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 , Devonport 7310
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street , Devonport 7310
(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.
Heavenly Father,
We thank you for gathering us together
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
You have charged us through Your Son, Jesus, with the great mission
of evangelising and witnessing your love to the world.
Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern your will
for the spiritual renewal of our parish.
Give us strength, courage, and clear vision
as we use our gifts to serve you.
We entrust our parish family to the care of Mary, our mother,
and ask for her intercession and guidance
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
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)
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 7pm Community Room Ulverstone
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)
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Benediction with Adoration Devonport: First Friday each month - commences at 10am and concludes with Mass
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 7pm Community Room Ulverstone
Weekday Masses 22nd – 26th April, 2019
Monday: 12noon Devonport
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 9:00am
Devonport … Anzac Day
9:00am Ulverstone … Anzac Day
Friday: 9:30am
Ulverstone
Next Weekend 27th & 28th April, 2019
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 27th & 28th April, 2019
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: M Kelly, R Baker, B Paul 10:30am
E Petts, K Pearce
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil M Heazlewood, G Lee-Archer, M Kelly, P Shelverton
10.30am: M Sherriff, T & S Ryan, D & M Barrientos
Cleaners 26th April: M & L
Tippett, A Berryman 3rd May: M.W.C.
Piety Shop 27th April: H Thompson 28th April: P Piccolo Lawns at Presbytery: S Berryman
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: D Prior Ministers of Communion: M Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R
Locket
Cleaners: K.S.C. Flowers: C Stingel Hospitality:
S & T Johnstone
Penguin:
Greeters G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator:
J Barker Readers:
M & D Hiscutt
Ministers of
Communion: T Clayton,
M Murray Liturgy: Sulphur Creek C
Setting Up: F Aichberger Care of Church: M Bowles, J Reynolds
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Minister of Communion: I Campbell Procession of Gifts: J Hyde
Port Sorell:
Readers: G & V Duff Ministers of Communion: G Bellchambers Cleaners: C & J Howard
PREGO
REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL:
I may like to begin my prayer recalling that Jesus Christ brings light into my
darkness. I allow my inner attention to respond to the Lord’s presence in
this Easter season.
In the deepening silence, I hand over my joys and troubles to the Lord.
I read the Gospel meditatively. I allow the scene to enter my imagination.
To which part of the narrative am I drawn?
Which characters attract my attention?
Is it Mary of Magdala, who in the darkness, with a grief-filled heart, goes
faithfully to attend to her Lord ... ?
Or perhaps Peter, who goes right into the tomb …?
Or is it the unnamed disciple, ‘the one Jesus loved’, who saw the empty
tomb, and believed?
In whatever way I can, I absorb the scene, the emotions ... I allow myself to
be present. As I stand in the empty tomb, how do I feel now?
How deep is my own belief in the power of the Risen Lord?
Maybe there are areas of life where I am invited to move even more deeply
into his love?
I open my heart to the Lord, speaking to him as I would to a beloved friend.
Before I end my prayer, I may feel drawn to pray for those who are
imprisoned and in bondage today.
I draw my prayer slowly to a close saying Glory be to the Father …
Readings Next Week: Second Sunday of
Easter – Year C
First
Reading: Acts 5: 12-16
Second
Reading: Apocalypse 1:9 - 13, 17 -19
Gospel: John 20:19 - 31
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Christina
Okpon, Robert Luxton, Adrian Drane, Fred Heazlewood, Jason Carr,
Thomas &
Frances McGeown, Charlotte Milic, John Kelly, David Cole, Rose Stanley &
…
Let us pray for those who have died
recently:
Andrew
Kirkpatrick, Rose Kirkpatrick, Pat Mapley, Myra
Goss, Bernard Wendt
Let us pray for
those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 18th– 25th April
Terrence McCarthy,
Dawn Ashman, Bridget Imlach, Molly Dunphy, Stephen Gibbons,
Wilma Bacchin, Andrew Smith, Marie Nichols, John Munro, Leo Sheehan, John Redl,
Lillian
Stubbs, Lola O’Halloran, Fr Terry Southerwood, Joyce Sheehan, Flo Smith, Emily
Sherriff, Courtney Bryan, Rita McQueen, Arsenio Asayas, Joseph
& Anne Charlesworth,
Gary & Marie Trevena. Also deceased relatives and
friends of Sheridan, Bourke & Knight families.
