Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
OUR VISION
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Email: mike.delaney@aohtas.org.au
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Email: pmccormack43@bigpond.com
Seminarian in Residence: Kanishka Perera
Mob: 0499 035 199
Email: kanish_biyanwila@yahoo.com
Postal Address: PO Box 362, Devonport 7310
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street, Devonport 7310
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies 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.
Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
Christmas Mass Times 2020
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH, STEWART STREET, DEVONPORT
CHRISTMAS EVE: 5:00pm Children’s Mass
6:30pm Children’s Mass
8:00pm Mass
Midnight Mass (Carols starting at 11:15pm)
CHRISTMAS DAY: 9:00am Mass
SACRED HEART CHURCH, ALEXANDRA ROAD, ULVERSTONE
CHRISTMAS EVE: 6pm Children’s Mass
8pm Mass
CHRISTMAS DAY: 9am Mass
RECONCILIATION: Our Lady of Lourdes Church – Wed 9th Dec, 7pm
Sacred Heart Church – Thurs 10th Dec, 7pm
Please note: bookings are essential.
details of how to book will be available next week
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
SUNDAY MASS ONLINE: Please go to the following link on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLCP1Mon 30th Nov NO MASS ... Andrew, ApostleTues 1st Dec Devonport 9:30am Wed 2nd Dec Ulverstone 9:30am Thurs 3rd Dec Devonport 8.30am ... pre-recording of Sunday Mass Devonport 12noon ... Francis XavierFri 4th Dec Ulverstone 9:30am ... John Damascene Devonport 12noonSat 5th Dec Ulverstone 9:30am Devonport 6.00pm ... 2nd Sunday of Advent Ulverstone 6:00pmSun 29th Nov Devonport 10:00am ... ALSO LIVESTREAM Ulverstone 10:00amIf you are looking for Sunday Mass readings or Daily Mass readings, Universalis has the readings as well as the various Hours of the Divine Office - https://universalis.com/mass.htm
Your prayers are asked for the sick:Dot Prior, Regina Locket, Allan McIntyre, Loretta Visser, Aidan Ravaillion, David Ockwell, Les Enniss, Mary Bryan, Sam Eiler, Judy Redgrove, Edite McHugh & ... Let us pray for those who have died recently:Richard Porteous, Mary Clifford, Ena Carter, Sr Mechtilde Dillon RSJ, Elvira Giuliani, Paul Dilger, Peter Magill Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 25th November – 1st December, 2020Bernadette Maguire, Molly Coventry, Harry Wilson, Joseph Thi, Rita Pompili, Gwen Thorp, Muriel Peterson, James Lowry, Jill Di Pietro, Stanley Hennessy, Peter Williams, Allan Morley, Cyril Knaggs, Margaret Delaney, Arthur Cooke, Terrence Murphy, Noreen Johnson, Cecilia Rootes, Iris Nickols, Errol Nothrop.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPELI come to my place of prayer. Perhaps I light a candle. I take the time to relax my body and still my mind. I breathe gently, slowly becoming aware of being held in God’s presence. I remain silent in his love for some time. When I am ready, I read the text slowly a couple of times. I reflect on what ‘the time’ means for me. A time of grace ... of awareness of God working in my life ... of reconciliation ... of an important insight ... of the unexpected...? Or a time of something more momentous? I ponder the occasions, people, events that have struck me this week. Perhaps I can give thanks for being aware of God’s presence there. I consider the little parable and the role of the doorkeeper. How easy is it to stay attentive? How do I cope with waiting, especially with delays and false alerts? In what way is my waiting a prayer in itself? Maybe I pray to remain faithful and responsible. As doorkeeper, I open the door of my heart to the Lord. In what ways can I encourage others to do likewise? We wait together. I speak to the Lord of what this means in my life. In my prayer perhaps I can watch with all those who wait in our world, enduring oppression of all kinds, those who struggle to work for solidarity and reconciliation. Advent is a time of hope – the Lord will come. I end my prayer asking the Lord to deepen my faith and enable my hope to grow. Our Father... Weekly RamblingsAs we move into our Advent Season this weekend we will be challenged by the rest of society to go along at their pace and with their ideas about how we should behave and what should be important – and it will be difficult to remain focussed just on Advent. I’m not suggesting that we don’t participate in any ‘Christmas’ or end of year parties – just inviting everyone to think about their focus for this time – what is it that we truly want to make the most important thing during these four weeks.
The readings and prayers of our Masses draw our attention towards the hope that was so central for the people of Israel – that a Messiah would come and lead them into a new and great time of power and authority amongst their neighbours. We know that their hope was focussed on the here and now – God’s plan was for an everlasting kingdom and the coming of Christ heralded the arrival of that kingdom.
What do we hope for? And what steps can we take to make this everlasting kingdom a reality in our lives and in our world today?
As we begin our Advent journey I pray that we will make some time to reflect on what waiting for the coming of the Lord means in for each one of us and this season will be a season of rich blessings.
Take care, stay safe and stay sane, 
Mersey Leven Parish Community welcome and congratulateEmilia KingshottOn her Baptism this weekend at Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone
ADVENT – MORNING PRAYERMorning Prayer recited weekly from 9.30am to 10am at St Joseph Mass Centre Port Sorell. Dates: Tuesday 8th Monday 14th and Monday 21st December. The Prayer of the Church for the day will be used. For further information contact Giuseppe Gigliotti 0419684-134 gigli@comcen.com.au Covid protocols will be observed.
EMPTY STABLE – OLOL CHURCH 
Parishioners are invited to place donations of non-perishable and shelf stable food items in the empty stable at OLOL Church. The items donated will be used by St Vincent de Paul to contribute to both Christmas and general food hampers. The items will be distributed to those in our community who may be finding things difficult at present.
Due to the ongoing health considerations, the donated items will be wiped with 'anti-bacterial’, so avoiding paper packaging would be helpful. Cans and packets should be undamaged and all items within the best before date. Donations of Gift Cards (e.g. to Kmart, supermarkets etc) would also be gratefully received.
Your kindness and generosity is appreciated and will make life a little more joyful for families and isolated people.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHOIR - MEMBERS NEEDEDWe are looking to have singers support our organist on Sunday 6th December at 10 am. We will be singing familiar hymns. If you would like to help support the celebration of Mass, contact Felicity Sly 0418 301 573 or fsly@internode.on.net or just turn up and sit on the eastern side of the altar.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHOIR MEMBERS ARE ALSO NEEDED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE CAROLS AND MASS.We will also be singing known hymns, with our organist. Once again, please let Felicity know (as per above) or come to the eastern side of the altar by 11:10 pm.
ALL PARISHIONERS PLEASE NOTE: Midnight Mass – Carols begin at 11:15pm with Mass celebrated at 11:45 pm (not midnight) Due to COVID restrictions, registrations for ALL Christmas Masses will be advised separately. 
Thursday 3rd December. Eyes down 7:30pm. Covid safe procedures followed.
