Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
pmccormack43@bigpond.com
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
Pastoral Council Chair: Felicity Sly
Mob: 0418 301 573
fsly@internode.on.net
Mob: 0417 279 437
mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
pmccormack43@bigpond.com
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
Pastoral Council Chair: Felicity Sly
Mob: 0418 301 573
fsly@internode.on.net
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
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 6.30pm 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 6.30pm Community Room Ulverstone
Weekday Masses 1st – 4th October, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin … St Thêrèse of the
Child Jesus
Wednesday 9:30am Latrobe … The Holy Guardian Angels
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone … St Francis of Assisi
12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 5th & 6th October
Saturday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Devonport
6:00pm Penguin
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
MINISTRY ROSTERS 5th & 6th OCTOBER, 2019
Devonport: 
Cleaners 4th
Oct: M.W.C. 11th Oct: F Sly, M Hansen, I Hunter
Ulverstone:
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
Readings this Week: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
Taking time to ponder all the good things I have worked for and been gifted,
I give thanks.
I listen for whatever God might bring to my attention.
Are there ways in which
I might share these gifts even more generously?
What simple steps might I take
this week?
I end my prayer slowly, perhaps asking for the grace to notice the
times and places when my gifts are needed for others.
Readings Next Week: 27th Sunday
in Ordinary Time – Year C
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Philip Smith, David Cole, Frank McDonald, Pam Lynd & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Sr Martina Roberts, Danny Reardon, Glenn Harris, Adrian Drane, Danny Reardon, Eva Gulosino, Bernadine Manshanden, Judy Sheehan, Peggy Creed
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 26th September – 2nd October
Shiela Mathew, Joyce Landford, Joan Chettle, Lila Bramich, Adam Hugen, Stephen Harris, George Farrow, Vern Cazaly, Mary Forth, Peter Kirkpatrick, Irene Marston, Reginald Kelly
May the souls of the
faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Happy 80th Birthday to Neville
Smith
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY:
This weekend we celebrate Social Justice Sunday. This year,
the Australian Bishop’s Social Justice Statement is titled: ‘Making it Real:
Genuine human encounter in our digital world’. It shares Pope Francis’
challenge to us to ‘boldly become citizens of the digital world’. It points out that we are called not just to
be inhabitants of this world, but active citizens shaping it.
Weekly
Ramblings
If anyone would like a copy of the document you can find it
by visiting https://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/publications/social-justice-statements#SJS2019
or contacting the Parish Office and we’ll organise a copy for you.
With the newsletter this weekend we have a flyer with
details re the opportunities for parishioners to participate in the
Extraordinary Missionary Month of Prayer which begins next Tuesday 1st October as well as the Prayer which we have been invited to pray throughout the
month. There was also a calendar included with the Newsletter last weekend
which provided everyone with some thoughts for each day so I strongly encourage
you to make use of those themes during these weeks.
ANNUAL
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE 2019 The Mersey Leven Parish is holding its 17th Annual Rosary
Pilgrimage around the 6 churches and mass centres of the parish on Sunday
6th of October. All parishioners, families and friends are
encouraged to join us. You may either join us by bus or take your own car, or
come to the church near you. Bus is available but booking is essential as seats
are quickly running out. Itinerary in all churches. For further details and
bookings, please contact Hermie 0414 416 661.
COLUMBAN CALENDARS:
NOVEMBER REMEMBRANCE BOOKS:
My
sincere thanks for your prayers and all well wishes who helped in making my
birthday so joyful
and a memorable day. God bless you all! Love from Marie Knight.
THURSDAY 3rd October
Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers
Merv Tippett & Graeme Rigney.
FOOTY
MARGIN RESULTS: Preliminary Final Richmond defeated Geelong by 19 points.
Winners;
Daman Peters, Helen Jaffray, Heather Trail.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
NEW
EVANGELIZATION SUMMIT
A repeat of the 2019 GLOBAL SUMMIT program will be held on Saturday 5th October, 8am-4.30pm, in
the Murphy Room, Diocesan Centre, Tower Road. Speakers: Cardinal Gerald
Lacroix, Fr James Mallon, Michelle Moran, Michele Thompson, Fr Jon Bielawski, and
Michael Dopp. Register by October 1st: Christine Wood on 6208-6236 or christine.wood@aohtas.org.au.
Cost: free. Information: https://www.newevangelization.ca/
CARMELITE
WEEKEND RETREAT
Theme: True Mindfulness: ‘Putting on the Mind
of Christ’.