May
they Rest in Peace
Congratulations
to Jean Phillips on the occasion of her
100th
Birthday, which was celebrated on 19th April.
Wishing
more love, joy and happiness on your special day.
Weekly
Ramblings
A Happy Easter to everyone as we rejoice and share in this
most wonderful of times.
During this past week there have been a number of
opportunities to gather with our Catholic Community as well as members of the
local Christian Community. Last Sunday I gathered with members of the Port
Sorell community for a Palm Sunday celebration. Beginning on Wednesday evening
there were members of all the local Devonport Churches who gathered for our 24
hours of Prayer. On Thursday evening many of us gathered at the Paranaple
Centre with the local community before celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s
Supper. On Friday I gathered with the community at Sheffield for their combined
Service before sharing in the Stations of the Cross. On Easter Sunday morning
(hopefully) I will be joining the Penguin Combined Churches for their Easter
Sunrise Service.
All of these activities are part of our response to the
prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper – ‘May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and
I am in you’ (John 17:21). So as we celebrate the Resurrection, if not
in the broader community then at least with your families and friends, I pray
that we will grow closer to God as we grow closer to each other.
On behalf of Fr Paschal and Fr Phil I would like to express
my thanks to everyone who is a part of our Parish Community and who help us to
be a community of faith. Many things happen in our Parish because of the
generosity of individuals and groups who assist with our various ministries or
who work behind the scenes, frequently unacknowledged, to make us who we are –
thank you.
We wish Fr Paschal safe travels as he heads home to spend
time with his mother and his family – we pray that his presence will bring peace
and strength to them all at this time.
Please take care on the roads if you are out and about
over these days and we look forward to seeing you next weekend.
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY & NOVENA:
The Second Sunday of Easter (28th April) is celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy. This will take place
at the 9am mass at Sacred Heart Church Ulverstone. A novena of the chaplet of
divine mercy will also be conducted at 5pm for nine consecutive days at Our
Lady of Lourdes Church, Devonport commencing Good Friday till Saturday 27
April. The chaplet lasting about 30 minutes with the theme “Jesus I trust in
you”, promises many graces and all are urged to attend. Contact: Michael
Gaffney 0447 018 068
HEALING MASS:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal, are
sponsoring a HEALING MASS with Fr
Paschal Okpon at St Mary’s Catholic Church Penguin on Thursday 2nd May 2019, commencing at 7.00 pm. 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 and fellowship in the hall. If you wish to know more
or require transport please contact Celestine Whiteley 6424:2043 or Michael
Gaffney 0447 018 068
SACRED HEART CHURCH ROSTERS:
Rosters are now being prepared for Sacred Heart Church.
Please let Jo Rodgers (6425:5818/ 0439 064 493)) know as soon as possible if
you are interested in taking on a role or if you are unable to continue on the
roster.
FOOTY
MARGIN RESULTS:
Round 4 (Friday 12th April) Collingwood won by 14
points. Congratulations to the following winners; Ricky Youd, Kath Riseley,
Grace Mullet.
BINGO THURSDAY 25th APRIL – Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers
Rod Clark & Graeme Rigney.
ANZAC DAY – Thursday 25th
April:
Remember, O Lord,
All those the brave and the true, who
have died the death of honour and are departed in the hope of the resurrection
to eternal life. In that place of light from which sorrow and mourning are far
banished, give them rest, O Lord, thou lover of men. And grant to us who remain
the spirit of service which may make us worthy of their sacrifice, through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Ode
They shall
grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not
weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going
down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Eternal rest
grant to them O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon them.
Please note:
Anzac Day Mass Times – Thursday 25th April, 2019
9:00am Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Devonport
9:00am Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone
Mersey Leven Parish Team
would like to thank all who helped
with the preparation of the Easter Liturgies.
We wish everyone a very
safe and happy Easter.
