PDF version of this parish newsletter here:
You can also access an online copy of the newsletter
“Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’” (luke 24:30-32)
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 1584574357 - Ramla, Israel, December 07, 2019 : The ruins of the Byzantine church complex on the territory of Emmaus Nicopolis -Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Dmitriy Feldman svarshik
PASTOR’S POST - ANZAC DAY IS THIS COMING TUESDAY. “Lest we Forget”
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
Shutterstock licensed - stock vector ID: 175000568- Soldiers at war,vector- By Seita
THE PASTOR’S POST: An Unpaid Debt ANZAC DAY
This 25th April we will again witness the modern-day pilgrimage of thousands of Australians to Anzac Cove, the powerful image of veterans marching proudly down the streets of cities and towns throughout the country, reminding us of less peaceful days and sacrifices that were made by many we are no longer able to thank.
Inspired by the courage and resilience that has seen us survive armed conflicts, we continue to draw inspiration from those who have given us the great example of surviving an uncertain future – the ANZACs.
Adelaide born poet and wounded Gallipoli veteran, Leon Gellert , captured not only the somber significance that Anzac Cove would have for Australia - a nation's vitality is often measured in its struggles, sacrifices, and even tragedy – but rightly calls on us to pay a debt of gratitude to those who, then and now, endanger their lives so that others may live in freedom.
There’s a torn and silent valley:
There’s a tiny rivulet
With some blood upon the stones besides its mouth.
There are lines of buried bones:
There’s an unpaid debt:
There’s a sound of gentle sobbing in the South.
(Anzac Cove, Leon Gellert)
On Anzac Day , wearing poppies and gathered around war memorials in every suburb, city and town, we remember not only the veterans of Gallipoli, but those who died in France and Flanders, Palestine and Mesopotamia, the Western Desert, Syria, Greece, and Crete, in the skies above England and Europe, in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic; and those who died in the waters off Java, Timor, and in the Coral Sea; in Papua, New Britain and Bougainville; in Korea, Vietnam, Timor-Leste; and those who served in Iraq.
In a world that sanctifies individualism, self-sacrifice seems insane; heroism appears futile. Some might dismiss the poet-soldier Gellert and his AIF mates as mere adventure seekers. They went with songs to the battle; they were young. What they discovered was pain and death. War was, and continues to be, a senseless and foolhardy loss of young life.
When the young man from Nazareth volunteered to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12), he made a solitary request – Do this in memory of me. It was a challenge to live Christ-like lives of heroic sacrifice in the service of the poor, the downtrodden and the powerless. It was a hope that His way of peace, justice and reconciliation would one day prevail. It is the memory of His vision, which encompasses all humanity and does not deny love even to one’s enemies, which can be the music in the midst of desolation (To the Fallen, Laurence Binyon).
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
HOSPITAL CALLS - AROUND THE DEANERY -
HELP THE PRIESTS OF THE DEANERY RESPOND TO URGENT CALLS EFFECTIVELY BY CALLING THE FOLLOWING PARISHES FIRST RESPONDERS TO NEEDS WITHIN THE HOSPITALS LISTED.
To efficiently deal with the pastoral needs around the Catholic Parishes of the Gold Coast, the parishes within this Deanery have the practice of having the first call for emergencies going to the priests of the parish where the hospital is located. Here is a helpful guide to the hospitals and their attendant priests. A nursing home call also follows this procedure, where the first priest to call is a priest from the parish within which the Nursing Home is located.