Carmelite
Friar, Fr Gerard Moran, ocd will be the Retreat Director at the Emmanuel
Centre, Launceston. Friday 18th – 20th October. Cost of the weekend $220 includes
all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Helen 6344:6382
ST VINCENT
PALLOTTI SCHOLARSHIP TRUST
The St Vincent Pallotti Scholarship Trust offers scholarships to enable lay people to further their understanding and skills in leadership/ministry or a specialised activity, such as promoting faith enhancement, social justice and pastoral care. More information and Applications Forms are available on our website https://www.pallottine.org.au/scholarships/st-vincent-pallotti-scholarship-for-lay-ministry.html - Closing Date 18 October 2019
Contact Palms and find out how sharing your skills can
immerse you in a world of deep cultural discovery. Communities in Asia, Africa
and the Pacific seek volunteer medics, teachers, tradies, business and admins
to assist their development. Apply by
November 1st to start your adventure in 2020! Call us Monday - Friday on 02
9560:5333 or palms.org.au
Opening his letter ‘for the centenary of the promulgation of the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud on the activity of missionaries in the world’, Pope Francis notes that the challenge for the work of mission is ‘as urgent as ever’.
October 2019 provides an opportunity to take up again ‘with renewed fervor the missionary transformation of the Church’s life and pastoral activity’.
The church has a rich tradition upon which to build missionary activity. The tradition draws its strength from the person of Jesus, who through his life, death and resurrection revealed God’s gracious desire to be among people.
Jesus is at the heart of all evangelising and missionary activity. It is from Jesus that we draw our strength and inspiration. It is to Jesus that we bring our hopes for ourselves, the church and the world, and it is with Jesus that we walk from the darkness of the tomb into the light of the world. We are called to be the light, to be people of mercy, to spread the Good News.
All of us are aware, however, of the many challenges facing the missionary activity of the church. Some of us have been formed in the idea that mission is something that occurs in other places. Those of us who have had the experience of Catholic education would all have raised money for ‘the missions’ at some point—all those walk-a-thons, cake stalls, cent-a-thons! In recent years, we have gradually become aware that this approach is complemented by a more immediate personal responsibility for mission—that all the baptised have an immediate missionary imperative. Pope Francis reminds us that ‘Every man and woman is mission; that is the reason for our life on this earth’ (message for World Mission Day 2018) and that ‘I am a mission always; you are a mission always’ (message for World Mission Day 2019).
The context in which we are called to be missionary also poses some challenges for us. In meeting with representatives of the Italian Church in Florence in 2015, Pope Francis identified three traits to be cultivated in the church: humility, selflessness and blessedness.
Further, he observed that today we do not live an era of change, but rather in a change of era. The situations we live today, then, pose new challenges for us [and] are sometimes also difficult to understand. Our times call us to live the problems as challenges, not as obstacles: the Lord is active and at work in the world. You, therefore, go out through the streets and go to the crossroads: everyone [you] can find, call them, excluding no one (cf. Mt 22:9). Above all, accompany those left at the roadside, ‘the lame, the crippled, the blind, the deaf ’ (Mt 15:30). Wherever you are, do not ever build walls or borders, but piazzas and field hospitals.
This Extraordinary Missionary Month offers us an opportunity to renew our efforts to grow in discipleship with the Lord. So let us accept this gracious invitation for the month of October. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and renew our personal relationship with him. Let us draw upon our ancestors in faith and join our footsteps with theirs as we go out to all the world to proclaim the Good News: ‘Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”’ (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, §25).
Fully Human, Fully Divine
This article is taken from the Daily Email sent by Fr Richard Rohr OFM from the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the email by clicking here
Francis of Assisi emphasized an imitation and love of the
humanity of Jesus, without needing to first “prove” or worship his divinity
(which Jesus never told us to do). In most of Christian history we have
emphasized the divinity, omnipotence, omniscience, and “almightiness” of Jesus,
which makes following him—or loving him—largely unrealistic. We are on two
utterly different planes that are rather hard to connect. A God who is “totally
other” alienates humanity and creation.
I doubt this will surprise you, but many Christians are not
really Incarnational Christians. That’s not a moral judgment; it’s a
description. Many Christians simply believe in “a Supreme Being who made all
things,” and their Supreme Being just happens to be Jesus (not recognizing that
he was anything but almighty!). He was the available God¬-figure in Europe and
the Middle East, so we pushed him into that position, while ignoring most of
Jesus’ concrete message: that power and powerlessness can and probably must
coexist. Jesus is actually a “third something,” fully human and fully divine.
This is hard for the dualistic mind to grasp or even imagine; it seems like a
self-canceling system, a contradiction in terms, an irreconcilable paradox. In
Byzantine icons and many later paintings, Jesus is shown holding up two
fingers, indicating, “I am fully human, and I am fully divine at the same
time.” This paradox is just too much for the rational mind to grasp. Maybe only
art and prayer can help us understand it!
