the St Vincent de Paul Society.
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE:
The MLCP Prayer Group is holding our Annual Rosary
Pilgrimage around the Mersey Leven Parish Churches and Mass Centres on Sunday
15th October 2017. We invite all parishioners to join us
throughout the journey or join us in one of the Churches convenient to you.
Itinerary details will be posted on the board in every Church, Mass Centre. A bus
will be available on the day on a first come first served basis so booking is
highly essential. For more info and booking contact Hermie on 0414 416661.
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE BOOKS:
November is the month we remember
in a special way all those who have died. Should you wish anyone to be
remembered, write the names of those to be prayed for on the outside of an
envelope and place the clearly marked envelope in the collection basket at Mass
or deliver to the Parish Office by Thursday
26th October.
FOOTY POINTS MARGIN: GRAND FINAL
RICHMOND Won by 48
points
Lucky winners of the $500 are: Semone Riley & John
Bloomfield.
Winners of $100 (number either side of winning
margin);
Number 47: Lucy McLean, Janice Leach Number 49: Nick
Dalton-Smith, J & A Pisarskis.
Normal $2 winners: Athol Bryan, Robyn Bramich, Dawn
Cornelius.
We hope you have enjoyed
supporting our Footy Margin Fundraiser for 2017!!!!
Once again on behalf
of the Parish office we would like to send a HUGE thank you to Mary Webb for
making this fundraiser such a success. Mary spends countless hours sorting,
stamping, delivering and selling tickets each week. We truly appreciate her
love, support and most of all her friendship. Thank you to Zillah Jones for
selling tickets each week – we love the weekly phone calls and chats about the
local and AFL footy and lastly thank you to everyone else who helped out in
anyway – we greatly appreciate your support!
……….BRING ON SEASON 2018!!!.........
Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers
for Thursday 12th October – Merv Tippett & Alan Luxton.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
SOLEMNITY OF ST TERESA OF JESUS
- A Sung Mass will
be celebrated in honour of St Teresa of Jesus (Avila), the foundress of the
Discalced Carmelite Order, at the Carmelite Monastery, 7 Cambridge St.,
Launceston Sunday 15th October at 9:30am. Archbishop Julian will be the
principal celebrant and homilist. Morning tea will follow Mass. All welcome. A
Novena of Masses and Prayers will also be offered in preparation for the feast
from 6th – 14th October. Intentions may be sent to Mother Teresa-Benedicta at
the Monastery.
JOURNEY TO CARMEL THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN: A weekend retreat on Carmelite
Spirituality at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 20th – 22nd
October. Fr Paul Maunder OCD Retreat Director. Cost for weekend $170.00
includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Robert Archer
6396:1389.
Moving from a Still
Center
This article was taken from the daily email from Fr Richard Rohr OFM. You can subscribe to the email here
Action and contemplation need and feed each other. Without
contemplation, our actions will be unconsciously rooted in ego. Without action,
our “inner work” may be narcissistic and ineffective.
Each Saturday I offer an invitation to contemplative
practice. There are many different ways to meditate or pray such as Centering
Prayer, yoga, walking meditation, or simply focusing on your breath. [1] If you
haven’t yet found a regular practice, I encourage you to choose one and stay
with it for a while, practicing each day for as little as twenty minutes or as
long as you’re able.
Over time—months, years, a lifetime—contemplation
gradually opens our hearts, minds, and bodies to Love as our True Self.
Each week, I also suggest a different “Gateway to Silence,”
a phrase to help lead you into nondual consciousness and openness to God’s
presence. You might repeat the phrase to set an intention at the beginning of
your practice. Explore the words through journaling or art. Or you could choose
a single word from the phrase to use as a touchstone in Centering Prayer, for
example “Be” or “Move.”
As you go about your day-to-day routines, recall and return
to your intention and open-hearted presence. Listen and look for ways of
embodying your most loving and True Self. How are you called to move outward
from your still center in ways of compassion and courage?
Gateway to Silence:
Be still and still
moving.
Reference:
[1] See The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society for
additional contemplative practices:
http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree.
HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FEAR OF GOD
This article is by Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. The original of the article can be found hereAs a theologian, priest, and preacher, I often get asked: “Why isn’t the church preaching more fear of God anymore? Why aren’t we preaching more about the dangers of going to hell? Why aren’t we preaching more about God’s anger and hellfire?”
It’s not hard to answer that. We aren’t preaching a lot about fear because to do so, unless we are extremely careful in our message, is simply wrong. Admittedly fear can cause people to change their behavior, but so can intimidation and brainwashing. Just because something is effective doesn’t mean it is right. Fear of God may only be preached within a context of love.
Scripture itself seemingly gives us a mixed message: On the one hand, it tells us that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, even as it tells us that virtually every time God appears in human history, the first words from God are always: “Don’t be afraid!” That phase, coming from the mouth of God or from the mouth of God’s messenger, appears more than 300 times in scripture. The first words we will hear every time God appears in our lives are: “Don’t be afraid!” So we must be careful when we preach fear of God. Fear of punishment is not the real message we hear when God enters our lives.
Then how is fear of God the beginning of wisdom? In our relationship with God, just as in our relationships with each other, there are both healthy and unhealthy fears. What’s a healthy fear?
Healthy fear is love’s fear: When we love someone our love will contain a number of healthy fears, a number of areas within which we will be healthily cautious and reticent: We will fear being disrespectful, fear despoiling the gift, fear being selfish, fear being irreverent. All healthy love contains the fear of not letting the other person be fully free. Reverence, awe, and respect are a form of fear. But that kind of fear is not to be confused with being frightened, intimidated, or dreading some kind of punishment. Metaphorically, love’s fear is the fear that God challenges Moses with before the burning bush: Take off your shoes because the ground you are standing on is holy ground!