Sacred Reading
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
Throughout the Gospels, in Jesus’ reading of the Hebrew
Scriptures we see him masterfully connect the dots and discern where the sacred
text is truly heading, beyond the low-level consciousness of a particular
moment, individual, or circumstance. Jesus knows there is a bigger arc to the
story—one that reveals a God who is compassionate and inclusive.
The Spirit teaches any faithful person to read Scripture
(and the very experiences of life) with a gaze of love. Contemplative practice helps
us develop a third eye that reads between the lines and finds the thread always
moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice.
The practice of lectio divina is a contemplative way to read
short passages of sacred text and discover meanings running deeper than the
literal layer.
• With the
first reading of the sacred text, listen with your heart’s ear for a phrase or
word that stands out for you.
• During
the second reading, reflect on what touches you, perhaps speaking that response
aloud or writing in a journal.
• After
reading the passage a third time, respond with a prayer or expression of what
you have experienced and ask yourself what this passage calls you to.
• Finally,
after a fourth reading, rest in silence.
I invite you to practice lectio divina with Jesus’ own
reading of Scripture in the synagogue:
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and
he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood
up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He
opened the book and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me,
because he
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent
me to proclaim release to the captives
and
recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at
liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and gave
it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue
were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing.” —Luke 4:16-21
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Hierarchy of Truths: Jesus’ Use
of Scripture (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2014), CD, MP3 download.
And All Manner of Being shall be Well
Weekday Masses 22nd – 26th April, 2019
Monday: 12noon Devonport
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
Thursday: 9:00am
Devonport … Anzac Day
9:00am Ulverstone … Anzac Day
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Next Weekend 27th & 28th April, 2019
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin
6:00pm Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 27th & 28th April, 2019
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: M Kelly, R Baker, B Paul 10:30am
E Petts, K Pearce
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil M Heazlewood, G Lee-Archer, M Kelly, P Shelverton
10.30am: M Sherriff, T & S Ryan, D & M Barrientos
Cleaners 26th April: M & L
Tippett, A Berryman 3rd May: M.W.C.
Piety Shop 27th April: H Thompson 28th April: P Piccolo Lawns at Presbytery: S Berryman
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: D Prior Ministers of Communion: M Byrne, D Griffin, K Foster, R
Locket
Cleaners: K.S.C. Flowers: C Stingel Hospitality:
S & T Johnstone
Penguin:
Greeters G Hills-Eade, B Eade Commentator:
J Barker Readers:
M & D Hiscutt
Ministers of
Communion: T Clayton,
M Murray Liturgy: Sulphur Creek C
Setting Up: F Aichberger Care of Church: M Bowles, J Reynolds
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Minister of Communion: I Campbell Procession of Gifts: J Hyde
Port Sorell:
Readers: G & V Duff Ministers of Communion: G Bellchambers Cleaners: C & J Howard
PREGO
REFLECTION ON THE GOSPEL:
I may like to begin my prayer recalling that Jesus Christ brings light into my
darkness. I allow my inner attention to respond to the Lord’s presence in
this Easter season.
In the deepening silence, I hand over my joys and troubles to the Lord.
I read the Gospel meditatively. I allow the scene to enter my imagination.
To which part of the narrative am I drawn?
Which characters attract my attention?
Is it Mary of Magdala, who in the darkness, with a grief-filled heart, goes
faithfully to attend to her Lord ... ?
Or perhaps Peter, who goes right into the tomb …?
Or is it the unnamed disciple, ‘the one Jesus loved’, who saw the empty
tomb, and believed?
In whatever way I can, I absorb the scene, the emotions ... I allow myself to
be present. As I stand in the empty tomb, how do I feel now?
How deep is my own belief in the power of the Risen Lord?
Maybe there are areas of life where I am invited to move even more deeply
into his love?
I open my heart to the Lord, speaking to him as I would to a beloved friend.
Before I end my prayer, I may feel drawn to pray for those who are
imprisoned and in bondage today.