Robina Hospital - Burleigh Heads Parish on 5576 6466
Pindara Hospital - Surfers Paradise Parish 56717388
John Flynn Hospital -Coolangatta-Tugun Parish on 5598 2165
University & Gold Coast Private Hosp-Southport Parish 5510 2222
OUTREACH IN INDIA with MOTHER TERESA and THE OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE
Recently I visited India and was privileged to be supplied with a driver and an Oblate of Mary Immaculate(OMI) priest, Fr Satheesh, a friend of our Rosies chaplain Fr Joe Anthony here in Queensland, to take my cousin Judy and daughter Justine and myself around for the three days we were in Kolkata. Our first afternoon after flying in from Delhi was to be taken to the Missionary House of Mother Teresa of Kolkata where Fr Satheesh offered Mass at the grave of Saint Teresa of Kolkata. What an inspirational moment praying at her grave and being able to receive the Body of Christ in the very place where Mother Teresa, the tiny woman recognised throughout the world for her work among the poorest of the poor, being and bringing the hands and feet of Christ to those whom she served. As we were leaving that night after Mass, Sr Sharon gave me four relics of Saint Mother Teresa. The next morning we were up at 5.30am to travel to a small village on the Bangladesh border around three hours away at Basirhat where the Oblates operated The Mary Immaculate Mission English school for Muslim and Hindi children who live in this remote area. We were greeted like royalty by Frs Arockia Raj and Salamon and the children who presented us with floral tributes and banners from their school, performing a welcome song and showing us all around their school. Such joyous, smiling faces welcoming us to their region - the teachers mainly travelled each day around a three hour journey on the train from Kolkata. Fr Satheesh also comes from this school and is in charge of Mission in the area. He and Fr Joe Anthony set the school up a number of years ago - they now have around 1200 students.
After being provided with a typical Indian breakfast by the priests we were on the road again to visit the next Mission school around another hour and a half away at Gazna. Along the way we saw lots of produce being carted to market by bikes and Took Took - ingenious - so poor, so happy and welcoming - we were in such remote areas I don’t think they had seen white people before so the children were very interested in taking photos with us. Once again we were at a St Eugene Mission Medium School with only 65 students, welcomed with school banners and dancing by the students, parents, teachers and Fr Arockia Dass (OMI).
The classrooms are very poorly equipped but the students are very happy and a group of the older ones performed a wonderful dance for us as a welcome to their school. After morning tea Frs Satheesh and Arockia Dass took us around another half hour away to the small Catholic Church they look after with just five Catholic families. The Hindu faith in that area is very strict so people converting to Catholicism may be killed by the authorities or whipped if they try to convert. The priests are a presence in the area for the very poor regardless of what religion they are. Once again a group of the Catholic families and also those Muslem families that are refugees from over the Bangladesh border welcomed us with a concert in the church and later we walked up to the housing where the refugee families live in the Diocesan grounds - they are able to build themselves whatever housing they can afford or whatever housing they can build with the monies sometimes provided by the Government and stay there for as long as they need to - forever if necessary. At one stage I was landed with a small goat to nurse - it reminded me of the Goats and Hens that I buy from the Oblates each year to give to poor families in missionary countries they outreach in.
Next we were headed back another way to Kolkata so that we could visit the Leper colony that is operated by the Missionary Sisters of Charity. We got lost on the way so ended up quite late in the afternoon trying to cross a busy railway track to get to the leper colony. At one stage we were sitting on someone's steps while our driver and Fr Satheesh tried to find where we were going, when some of the workers in the streets came up and offered us Marsala tea - so we shared tea with the construction workers and school children on the streets wanted photos with us again. Finally our driver and Fr Satheesh got back and were surprised to find us out of the car and having conversations and tea with all in sundry!
We even invited ourselves into the house with the red door to use their ‘bathroom’ but that's another story that I may share with some of you some other time!!
Gandhi Prem Nivas Leprosy Centre at Titagarh housed around 400 people in various stages of leprosy - some with no fingers, no hands or feet or disfigured faces. They very generously allowed us to move around their dormitories in both the men’s and women’s quarters. It is amazing how a smile and a gentle hand on the shoulder cuts across all speech barriers in whatever country. It was so heart wrenching.
The blue and white cloth that is used for the habits of all Missionary Sisters of Charity throughout the world (5000 of them) is made at this Leprosy Centre by the leprosy patients so that the cloth is uniform throughout the world.