For most Christians today, Jesus is totally divine, but not
really human. When we deny what Jesus holds together, we can’t hold it together
in ourselves! And that’s the whole point: you and I are also children of heaven
and children of earth, children of God and children of this world. Both are
true simultaneously, which defies all reason and logic. The Incarnation
overcomes the split in us and creation.
Christianity is saying that we need a model, an exemplar, a
promise, and a guarantee (words used in Pauline letters) to imagine such a
far-off impossibility. For us, that living model is Jesus. In Scholastic
philosophy, we call this an “Exemplary Cause”; which is exactly how Jesus
“causes” our salvation. He models it and it rubs off on us when we gaze long enough.
Salvation is not a magical transaction accomplished by moral behavior or
joining the right group. The only salvation worthy of the name is a gradual
realization of who we are already in this world—and always have been—and will
be eternally. Salvation is not a question of if nearly as much as when.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative
Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Media: 2014), 82; and
Jesus Christ - The Person And The Mystery
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find this article and many others by clicking here
We quite naturally tend to think of the word “Christ” as Jesus’ second name. We think of the name “Jesus Christ” like we think of names like “Susan Parker” or “Jack Smith”. But that’s an unhealthy confusion. Jesus didn’t have a second name. The word “Christ” is a title which, while it includes the person of Jesus, speaks of something wider than Jesus alone. What’s the difference between “Jesus” and “Christ”?
Jesus refers to a concrete person who, though the Second Person within the Godhead, walked this earth for 33 years and is still today someone whom we understand and relate to as an individual person. Christ refers to something larger, namely, the huge mystery of both creation and salvation of which Jesus, as the Christ, plays the foundational role but which includes the Eucharist, the Christian community, the historical Christian churches, the community of all sincere people who walk this planet, and physical creation itself. Jesus is a person with whom we seek to be in a relationship with in friendship and intimacy, while Christ is a mystery of which we and all creation are part of and within which we participate.
This has huge implications, not least in how we understand spirituality and church. In essence, this is what’s at stake: What’s more central to us, what Jesus has done and asks of us or the person of Jesus himself? It’s interesting to look at the various Christian churches in terms of that question: Are they more focused on the teaching of Jesus or on the person of Jesus? Are they more focused on Jesus or on Christ?
In terms of a large over-generalization, we might say that Roman Catholicism and mainline Protestantism have tended to focus on the teachings of Jesus and the demands of discipleship that flow from those teachings more than they have on the person of Jesus himself. The reverse is true for the Evangelical tradition, where the emphasis has been and continues to be on the person of Jesus and our individual relationship to him. In fairness, both traditions, clearly, also include the other dimension. Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants haven’t ignored the person of Jesus and Evangelicals haven’t ignored the teachings of Jesus; but, in both cases, one has been more central than the other. Roman Catholicism, for its part, also emphasized the dimension of one-to-one intimacy with Jesus but placed that within its devotional practice more so than within its mainline theology which is focused more on the mystery of Christ than on the person of Jesus.
Spirituality, not surprisingly, tended to follow the same pattern. Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants, unlike the Evangelicals, have not made one-to-one intimacy with Jesus the centerpiece of spirituality, even as they hold it up as the ultimate ideal. Their emphasis is on Christ. Evangelicals, on the other hand, focused on an affective, one-to-one, intimacy with Jesus in a way that often left Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants wondering exactly what Evangelicals meant when they asked us: “Have you met Jesus Christ?” “Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior?” “Have you been born again?” Conversely, Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants often looked critically at their Evangelical brothers and sisters, questioning whether their over-riding emphasis on personal salvation and personal intimacy with Jesus does not distract them from having to deal with some central teachings of Jesus that have to do with social justice and with wide faith embrace.
Admittedly, both emphases are needed. We see that clearly in the preaching of the early church. The renowned scripture scholar, Raymond Brown, tells us that, beginning already with St. Paul, the earliest Christian preachers shifted the primary focus of their proclamation to Jesus himself, almost as if they could not announce the kingdom without first telling of him through whom the kingdom was made present.
Proclaiming a person himself (rather than just that person’s message) was novel for the early Christian preachers. Their proclamation of Jesus’ person was radically different from the way the Hebrew Scriptures honor Moses, in that they honor his message but never draw attention to his person in terms of asking anyone to relate to him. As an aside: There’s a lesson here in terms of how we often treat our saints and holy persons. We honor them through admiration when what’s really asked of us is that we imitate their actions.
Christian discipleship, clearly, asks for both, intimacy with Jesus and attention to what he taught, personal piety and social justice, firm loyalty to one’s own ecclesial family and the capacity to also embrace all others of sincere heart as one’s faith family. Soren Kierkegaard once suggested that what Jesus really wants is followers, not admirers. That’s spoken as a true mainline Protestant. Evangelicals wouldn’t disagree, but would argue that what Jesus really wants is an intimate relationship with us. The earliest preachers of the Gospel would agree with both Kierkegaard and the Evangelicals. We need to proclaim both, the message of Jesus and Jesus himself.