I draw my prayer slowly to a close saying Glory be to the Father …
Readings Next Week: Second Sunday of
Easter – Year C
First
Reading: Acts 5: 12-16
Second
Reading: Apocalypse 1:9 - 13, 17 -19
Gospel: John 20:19 - 31
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Christina
Okpon, Robert Luxton, Adrian Drane, Fred Heazlewood, Jason Carr,
Thomas &
Frances McGeown, Charlotte Milic, John Kelly, David Cole, Rose Stanley &
…
Let us pray for those who have died
recently:
Andrew
Kirkpatrick, Rose Kirkpatrick, Pat Mapley, Myra
Goss, Bernard Wendt
Let us pray for
those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 18th– 25th April
Terrence McCarthy,
Dawn Ashman, Bridget Imlach, Molly Dunphy, Stephen Gibbons,
Wilma Bacchin, Andrew Smith, Marie Nichols, John Munro, Leo Sheehan, John Redl,
Lillian
Stubbs, Lola O’Halloran, Fr Terry Southerwood, Joyce Sheehan, Flo Smith, Emily
Sherriff, Courtney Bryan, Rita McQueen, Arsenio Asayas, Joseph
& Anne Charlesworth,
Gary & Marie Trevena. Also deceased relatives and
friends of Sheridan, Bourke & Knight families.
May
they Rest in Peace
Congratulations
to Jean Phillips on the occasion of her
100th
Birthday, which was celebrated on 19th April.
Wishing
more love, joy and happiness on your special day.
Weekly
Ramblings
A Happy Easter to everyone as we rejoice and share in this
most wonderful of times.
During this past week there have been a number of
opportunities to gather with our Catholic Community as well as members of the
local Christian Community. Last Sunday I gathered with members of the Port
Sorell community for a Palm Sunday celebration. Beginning on Wednesday evening
there were members of all the local Devonport Churches who gathered for our 24
hours of Prayer. On Thursday evening many of us gathered at the Paranaple
Centre with the local community before celebrating the Mass of the Lord’s
Supper. On Friday I gathered with the community at Sheffield for their combined
Service before sharing in the Stations of the Cross. On Easter Sunday morning
(hopefully) I will be joining the Penguin Combined Churches for their Easter
Sunrise Service.
All of these activities are part of our response to the
prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper – ‘May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and
I am in you’ (John 17:21). So as we celebrate the Resurrection, if not
in the broader community then at least with your families and friends, I pray
that we will grow closer to God as we grow closer to each other.
On behalf of Fr Paschal and Fr Phil I would like to express
my thanks to everyone who is a part of our Parish Community and who help us to
be a community of faith. Many things happen in our Parish because of the
generosity of individuals and groups who assist with our various ministries or
who work behind the scenes, frequently unacknowledged, to make us who we are –
thank you.
We wish Fr Paschal safe travels as he heads home to spend
time with his mother and his family – we pray that his presence will bring peace
and strength to them all at this time.
Please take care on the roads if you are out and about
over these days and we look forward to seeing you next weekend.
DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY & NOVENA:
The Second Sunday of Easter (28th April) is celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy. This will take place
at the 9am mass at Sacred Heart Church Ulverstone. A novena of the chaplet of
divine mercy will also be conducted at 5pm for nine consecutive days at Our
Lady of Lourdes Church, Devonport commencing Good Friday till Saturday 27
April. The chaplet lasting about 30 minutes with the theme “Jesus I trust in
you”, promises many graces and all are urged to attend. Contact: Michael
Gaffney 0447 018 068
HEALING MASS:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal, are
sponsoring a HEALING MASS with Fr
Paschal Okpon at St Mary’s Catholic Church Penguin on Thursday 2nd May 2019, commencing at 7.00 pm. 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 and fellowship in the hall. If you wish to know more
or require transport please contact Celestine Whiteley 6424:2043 or Michael
Gaffney 0447 018 068
SACRED HEART CHURCH ROSTERS:
Rosters are now being prepared for Sacred Heart Church.
Please let Jo Rodgers (6425:5818/ 0439 064 493)) know as soon as possible if
you are interested in taking on a role or if you are unable to continue on the
roster.
FOOTY
MARGIN RESULTS:
Round 4 (Friday 12th April) Collingwood won by 14
points. Congratulations to the following winners; Ricky Youd, Kath Riseley,
Grace Mullet.
BINGO THURSDAY 25th APRIL – Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers
Rod Clark & Graeme Rigney.