NEWS FROM
ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
EXPERIENCING GOD, WALKING IN NATURE – FAMILY WALKFamilies with teenagers are invited to take a chance to slow down and reflect on God in nature while walking with other families (younger children are also welcome, of course).From Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Goulburn Street, George Town to Low Head Lighthouse and return. Sunday 13th December – 12noon (Mass at Star of the Sea Church is at 11:00am) BYO Lunch, drink, snacks, sunscreen and hat. Enquiries and RSVP Belinda Chapman on 0418 141 171.
SOLEMN PROFESSION OF VOWSAll are warmly invited to join the Carmelite community for a Sung Mass 9:30am Monday 14th December, when Sr Thérèse-Marie of the Eucharist OCD will make her lifelong commitment to serve the Church in Tasmania as a Discalced Carmelite nun as she makes her Solemn Profession of religious vows. Extra seating arrangements have been organised to comply with Covid-19 requirements. Please keep Sr Thérèse-Marie in your prayers as she prepares for this day of grace.
IMMACULATA MISSION SCHOOL 2021: MADE FOR HEAVEN!Start the New Year by going deeper in faith through awesome talks, friendship and fellowship, daily Mass and prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship and lots more! When: 1st - 5th January, 2021, Where: St James Catholic College, Cygnet Tasmania Cost per person: $220 (with basic shared accommodation), $170 (with no accommodation) - includes food, speakers, activities and youth and children's ministry - all ages, families welcome! Speakers: Archbishop Julian Porteous, Fr Rob Galea, James Parker, Paul Elarde, Sisters of the Immaculata and lay community. For more info or to register: www.sistersoftheimmaculata.org.au/ims or 0406 372 608
VIRTUAL WAY TO ST JAMES PILGRIMAGEMake your way through natural surroundings in a meditative way anywhere in the world on 9th – 10th January 2021. Join this Global “El Camino de Santiago” in the Spirit of the Annual Pilgrimage to St James Church in Cygnet in the Huon Valley. Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/waytostjamescygnet/ Website link: https://www.waytostjames.com.au/
CONCERNED CATHOLICS TASMANIA INC (CCT) INVITATIONConcerned Catholics Tasmania invites you to a regional gathering focussing on the report “The Light from the Southern Cross – Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia”. This document was commissioned by the Australian Bishops Conference and Religious Superiors in response to the final report of the Royal Commission. Find out more and have your say Saturday 5th December - 10am to 12noon at Star of the Sea Hall, Mount St Burnie. Registration is necessary - sue.hyslop@icloud.com
Letter From Rome
Pope Francis, Cardinal Becciu And The Importance Of Transparency
The weird and troubling case of the pope's sacking of a high-ranking cardinal and his refusal to say why- Robert Mickens, Rome, November 28, 2020. This article is from the La-Croix International website - you can access the site here but complete full access is via paid subscription
More than nine weeks.
That's how much time has passed since Pope Francis took the highly unprecedented move to publicly humiliate a top-ranking cardinal by forcing him to resign his Roman Curia post and relinquish all rights connected to membership in the illustrious red-hatted college.
And more than nine weeks later, we still do not know why the pope did it.
Neither he, nor any Vatican official, has said exactly what Cardinal Angelo Becciu did to deserve the wrath of the Church's supreme lawgiver here on earth.
We've been left only with unsubstantiated press reports about how the 72-year-old Sardinian cardinal supposedly squandered hundreds of millions of dollars from the pope's charity fund on bad real estate deals and how he embezzled from the Vatican coffers to enrich his family.
But these reports merely quote the narrative crafted by a couple of Italian newspapers that based their "scoop" on leaked documents, none of which show that Becciu did anything that actually rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors.
The case of Cardinal Keith Patrick O'BrienMost of what the papers have written is speculative. And some of it appears to be absolutely false. For example, the Italian journalists have repeatedly said that the cardinal is under investigation by Vatican and Italian magistrates. But both these judicial entities have denied that.
So, what is going on here? Pope's don't do what Francis did to Angelo Becciu for something that is not extremely grave.
In fact, the last time (and it seems the only other time) that a cardinal was stripped of his voting rights was in 2015 when this same pope slapped the identical penalty on Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien.
The Scotsman had actually been forced to resign in disgrace two years earlier after it was revealed that, over the years, he had sexually harassed a number of seminarians and priests. This was just before the 2013 conclave that would elect Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ as Benedict's successor and O'Brien voluntarily (though obviously under much pressure) decided not to participate in that event.
Based on what has been reported, Cardinal Becciu seems to have been given a penalty that far outweighs the gravity of any of his alleged actions, none of which have been proven to be illegal up to now.
In light of the McCarrick ReportIt is troubling that the pope won't say why he punished the cardinal so harshly. And it is more troubling that hardly anyone in the press, with few exceptions, is demanding that he do so.
In light of the recently released McCarrick Report, why are there not calls for more transparency on the Becciu case?
That report should have been a reminder that Catholics -- and journalists, especially -- must ask difficult questions and demand honest answers from those, like bishops, who are answerable to practically no one.
But very few have questioned what Francis has done or, more importantly, why he did it.
And just about as few seem concerned that the pope took this action without any formal process that even pretended to be motivated by or in accord with natural justice. The cardinal has not been officially charged with anything and, as such, has had no possibility to defend himself.
Pope Francis has written important documents and even taken specific action to begin dismantling what remains of the monarchical papacy and rid the Church's governing structure of its more un-evangelical aspects.
But the manner in which Francis punished Becciu does not reflect the lofty words from those papal documents or reforming gestures.
Rather, the pope has acted more like a dictator in a system that affords no rights to the accused.
Can lack of transparency ever be justified?Again, we still do not know what Becciu actually did.
But for the sake of Pope Francis' good name and integrity (and with apologies to the cardinal), let's hope that we'll find out that it was something much worse than what's been alleged by the press.
Let's hope that the pope is actually being charitable to the cardinal by not revealing that there were other, more horrible crimes or sins that demanded such a harsh penalty.
But even if this were the reason for Francis' lack of transparency, it is unacceptable in light of all that the Church has learned during the long, painful decades -- yes, decades -- of the sexual abuse crisis and the perhaps even more devastating crisis caused by bishops and others who covered up the abuse.
The pope's lack of transparency and honesty in the case of Cardinal Becciu may seem like a little thing compared to other greater matters. But can anything justify it?
As Luke the Evangelist says, "Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great."
Inner Experience
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
While most Christians consider themselves disciples of Jesus
and try to follow his teachings, a much smaller number move toward practical
acts of service or solidarity. But I’m afraid even fewer Christians have the
courage to go on the much deeper mystical path. Both Catholics and Protestants
have failed our people by mystifying the very notion of mysticism. The word
itself has become relegated to a “misty” and distant realm that implies it is
only available to very few and something not to be trusted, much less
attractive or desirable. For me, the word “mysticism” simply means experiential
knowledge of spiritual things, as opposed to book knowledge, secondhand
knowledge, or even church knowledge.