ChurchMoney: Rebuilding The Way We Fund Our Mission
This article is taken from the Blog posted by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can find the original blog by clicking here
Last weekend, we celebrated the release of our newest book Churchmoney: Rebuilding the Way We Fund Our Mission. The book is the story of our successes and failures with raising money at our parish and the practical lessons we learned along the way.
The book came to be because we believe money is an important issue that is often ignored in parishes until it can’t be ignored, until it becomes a critical, oftentimes crushing issue. So, we wanted to share with other parishes and church leaders the lessons we have learned from our parish.
One of the key lessons we have learned is that money is a leadership issue. You can’t lead a department, manage an organization, raise your family, or rebuild a parish without confronting the issue of money. Maybe that lesson is obvious to you, but we had to learn that lesson (over the years we have developed a tremendous grasp of the obvious).
We wrote the book to encourage other church leaders and staff to lean into this aspect of leadership, to embrace it and not to be afraid of it. At an early point in our capital campaign for our new building, I felt nervous and overwhelmed by the staggering amount of money we had to raise. But at one critical juncture, I was encouraged by someone who said to me, “You don’t have to do this. You get to do this.” And that is exactly the point.
We wrote our book to convey a very simple message that has simply been lost on the larger Church: How we follow Jesus and how we handle our money go hand in hand. You cannot separate the two. You cannot be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ without making him the Lord of your finances. So, the key to financial health and success in a parish will be found by embracing our mission to make disciples.
This is why we spend three chapters of the book explaining what Jesus and the early Christians taught about money. We researched the New Testament to find every verse we could identify that talks about how to handle money and finances. We discovered it has quite a lot to say about money because the Lord knows how it directs our decisions, impacts our relationships, and holds our hearts.
Cash is crucial to funding our ministries, but it isn’t about the money.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about loving God.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about honoring Christ and what he told us about money.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about loving others and helping them fall in love with their Savior.
We serve God, who owns it all. Everything belongs to him. One day everyone will know that. Until then we have work to do.
Because in the end, it isn’t about money; it’s about the eternal impact we can make with money.
Weekday Masses 1st – 4th October, 2019
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin … St Thêrèse of the
Child Jesus
Wednesday 9:30am Latrobe … The Holy Guardian Angels
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am Ulverstone … St Francis of Assisi
12noon Devonport
12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 5th & 6th October
Saturday: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Devonport
6:00pm Penguin
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport
11:00am Sheffield
5:00pm Latrobe
5:00pm Latrobe
MINISTRY ROSTERS 5th & 6th OCTOBER, 2019
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: M Stewart, M Gaffney, H Lim 10:30am
A Hughes, T
Barrientos, P Piccolo
Ministers of Communion:
Vigil D Peters, M Heazlewood, T Muir, M Gerrand, P Shelverton
10.30am: F Sly, E
Petts, K Hull, S Arrowsmith, K & K Maynard
Cleaners 4th
Oct: M.W.C. 11th Oct: F Sly, M Hansen, I Hunter
Piety Shop 5th Oct: A Berryman 6th Oct: D French
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: A & F Pisano
Ministers of
Communion: M Mott,
W Bajzelj, J Jones, T Leary
Cleaners: M Mott Flowers: G Doyle
Hospitality:
M Byrne, G Doyle
Penguin:
Greeters S Ewing, P Lade Commentator:
Y Downes Readers: M Murray, J Barker
Ministers of
Communion: T
Clayton, S Coleman Liturgy: Sulphur Creek J
Setting Up: S Ewing Care of Church: G Hills-Eade, T Clayton
Latrobe:
Reader: S Ritchie Ministers of
Communion: B Ritchie Procession of Gifts: J Hyde
Port Sorell:
Readers: M Badcock, G Gigliotti Ministers of Communion: J & D Peterson Cleaners: V Youd
Readings this Week: 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Amos 6:1. 4-7
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6: 11-16
Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL:
After coming to stillness in whatever way is best for me, I
ask the Holy Spirit to help me grasp the meaning of this Gospel passage in my
own life.
Jesus tells this as a parable, a story with a deeper
meaning, so I need not understand the imagery literally if it is unhelpful for
me.
Taking time to ponder all the good things I have worked for and been gifted, I give thanks.
Taking time to ponder all the good things I have worked for and been gifted, I give thanks.
I talk with Jesus about how I have used all that I have received.
I listen for whatever God might bring to my attention.
Are there ways in which I might share these gifts even more generously?