Remember, O Lord,
All those the brave and the true, who
have died the death of honour and are departed in the hope of the resurrection
to eternal life. In that place of light from which sorrow and mourning are far
banished, give them rest, O Lord, thou lover of men. And grant to us who remain
the spirit of service which may make us worthy of their sacrifice, through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Ode
They shall
grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not
weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going
down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
Eternal rest
grant to them O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon them.
Please note:
Anzac Day Mass Times – Thursday 25th April, 2019
9:00am Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Devonport
9:00am Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone
Mersey Leven Parish Team
would like to thank all who helped
with the preparation of the Easter Liturgies.
We wish everyone a very
safe and happy Easter.
Sacred Reading
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
Throughout the Gospels, in Jesus’ reading of the Hebrew
Scriptures we see him masterfully connect the dots and discern where the sacred
text is truly heading, beyond the low-level consciousness of a particular
moment, individual, or circumstance. Jesus knows there is a bigger arc to the
story—one that reveals a God who is compassionate and inclusive.
The Spirit teaches any faithful person to read Scripture
(and the very experiences of life) with a gaze of love. Contemplative practice helps
us develop a third eye that reads between the lines and finds the thread always
moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice.
The practice of lectio divina is a contemplative way to read
short passages of sacred text and discover meanings running deeper than the
literal layer.
• With the
first reading of the sacred text, listen with your heart’s ear for a phrase or
word that stands out for you.
• During
the second reading, reflect on what touches you, perhaps speaking that response
aloud or writing in a journal.
• After
reading the passage a third time, respond with a prayer or expression of what
you have experienced and ask yourself what this passage calls you to.
• Finally,
after a fourth reading, rest in silence.
I invite you to practice lectio divina with Jesus’ own
reading of Scripture in the synagogue:
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and
he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood
up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He
opened the book and found the place where it was written,
The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me,
because he
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent
me to proclaim release to the captives
and
recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at
liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and gave
it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue
were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing.” —Luke 4:16-21
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Hierarchy of Truths: Jesus’ Use
of Scripture (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2014), CD, MP3 download.
And All Manner of Being shall be Well
This article is taken from the 2019 Archives of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article
We are all, I suspect, familiar with the famous expression from Julian of Norwich, now an axiom in our language. She once famously wrote: In the end all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of being shall be well. To which Oscar Wilde is reported to have added: “And if it isn’t well, then it’s still not the end”
Few words better express what we celebrate in the resurrection of Jesus. Belief in the resurrection, belief that God raised Jesus from the dead, constitutes the very ground of our Christian faith. Everything else we believe in as Christians is grounded on that truth and, as St. Paul says, if that isn’t true, if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, we are the most deluded of all people. But if God did raise Jesus, and we believe that he did, then not only can the rest of Jesus’ message be trusted, we can then live with the ultimate consolation that the end of our story has already been written and it is a happy, ecstatic ending. We will in the end, live happily ever after. Life is indeed a fairy tale.
How does the resurrection of Jesus guarantee that? Here’s how Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, that wonderful scientist and mystic from the previous generation, answered. Once, having just made a presentation within which he presented a vision of how the cosmos and all of life will come together in one final harmony inside the Cosmic Christ at the end of time, he was challenged by a skeptic to this effect: “That’s a lot of wishful thinking and optimism. But suppose we blow up the world with a nuclear bomb, what happens to your wishful thinking then?” Teilhard’s answer wonderfully distinguishes genuine Christian hope both from wishful thinking and natural optimism, even as it affirms what the resurrection of Jesus guarantees. He responded in words to this effect: “If we blow up the world with a nuclear bomb, well that would be a two-million-year setback. But what I’m proposing will happen, not because I wish it so or have empirical evidence to warrant it. It will happen because Christ promised it, and in the resurrection, God showed that God has the power to deliver on that promise.”
What we believe in as Christians is not based on wishful thinking or natural optimism, it’s based on the word and promises of Jesus and the trustworthiness of that word and those promises is guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus. When we believe this, we can live our lives without undue anxiety about anything, confident that the end of our story is already written and that it’s a happy ending.
