Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Finance Officer: Anne Fisher
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Weekly Homily Podcast: mikedelaney.podomatic.com
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
PLENARY COUNCIL PRAYER
Come, Holy Spirit of Pentecost.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
Come, Holy Spirit of the great South Land.
O God, bless and unite all your people in Australia
and guide us on the pilgrim way of the Plenary Council.
Give us the grace to see your face in one another
and to recognise Jesus, our companion on the road.
Give us the courage to tell our stories and to speak boldly of your truth.
Give us ears to listen humbly to each other
and a discerning heart to hear what you are saying.
Lead your Church into a hope-filled future,
that we may live the joy of the Gospel.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, bread for the journey from age to age.
Amen.
Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us.
St Mary MacKillop, pray for us.
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.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Devonport Friday Adoration:
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Arrangements are made by contacting Parish Office. Parents attend a Baptismal Preparation Session organised with a Priest.
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)
Devonport Friday Adoration:
Devonport: Benediction (1st Friday of the Month)
Prayer Groups: Charismatic Renewal
Weekday Masses 5th - 8th February, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin … St Agatha
Next Weekend 9th & 10th February, 2019
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin LWwC
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell LWwC
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield LWwC
Readings this Week:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
PREGO REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL:
Readings Next Week:
Fifth Sunday in
Ordinary Time – Year C
Your Prayers are asked for the Sick:
David Cole, Joy Carter, Joan Carter, John Otenasek, Christina Okpon, Rose Stanley, Hilario Visorro & ...
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Bettye Cox, Norris Binns, Mike Yard (brother of Fr Terry),
Ray Grant, George Freeman, Ernesto Magallanes Jr,
Zoe Dickinson, Odik Rabino
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 23rd - 29th January
Ruby Grubb, Jason Pullen, Clifford Smith, Josie Williamson, Coral Hankey, Lance Cox, Gavin Davey, Lachlan Berwick, Desmond Hanson, Frank Meagher, Mick Groves, Pamela Haslock, Joan Nolan, Basil Cassidy, Darrell Smith, Betty Hodgson, Sylvia Strange, David Rutherford, Verna Crabtree and Lawrence McGuire. Also Sheila & Mick Poole and family.
May they Rest in Peace
Our very best wishes to Kath Pearce (OLOL Church) on the
occasion of your 90th Birthday.
May God bless you on your special day and may it
be filled with family, friends, laughter and wonderful memories.
Weekly
Ramblings
Thought that this image from the Francis Chronicles (National Catholic Reporter) might make you smile.
You will notice in the Mass schedule for this week that
there will be normal Masses in each of our week day centres – thank you for
being patient of these past few weeks as I been on the road to recovery. As the
Bulletin is printed on Thursday I don’t know the result of my tests until
Friday but hopefully things are ok – even if I’m still exhausted after doing
very little.
I have asked the Lay Liturgical Leaders to assist next
weekend because of concerns for Fr Paschal when he arrives home. His flight
from the USA lands in Australia on Saturday morning and he flies to Hobart – I
have suggested that he stays in Hobart on Saturday to recover and comes home
for the evening Mass at Latrobe on Sunday. I was concerned about him arriving
to Devonport from Hobart with jet-lag – thanks to the Lay Liturgical Leaders
for their generous support over the past two weeks and for next weekend as
well.
Fr Michael Tate is helping me out this weekend by
celebrating Mass at Penguin and Ulverstone – thank you for your support and
assistance.
This weekend you will notice that there are two posters
advertising Lenten Programs:
- Compassion is a
discussion group program from the Archdiocese of Brisbane and is available for
parishioners wanting to join or start a discussion group during Lent;
- Trust is an
individual reflection resource for Lent from the Diocese of Wollongong
(similar to the material that was available during the recent Advent-Christmas
period).
Materials for both programs are $6 – books will be
available shortly. Details regarding Discussion Group times and contact details
will be available next weekend.
Please take care
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION FOR 2019:
Information will be available shortly for children and
their families in Grade 3 and above who wish to be part of our Parish
Sacramental Preparation for 2019. If you know of any child/ren who are eligible
to be prepared for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist
please contact the Parish Office 6424:2783
SACRED HEART CHOIR:
The season of singing has come! We are seeking new and old members for the choir, so please come and join the chorus and help us make a joyful sound!! Thursday evenings at the Church starting at 7pm.