What simple steps might I take this week?
I end my prayer slowly, perhaps asking for the grace to notice the times and places when my gifts are needed for others.
I listen for whatever God might bring to my attention.
Are there ways in which I might share these gifts even more generously?
What simple steps might I take this week?
I end my prayer slowly, perhaps asking for the grace to notice the times and places when my gifts are needed for others.
Readings Next Week: 27th Sunday
in Ordinary Time – Year C
First Reading: Habakkuk
1:2-3, 2:2-4
Second
Reading: 2 Timothy
1:6-8, 13-14
Gospel: Luke 17:
5-10
Your prayers are asked for the sick:
Philip Smith, David Cole, Frank McDonald, Pam Lynd & …
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Sr Martina Roberts, Danny Reardon, Glenn Harris, Adrian Drane, Danny Reardon, Eva Gulosino, Bernadine Manshanden, Judy Sheehan, Peggy Creed
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 26th September – 2nd October
Shiela Mathew, Joyce Landford, Joan Chettle, Lila Bramich, Adam Hugen, Stephen Harris, George Farrow, Vern Cazaly, Mary Forth, Peter Kirkpatrick, Irene Marston, Reginald Kelly
May the souls of the
faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Happy 80th Birthday to Neville
Smith
God bless you Neville now and in the
future.
SOCIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY:
This weekend we celebrate Social Justice Sunday. This year,
the Australian Bishop’s Social Justice Statement is titled: ‘Making it Real:
Genuine human encounter in our digital world’. It shares Pope Francis’
challenge to us to ‘boldly become citizens of the digital world’. It points out that we are called not just to
be inhabitants of this world, but active citizens shaping it.
For further details about the Social Justice Statement,
visit the Office for Social Justice website www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au
or (02) 8306 3499. Order the Statement online at: bit.ly/socialjusticeshop
Follow us on Facebook: @socialjusticeACBC or Twitter: @JusticeCatholic.
Weekly
Ramblings
This weekend the Church in Australia celebrates Social
Justice Sunday. This year the theme of the statement is – Making It Real:
Genuine Human Encounter in Our Digital World. In his opening comments
Bishop Terence Brady writes - In this Social Justice Statement, the
Australian Bishops invite you to reflect on how the internet has changed the
way we communicate, work, learn, and do business – and how we can contribute
towards a more just and loving digital world. We are called to ‘make real’ the
love of God in the lives of our neighbours – both offline and on.
If anyone would like a copy of the document you can find it
by visiting https://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/publications/social-justice-statements#SJS2019
or contacting the Parish Office and we’ll organise a copy for you.
With the newsletter this weekend we have a flyer with
details re the opportunities for parishioners to participate in the
Extraordinary Missionary Month of Prayer which begins next Tuesday 1st October as well as the Prayer which we have been invited to pray throughout the
month. There was also a calendar included with the Newsletter last weekend
which provided everyone with some thoughts for each day so I strongly encourage
you to make use of those themes during these weeks.
Take care
on the roads and in your homes,
ANNUAL
ROSARY PILGRIMAGE 2019 The Mersey Leven Parish is holding its 17th Annual Rosary
Pilgrimage around the 6 churches and mass centres of the parish on Sunday
6th of October. All parishioners, families and friends are
encouraged to join us. You may either join us by bus or take your own car, or
come to the church near you. Bus is available but booking is essential as seats
are quickly running out. Itinerary in all churches. For further details and
bookings, please contact Hermie 0414 416 661.
COLUMBAN CALENDARS:
2020 Columban Art Calendars are now available from the
Piety Shop's at OLOL Church and Sacred Heart Church for $10.00. By purchasing a
calendar, you are participating in God's Mission and assisting the Columban
Missioanries in meeting the needs of the poor.
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
24th October.
My sincere thanks for your prayers and all well wishes who helped in making my birthday so joyful and a memorable day. God bless you all! Love from Marie Knight.
THURSDAY 3rd October
Eyes down 7:30pm. Callers
Merv Tippett & Graeme Rigney.
FOOTY
MARGIN RESULTS: Preliminary Final Richmond defeated Geelong by 19 points.
Winners;
Daman Peters, Helen Jaffray, Heather Trail.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
October is the month of the Holy Rosary. Aid to the Church
in Need (ACN) is hosting a prayer campaign on 18 October titled: “One Million
Children Praying the Rosary.” The prayer initiative invites teachers, priests,
parents and grandparents to pray the rosary together with children for peace
and unity around the world.
If you would like to participate information and resources
can be found online at: www.millionkidspraying.org.