If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, if we believe in the resurrection, then, in essence, we believe that the world is already saved. We don’t have to save the world; we only have to live in face of the fact that we believe it has already been saved. And if we live in face of that belief we can risk everything, risk our very lives, knowing that our ending of our story has already been written and that it’s a happy one, no matter how dire things might look at present.
We see a wonderful example of this kind of belief in Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one of the key figures in opposing and eventually bringing down apartheid in South Africa. At the heart of the struggle to bring down apartheid, facing every kind of threat, he remained steadfast and even joyful in face of threats and overwhelming odds. What anchored him in his steadiness and joy? Belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
Occasionally on a Sunday morning when he would be preaching, armed soldiers would come into the church and line-up along the isles with their weapons in hand, hoping to intimidate him. Tutu, for his part, would smile at them and say: “I am glad you’ve come to join the winning side! We’ve already won!” In saying this, he wasn’t talking about the battle over apartheid which, at that point, was still far from won. He was talking about the resurrection of Jesus, the definitive triumph of goodness over evil, which assures that, in the end, goodness will eventually triumph over evil, love over division, justice over injustice, and life over death.
Knowing that, we can live life in confidence and hope. It will end well, not because we wish it so or because things are looking that way for us. It will end well because Jesus promised it would and in the resurrection, God backs up that promise.
Hence there’s nothing to fear, nothing – not defeat, not threat, not loss, not sickness, not even death. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that in the end all shall be well, and all shall be well, and every manner of being shall be well; and if it isn’t well … well, then it’s still not the end!
'Let Him Easter In Us'
We are all, I suspect, familiar with the famous expression from Julian of Norwich, now an axiom in our language. She once famously wrote: In the end all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of being shall be well. To which Oscar Wilde is reported to have added: “And if it isn’t well, then it’s still not the end”
Few words better express what we celebrate in the resurrection of Jesus. Belief in the resurrection, belief that God raised Jesus from the dead, constitutes the very ground of our Christian faith. Everything else we believe in as Christians is grounded on that truth and, as St. Paul says, if that isn’t true, if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, we are the most deluded of all people. But if God did raise Jesus, and we believe that he did, then not only can the rest of Jesus’ message be trusted, we can then live with the ultimate consolation that the end of our story has already been written and it is a happy, ecstatic ending. We will in the end, live happily ever after. Life is indeed a fairy tale.
How does the resurrection of Jesus guarantee that? Here’s how Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, that wonderful scientist and mystic from the previous generation, answered. Once, having just made a presentation within which he presented a vision of how the cosmos and all of life will come together in one final harmony inside the Cosmic Christ at the end of time, he was challenged by a skeptic to this effect: “That’s a lot of wishful thinking and optimism. But suppose we blow up the world with a nuclear bomb, what happens to your wishful thinking then?” Teilhard’s answer wonderfully distinguishes genuine Christian hope both from wishful thinking and natural optimism, even as it affirms what the resurrection of Jesus guarantees. He responded in words to this effect: “If we blow up the world with a nuclear bomb, well that would be a two-million-year setback. But what I’m proposing will happen, not because I wish it so or have empirical evidence to warrant it. It will happen because Christ promised it, and in the resurrection, God showed that God has the power to deliver on that promise.”
What we believe in as Christians is not based on wishful thinking or natural optimism, it’s based on the word and promises of Jesus and the trustworthiness of that word and those promises is guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus. When we believe this, we can live our lives without undue anxiety about anything, confident that the end of our story is already written and that it’s a happy ending.
If we believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, if we believe in the resurrection, then, in essence, we believe that the world is already saved. We don’t have to save the world; we only have to live in face of the fact that we believe it has already been saved. And if we live in face of that belief we can risk everything, risk our very lives, knowing that our ending of our story has already been written and that it’s a happy one, no matter how dire things might look at present.