HEALING MASS:
Michael Gaffney
0447 018 068 or Tom Knaap 6425:2442.
PLENARY COUNCIL 2020:
OLOL READER’S ROSTER:
Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall,
Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
NEWS FROM
ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
Marriage Mass for the Renewal of Vows - will be celebrated
by Archbishop Julian Porteous on Sunday 17th February, 2019 at
Church of the Apostles, Launceston at 10.30am. Couples celebrating
Catholic Marriage milestones including couples in the early years of marriage
(1st, 5th and 10th anniversaries) are invited
to RSVP to the Office of Life, Marriage and Family by emailing ben.smith@aohtas.org.au or on 6208
6036. Catholic married couples will receive a special acknowledgement from
Archbishop Julian on the day.
Our Lady of Mercy Deloraine past pupils will have a
re-union lunch at the “Deloraine Hotel”, (near train/bridge) Friday
22nd February, 12noon for 12.30pm. For more information
please phone Mary Owen 6435: 4406
Inner Transformation
This article is taken from the Daily Emails from Fr Richard Rohr OFM and the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the emails here
Jesus clearly believed in change. In fact, the first public
word out of his mouth was later translated into the Greek imperative verb
metanoeite, which literally means “change your mind” or “go beyond your mind”
(see Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:15). Unfortunately, in the fourth century, St.
Jerome translated the word into Latin as paenitentia (“repent” or “do
penance”), initiating a host of moralistic connotations that have colored
Christians’ understanding of the Gospels ever since. The word metanoeite
referred to a primal change of mind, worldview, or way of processing and
perceiving—and only by corollary about a specific change in behavior. This common
misunderstanding puts the cart before the horse; we think we can change a few
externals while our underlying worldview often remains narcissistic and
self-referential.
This misunderstanding contributed to a puritanical,
externalized, and largely static notion of the Christian message that has
followed us to this day. Faith became about external requirements that could be
enforced, punished, and rewarded, much more than an actual change of heart and
mind, which Jesus described as something that largely happens “in secret, where
your Father who sees in secret can reward you” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).
Jesus invariably emphasized inner motivation and intention.
For example, he taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit
adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has
already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Jesus made
religion about interior change and “purity of heart” (Matthew 5:8) more than
visible behaviors or rituals or anything that would have a social payoff or
punishment.
Jesus didn’t focus on individual sin outside or over there,
where we can point to it, punish it, and try to change it. That is too easy and
mostly ineffective. Without making light of evil, he showed how to actually overcome
and heal it. Sin, for Jesus, was the very act of accusing (Satan means “the
accuser”). Whenever we try to expel and accuse others, and somehow leave
ourselves or our group out of the equation, we end up “sinning.” We must first
recognize our own complicity in evil before we can transform it. We see this
pattern when Jesus himself was faced with three temptations to power (Matthew
4:1-11). Until we face our own demons, none of us are prepared to fight evil
elsewhere.
Jesus thus stood in solidarity with individuals who were
excluded, deemed unworthy, or demonized. Why? Because the excluded from any
group always reveal the unquestioned idolatries of that group! He even partied
with sinners and tax collectors, and the “pure” hated him for it (see Luke 15:2).
The way Jesus tried to change people was by loving and healing them, accusing
only their accusers. Why did we not notice that? His harshest words of judgment
were reserved for those who perpetuated systems of inequality and oppression
and who, through religion itself, thought they were sinless and untouchable.
Jesus did not so much love people once they changed, but he loved people so
that they could change.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “The Eight Core Principles,”
Radical Grace, vol. 25, no.4, (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2012),
10-11, out of print, see https://cac.org/about-cac/missionvision/; and
Spirituality and Spiritualities
This list is taken from the Archives of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article here
What is spirituality and what makes for different spiritualities?
The word spirituality is relatively new within the English-speaking world, at least in terms of how it is being used today. Prior to the 1960s you would have found very few books in English with the word “spirituality” in their title, though that wasn’t true for the French-speaking world. A half-century ago spiritual writers within Roman Catholicism wrote about spirituality but mostly under titles such as “The Spiritual Life” and “Ascetical Theology”, or under the guise of devotional treatises. Protestants and Evangelicals, for the most part, identified spirituality with Roman Catholic devotions and steered clear of the word.