Most of organized religion, without meaning to, has actually
discouraged us from taking the mystical path by telling us almost exclusively
to trust outer authority—in the form of Scripture, tradition, or various kinds
of experts—instead of telling us the value and importance of inner experience.
(I call that trusting the “containers” instead of the “contents.”) In fact,
most of us were strongly warned against ever trusting ourselves, told that our
personal experiences of the divine were unnecessary and possibly even
dangerous.
Discouraging or denying people’s actual experiences of God
often created passive people and, more sadly, a lot of people who concluded
that there was no God to be experienced! We were taught to mistrust our own
souls—and thus the Holy Spirit within us. We can contrast that with Jesus’ common
phrase, “Go in peace, your faith has made you whole!” (as in Mark 5:34 and Luke
17:19). He said this to people who had made no dogmatic affirmations, did not
think he was “God,” did not pass any moral checklist, and often did not belong
to the “correct” group. They were simply people who trustfully affirmed, with
open hearts, the grace of their own hungry experience—in that moment—and that
God could care about it.
The irony in all of these attempts to over-rely on externals
is that people end up relying upon their own experience anyway! Most of us—by
necessity—see everything, mystical and otherwise, through the lens of our own
temperament, early conditioning, brain function, role and place in society,
education, our personal needs, and cultural biases and assumptions. Admittedly,
personal experiences are easy to misinterpret, and we shouldn’t universalize
from our “moment” to an expectation that everybody must have the same kind of
“moment.” We also can’t assume that any experience is 100 percent from God. We
must develop filters to clear away our own agenda and ego. Nothing beats a
solid understanding of some theology, psychology, and sociology, along with
good and wise counsel. We cannot forget Paul’s reminder which was meant to keep
us humble: “We know imperfectly and we prophesy imperfectly” (1 Corinthians
13:9).
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative
Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Media: 2014), 1-3. For more on this theme,
join CAC’s online course The Franciscan Way: Beyond the Bird Bath,
https://cac.org/online-ed/franciscan-way-course-description/.
An Invitation To Maturity - Weeping Over Jerusalem
Maturity has various levels. Basic maturity is defined as having essentially outgrown the instinctual selfishness with which we were born so that our motivation and actions are now shaped by the needs of others and not just by our own needs. That’s the basic minimum, the low bar for maturity. After that there are degrees and levels, contingent upon how much our motivation and actions are altruistic rather than selfish.
In the Gospels, Jesus invites us to ever deeper degrees of maturity, though sometimes we can miss the invitation because it presents itself subtly and not as explicitly worded moral invitation. One such subtle, but very deep, invitation to a higher degree of maturity is given in the incident where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. What’s inside this image?
Here’s the image and its setting. Jesus has just been rejected, both in his person and in his message and he sees clearly the pain the people will bring upon themselves by that rejection. What’s his reaction? Does he react in the way most of us would: Well the hell with you! I hope you suffer the full consequences of your own stupidity! No. He weeps, like a loving parent dealing with a wayward child; he wishes with every fiber in his being that he could save them from the consequences of their own bad choices. He feels their wound rather than gleefully contemplating their suffering.
There’s a double challenge here. First, there’s a personal one: are we gleeful when people who reject our advice suffer for their wrong-headedness or do we weep inside us for the pain they have brought onto themselves? When we see the consequences in people’s lives of their own bad choices, be it with irresponsibility, with laziness, with drugs, with sex, with abortion, with ideology, with anti-religious attitudes, or with bad will, are we gleeful when those choices begin to snake-bite them (Well, you got what you deserved!) or do we weep for them, for their misfortune?
Admittedly, it’s hard not be gleeful when someone who rejects what we stand for is then snake-bitten by his own stubborn choice. It’s the natural way the heart works and so empathy can demand a very high degree of maturity. For example, during this Covid-19 pandemic, medical experts (almost without exception) have been telling us to wear masks to protect others and ourselves. What’s our spontaneous reaction when someone defies that warning, thinks he is smarter than the doctors, doesn’t wear a mask, and then contracts the virus? Do we secretly bask in the cathartic satisfaction that he got what he deserved or do we, metaphorically, “weep over Jerusalem”?
Beyond the challenge to each of us to move towards a higher level of maturity, this image also contains an important pastoral challenge for the church. How do we, as a church, see a secularized world that has rejected many of our beliefs and values? When we see the consequences the world is paying for this are we gleeful or sympathetic? Do we see the secularized world with all the problems it is bringing onto itself by its rejection of some Gospel values as an adversary (someone from whom we need to protect ourselves) or as our own suffering child? If you’re a parent or grandparent who’s suffering over a wayward child or grandchild you probably understand what it means to “weep over Jerusalem”.
Moreover the struggle to “weep over” our secularized world (or over anyone who rejects what we stand for) is compounded by yet another dynamic which militates against sympathy. There’s a perverse emotional and psychological propensity inside us which works this way. Whenever we are hurting badly we need to blame someone, need to be angry at someone, and need to lash out at someone. And you know who we always pick for that? Someone we feel safe enough to hurt because we know that he or she is mature enough not to hit back!
There’s a lot of lashing out at the Church today. Granted, there are a lot of legitimate reasons for this. Given the church’s shortcomings, part of that hostility is justified; but some of that hostility often goes beyond what’s justified. Along with the legitimate anger there’s sometimes a lot of free-floating, gratuitous anger. What’s our reaction to that unjustified anger and unfair accusation? Do we react in kind? “You are way out of line here, go take that anger elsewhere! Or, like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, can we meet unfair anger and accusation with tears of empathy and a prayer that a world that’s angry with us will be spared the pain of its own bad choices?
Soren Kierkegaard famously wrote: Jesus wants followers, not admirers! Wise words. In Jesus’ reaction to his own rejection, his weeping over Jerusalem, we see the epitome of human maturity. To this we are called, personally and as an ecclesial community. We also see there that a big heart feels the pain of others, even of those others who reject you.
We Are Clear: Becoming A Post-Covid Parish
This article is taken from the weekly Blog of Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can read his blog here
In some ways, the role of the local parish church has not changed through the current crisis. At a basic level, people are still looking for refuge from all the craziness of the world around us. We can be a place of stability and civility, a place of hope and help.
In some ways the role of the local parish church has not changed, in other ways, it has changed forever. Because more than ever people are looking for leadership to lead through and beyond this crisis, into the new world that will be post-Covid.
We have an opportunity, I think, perhaps an unprecedented opportunity to step up to a position of impact and importance and influence in people’s lives. An unprecedented opportunity to form and inform the future of the church, what church in the future even looks like.
If you think about it, everything that we have done, everything that we have invested in recent years:
- the Vision Campaign & building program - the concentration on technology - the expansion of our programs/services, missions/ministries/ the expansion of the staff
have all been preparatory for this opportunity. As a consequence we face this opportunity, we meet this moment with confidence, creativity, and clarity. Confidence, based on all our advantages and the advantageous position we are blessed with. Creativity, based on the assembled talent of our team. Clarity, based on faith.