We see a wonderful example of this kind of belief in Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one of the key figures in opposing and eventually bringing down apartheid in South Africa. At the heart of the struggle to bring down apartheid, facing every kind of threat, he remained steadfast and even joyful in face of threats and overwhelming odds. What anchored him in his steadiness and joy? Belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
Occasionally on a Sunday morning when he would be preaching, armed soldiers would come into the church and line-up along the isles with their weapons in hand, hoping to intimidate him. Tutu, for his part, would smile at them and say: “I am glad you’ve come to join the winning side! We’ve already won!” In saying this, he wasn’t talking about the battle over apartheid which, at that point, was still far from won. He was talking about the resurrection of Jesus, the definitive triumph of goodness over evil, which assures that, in the end, goodness will eventually triumph over evil, love over division, justice over injustice, and life over death.
Knowing that, we can live life in confidence and hope. It will end well, not because we wish it so or because things are looking that way for us. It will end well because Jesus promised it would and in the resurrection, God backs up that promise.
Hence there’s nothing to fear, nothing – not defeat, not threat, not loss, not sickness, not even death. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that in the end all shall be well, and all shall be well, and every manner of being shall be well; and if it isn’t well … well, then it’s still not the end!
'Let Him Easter In Us'
This article is taken from the thinkingfaith.org website. You can find the original article here
Our Lenten anticipation now gives way to our celebration of the resurrection of Christ, which ‘is not something that we can master; it is only something we can receive’. James Hanvey SJ explains how the scriptural accounts of the appearances of the risen Christ can help us to see with Easter eyes. James Hanvey SJ holds the Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought at the University of San Francisco.
We have reached our celebration of Easter, the centre of the Church’s liturgical year and the source of Christian life and faith. Yet Easter often appears as the poor relation of Christmas. Whether you believe or not, there is something about Christmas that manages to touch everyone. But without Easter there would be no Christmas.
In many ways, Easter makes more demands upon us. The empty tomb is not like the manger: if we go there we do not find the beautiful, serene mother with her newborn baby, an adoring and gently protective father, and heaven and earth somehow caught in a silent moment of adoration. At the empty tomb there is, well, an absence, not a presence. So, Easter really invites us into something utterly new. It is rather frightening because it transgresses all our ways of thinking, what we know – or think we know – about the world and how we live in it.
We get used to ‘knowing’ in a particular way. We are uneasy with things we can’t master or that don’t match our categories. We’re always trying to fit things into time, space, matter ; even when we encounter something utterly new like ‘dark matter’ or particles that we know only by their traces, we want to fit them in to some familiar conceptual framework. But the resurrection of Christ cannot be fitted in like that. It is not something that we can master; it is only something we can receive. We can only let it transform us and our whole way of thinking and seeing and being. In a sense, we find the resurrection difficult not because we are so earth bound – the whole of creation sings it; it is because we are so self-bound, we see only the problematic absence of the empty tomb.
Those strange resurrection appearances in scripture can help us if we will let them. If we throttle them with our questions and demands, they remain only silent and dumb. They wait for us to calm down, to release our control and quieten our fears. Then they begin to open to us, but on their terms.
They keep moving in and out of focus; at once they are astonishing in their simplicity, directness and even materiality, but they remain elusive. They describe a world we recognise, and yet it is a world that is now so different; it has a new reality and property which we cannot grasp even though it acts upon us and, indeed, invites us to so transform our minds, understanding and life, that we are left confused and stunned.
Like all those who encounter the risen Christ, it takes us time to adjust, to come into focus. You will notice that it is the risen Christ who comes to us, not we who can summon him. We must learn to wait with a new openness and humility – there is no other way of knowing him than by receiving him. You’ll notice, too, in the delicate luminosity of the resurrection accounts there is no awe, no stunning effects to accompany a divine revelation. It is all quietness, stillness, simplicity and intimacy. This alone is uncanny and yet it tells us something about the way in which Christ always is with us.
Perhaps the most profound thing is the absence of recrimination. Jesus does not blame or punish his disciples for their betrayals. He never mentions it; with a beautiful delicacy he speaks to them by name, shares their food, consoles them, heals their doubts and calms their fears, and then gives himself to them. He actually trusts them with the truth about himself and places his mission in their hands. There is no looking back. They are called to journey into a new world and a new history. This is the unspoken grace of forgiveness and its freedom that he offers us.