NEW
EVANGELIZATION SUMMIT
A repeat of the 2019 GLOBAL SUMMIT program will be held on Saturday 5th October, 8am-4.30pm, in the Murphy Room, Diocesan Centre, Tower Road. Speakers: Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, Fr James Mallon, Michelle Moran, Michele Thompson, Fr Jon Bielawski, and Michael Dopp. Register by October 1st: Christine Wood on 6208-6236 or christine.wood@aohtas.org.au.
Cost: free. Information: https://www.newevangelization.ca/
A repeat of the 2019 GLOBAL SUMMIT program will be held on Saturday 5th October, 8am-4.30pm, in the Murphy Room, Diocesan Centre, Tower Road. Speakers: Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, Fr James Mallon, Michelle Moran, Michele Thompson, Fr Jon Bielawski, and Michael Dopp. Register by October 1st: Christine Wood on 6208-6236 or christine.wood@aohtas.org.au.
Cost: free. Information: https://www.newevangelization.ca/
CARMELITE
WEEKEND RETREAT
Theme: True Mindfulness: ‘Putting on the Mind of Christ’.
Carmelite Friar, Fr Gerard Moran, ocd will be the Retreat Director at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 18th – 20th October. Cost of the weekend $220 includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Helen 6344:6382
Theme: True Mindfulness: ‘Putting on the Mind of Christ’.
Carmelite Friar, Fr Gerard Moran, ocd will be the Retreat Director at the Emmanuel Centre, Launceston. Friday 18th – 20th October. Cost of the weekend $220 includes all meals and accommodation. Bookings are essential to Helen 6344:6382
ST VINCENT
PALLOTTI SCHOLARSHIP TRUST
The St Vincent Pallotti Scholarship Trust offers scholarships to enable lay people to further their understanding and skills in leadership/ministry or a specialised activity, such as promoting faith enhancement, social justice and pastoral care. More information and Applications Forms are available on our website https://www.pallottine.org.au/scholarships/st-vincent-pallotti-scholarship-for-lay-ministry.html - Closing Date 18 October 2019
The St Vincent Pallotti Scholarship Trust offers scholarships to enable lay people to further their understanding and skills in leadership/ministry or a specialised activity, such as promoting faith enhancement, social justice and pastoral care. More information and Applications Forms are available on our website https://www.pallottine.org.au/scholarships/st-vincent-pallotti-scholarship-for-lay-ministry.html - Closing Date 18 October 2019
Contact Palms and find out how sharing your skills can
immerse you in a world of deep cultural discovery. Communities in Asia, Africa
and the Pacific seek volunteer medics, teachers, tradies, business and admins
to assist their development. Apply by
November 1st to start your adventure in 2020! Call us Monday - Friday on 02
9560:5333 or palms.org.au
October 2019 provides an opportunity to take up again ‘with renewed fervor the missionary transformation of the Church’s life and pastoral activity’.
The church has a rich tradition upon which to build missionary activity. The tradition draws its strength from the person of Jesus, who through his life, death and resurrection revealed God’s gracious desire to be among people.
Jesus is at the heart of all evangelising and missionary activity. It is from Jesus that we draw our strength and inspiration. It is to Jesus that we bring our hopes for ourselves, the church and the world, and it is with Jesus that we walk from the darkness of the tomb into the light of the world. We are called to be the light, to be people of mercy, to spread the Good News.
All of us are aware, however, of the many challenges facing the missionary activity of the church. Some of us have been formed in the idea that mission is something that occurs in other places. Those of us who have had the experience of Catholic education would all have raised money for ‘the missions’ at some point—all those walk-a-thons, cake stalls, cent-a-thons! In recent years, we have gradually become aware that this approach is complemented by a more immediate personal responsibility for mission—that all the baptised have an immediate missionary imperative. Pope Francis reminds us that ‘Every man and woman is mission; that is the reason for our life on this earth’ (message for World Mission Day 2018) and that ‘I am a mission always; you are a mission always’ (message for World Mission Day 2019).
The context in which we are called to be missionary also poses some challenges for us. In meeting with representatives of the Italian Church in Florence in 2015, Pope Francis identified three traits to be cultivated in the church: humility, selflessness and blessedness.
Further, he observed that today we do not live an era of change, but rather in a change of era. The situations we live today, then, pose new challenges for us [and] are sometimes also difficult to understand. Our times call us to live the problems as challenges, not as obstacles: the Lord is active and at work in the world. You, therefore, go out through the streets and go to the crossroads: everyone [you] can find, call them, excluding no one (cf. Mt 22:9). Above all, accompany those left at the roadside, ‘the lame, the crippled, the blind, the deaf ’ (Mt 15:30). Wherever you are, do not ever build walls or borders, but piazzas and field hospitals.