We are clear, at least we’re becoming clear, that there are two ways in which we are church: on Ridgely Road and online. We’re committed to both.
But we are also clear that we are going to be a mobile-first church, a church of digital discipleship. We’re not just using online church to get people back in the church building for a return to business as usual. We’re using the church building as a platform to reach new people online.
Are we sure of everything that means? No, we are all figuring that out together and are dedicated to doing so because everyone we are trying to reach is already online. For many people, the only way they’ll come to know Christ and deepen their relationship with him is if they connect with us online or via social media.
We live in a generation in which people are just a click away from hearing the message of Jesus Christ. Which also means they’re a click away from tuning him out. That means there is more for us to do. It means we need to think of ourselves more like a TV studio than a little church in the woods. It means our production of video needs to expand. It means we will continue to invest in technology and tech staff as a budget priority.
At the same time, we’re clear that we need to connect with people relationally because people need that connection now more than ever before. That’s why ministry and missions, small groups and member care continue to be priorities moving forward.
We are clear that we want to reach the next generation and that remains one of our highest priorities. That means we’re going to have to be increasingly creative with our communication. We have to learn from emerging platforms and new patterns of communication.
We are clear that God has given us a heart to help other parishes. Before Covid, Nativity was on the cutting edge of innovation among Catholic parishes. In some ways we were too far ahead as most churches didn’t even understand their need for digital ministry and programs. Now that everything has changed, more and more parishes are open to listening to us and learning from us. They need leadership from a parish that is doing what they’re doing, in the trenches with them. And so we are going to continue to invest in Rebuilt.
We are clear that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as a parish, because it is Christ, it is where we most completely encounter him. For us that means the excellence of our weekend Mass experience remains an overarching priority for us. And for us that is all about music, message and ministers.
Most of all, we are clear about:Our mission: Love God, Love Others, Make disciples.Our vision: Make church matter by growing disciples among unchurched Catholics in North Baltimore and influencing churches elsewhere to do the same.Our strategy: invest and invite when it comes to the unchurched.Our aim: to be a church people who don’t like church like.Our message: the life-saving, life changing good news of the Gospel.
We will work towards that day, near or far, when every tribe and tongue, and every nation and people, will worship Jesus Christ as King.
Advent Examen1: What Do You Say?
St Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, encouraged a form of prayerful reflection on our experiences and feelings, known as the Examen, as a way of discovering how God is at work in our lives. Thinking Faith invites you to let this Ignatian way of praying guide you in this season of preparation, as we undertake an Advent Examen. Ruth Holgate helps us to take the first step of the Examen, ‘Thanksgiving’. Why is it important for us to say ‘thank you’ to God?Ruth Holgate works with the Jesuits in Britain in spirituality and young adult ministry.This article is taken from the ThinkingFaith.org website where you can find a wide range of articles by clicking here ‘What do you say?’ is the gentle prompt from countless parents of small children receiving a gift. Recently I heard it from the mother of my twin godsons as they happily applied themselves to the chocolate I had given them. I already knew they appreciated the gift, their pleasure was evident in their enthusiasm to unwrap and consume. Even so, the chorus of ‘thank you’ was good to hear. So we try to teach our children to be polite, but is that all we are doing when we encourage them to express their gratitude? Is there something about acknowledging a gift that in itself enriches the experience for both giver and receiver?
The Examen of Conscience begins with the instruction to give thanks for at least one thing from the past day. This first point gives our prayer a context of thanksgiving for the gifts we receive from God … and I don’t think this is just about being polite with God! Rather, we are deciding to look back on the day from a particular perspective, one of gratitude, of recognising that God is active in our lives and that God is generous in giving gifts. One of the reasons this is a good place to start our looking back is that in sifting through our day it is often easier to recall the challenges, difficulties, failings and hurts, as these tend to be more noisy in our memory. The difficult experience of the day can demand our attention, holding us in its disquiet. When we consciously try to tune into the gifts of the day we let ourselves pay attention to the quieter, gentler, hopeful moments and experiences. This in itself is a beginning to ‘discern spirits’, to try consciously to recognise the action or touch of the Holy Spirit in our lives and also to identify what can stand in the way of receiving or recognising that touch.
It is worth wondering what we might include as ‘gifts’ in our lives. I remember as a child one of the nuns at my convent school constantly encouraging us to count our blessings. The fact that she usually did this when we were feeling least grateful – extra homework being given, a wet day in the playground, a sense of something unfair happening to us – meant we did not really see what she was getting at, and I do not remember her offering any explanation. How we recognise gifts is in part about how something makes us feel or think. St Ignatius gave a clue as to how we identify what might be coming from God: anything that ‘increases faith, hope or love’. We can also consider all those things that we experience as truly life-giving or life-enhancing. For example, a person may be grateful for a beautiful sunset and the possibility of being able to appreciate it. We can also look more widely at things we generally take for granted: you are reading this article, perhaps at times it would be good to give thanks that you are able to read, or for those who taught you, or even for this online form of communication, which has so much potential for good – as well as bad! Then there are the more fundamental gifts, of life, creation, relationships, community, etc., for which even on the worst of days we might be able to give thanks. It is almost certainly the case that we will not always feel thankful for all of these at any given time, but it is likely that if we take a moment we will find something, particularly if we get into a habit of stopping and noticing. And it turns out that Sister Anne was right: when we are struggling, feeling hard done by or just having a really bad day, taking the time to look for one thing for which we are grateful can have a disproportionately positive effect on our perspective, reminding us that God is with us, actively working in the world and labouring to draw all people into building the Kingdom.
This practice of noticing and giving thanks expresses a stance of gratitude that permeates Ignatian Spirituality and is most beautifully summed up in the beginning of the Contemplation on Love at the end of the Spiritual Exercises:
I ask for an interior knowledge of all the great gifts that I have received, in order that, moved to profound gratitude, I may become able to love and to serve God in all things.Here, gratitude is seen as an experience that has the power not just to shift perspective, but also to move a person to action. In recognising that they have received so much from God, all a person can do is respond in love and service. This is not to be considered as simply a reciprocal arrangement – ‘you did this for me so I will do something for you’; instead, in a profound way, the gratitude itself energises the desire and the response. Placed at the end of the Exercises, it is perhaps easy to imagine that after 30 days of meditation and contemplation there will be many fruits from prayer for which to be grateful, and this is generally the case. But we do not need to make a 30-day retreat in order to develop a grateful heart, we can usually pause and find something to be grateful for at any moment. Practising this in the Examen can help to tune us in to God’s life-giving activity in our lives and in the world around us, and so energise our lives towards greater love and service of God.