At the end of John’s Gospel is the encounter between Peter and the risen Jesus. No blame, only that question: ‘Simon Peter, do you love me?’ It is not only the forgiveness for his denials; it is the condition of his mission. Only when Peter, with all his broken history, can confess his love of Jesus can he confess his faith in him. For love is the only way to this sort of knowledge – not just knowing, but living and following. It is Peter’s resurrection into life, into his true self; into who Jesus calls him to be. So, at some point in all our lives we will meet this risen Jesus and if we can only say. ‘I love you’ then we will begin to know what life really is. We will have Easter eyes.
This article is taken from the thinkingfaith.org website. You can find the original article here
Our Lenten anticipation now gives way to our celebration of the resurrection of Christ, which ‘is not something that we can master; it is only something we can receive’. James Hanvey SJ explains how the scriptural accounts of the appearances of the risen Christ can help us to see with Easter eyes. James Hanvey SJ holds the Lo Schiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought at the University of San Francisco.
We have reached our celebration of Easter, the centre of the Church’s liturgical year and the source of Christian life and faith. Yet Easter often appears as the poor relation of Christmas. Whether you believe or not, there is something about Christmas that manages to touch everyone. But without Easter there would be no Christmas.
In many ways, Easter makes more demands upon us. The empty tomb is not like the manger: if we go there we do not find the beautiful, serene mother with her newborn baby, an adoring and gently protective father, and heaven and earth somehow caught in a silent moment of adoration. At the empty tomb there is, well, an absence, not a presence. So, Easter really invites us into something utterly new. It is rather frightening because it transgresses all our ways of thinking, what we know – or think we know – about the world and how we live in it.
We get used to ‘knowing’ in a particular way. We are uneasy with things we can’t master or that don’t match our categories. We’re always trying to fit things into time, space, matter ; even when we encounter something utterly new like ‘dark matter’ or particles that we know only by their traces, we want to fit them in to some familiar conceptual framework. But the resurrection of Christ cannot be fitted in like that. It is not something that we can master; it is only something we can receive. We can only let it transform us and our whole way of thinking and seeing and being. In a sense, we find the resurrection difficult not because we are so earth bound – the whole of creation sings it; it is because we are so self-bound, we see only the problematic absence of the empty tomb.
Those strange resurrection appearances in scripture can help us if we will let them. If we throttle them with our questions and demands, they remain only silent and dumb. They wait for us to calm down, to release our control and quieten our fears. Then they begin to open to us, but on their terms.
They keep moving in and out of focus; at once they are astonishing in their simplicity, directness and even materiality, but they remain elusive. They describe a world we recognise, and yet it is a world that is now so different; it has a new reality and property which we cannot grasp even though it acts upon us and, indeed, invites us to so transform our minds, understanding and life, that we are left confused and stunned.
Like all those who encounter the risen Christ, it takes us time to adjust, to come into focus. You will notice that it is the risen Christ who comes to us, not we who can summon him. We must learn to wait with a new openness and humility – there is no other way of knowing him than by receiving him. You’ll notice, too, in the delicate luminosity of the resurrection accounts there is no awe, no stunning effects to accompany a divine revelation. It is all quietness, stillness, simplicity and intimacy. This alone is uncanny and yet it tells us something about the way in which Christ always is with us.
Perhaps the most profound thing is the absence of recrimination. Jesus does not blame or punish his disciples for their betrayals. He never mentions it; with a beautiful delicacy he speaks to them by name, shares their food, consoles them, heals their doubts and calms their fears, and then gives himself to them. He actually trusts them with the truth about himself and places his mission in their hands. There is no looking back. They are called to journey into a new world and a new history. This is the unspoken grace of forgiveness and its freedom that he offers us.
At the end of John’s Gospel is the encounter between Peter and the risen Jesus. No blame, only that question: ‘Simon Peter, do you love me?’ It is not only the forgiveness for his denials; it is the condition of his mission. Only when Peter, with all his broken history, can confess his love of Jesus can he confess his faith in him. For love is the only way to this sort of knowledge – not just knowing, but living and following. It is Peter’s resurrection into life, into his true self; into who Jesus calls him to be. So, at some point in all our lives we will meet this risen Jesus and if we can only say. ‘I love you’ then we will begin to know what life really is. We will have Easter eyes.
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