What is spirituality, as generally understood within church circles today? Definitions abound within spiritual writings of every sort, each of which defines spirituality with a particular end-goal in mind. Many of these definitions are helpful within academic discussions but are less so outside those circles. So, let me risk simplifying things with a definition that’s wide, interreligious, ecumenical, and hopefully simple enough to be helpful.
Spirituality is the attempt by an individual or a group to meet and undergo the presence of God, other persons, and the cosmic world so as to come into a community of life and celebration with them. The generic and specific disciplines and habits that develop from this become the basis for various spiritualities.
Stripped to its root, spirituality can be spoken of as a “discipline” to which someone submits. For example, in Christianity we call ourselves “disciples” of Jesus Christ. The word “discipleship” takes it root in the word “discipline”. A disciple is someone who puts herself under a discipline. Hinduism and Buddhism call this a “yoga”. To be a practicing Hindu or Buddhist you need be practicing a certain spiritual “discipline”, which they term a yoga. And that’s what constitutes any religious practice.
All religious practice is a question of putting oneself under a certain “discipline” (which makes you a “disciple”). But we can distinguish among various religious “disciplines”. Aristotle gave us a distinction which can be helpful here. He distinguished between a “genus” and a “species”; e.g., bird is a genus, robin is a species. Thus looking at various spiritualities we can distinguish between “generic” disciplines and “specific” disciplines: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and various Native Religions are “generic” spiritualities. But within each of these you will then find a wide range of “specific” spiritualities. For example within the wide category of Christianity you will find Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Protestants, Evangelicals, Mormons, and Congregationalists. Each of these is a species.
Then we can distinguish still further: Within each of those you will find a wide range of “sub-species”, that is, particular Christian “disciplines”. For instance, within Roman Catholicism, we can speak of persons who have Charismatic spirituality or a Jesuit, Franciscan, Carmelite, or Salesian spirituality, to offer just a few examples. Notice the pattern here – from genus to species to sub-species. As a spirituality, Christianity is a genus, Roman Catholicism is a species, and being a Jesuit or a Franciscan (or, in my case, being an Oblate of Mary Immaculate) is a sub-species.
I apologize if this seems a bit irreverent, that is, to speak so clinically of genus, species, and sub-species in reference to cherished faith traditions wherein martyrs blood has been shed. But the hope is that this can help us understand more clearly a complex issue and its roots.
No one serves one’s God fully, just as no one lives out one’s God-given dignity fully. We need guidance. We need trusted, God-blessed patterns of behavior and disciplines that ultimately come from divine revelation itself. We call these religions. Then, inside of these religions, we can be further helped by models of behavior lived out by certain saints and wisdom figures. Thus, inside of Christianity, we have the time-tested example and wisdom of 2000 years of faithful women and men who have carved out various “disciplines” which can be helpful for us to better live out our own discipleship. Jesuit, Franciscan, Carmelite, Salesian, Mazenodian, Charismatic, Opus Dei, Focolare, Catholic Worker, Sant’Egidio, Cursillo, Acts-Missions, and Catholic Christian Outreach, among others, are spiritualities, and just as the exercise and diet regiments of health experts can help us keep our bodies more healthy, so too can the discipleship practices of particular saints, spiritual giants, and wisdom figures help make our following of Jesus more faithful and generative.
Which one of these spiritualities is best for you? That depends upon your individual temperament, your particular vocation and call, and your circumstance within life. One size doesn’t fit all. Just as each snowflake is different from every other snowflake, so too with us. God gives us different gifts and different callings and life puts us in different situations.
They say the book you need to read finds you and finds you at the exact time that you need to read it. That’s true too for spiritualities. The one you need will find you, and will find you at the exact time when you need it.
Why We Don't Encourage (Little) Kids In Church
This article is from the blog by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timonium, Maryland. You can find the original blog here
Last Sunday brings one of my favorite readings from one of my favorite books of the Bible. We are looking at a passage from Nehemiah, which is all about rebuilding.
Nehemiah gets permission from the king of Persia to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls around the city, which were broken and a source of disgrace. The passage we’re looking at takes place after the walls had been rebuilt. It describes a celebration of the achievement.