This Extraordinary Missionary Month offers us an opportunity to renew our efforts to grow in discipleship with the Lord. So let us accept this gracious invitation for the month of October. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and renew our personal relationship with him. Let us draw upon our ancestors in faith and join our footsteps with theirs as we go out to all the world to proclaim the Good News: ‘Throughout the world, let us be “permanently in a state of mission”’ (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, §25).
Fully Human, Fully Divine
This article is taken from the Daily Email sent by Fr Richard Rohr OFM from the Center for Action and Contemplation. You can subscribe to receive the email by clicking here
Francis of Assisi emphasized an imitation and love of the
humanity of Jesus, without needing to first “prove” or worship his divinity
(which Jesus never told us to do). In most of Christian history we have
emphasized the divinity, omnipotence, omniscience, and “almightiness” of Jesus,
which makes following him—or loving him—largely unrealistic. We are on two
utterly different planes that are rather hard to connect. A God who is “totally
other” alienates humanity and creation.
I doubt this will surprise you, but many Christians are not
really Incarnational Christians. That’s not a moral judgment; it’s a
description. Many Christians simply believe in “a Supreme Being who made all
things,” and their Supreme Being just happens to be Jesus (not recognizing that
he was anything but almighty!). He was the available God¬-figure in Europe and
the Middle East, so we pushed him into that position, while ignoring most of
Jesus’ concrete message: that power and powerlessness can and probably must
coexist. Jesus is actually a “third something,” fully human and fully divine.
This is hard for the dualistic mind to grasp or even imagine; it seems like a
self-canceling system, a contradiction in terms, an irreconcilable paradox. In
Byzantine icons and many later paintings, Jesus is shown holding up two
fingers, indicating, “I am fully human, and I am fully divine at the same
time.” This paradox is just too much for the rational mind to grasp. Maybe only
art and prayer can help us understand it!
For most Christians today, Jesus is totally divine, but not
really human. When we deny what Jesus holds together, we can’t hold it together
in ourselves! And that’s the whole point: you and I are also children of heaven
and children of earth, children of God and children of this world. Both are
true simultaneously, which defies all reason and logic. The Incarnation
overcomes the split in us and creation.
Christianity is saying that we need a model, an exemplar, a
promise, and a guarantee (words used in Pauline letters) to imagine such a
far-off impossibility. For us, that living model is Jesus. In Scholastic
philosophy, we call this an “Exemplary Cause”; which is exactly how Jesus
“causes” our salvation. He models it and it rubs off on us when we gaze long enough.
Salvation is not a magical transaction accomplished by moral behavior or
joining the right group. The only salvation worthy of the name is a gradual
realization of who we are already in this world—and always have been—and will
be eternally. Salvation is not a question of if nearly as much as when.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative
Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Media: 2014), 82; and
The Art of Letting Go: Living the Wisdom of Saint Francis,
disc 3 (Sounds True: 2010), CD.
Correction: The references for yesterday’s meditation, “The
Face of the Other,” January 31, should have been:
[1] See Is It Righteous to Be?: Interviews with Emmanuel
Lévinas, ed. Jill Robbins (Stanford University Press: 2001) for an introduction
to his work.
[2] See Billy T. Ogletree, Mean Christianity (Resource
Publications: 2018).
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Franciscan Mysticism: I AM That
Which I Am Seeking, disc 3 (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2012), CD, MP3
download.
Jesus Christ - The Person And The Mystery
This article is taken from the archive of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find this article and many others by clicking here
We quite naturally tend to think of the word “Christ” as Jesus’ second name. We think of the name “Jesus Christ” like we think of names like “Susan Parker” or “Jack Smith”. But that’s an unhealthy confusion. Jesus didn’t have a second name. The word “Christ” is a title which, while it includes the person of Jesus, speaks of something wider than Jesus alone. What’s the difference between “Jesus” and “Christ”?
Jesus refers to a concrete person who, though the Second Person within the Godhead, walked this earth for 33 years and is still today someone whom we understand and relate to as an individual person. Christ refers to something larger, namely, the huge mystery of both creation and salvation of which Jesus, as the Christ, plays the foundational role but which includes the Eucharist, the Christian community, the historical Christian churches, the community of all sincere people who walk this planet, and physical creation itself. Jesus is a person with whom we seek to be in a relationship with in friendship and intimacy, while Christ is a mystery of which we and all creation are part of and within which we participate.
This has huge implications, not least in how we understand spirituality and church. In essence, this is what’s at stake: What’s more central to us, what Jesus has done and asks of us or the person of Jesus himself? It’s interesting to look at the various Christian churches in terms of that question: Are they more focused on the teaching of Jesus or on the person of Jesus? Are they more focused on Jesus or on Christ?