Giving thanks to God, then, is not simply about being polite, but rather acknowledging just how much we have been given. In expressing our gratitude, in hearing ourselves say ‘thank you’, we can gain both a new perspective and an impetus to respond in love and service. We are in a relationship with this God, the giver of gifts who is always more generous than we can imagine, so we might also consider what it is like for God to hear our ‘thank you’. We cannot get into the mind of God, but we do know what it is like for us to have a gift acknowledged – can we extend that somewhat and perhaps imagine that in some way God appreciates our ‘thank you’?
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
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Mondays 6pm Community Room Ulverstone
SUNDAY MASS ONLINE:
Please go to the following link on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MLCP1
Mon 30th Nov NO MASS ... Andrew, Apostle
Tues 1st Dec Devonport 9:30am
Wed 2nd Dec Ulverstone 9:30am
Thurs 3rd Dec Devonport 8.30am ... pre-recording of Sunday Mass
Devonport 12noon ... Francis Xavier
Fri 4th Dec Ulverstone 9:30am ... John Damascene
Devonport 12noon
Sat 5th Dec Ulverstone 9:30am
Devonport 6.00pm ... 2nd Sunday of Advent
Ulverstone 6:00pm
Sun 29th Nov Devonport 10:00am ... ALSO LIVESTREAM
Ulverstone 10:00am
If you are looking for Sunday Mass readings or Daily Mass readings, Universalis has the readings as well as the various Hours of the Divine Office - https://universalis.com/mass.htm
Dot Prior, Regina Locket, Allan McIntyre, Loretta Visser, Aidan Ravaillion, David Ockwell, Les Enniss, Mary Bryan, Sam Eiler, Judy Redgrove, Edite McHugh & ...
Let us pray for those who have died recently:
Richard Porteous, Mary Clifford, Ena Carter, Sr Mechtilde Dillon RSJ, Elvira Giuliani, Paul Dilger, Peter Magill
Let us pray for those whose anniversary occurs about this time: 25th November – 1st December, 2020
Bernadette Maguire, Molly Coventry, Harry Wilson, Joseph Thi, Rita Pompili, Gwen Thorp, Muriel Peterson, James Lowry, Jill Di Pietro, Stanley Hennessy, Peter Williams, Allan Morley, Cyril Knaggs, Margaret Delaney, Arthur Cooke, Terrence Murphy, Noreen Johnson, Cecilia Rootes, Iris Nickols, Errol Nothrop.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
PREGO REFLECTION ON TODAY’S GOSPEL
I come to my place of prayer.
Perhaps I light a candle.
I take the time to relax my body and still my mind.
I breathe gently, slowly becoming aware of being held in God’s presence.
I remain silent in his love for some time.
When I am ready, I read the text slowly a couple of times.
I reflect on what ‘the time’ means for me.
A time of grace ... of awareness of God working in my life ... of reconciliation ... of an important insight ... of the unexpected...?
Or a time of something more momentous?
I ponder the occasions, people, events that have struck me this week.
Perhaps I can give thanks for being aware of God’s presence there.
I consider the little parable and the role of the doorkeeper.
How easy is it to stay attentive?
How do I cope with waiting, especially with delays and false alerts?
In what way is my waiting a prayer in itself?
Maybe I pray to remain faithful and responsible.
As doorkeeper, I open the door of my heart to the Lord.
In what ways can I encourage others to do likewise?
We wait together.
I speak to the Lord of what this means in my life.
In my prayer perhaps I can watch with all those who wait in our world, enduring oppression of all kinds, those who struggle to work for solidarity and reconciliation.
Advent is a time of hope – the Lord will come.
I end my prayer asking the Lord to deepen my faith and enable my hope to grow.
Our Father...
Weekly Ramblings
As we move into our Advent Season this weekend we will be challenged by the rest of society to go along at their pace and with their ideas about how we should behave and what should be important – and it will be difficult to remain focussed just on Advent. I’m not suggesting that we don’t participate in any ‘Christmas’ or end of year parties – just inviting everyone to think about their focus for this time – what is it that we truly want to make the most important thing during these four weeks.
The readings and prayers of our Masses draw our attention towards the hope that was so central for the people of Israel – that a Messiah would come and lead them into a new and great time of power and authority amongst their neighbours. We know that their hope was focussed on the here and now – God’s plan was for an everlasting kingdom and the coming of Christ heralded the arrival of that kingdom.
What do we hope for? And what steps can we take to make this everlasting kingdom a reality in our lives and in our world today?
As we begin our Advent journey I pray that we will make some time to reflect on what waiting for the coming of the Lord means in for each one of us and this season will be a season of rich blessings.
Take care, stay safe and stay sane,
Mersey Leven Parish Community welcome and congratulate
Emilia Kingshott
On her Baptism this weekend at Sacred Heart Church, Ulverstone
ADVENT – MORNING PRAYER
Morning Prayer recited weekly from 9.30am to 10am at St Joseph Mass Centre Port Sorell. Dates: Tuesday 8th Monday 14th and Monday 21st December. The Prayer of the Church for the day will be used. For further information contact Giuseppe Gigliotti 0419684-134 gigli@comcen.com.au Covid protocols will be observed.
EMPTY STABLE – OLOL CHURCH
Parishioners are invited to place donations of non-perishable and shelf stable food items in the empty stable at OLOL Church. The items donated will be used by St Vincent de Paul to contribute to both Christmas and general food hampers. The items will be distributed to those in our community who may be finding things difficult at present.
Due to the ongoing health considerations, the donated items will be wiped with 'anti-bacterial’, so avoiding paper packaging would be helpful. Cans and packets should be undamaged and all items within the best before date. Donations of Gift Cards (e.g. to Kmart, supermarkets etc) would also be gratefully received.
Your kindness and generosity is appreciated and will make life a little more joyful for families and isolated people.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHOIR - MEMBERS NEEDED
We are looking to have singers support our organist on Sunday 6th December at 10 am. We will be singing familiar hymns. If you would like to help support the celebration of Mass, contact Felicity Sly 0418 301 573 or fsly@internode.on.net or just turn up and sit on the eastern side of the altar.
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHOIR MEMBERS ARE ALSO NEEDED FOR CHRISTMAS EVE CAROLS AND MASS.
We will also be singing known hymns, with our organist. Once again, please let Felicity know (as per above) or come to the eastern side of the altar by 11:10 pm.
ALL PARISHIONERS PLEASE NOTE: Midnight Mass – Carols begin at 11:15pm with Mass celebrated at 11:45 pm (not midnight) Due to COVID restrictions, registrations for ALL Christmas Masses will be advised separately.
Thursday 3rd December.
Eyes down 7:30pm.
Covid safe procedures followed.
NEWS FROM
ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
EXPERIENCING GOD, WALKING IN NATURE – FAMILY WALK
Families with teenagers are invited to take a chance to slow down and reflect on God in nature while walking with other families (younger children are also welcome, of course).
From Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Goulburn Street, George Town to Low Head Lighthouse and return.
Sunday 13th December – 12noon (Mass at Star of the Sea Church is at 11:00am)
BYO Lunch, drink, snacks, sunscreen and hat.
Enquiries and RSVP Belinda Chapman on 0418 141 171.