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women
and those children old enough to understand.
Nehemiah 8
Ezra was a religious teacher and prophet. After the walls were rebuilt, people were hungry to learn more about their Jewish heritage and faith much of which had been lost in the midst of the civil conflict that had destroyed the walls. So he reads the Scripture of the time: the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Notice that it says, “men women and children old enough to understand.” The little children and toddlers were not included because they couldn’t understand a long service intended for adults.
Which brings me to my point.
There is something in Catholic Church culture that insists kids belong in the sanctuary for Mass. I must say I don’t totally understand it, but it is definitely a Catholic thing. Part of the thinking is that sheer exposure to the service imbues them with grace and other good things in some kind of effortless and mindless sort of way. But if they can’t understand the readings and they cannot take Communion, it is unclear what they are “receiving” Sacramentally.
Another argument suggests that kids need to “learn the Mass” and that can only happen through physical attendance. I liken it to bringing a toddler to a lecture or presentation intended for adults, because there is information you want your kids to have. Nobody would ever do that, because it obviously wouldn’t work. They must be introduced to the information in age appropriate ways if they are to learn. Everybody knows this, and yet we ignore it in church.
To this end, I will sometimes see a Mom sitting in the very front row with her child. The front row so the kids can “see the altar” (as if they’re looking ). Then, a tormented exercise is undertaken in which the kid, who can be distracted with Cheerios for only so long, becomes disruptive.
Which becomes a distraction for everyone, including liturgical ministers and the homilist. I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly difficult it is to try and preach over a crying baby.
In this exercise the parents are fighting a losing battle, and sometimes suffer the unkind, but understandably disapproving glances of the congregation. Saddest of all is the experience for the kids themselves, which can be something approaching agony. Church can easily becomes a place they grow to hate…
This is why we invest in our children’s programs. We love the children of this parish so much we want them to have a great time and learn to love the Lord too, through age appropriate messages and worship. Meanwhile their parents can devote their full attention to worship.
If you’d like to learn more about how easy it is for your kids to enjoy our programs, or to replicate them in your parish, check it out on our web site: www.churchnativity.com
Living With Anxiety, Medication and Prayer
When Rob Culhane’s doctor prescribed an anti-anxiety drug for him, they both found themselves asking an important question: how would the medication affect his prayer? Writing for The Way, Rob describes the process of trying to answer that question and considers what he has learned about religious experience. Rob Culhane is an Anglican priest in Melbourne, Australia. He is completing a mastership in Theological Studies at Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, Melbourne, a member college of the University of Divinity, Victoria, Australia. This article can be found on the ThinkingFaith.org website by clicking here
Just as I was leaving his consulting room, my doctor asked me a question. I had visited him to review the effects of an anti-anxiety drug that he had prescribed for me.[1] As I left, he poked his head around the door and asked: ‘How do you think the new drug will affect your spirituality?’ Ever since Aldous Huxley took mescaline in the 1950s the relationship between drugs and spiritual experience has interested many and has never been entirely resolved.[2] This question from my doctor, like the questions my spiritual director asks me, stuck in my mind and refused to go away. What effect does this medically prescribed drug, which reduces anxiety or depression, have on my life of prayer as a Christian? More particularly, does the influence of the drug enable or assist in genuine religious experience, or is it creating a false one which will disappear once I stop taking it?
Weekday Masses 5th - 8th February, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin … St Agatha
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe … St Paul Miki & Companions
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am
Ulverstone … St Jerome Emiliani, St Josephine Bakhita
Next Weekend 9th & 10th February, 2019
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin LWwC
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell LWwC
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield LWwC
5:00pm Latrobe
Readings this Week:
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-5. 17-19
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:31 – 13:13
Gospel: Luke 4: 21-40
PREGO REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL:
I prepare slowly for this time of prayer. Perhaps it may
help to imagine myself walking into the synagogue at Nazareth. Flames in lamps
flicker and dance. The smell of burning oil hangs in the air. I sense an
atmosphere conducive to prayerful worship. I ask for the help of the Holy
Spirit – may a spirit of silence be created within me, so that I might hear the
word and accept it. I read the text slowly, more than once. I pause often. I
ponder gently. I listen to the words of Jesus … What do I notice as he speaks?