How are we to understand fear of God as the beginning of wisdom? We are wise and on the right path when we stand before the mystery of God (and of love) with our shoes off, namely, in reverence, in awe, in respect, in unknowing, without undue pride, humble before an infinity that dwarfs us, and open to let that great mystery shape us for its own eternal purposes. But that is far different, almost the antithesis, of the fear we experience when we are frightened of someone or something that threatens us because the person or thing is perceived as being mercilessly exacting or as being arbitrary and punitive.
There is too a healthy fear of God that’s felt in our fear of violating what’s good, true, and beautiful in this world. Some religions call this a fear before the “law of karma”. Jesus, for his part, invites us to this kind of holy fear when he warns us that the measure we measure out is the measure that will be given back to us. There’s a moral structure inherent in the universe, within life, and within each of us. Everything has a moral contour that needs to be respected. It’s healthy to be afraid of violating any goodness, truth, or beauty.
We need to preach this kind of healthy fear rather than that God needs to be feared because of the punishment he might eventually deal out in some legalistic and exacting fashion. Whenever we preach this kind of fear, of a God who deals out hellfire, we are almost always also preaching a God who isn’t very intelligent, compassionate, understanding, or forgiving. A God who is to be feared for his punitive threats is a God with whom we will never find a warm intimacy. Threat has no place within love, except if it is a holy fear of doing something that will disrespect and despoil. To preach hellfire can be effective as a tactic to help change behavior, but it is wrong in terms of the Gospel.
Fear is a gift. It is also one of the deepest, life-preserving instincts within you. Without fear, you won’t live very long. But fear is a complex, multi-faced phenomenon. Some fears help you stay alive, while others deform and imprison you. There are things in life that you need to fear. A playground bully or the arbitrary tyrant can kill you, even if they are all wrong. Lots of things can kill you, and they merit fear.
But God is not one of those things. God is neither a playground bully nor an arbitrary tyrant. God is love and a perpetual invitation to intimacy. There is a lot to be feared in this, but nothing of which to be afraid.
Francis of Assisi: A gospel way of life
The complete article, by Brian Purfield, a member of the Mount Street Jesuit Centre team who also teaches short courses in theology, can be found hereWe have spent a lot of time over the past month trying to get to know Pope Francis, but how much do we know about the man whose name he has taken? Brian Purfield explores Francis of Assisi’s unique way of witnessing to the gospel and embracing its challenges.
The figure of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) has always captured the imaginations of people from all walks of life: Christians and Muslims, royalty and prime ministers, rich and poor, intellectuals and workers, philosophers and theologians, poets and novelists, artists and filmmakers, historians and sociologists, peacemakers and environmentalists, people of all religions or none. Now, for the first time, we have a pope that has chosen the name ‘Francis’.
Shortly after his election, Pope Francis was asked why he had chosen this name. He replied that during the conclave he was seated next to his friend, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes. When it became clear that the cardinals had elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to be pope, Cardinal Hummes embraced his friend and said: ‘Don’t forget the poor!’ It was at that moment that the newly-elected Pope thought of St Francis of Assisi who was, he said ‘a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation.’
You can continue the article by clicking here
REBUILT | 2018
This is taken from the weekly blog by Fr Michael White. You can find the original article here. You may never get to anything like this but it is good to see what other people are doing.
This week, registration opened on our brand new website for our brand new conference, Rebuilt | 2018, check it out at rebuiltconference.com.
For a number of years a few of years ago, we hosted an annual gathering each fall for our staff and lay leaders, including the Parish Council. The purpose of this mini retreat was to get everyone on the same page, moving into a new year, regarding mission, vision, and strategy. As this became more elaborate, with music and technology and a slate of speakers, we found ourselves opening it up to all our volunteer ministers.
Then, back in 2013 a funny thing happened. A few other parishes who had heard about our gathering asked if they could attend. We had been attending church conferences at Evangelical churches in various parts of the country for years, but it had never occurred to us to try one ourselves. We branded that first effort “Matter” (a name I still like a lot).
After Rebuilt was published, and quickly reached best seller status, the conference really took off. In 2014 and 2015 we sold out, though we were limited to 500 guests, given the space limitations of our facility at the time. We learned a lot and discovered we actually enjoyed welcoming churches from all over the country to learn and grow together.
Unfortunately, one of the victims of our recent construction was the conference. It was already a tight fit, and with our campus turned upside down, it would have been impossible.
Now that construction is complete, we’re more ready than ever to host our church conference. We’ve rechristened ourselves
Rebuilt, to more closely associate it with the book and the brand.
What is Rebuilt | 2018 ?
The conference is for pastors, parish leaders, and anyone who is interested in the heart of the Church that is the local parish community. At Rebuilt you’ll attend three main sessions: I’ll be doing the opening, and Tom Corcoran, my associate, will do the closing one. We will also hear from Biblical scholar and best selling author Jeff Cavins. Via video, we’ll also be hearing from best selling author and business consultant Patrick Lencioni and Pastor Craig Groschel, founder and pastor of LifeChurch, the largest church in the country. Our keynoters will be reflecting on their latest insights into leadership and how to really make church matter.
Additionally, there will be dozens of breakouts, workshops, and roundtable discussions on every possible aspect of parish life: adult, kids, & student ministry, administration, fundraising and finances, liturgy & music, HR, staffing, maintenance, communication and marketing, you name it. Besides all that, we’ll experience some amazing music and worship in our amazing new church building, and have a lot of fun. You and your team will return home completely excited and energized to lead your parish. You will learn all about what you can do right now.
Take a closer look on our website, and consider registering now, while you can enjoy our super early bird special.
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