Next morning we were up again at 5.30am to go to the 6am Mass in the upstairs chapel of the Sisters in Kolkata. You cannot see the tiny statue, at the back of the room in the chapel, of Mother Teresa at prayer just as she always did each morning for Mass in the same spot - so she continues to pray with her sisters each morning and they all kneel or sit around her - it was so touching and so beautiful to see. You can just see her back and her knees behind and just in front of the sister kneeling on the left near the back wall. There were around 90 sisters at Mass that morning and 35 of those were novices - where else in the world would you find so many young women or men giving their lives to God. It is our responsibility that we pray that those required for the harvest are generous enough to dedicate themselves to this mission.
After a street breakfast (which was YUM),
We were off to Outreach with the Sick and Dying at Premdam.
While Judy and Justine disinfected beds and remade them, I sat for an hour or so with a lady who was in the latter stages of life, covered in horrendous bed sores. Holding her hand, feeding her, talking with her, and she talking with me, neither could understand each other but it was our smiles, our tears and our comfort for each other that communicated between us.
After lunch we visited Mother Teresa’s orphanage where children who are roaming the streets with no parents or guardians are taken into this house and lovingly cared for. We met an Australian Missionary Sister of Charity who came from Melbourne in the orphanage.
Finally a photo of Mother Teresa’s room just as it was when she was alive - what a beautiful simple woman who has made such a difference in the lives of so many and continues to do so through her legacy. Thank you, Fr Satheesh and Fr Joe, for affording us this opportunity. It was such a privilege! I will never forget it.
MASS TIMES: SURFERS PARADISE MASS TIMES
FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: Diana Castro, Stephen O’Brien, Joseph Ah Lo, Sarina Losurdo, Anne Van Deurse, Tim Brown, John O’Hanlon, Jenny Haines, Annie Scicluna, Lois Wood, Phil McWilliam, Coralie Brennan, Kim Ingram, Karen Vestergard, John Thomas, Pat Jones, Felipe S Cataquiz Sr, Margaret Buckingham, Nathan Lepp, Margaret & George Cook, Geraldine Daniels, Diane & Steve Land, John & Molly Robinson, Peter Barry, Phil Bawden, Kath Kiely, Natalie O’Reilly, John Nathaniel Maher, Peter O’Brien, Betty Taylor, Rosie May Fisher, Denise Tracey, Sally Gage, Jean Di Benedetto, Sebastian Condon, Maria Manuela, Rogelio Rodriguez, Gus Reeves, Patrick Joven de Leon, Baby Samuel Timothy, Maria Yuna, Maria Teresa Gutierrez, Margaret Haerse, Jo Clark, Kay Pitman, Michael Murtagh, Leslie Clarke, Lena Hiscock, Shirley Montford, Beryl Dorfield, Joanne Mooney, Patricia Roberts, Tom Ross, Joanne Parkes, Jack Barretto, Doug Chester, Kathy Stevens, Nellie Bellinger, Leslie Clarke, Kristy Peat, Anna Janiek, Andrew McPherson, Louise Holmes, Fred Grioli, Lynn Nunan, Kim Parkes, Cecily Cellinan, Kevin Brennan, Margaret Cusack, Fabiola Menzs.
RECENTLY DECEASED: Douglas Glenn, Theresa Joseph, Lenette Mary Evans, Sr Patricia McGovern, Betty O’Connell, Robyn Skein, Stephen Robert Bray, Peter Winks, Andre Helena, Paul Thomas Hawkins, Cornelis “Casey” Bayens, Lin Dean, Patricia Bartlett, Mary Curran, Mary Nicholl, Noni Twidale, Kate Sheehy, Mary Ann Groenewaldt, John Sattler, Paul Fitzgerald, Elsden Smith, Bernardo Cass Nopra, Anna Szeremeta, Elizabeth Mary McKinstry, Millicent Dawn Shaw, Helen Bruce, Peter Allsop, Frank Murray, Patricia Maxine O’Donoghue, Bernardo Cas Nopre, Virginia Attard, Marjorie Doyle, Beverley Dreier, Millicent Monteiro, Cecily Culligan, Nicholas Eamon Ashworth, “Pat” Sullivan, Graciela del Carmen Chapman, Betty McKinstry, Anna Szeremeta, Alan Hague, Marie Kuljanic, Derek Carpenter, Peter Evert, Cheryl Hamwood, Donna Maria Cross, John Monahan.
ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH: Tony Ghusn, Rosslyn Jessie Wallis, Stan Ryan, Yvonne Holt, Ernest Foy, Peter Hunniford, Mary Thompson, Arthur Lloyd, Joseph Frank Robinson, (Son of Connie), Balthazar (“Balt) van der Meer, Bernadette Mary Bennett, Joan Street, Vincent Hodge Snr, Paul John Brennan, Michael Joseph Foy, Joan Maher, Salma El Jouni, Kevin Thomas Malone, Leo Barry Pearman, Giovanni Pascquale Marmina, Lyndon Fitzgibbon, Michelle Renee Kay (aged 8).
And Also:
Francesco Posa, Josephine Shaw, Barbara Claire (Barbie) White, Catherine Smyth, jim Rawlings,Ramsis Nessim Boctor, Olive Yvonne Matthews, Dorothy and Ray Mullen, Leslie Hewitt, Nicholas Leo (Nic) Angelucci, John Kinne, John Purcell, Ronald Turner, Patricia Dooley, Walter Schaer, Barbara Robertson, Matthew Stoyakovich, Daniel Xavier Farrugia, Gino Cappellazzo, Kathleen Gabriel, Christine Cardoza, Dorelle Elizabeth Muller, Alan John (Mick) Burcham, Margaret Elizabeth Boulton, Charles Gerard Debnam, Brendan Ian Howes, Gregory Jackson, Karl Ernest Horner, Nicholas Braid.
RELIGIOUS GOODS SHOPS - SACRED HEART AND ST VINCENT’S CHURCHES
Holy Communion gifts available now.
Also at the Sacred Heart Church, three 30cm plaster statues for sale -
Our Lady Help of Christians
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour
Mother and Child
COLOURED SAINTS MEDALS
Available at a discounted price, now only $1.00 each. Plenty to choose from.
Miraculous enamel blue, St Joseph, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Infant of Praque, St Therese, St Michael, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Mary Mackillop, Divine Mercy, Communion, Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St Rita, Feruzzi, Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Medjugorje, Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) Pope John Paul.
BIBLE STUDY
The Bible Study/Prayer Group every Friday evening from 5-6 pm at St Vincent’s Church -
40 Hamilton Avenue Surfers Paradise. Studying “Break Open the Word” helps you to remember the readings for the upcoming Sunday Mass and, of course, enjoy fellowship with other members of the Parish. Enquires to Ashley 0409 840 693
DATE CLAIMER:
Brisbane City Pops Orchestra, joined by local School choirs. Guardian Angels Church, Southport. Sunday 23 July 2023 at 2.00pm. Please save the date
OUR LADY’S STATUE
Praying the Rosary - Our Lady’s Statue in the Parish -
Details of the Statue of Our Lady, which is going around the Parish.
If you would like to have her in your home and say the Rosary:
Please contact Maxine or Pat on 0412 519 404.
The Roster for the next four weeks is-
24/4/2023 Rose & Joseph Pindo
1/5/2023 Rose & Joseph Pindo
ART AND CRAFT GROUP -
The Group meets in the Parish Hospitality Centre on Wednesdays from 9 to 12. Activities include art (watercolour, oils, acrylics, pen and ink drawing etc.), as well as various kinds of Craftwork (Knitting, Embroidery, Crocheting, Cardmaking, Sewing etc.), making Rosary Beads (later sent to the missions), and any other activities that individuals may have an interest in. We come together to enjoy each other's company in a relaxed environment. New members, both men and women, are most welcome to join. For further information, phone John 0412 759 205 or the Parish Office.