What are the other listeners doing? What is going on within myself? What
pleases me? Does anything cause me unease? Jesus is offering a way of living
that is wholly inclusive. But his teaching is challenging, uncompromising. Who
are the excluded that Jesus wants to welcome … and who are they today? I notice
how this sits with me. Could his way of living be mine too? I don’t need to
react like others. I simply ask myself, ‘Who do I believe Jesus to be?’ I think
how I want my prayer to end. I may feel compelled to go out to the hilltop in
defence of Jesus. Or I may wish to remain in the empty synagogue, pondering
what Jesus’s teaching might mean in my life. When ready, I end with a slow sign
of the cross.
Readings Next Week:
Fifth Sunday in
Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Gospel: Luke
5:1-11
Your Prayers are asked for the Sick:
David Cole, Joy Carter, Joan Carter, John Otenasek, Christina Okpon, Rose Stanley, Hilario Visorro & ...
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Bettye Cox, Norris Binns, Mike Yard (brother of Fr Terry),
Ray Grant, George Freeman, Ernesto Magallanes Jr,
Zoe Dickinson, Odik Rabino
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 23rd - 29th January
Ruby Grubb, Jason Pullen, Clifford Smith, Josie Williamson, Coral Hankey, Lance Cox, Gavin Davey, Lachlan Berwick, Desmond Hanson, Frank Meagher, Mick Groves, Pamela Haslock, Joan Nolan, Basil Cassidy, Darrell Smith, Betty Hodgson, Sylvia Strange, David Rutherford, Verna Crabtree and Lawrence McGuire. Also Sheila & Mick Poole and family.
May they Rest in Peace
Our very best wishes to Kath Pearce (OLOL Church) on the occasion of your 90th Birthday.
May God bless you on your special day and may it
be filled with family, friends, laughter and wonderful memories.
Weekly Ramblings
Thought that this image from the Francis Chronicles (National Catholic Reporter) might make you smile.
You will notice in the Mass schedule for this week that there will be normal Masses in each of our week day centres – thank you for being patient of these past few weeks as I been on the road to recovery. As the Bulletin is printed on Thursday I don’t know the result of my tests until Friday but hopefully things are ok – even if I’m still exhausted after doing very little.
You will notice in the Mass schedule for this week that there will be normal Masses in each of our week day centres – thank you for being patient of these past few weeks as I been on the road to recovery. As the Bulletin is printed on Thursday I don’t know the result of my tests until Friday but hopefully things are ok – even if I’m still exhausted after doing very little.
I have asked the Lay Liturgical Leaders to assist next
weekend because of concerns for Fr Paschal when he arrives home. His flight
from the USA lands in Australia on Saturday morning and he flies to Hobart – I
have suggested that he stays in Hobart on Saturday to recover and comes home
for the evening Mass at Latrobe on Sunday. I was concerned about him arriving
to Devonport from Hobart with jet-lag – thanks to the Lay Liturgical Leaders
for their generous support over the past two weeks and for next weekend as
well.
Fr Michael Tate is helping me out this weekend by
celebrating Mass at Penguin and Ulverstone – thank you for your support and
assistance.
This weekend you will notice that there are two posters
advertising Lenten Programs:
- Compassion is a discussion group program from the Archdiocese of Brisbane and is available for parishioners wanting to join or start a discussion group during Lent;
- Trust is an individual reflection resource for Lent from the Diocese of Wollongong (similar to the material that was available during the recent Advent-Christmas period).
Please take care
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION FOR 2019:
Information will be available shortly for children and
their families in Grade 3 and above who wish to be part of our Parish
Sacramental Preparation for 2019. If you know of any child/ren who are eligible
to be prepared for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist
please contact the Parish Office 6424:2783
SACRED HEART CHOIR:
The season of singing has come! We are seeking new and old members for the choir, so please come and join the chorus and help us make a joyful sound!! Thursday evenings at the Church starting at 7pm.
HEALING MASS:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal are sponsoring a HEALING MASS
at St Mary’s Catholic Church Penguin on Thursday 14th February commencing
at 7pm. All denominations are welcome to come and celebrate the
liturgy. After Mass, teams will be available for individual prayer. Please
bring a friend and a plate for supper in the hall. If you wish to know more or
require transport please contact Celestine Whiteley 6424:2043,
Michael Gaffney 0447 018 068 or Tom Knaap 6425:2442.