SOLEMN PROFESSION OF VOWS
All are warmly invited to join the Carmelite community for a Sung Mass 9:30am Monday 14th December, when Sr Thérèse-Marie of the Eucharist OCD will make her lifelong commitment to serve the Church in Tasmania as a Discalced Carmelite nun as she makes her Solemn Profession of religious vows. Extra seating arrangements have been organised to comply with Covid-19 requirements. Please keep Sr Thérèse-Marie in your prayers as she prepares for this day of grace.
IMMACULATA MISSION SCHOOL 2021: MADE FOR HEAVEN!
Start the New Year by going deeper in faith through awesome talks, friendship and fellowship, daily Mass and prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, praise and worship and lots more!
When: 1st - 5th January, 2021,
Where: St James Catholic College, Cygnet Tasmania
Cost per person: $220 (with basic shared accommodation), $170 (with no accommodation) - includes food, speakers, activities and youth and children's ministry - all ages, families welcome!
Speakers: Archbishop Julian Porteous, Fr Rob Galea, James Parker, Paul Elarde, Sisters of the Immaculata and lay community.
For more info or to register: www.sistersoftheimmaculata.org.au/ims or 0406 372 608
VIRTUAL WAY TO ST JAMES PILGRIMAGE
Make your way through natural surroundings in a meditative way anywhere in the world on 9th – 10th January 2021. Join this Global “El Camino de Santiago” in the Spirit of the Annual Pilgrimage to St James Church in Cygnet in the Huon Valley.
Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/waytostjamescygnet/
Website link: https://www.waytostjames.com.au/
CONCERNED CATHOLICS TASMANIA INC (CCT) INVITATION
Concerned Catholics Tasmania invites you to a regional gathering focussing on the report “The Light from the Southern Cross – Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia”.
This document was commissioned by the Australian Bishops Conference and Religious Superiors in response to the final report of the Royal Commission.
Find out more and have your say Saturday 5th December - 10am to 12noon at Star of the Sea Hall, Mount St Burnie.
Registration is necessary - sue.hyslop@icloud.com
Letter From Rome
Pope Francis, Cardinal Becciu And The Importance Of Transparency
The weird and troubling case of the pope's sacking of a high-ranking cardinal and his refusal to say why
- Robert Mickens, Rome, November 28, 2020.
This article is from the La-Croix International website - you can access the site here but complete full access is via paid subscription
More than nine weeks.
That's how much time has passed since Pope Francis took the highly unprecedented move to publicly humiliate a top-ranking cardinal by forcing him to resign his Roman Curia post and relinquish all rights connected to membership in the illustrious red-hatted college.
And more than nine weeks later, we still do not know why the pope did it.
Neither he, nor any Vatican official, has said exactly what Cardinal Angelo Becciu did to deserve the wrath of the Church's supreme lawgiver here on earth.
We've been left only with unsubstantiated press reports about how the 72-year-old Sardinian cardinal supposedly squandered hundreds of millions of dollars from the pope's charity fund on bad real estate deals and how he embezzled from the Vatican coffers to enrich his family.
But these reports merely quote the narrative crafted by a couple of Italian newspapers that based their "scoop" on leaked documents, none of which show that Becciu did anything that actually rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors.
The case of Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien
Most of what the papers have written is speculative. And some of it appears to be absolutely false. For example, the Italian journalists have repeatedly said that the cardinal is under investigation by Vatican and Italian magistrates. But both these judicial entities have denied that.
So, what is going on here? Pope's don't do what Francis did to Angelo Becciu for something that is not extremely grave.
In fact, the last time (and it seems the only other time) that a cardinal was stripped of his voting rights was in 2015 when this same pope slapped the identical penalty on Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien.
The Scotsman had actually been forced to resign in disgrace two years earlier after it was revealed that, over the years, he had sexually harassed a number of seminarians and priests. This was just before the 2013 conclave that would elect Jorge Mario Bergoglio SJ as Benedict's successor and O'Brien voluntarily (though obviously under much pressure) decided not to participate in that event.
Based on what has been reported, Cardinal Becciu seems to have been given a penalty that far outweighs the gravity of any of his alleged actions, none of which have been proven to be illegal up to now.
In light of the McCarrick Report
It is troubling that the pope won't say why he punished the cardinal so harshly. And it is more troubling that hardly anyone in the press, with few exceptions, is demanding that he do so.
In light of the recently released McCarrick Report, why are there not calls for more transparency on the Becciu case?
That report should have been a reminder that Catholics -- and journalists, especially -- must ask difficult questions and demand honest answers from those, like bishops, who are answerable to practically no one.
But very few have questioned what Francis has done or, more importantly, why he did it.
And just about as few seem concerned that the pope took this action without any formal process that even pretended to be motivated by or in accord with natural justice. The cardinal has not been officially charged with anything and, as such, has had no possibility to defend himself.
Pope Francis has written important documents and even taken specific action to begin dismantling what remains of the monarchical papacy and rid the Church's governing structure of its more un-evangelical aspects.
But the manner in which Francis punished Becciu does not reflect the lofty words from those papal documents or reforming gestures.
Rather, the pope has acted more like a dictator in a system that affords no rights to the accused.
Can lack of transparency ever be justified?
Again, we still do not know what Becciu actually did.
But for the sake of Pope Francis' good name and integrity (and with apologies to the cardinal), let's hope that we'll find out that it was something much worse than what's been alleged by the press.
Let's hope that the pope is actually being charitable to the cardinal by not revealing that there were other, more horrible crimes or sins that demanded such a harsh penalty.
But even if this were the reason for Francis' lack of transparency, it is unacceptable in light of all that the Church has learned during the long, painful decades -- yes, decades -- of the sexual abuse crisis and the perhaps even more devastating crisis caused by bishops and others who covered up the abuse.
The pope's lack of transparency and honesty in the case of Cardinal Becciu may seem like a little thing compared to other greater matters. But can anything justify it?
As Luke the Evangelist says, "Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great."
Inner Experience
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
While most Christians consider themselves disciples of Jesus
and try to follow his teachings, a much smaller number move toward practical
acts of service or solidarity. But I’m afraid even fewer Christians have the
courage to go on the much deeper mystical path. Both Catholics and Protestants
have failed our people by mystifying the very notion of mysticism. The word
itself has become relegated to a “misty” and distant realm that implies it is
only available to very few and something not to be trusted, much less
attractive or desirable. For me, the word “mysticism” simply means experiential
knowledge of spiritual things, as opposed to book knowledge, secondhand
knowledge, or even church knowledge.
Most of organized religion, without meaning to, has actually
discouraged us from taking the mystical path by telling us almost exclusively
to trust outer authority—in the form of Scripture, tradition, or various kinds
of experts—instead of telling us the value and importance of inner experience.
(I call that trusting the “containers” instead of the “contents.”) In fact,
most of us were strongly warned against ever trusting ourselves, told that our
personal experiences of the divine were unnecessary and possibly even
dangerous.