THE SACRED HEART BRIDGE CLUB- Sacred Heart Bridge Club
Our Bridge Club Meets at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church , Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters,
Tel Cheryl on 07 5538 8821 Mob 0417772 701
Learn to play Bridge at “Our Friendly Club” Established 21 years.
Beginners Bridge lessons
Easy to learn format, no previous card playing experience necessary; classes commence 19th April 2023
All Welcome!! To enquire & enrol, please Call 5538 8821. Mob 0417 772 701
Learn to play Bridge at “Our Friendly Club” Established 20 years.
FREE LESSON. “INTRODUCTION TO BRIDGE” - Easy to learn format, no previous card playing experience necessary.
All are Welcome!! To enrol, please Call 5538 8821 - Mob 0417 772 701
Meets at the Sacred Heart - Parish Hospitality Centre, Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters.
Playing Bridge keeps your brain active and increases your social network! So why not give us a try?
Learn to play Bridge at “Our Friendly Club” - Free Lesson. “Introduction to Bridge” - It is Easy to learn the format. No previous card-playing experience is necessary. All are welcome. For more information and to enrol, please phone: Cheryl at 5538 8821 or Mob at 0417 772 701.
EXERCISE CLASS - LOW IMPACT - FOR HEART HEALTH -
Join Rochelle for a fun, functional exercise class at Casey Hall. Low-impact cardiovascular exercises for heart health, improve strength and balance- an all-around fitness class for over 65’s. Stretch and strengthen the whole body, make new friends and feel great. Tuesday mornings @9.30 Beginners welcome. Contact Rochelle for further information on 0438 333 308.
MEDITATION PRAYER GROUP
In the Morris prayer room Tuesdays from 10 am to 12 noon. The Meditation Group would very much like to welcome new members. Please phone Pam Egtberts at 0428090703.
YOGA AT THE PARISH HOSPITALITY CENTRE
Join us for our social class in the Parish Hospitality Centre next to the Parish Office. Classes run every Tuesday at 10:45 am. Learn to relax, yet gain greater flexibility, inner strength, body awareness and concentration, all while increasing your breath support and general well-being. Ruth is an IYTA-accredited instructor with wide experience and runs a caring, carefully monitored one-hour session costing $10 (new attendees need to arrive by 10.30 am to prepare adequately for class). For more information, call Ruth on 0421338110.
https://brisbanecatholic.org.
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has standards of conduct for workers to maintain a safe and healthy environment for children. Our commitment to these standards requires conducting working with children checks and background referencing for all persons who will engage in direct and regular involvement with children and young people (0 - 18 years) and/or vulnerable adults. The organisation is fully committed to child safety and has zero tolerance for abusing children or vulnerable adults.
ANZAC REFLECTION - BY BERNARD SALT - “LEONARD’S STORY”
This is the story of Leonard George Siffleet, a young man from Gunnedah who died at a place called Aitape on New Guinea’s north-west coast just over 76 years ago. A photo was taken of him moments before his execution by beheading; it has since become one of World War II's most enduring and powerful images. Every Australian should know Leonard’s story.
The photo, published in Life magazine and in Australian newspapers occasionally, is now freely accessible on the internet; it shows the 27-year-old sergeant with his arms tied, blindfolded, head bowed, kneeling before a Japanese soldier with a raised sword. In some ways, I find the image even more confronting today than when I first saw it as a young man. I find myself thinking about Leonard’s anguish and pain. How does someone cope knowing they are moments from execution?
Siffleet had been captured two weeks prior and tortured. Sadly, I think he would have known his eventual fate. I’m sure he would have thought of Gunnedah, of his parents, of his fiancée Clarice Lane. Perhaps he thought of his God. And yet despite the hopelessness of the situation, as Siffleet knelt there waiting for death, the photo portrays his poise, calm, and unflinching courage. It is a monstrously brutal situation, yet amid the horror, his bravery is palpable and inspirational.