Michael Gaffney 0447 018 068 or Tom Knaap 6425:2442.
PLENARY COUNCIL 2020:
You are invited to a follow-up gathering to develop our
responses to the question: What is God asking of us in Australia at this time? Thursday
28th February, 2019 10am – 11:30am at Parish House, Stewart Street, Devonport.
Contact Clare Kiely-Hoye 6428:2760
OLOL READER’S ROSTER:
The updated reader’s roster is available for collection
from the Sacristy this weekend.
Thursday Nights - OLOL Hall,
Devonport. Eyes down 7.30pm!
Callers Thursday 7th
February – Merv Tippett & Alan Luxton.
NEWS FROM
ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
125th Anniversary of St Canice Church, Glengarry Sunday
10th February. This
occasion will be marked with a concelebrated Mass at St Canice Catholic Church
at 10am followed by light refreshments 33 Glengarry Road, Glengarry. Archbishop
Julian Porteous will be the Celebrant on the day.
Marriage Mass for the Renewal of Vows - will be celebrated by Archbishop Julian Porteous on Sunday 17th February, 2019 at Church of the Apostles, Launceston at 10.30am. Couples celebrating Catholic Marriage milestones including couples in the early years of marriage (1st, 5th and 10th anniversaries) are invited to RSVP to the Office of Life, Marriage and Family by emailing ben.smith@aohtas.org.au or on 6208 6036. Catholic married couples will receive a special acknowledgement from Archbishop Julian on the day.
Our Lady of Mercy Deloraine past pupils will have a re-union lunch at the “Deloraine Hotel”, (near train/bridge) Friday 22nd February, 12noon for 12.30pm. For more information please phone Mary Owen 6435: 4406
Inner Transformation
This article is taken from the Daily Emails from Fr Richard Rohr OFM and the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the emails here
Jesus clearly believed in change. In fact, the first public
word out of his mouth was later translated into the Greek imperative verb
metanoeite, which literally means “change your mind” or “go beyond your mind”
(see Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:15). Unfortunately, in the fourth century, St.
Jerome translated the word into Latin as paenitentia (“repent” or “do
penance”), initiating a host of moralistic connotations that have colored
Christians’ understanding of the Gospels ever since. The word metanoeite
referred to a primal change of mind, worldview, or way of processing and
perceiving—and only by corollary about a specific change in behavior. This common
misunderstanding puts the cart before the horse; we think we can change a few
externals while our underlying worldview often remains narcissistic and
self-referential.
This misunderstanding contributed to a puritanical,
externalized, and largely static notion of the Christian message that has
followed us to this day. Faith became about external requirements that could be
enforced, punished, and rewarded, much more than an actual change of heart and
mind, which Jesus described as something that largely happens “in secret, where
your Father who sees in secret can reward you” (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).
Jesus invariably emphasized inner motivation and intention.
For example, he taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit
adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has
already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). Jesus made
religion about interior change and “purity of heart” (Matthew 5:8) more than
visible behaviors or rituals or anything that would have a social payoff or
punishment.
Jesus didn’t focus on individual sin outside or over there,
where we can point to it, punish it, and try to change it. That is too easy and
mostly ineffective. Without making light of evil, he showed how to actually overcome
and heal it. Sin, for Jesus, was the very act of accusing (Satan means “the
accuser”). Whenever we try to expel and accuse others, and somehow leave
ourselves or our group out of the equation, we end up “sinning.” We must first
recognize our own complicity in evil before we can transform it. We see this
pattern when Jesus himself was faced with three temptations to power (Matthew
4:1-11). Until we face our own demons, none of us are prepared to fight evil
elsewhere.
Jesus thus stood in solidarity with individuals who were
excluded, deemed unworthy, or demonized. Why? Because the excluded from any
group always reveal the unquestioned idolatries of that group! He even partied
with sinners and tax collectors, and the “pure” hated him for it (see Luke 15:2).
The way Jesus tried to change people was by loving and healing them, accusing
only their accusers. Why did we not notice that? His harshest words of judgment
were reserved for those who perpetuated systems of inequality and oppression
and who, through religion itself, thought they were sinless and untouchable.