Discouraging or denying people’s actual experiences of God
often created passive people and, more sadly, a lot of people who concluded
that there was no God to be experienced! We were taught to mistrust our own
souls—and thus the Holy Spirit within us. We can contrast that with Jesus’ common
phrase, “Go in peace, your faith has made you whole!” (as in Mark 5:34 and Luke
17:19). He said this to people who had made no dogmatic affirmations, did not
think he was “God,” did not pass any moral checklist, and often did not belong
to the “correct” group. They were simply people who trustfully affirmed, with
open hearts, the grace of their own hungry experience—in that moment—and that
God could care about it.
The irony in all of these attempts to over-rely on externals
is that people end up relying upon their own experience anyway! Most of us—by
necessity—see everything, mystical and otherwise, through the lens of our own
temperament, early conditioning, brain function, role and place in society,
education, our personal needs, and cultural biases and assumptions. Admittedly,
personal experiences are easy to misinterpret, and we shouldn’t universalize
from our “moment” to an expectation that everybody must have the same kind of
“moment.” We also can’t assume that any experience is 100 percent from God. We
must develop filters to clear away our own agenda and ego. Nothing beats a
solid understanding of some theology, psychology, and sociology, along with
good and wise counsel. We cannot forget Paul’s reminder which was meant to keep
us humble: “We know imperfectly and we prophesy imperfectly” (1 Corinthians
13:9).
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Media: 2014), 1-3. For more on this theme, join CAC’s online course The Franciscan Way: Beyond the Bird Bath, https://cac.org/online-ed/franciscan-way-course-description/.
An Invitation To Maturity - Weeping Over Jerusalem
Maturity has various levels. Basic maturity is defined as having essentially outgrown the instinctual selfishness with which we were born so that our motivation and actions are now shaped by the needs of others and not just by our own needs. That’s the basic minimum, the low bar for maturity. After that there are degrees and levels, contingent upon how much our motivation and actions are altruistic rather than selfish.
In the Gospels, Jesus invites us to ever deeper degrees of maturity, though sometimes we can miss the invitation because it presents itself subtly and not as explicitly worded moral invitation. One such subtle, but very deep, invitation to a higher degree of maturity is given in the incident where Jesus weeps over Jerusalem. What’s inside this image?
Here’s the image and its setting. Jesus has just been rejected, both in his person and in his message and he sees clearly the pain the people will bring upon themselves by that rejection. What’s his reaction? Does he react in the way most of us would: Well the hell with you! I hope you suffer the full consequences of your own stupidity! No. He weeps, like a loving parent dealing with a wayward child; he wishes with every fiber in his being that he could save them from the consequences of their own bad choices. He feels their wound rather than gleefully contemplating their suffering.
There’s a double challenge here. First, there’s a personal one: are we gleeful when people who reject our advice suffer for their wrong-headedness or do we weep inside us for the pain they have brought onto themselves? When we see the consequences in people’s lives of their own bad choices, be it with irresponsibility, with laziness, with drugs, with sex, with abortion, with ideology, with anti-religious attitudes, or with bad will, are we gleeful when those choices begin to snake-bite them (Well, you got what you deserved!) or do we weep for them, for their misfortune?
Admittedly, it’s hard not be gleeful when someone who rejects what we stand for is then snake-bitten by his own stubborn choice. It’s the natural way the heart works and so empathy can demand a very high degree of maturity. For example, during this Covid-19 pandemic, medical experts (almost without exception) have been telling us to wear masks to protect others and ourselves. What’s our spontaneous reaction when someone defies that warning, thinks he is smarter than the doctors, doesn’t wear a mask, and then contracts the virus? Do we secretly bask in the cathartic satisfaction that he got what he deserved or do we, metaphorically, “weep over Jerusalem”?
Beyond the challenge to each of us to move towards a higher level of maturity, this image also contains an important pastoral challenge for the church. How do we, as a church, see a secularized world that has rejected many of our beliefs and values? When we see the consequences the world is paying for this are we gleeful or sympathetic? Do we see the secularized world with all the problems it is bringing onto itself by its rejection of some Gospel values as an adversary (someone from whom we need to protect ourselves) or as our own suffering child? If you’re a parent or grandparent who’s suffering over a wayward child or grandchild you probably understand what it means to “weep over Jerusalem”.
Moreover the struggle to “weep over” our secularized world (or over anyone who rejects what we stand for) is compounded by yet another dynamic which militates against sympathy. There’s a perverse emotional and psychological propensity inside us which works this way. Whenever we are hurting badly we need to blame someone, need to be angry at someone, and need to lash out at someone. And you know who we always pick for that? Someone we feel safe enough to hurt because we know that he or she is mature enough not to hit back!
There’s a lot of lashing out at the Church today. Granted, there are a lot of legitimate reasons for this. Given the church’s shortcomings, part of that hostility is justified; but some of that hostility often goes beyond what’s justified. Along with the legitimate anger there’s sometimes a lot of free-floating, gratuitous anger. What’s our reaction to that unjustified anger and unfair accusation? Do we react in kind? “You are way out of line here, go take that anger elsewhere! Or, like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, can we meet unfair anger and accusation with tears of empathy and a prayer that a world that’s angry with us will be spared the pain of its own bad choices?
Soren Kierkegaard famously wrote: Jesus wants followers, not admirers! Wise words. In Jesus’ reaction to his own rejection, his weeping over Jerusalem, we see the epitome of human maturity. To this we are called, personally and as an ecclesial community. We also see there that a big heart feels the pain of others, even of those others who reject you.
We Are Clear: Becoming A Post-Covid Parish
This article is taken from the weekly Blog of Fr Michael White, Pastor of the Church of the Nativity, Timoneum, Baltimore. You can read his blog here
In some ways, the role of the local parish church has not changed through the current crisis. At a basic level, people are still looking for refuge from all the craziness of the world around us. We can be a place of stability and civility, a place of hope and help.
In some ways the role of the local parish church has not changed, in other ways, it has changed forever. Because more than ever people are looking for leadership to lead through and beyond this crisis, into the new world that will be post-Covid.
We have an opportunity, I think, perhaps an unprecedented opportunity to step up to a position of impact and importance and influence in people’s lives. An unprecedented opportunity to form and inform the future of the church, what church in the future even looks like.
If you think about it, everything that we have done, everything that we have invested in recent years:
- the Vision Campaign & building program
- the concentration on technology
- the expansion of our programs/services, missions/ministries/ the expansion of the staff
have all been preparatory for this opportunity. As a consequence we face this opportunity, we meet this moment with confidence, creativity, and clarity. Confidence, based on all our advantages and the advantageous position we are blessed with. Creativity, based on the assembled talent of our team. Clarity, based on faith.
We are clear, at least we’re becoming clear, that there are two ways in which we are church: on Ridgely Road and online. We’re committed to both.