In terms of a large over-generalization, we might say that Roman Catholicism and mainline Protestantism have tended to focus on the teachings of Jesus and the demands of discipleship that flow from those teachings more than they have on the person of Jesus himself. The reverse is true for the Evangelical tradition, where the emphasis has been and continues to be on the person of Jesus and our individual relationship to him. In fairness, both traditions, clearly, also include the other dimension. Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants haven’t ignored the person of Jesus and Evangelicals haven’t ignored the teachings of Jesus; but, in both cases, one has been more central than the other. Roman Catholicism, for its part, also emphasized the dimension of one-to-one intimacy with Jesus but placed that within its devotional practice more so than within its mainline theology which is focused more on the mystery of Christ than on the person of Jesus.
Spirituality, not surprisingly, tended to follow the same pattern. Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants, unlike the Evangelicals, have not made one-to-one intimacy with Jesus the centerpiece of spirituality, even as they hold it up as the ultimate ideal. Their emphasis is on Christ. Evangelicals, on the other hand, focused on an affective, one-to-one, intimacy with Jesus in a way that often left Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants wondering exactly what Evangelicals meant when they asked us: “Have you met Jesus Christ?” “Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior?” “Have you been born again?” Conversely, Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants often looked critically at their Evangelical brothers and sisters, questioning whether their over-riding emphasis on personal salvation and personal intimacy with Jesus does not distract them from having to deal with some central teachings of Jesus that have to do with social justice and with wide faith embrace.
Admittedly, both emphases are needed. We see that clearly in the preaching of the early church. The renowned scripture scholar, Raymond Brown, tells us that, beginning already with St. Paul, the earliest Christian preachers shifted the primary focus of their proclamation to Jesus himself, almost as if they could not announce the kingdom without first telling of him through whom the kingdom was made present.
Proclaiming a person himself (rather than just that person’s message) was novel for the early Christian preachers. Their proclamation of Jesus’ person was radically different from the way the Hebrew Scriptures honor Moses, in that they honor his message but never draw attention to his person in terms of asking anyone to relate to him. As an aside: There’s a lesson here in terms of how we often treat our saints and holy persons. We honor them through admiration when what’s really asked of us is that we imitate their actions.
Christian discipleship, clearly, asks for both, intimacy with Jesus and attention to what he taught, personal piety and social justice, firm loyalty to one’s own ecclesial family and the capacity to also embrace all others of sincere heart as one’s faith family. Soren Kierkegaard once suggested that what Jesus really wants is followers, not admirers. That’s spoken as a true mainline Protestant. Evangelicals wouldn’t disagree, but would argue that what Jesus really wants is an intimate relationship with us. The earliest preachers of the Gospel would agree with both Kierkegaard and the Evangelicals. We need to proclaim both, the message of Jesus and Jesus himself.
ChurchMoney: Rebuilding The Way We Fund Our Mission
This article is taken from the Blog posted by Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can find the original blog by clicking here
Last weekend, we celebrated the release of our newest book Churchmoney: Rebuilding the Way We Fund Our Mission. The book is the story of our successes and failures with raising money at our parish and the practical lessons we learned along the way.
The book came to be because we believe money is an important issue that is often ignored in parishes until it can’t be ignored, until it becomes a critical, oftentimes crushing issue. So, we wanted to share with other parishes and church leaders the lessons we have learned from our parish.
One of the key lessons we have learned is that money is a leadership issue. You can’t lead a department, manage an organization, raise your family, or rebuild a parish without confronting the issue of money. Maybe that lesson is obvious to you, but we had to learn that lesson (over the years we have developed a tremendous grasp of the obvious).
We wrote the book to encourage other church leaders and staff to lean into this aspect of leadership, to embrace it and not to be afraid of it. At an early point in our capital campaign for our new building, I felt nervous and overwhelmed by the staggering amount of money we had to raise. But at one critical juncture, I was encouraged by someone who said to me, “You don’t have to do this. You get to do this.” And that is exactly the point.
We wrote our book to convey a very simple message that has simply been lost on the larger Church: How we follow Jesus and how we handle our money go hand in hand. You cannot separate the two. You cannot be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ without making him the Lord of your finances. So, the key to financial health and success in a parish will be found by embracing our mission to make disciples.
This is why we spend three chapters of the book explaining what Jesus and the early Christians taught about money. We researched the New Testament to find every verse we could identify that talks about how to handle money and finances. We discovered it has quite a lot to say about money because the Lord knows how it directs our decisions, impacts our relationships, and holds our hearts.
Cash is crucial to funding our ministries, but it isn’t about the money.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about loving God.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about honoring Christ and what he told us about money.
- It’s not about the money, it’s about loving others and helping them fall in love with their Savior.
We serve God, who owns it all. Everything belongs to him. One day everyone will know that. Until then we have work to do.
Because in the end, it isn’t about money; it’s about the eternal impact we can make with money.