Jesus did not so much love people once they changed, but he loved people so
that they could change.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, “The Eight Core Principles,”
Radical Grace, vol. 25, no.4, (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2012),
10-11, out of print, see https://cac.org/about-cac/missionvision/; and
The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change
Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe (Convergent Books: March 5, 2019),
92-93.
Spirituality and Spiritualities
This list is taken from the Archives of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article here
What is spirituality and what makes for different spiritualities?
The word spirituality is relatively new within the English-speaking world, at least in terms of how it is being used today. Prior to the 1960s you would have found very few books in English with the word “spirituality” in their title, though that wasn’t true for the French-speaking world. A half-century ago spiritual writers within Roman Catholicism wrote about spirituality but mostly under titles such as “The Spiritual Life” and “Ascetical Theology”, or under the guise of devotional treatises. Protestants and Evangelicals, for the most part, identified spirituality with Roman Catholic devotions and steered clear of the word.
What is spirituality, as generally understood within church circles today? Definitions abound within spiritual writings of every sort, each of which defines spirituality with a particular end-goal in mind. Many of these definitions are helpful within academic discussions but are less so outside those circles. So, let me risk simplifying things with a definition that’s wide, interreligious, ecumenical, and hopefully simple enough to be helpful.
Spirituality is the attempt by an individual or a group to meet and undergo the presence of God, other persons, and the cosmic world so as to come into a community of life and celebration with them. The generic and specific disciplines and habits that develop from this become the basis for various spiritualities.
Stripped to its root, spirituality can be spoken of as a “discipline” to which someone submits. For example, in Christianity we call ourselves “disciples” of Jesus Christ. The word “discipleship” takes it root in the word “discipline”. A disciple is someone who puts herself under a discipline. Hinduism and Buddhism call this a “yoga”. To be a practicing Hindu or Buddhist you need be practicing a certain spiritual “discipline”, which they term a yoga. And that’s what constitutes any religious practice.
All religious practice is a question of putting oneself under a certain “discipline” (which makes you a “disciple”). But we can distinguish among various religious “disciplines”. Aristotle gave us a distinction which can be helpful here. He distinguished between a “genus” and a “species”; e.g., bird is a genus, robin is a species. Thus looking at various spiritualities we can distinguish between “generic” disciplines and “specific” disciplines: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, and various Native Religions are “generic” spiritualities. But within each of these you will then find a wide range of “specific” spiritualities. For example within the wide category of Christianity you will find Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Protestants, Evangelicals, Mormons, and Congregationalists. Each of these is a species.
Then we can distinguish still further: Within each of those you will find a wide range of “sub-species”, that is, particular Christian “disciplines”. For instance, within Roman Catholicism, we can speak of persons who have Charismatic spirituality or a Jesuit, Franciscan, Carmelite, or Salesian spirituality, to offer just a few examples. Notice the pattern here – from genus to species to sub-species. As a spirituality, Christianity is a genus, Roman Catholicism is a species, and being a Jesuit or a Franciscan (or, in my case, being an Oblate of Mary Immaculate) is a sub-species.
I apologize if this seems a bit irreverent, that is, to speak so clinically of genus, species, and sub-species in reference to cherished faith traditions wherein martyrs blood has been shed. But the hope is that this can help us understand more clearly a complex issue and its roots.
No one serves one’s God fully, just as no one lives out one’s God-given dignity fully. We need guidance. We need trusted, God-blessed patterns of behavior and disciplines that ultimately come from divine revelation itself. We call these religions. Then, inside of these religions, we can be further helped by models of behavior lived out by certain saints and wisdom figures. Thus, inside of Christianity, we have the time-tested example and wisdom of 2000 years of faithful women and men who have carved out various “disciplines” which can be helpful for us to better live out our own discipleship. Jesuit, Franciscan, Carmelite, Salesian, Mazenodian, Charismatic, Opus Dei, Focolare, Catholic Worker, Sant’Egidio, Cursillo, Acts-Missions, and Catholic Christian Outreach, among others, are spiritualities, and just as the exercise and diet regiments of health experts can help us keep our bodies more healthy, so too can the discipleship practices of particular saints, spiritual giants, and wisdom figures help make our following of Jesus more faithful and generative.