But we are also clear that we are going to be a mobile-first church, a church of digital discipleship. We’re not just using online church to get people back in the church building for a return to business as usual. We’re using the church building as a platform to reach new people online.
Are we sure of everything that means? No, we are all figuring that out together and are dedicated to doing so because everyone we are trying to reach is already online. For many people, the only way they’ll come to know Christ and deepen their relationship with him is if they connect with us online or via social media.
We live in a generation in which people are just a click away from hearing the message of Jesus Christ. Which also means they’re a click away from tuning him out. That means there is more for us to do. It means we need to think of ourselves more like a TV studio than a little church in the woods. It means our production of video needs to expand. It means we will continue to invest in technology and tech staff as a budget priority.
At the same time, we’re clear that we need to connect with people relationally because people need that connection now more than ever before. That’s why ministry and missions, small groups and member care continue to be priorities moving forward.
We are clear that we want to reach the next generation and that remains one of our highest priorities. That means we’re going to have to be increasingly creative with our communication. We have to learn from emerging platforms and new patterns of communication.
We are clear that God has given us a heart to help other parishes. Before Covid, Nativity was on the cutting edge of innovation among Catholic parishes. In some ways we were too far ahead as most churches didn’t even understand their need for digital ministry and programs. Now that everything has changed, more and more parishes are open to listening to us and learning from us. They need leadership from a parish that is doing what they’re doing, in the trenches with them. And so we are going to continue to invest in Rebuilt.
We are clear that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as a parish, because it is Christ, it is where we most completely encounter him. For us that means the excellence of our weekend Mass experience remains an overarching priority for us. And for us that is all about music, message and ministers.
Most of all, we are clear about:
Our mission: Love God, Love Others, Make disciples.
Our vision: Make church matter by growing disciples among unchurched Catholics in North Baltimore and influencing churches elsewhere to do the same.
Our strategy: invest and invite when it comes to the unchurched.
Our aim: to be a church people who don’t like church like.
Our message: the life-saving, life changing good news of the Gospel.
We will work towards that day, near or far, when every tribe and tongue, and every nation and people, will worship Jesus Christ as King.
Advent Examen
1: What Do You Say?
St Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, encouraged a form of prayerful reflection on our experiences and feelings, known as the Examen, as a way of discovering how God is at work in our lives. Thinking Faith invites you to let this Ignatian way of praying guide you in this season of preparation, as we undertake an Advent Examen. Ruth Holgate helps us to take the first step of the Examen, ‘Thanksgiving’. Why is it important for us to say ‘thank you’ to God?
Ruth Holgate works with the Jesuits in Britain in spirituality and young adult ministry.
This article is taken from the ThinkingFaith.org website where you can find a wide range of articles by clicking here
‘What do you say?’ is the gentle prompt from countless parents of small children receiving a gift. Recently I heard it from the mother of my twin godsons as they happily applied themselves to the chocolate I had given them. I already knew they appreciated the gift, their pleasure was evident in their enthusiasm to unwrap and consume. Even so, the chorus of ‘thank you’ was good to hear. So we try to teach our children to be polite, but is that all we are doing when we encourage them to express their gratitude? Is there something about acknowledging a gift that in itself enriches the experience for both giver and receiver?
The Examen of Conscience begins with the instruction to give thanks for at least one thing from the past day. This first point gives our prayer a context of thanksgiving for the gifts we receive from God … and I don’t think this is just about being polite with God! Rather, we are deciding to look back on the day from a particular perspective, one of gratitude, of recognising that God is active in our lives and that God is generous in giving gifts. One of the reasons this is a good place to start our looking back is that in sifting through our day it is often easier to recall the challenges, difficulties, failings and hurts, as these tend to be more noisy in our memory. The difficult experience of the day can demand our attention, holding us in its disquiet. When we consciously try to tune into the gifts of the day we let ourselves pay attention to the quieter, gentler, hopeful moments and experiences. This in itself is a beginning to ‘discern spirits’, to try consciously to recognise the action or touch of the Holy Spirit in our lives and also to identify what can stand in the way of receiving or recognising that touch.
It is worth wondering what we might include as ‘gifts’ in our lives. I remember as a child one of the nuns at my convent school constantly encouraging us to count our blessings. The fact that she usually did this when we were feeling least grateful – extra homework being given, a wet day in the playground, a sense of something unfair happening to us – meant we did not really see what she was getting at, and I do not remember her offering any explanation. How we recognise gifts is in part about how something makes us feel or think. St Ignatius gave a clue as to how we identify what might be coming from God: anything that ‘increases faith, hope or love’. We can also consider all those things that we experience as truly life-giving or life-enhancing. For example, a person may be grateful for a beautiful sunset and the possibility of being able to appreciate it. We can also look more widely at things we generally take for granted: you are reading this article, perhaps at times it would be good to give thanks that you are able to read, or for those who taught you, or even for this online form of communication, which has so much potential for good – as well as bad! Then there are the more fundamental gifts, of life, creation, relationships, community, etc., for which even on the worst of days we might be able to give thanks. It is almost certainly the case that we will not always feel thankful for all of these at any given time, but it is likely that if we take a moment we will find something, particularly if we get into a habit of stopping and noticing. And it turns out that Sister Anne was right: when we are struggling, feeling hard done by or just having a really bad day, taking the time to look for one thing for which we are grateful can have a disproportionately positive effect on our perspective, reminding us that God is with us, actively working in the world and labouring to draw all people into building the Kingdom.
This practice of noticing and giving thanks expresses a stance of gratitude that permeates Ignatian Spirituality and is most beautifully summed up in the beginning of the Contemplation on Love at the end of the Spiritual Exercises:
I ask for an interior knowledge of all the great gifts that I have received, in order that, moved to profound gratitude, I may become able to love and to serve God in all things.
Here, gratitude is seen as an experience that has the power not just to shift perspective, but also to move a person to action. In recognising that they have received so much from God, all a person can do is respond in love and service. This is not to be considered as simply a reciprocal arrangement – ‘you did this for me so I will do something for you’; instead, in a profound way, the gratitude itself energises the desire and the response. Placed at the end of the Exercises, it is perhaps easy to imagine that after 30 days of meditation and contemplation there will be many fruits from prayer for which to be grateful, and this is generally the case. But we do not need to make a 30-day retreat in order to develop a grateful heart, we can usually pause and find something to be grateful for at any moment. Practising this in the Examen can help to tune us in to God’s life-giving activity in our lives and in the world around us, and so energise our lives towards greater love and service of God.
Giving thanks to God, then, is not simply about being polite, but rather acknowledging just how much we have been given. In expressing our gratitude, in hearing ourselves say ‘thank you’, we can gain both a new perspective and an impetus to respond in love and service. We are in a relationship with this God, the giver of gifts who is always more generous than we can imagine, so we might also consider what it is like for God to hear our ‘thank you’. We cannot get into the mind of God, but we do know what it is like for us to have a gift acknowledged – can we extend that somewhat and perhaps imagine that in some way God appreciates our ‘thank you’?