Which one of these spiritualities is best for you? That depends upon your individual temperament, your particular vocation and call, and your circumstance within life. One size doesn’t fit all. Just as each snowflake is different from every other snowflake, so too with us. God gives us different gifts and different callings and life puts us in different situations.
They say the book you need to read finds you and finds you at the exact time that you need to read it. That’s true too for spiritualities. The one you need will find you, and will find you at the exact time when you need it.
Why We Don't Encourage (Little) Kids In Church
This article is from the blog by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timonium, Maryland. You can find the original blog here
Last Sunday brings one of my favorite readings from one of my favorite books of the Bible. We are looking at a passage from Nehemiah, which is all about rebuilding.
Nehemiah gets permission from the king of Persia to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls around the city, which were broken and a source of disgrace. The passage we’re looking at takes place after the walls had been rebuilt. It describes a celebration of the achievement.
Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly,
which consisted of men, women
and those children old enough to understand.
Nehemiah 8
Ezra was a religious teacher and prophet. After the walls were rebuilt, people were hungry to learn more about their Jewish heritage and faith much of which had been lost in the midst of the civil conflict that had destroyed the walls. So he reads the Scripture of the time: the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Notice that it says, “men women and children old enough to understand.” The little children and toddlers were not included because they couldn’t understand a long service intended for adults.
Which brings me to my point.
There is something in Catholic Church culture that insists kids belong in the sanctuary for Mass. I must say I don’t totally understand it, but it is definitely a Catholic thing. Part of the thinking is that sheer exposure to the service imbues them with grace and other good things in some kind of effortless and mindless sort of way. But if they can’t understand the readings and they cannot take Communion, it is unclear what they are “receiving” Sacramentally.
Another argument suggests that kids need to “learn the Mass” and that can only happen through physical attendance. I liken it to bringing a toddler to a lecture or presentation intended for adults, because there is information you want your kids to have. Nobody would ever do that, because it obviously wouldn’t work. They must be introduced to the information in age appropriate ways if they are to learn. Everybody knows this, and yet we ignore it in church.
To this end, I will sometimes see a Mom sitting in the very front row with her child. The front row so the kids can “see the altar” (as if they’re looking ). Then, a tormented exercise is undertaken in which the kid, who can be distracted with Cheerios for only so long, becomes disruptive.
Which becomes a distraction for everyone, including liturgical ministers and the homilist. I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly difficult it is to try and preach over a crying baby.
In this exercise the parents are fighting a losing battle, and sometimes suffer the unkind, but understandably disapproving glances of the congregation. Saddest of all is the experience for the kids themselves, which can be something approaching agony. Church can easily becomes a place they grow to hate…
This is why we invest in our children’s programs. We love the children of this parish so much we want them to have a great time and learn to love the Lord too, through age appropriate messages and worship. Meanwhile their parents can devote their full attention to worship.
If you’d like to learn more about how easy it is for your kids to enjoy our programs, or to replicate them in your parish, check it out on our web site: www.churchnativity.com
Living With Anxiety, Medication and Prayer
When Rob Culhane’s doctor prescribed an anti-anxiety drug for him, they both found themselves asking an important question: how would the medication affect his prayer? Writing for The Way, Rob describes the process of trying to answer that question and considers what he has learned about religious experience. Rob Culhane is an Anglican priest in Melbourne, Australia. He is completing a mastership in Theological Studies at Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, Melbourne, a member college of the University of Divinity, Victoria, Australia. This article can be found on the ThinkingFaith.org website by clicking here
Just as I was leaving his consulting room, my doctor asked me a question. I had visited him to review the effects of an anti-anxiety drug that he had prescribed for me.[1] As I left, he poked his head around the door and asked: ‘How do you think the new drug will affect your spirituality?’ Ever since Aldous Huxley took mescaline in the 1950s the relationship between drugs and spiritual experience has interested many and has never been entirely resolved.[2] This question from my doctor, like the questions my spiritual director asks me, stuck in my mind and refused to go away. What effect does this medically prescribed drug, which reduces anxiety or depression, have on my life of prayer as a Christian? More particularly, does the influence of the drug enable or assist in genuine religious experience, or is it creating a false one which will disappear once I stop taking it?
You can continue reading this article by clicking here
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