Siffleet moments before his beheading at Aitape, New Guinea. October 24, 1943. He didn’t know the photo was being taken. He didn’t know there might be an audience of compatriots who, long after the war, would admire his conduct in his life’s final moments. All he would have heard were the murmurings and possibly jeers of the Japanese soldiers milling in the background.
When I first saw this image as a young man, I identified with Leonard. Now that I am in my 60s, I see the photo quite differently. I have a son not much older than Leonard was at that time. I am profoundly conscious that I have enjoyed decades of peace and prosperity because of the silent sacrifices made by the men and women of this generation.
Leonard was executed by order of Vice-Admiral Michiaki Kamada. His executioner, Yasuno Chikao, tasked a subordinate to photograph the act. It seems bizarre; surely it cannot have been regarded as a mark of courage to execute a bound captive? Regardless, it appears that this is the only surviving image of the beheading of a Western soldier from World War II. Many others suffered the same terrible fate, but no other photographic record has emerged. The photo of Siffleet was found by an American GI six months later in the pocket of a dead Japanese soldier about 100km from the place of execution.
The photograph is important because it shows the personal sacrifices made by Australians in defence of their homeland. At this time, New Guinea was an Australian-administered territory, so Siffleet and others were very much defending our nation from invasion. But it is only by chance that this photo survives. With the generation of Japanese soldiers who fought in World War II now well into their 90s, I wonder whether similar pictures are filed in shoe boxes in the suburbs and villages of Japan.
And what of the soldiers who witnessed or took part in such atrocities? Did they ever feel guilty that they enjoyed decades of life, and were they ever tormented by what they saw or did? As for Leonard George Siffleet, I hope that at the moment this photo was taken, he was thinking of Clarice, of Australia, and of a future that might have been.
(Source: BERNARD SALT, COLUMNIST. THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE. 12:00AM JANUARY 25, 2020. Thanks to Arthur Holloway for sharing this article with us).
PALMS MISSION-
Mission: Transform Lives - theirs...and yours
Communities in Africa, Asia or the Pacific are seeking Australians from a variety of professions and trades to share their skills and knowledge with those who have few other chances for training.
Build enduring global relationships while assisting sustainable, self-reliant, community development.
Explore 35 positions by scanning the QR code below. On our website you can also see news including stories from those currently supported in Timor-Leste, Samoa, American Samoa and Thailand.
Please enquire further about potential assignments for you or someone you know:
RING: 02 9560 5333 or 0422 472 567. WEB: www.palms.org.au
Dear sisters and brothers,
In 2021 the Palms program celebrated sixty years of mission. It began in 196l when Catholic volunteers were prepare for mission to Papa New Guinea. Since then, volunteers from all over Australia and Now Zealand have been placed in forty countries, assisting the development of more than four hundred communities globally.
This has not been the best of times to celebrate such a jubilee. Like everyone else, Palms Australia has had to adapt to 'COVID normal,’ even if its operational challenges have been insignificant compared to the impact of COVID-19 on the overseas communities they support.
Palms is redoubling its efforts in response to communities’ requests to help develop individual and organisational capacity through skill exchange. Now that restrictions on international travel are starting to casc. new skilled and committed applicants will be well prepared for their cross cultural mission in remote perishes. schools and communities.
Based on their sixty years of preparing Australians to work and live in other cultures Palms diversity and build on gifts to help communities grow stronger.
Those considering a global mission placement abroad will be offered the following:
1. The Archdiocese will cover the preparation costs of participants at Palms' Orientation Course and a re-entry weekend on their return from mission placement.
2. The Bishops support a Lay Missionary Gratuity Fund that provides a payment of $2,500 for each year a person is on this mission.
3. Palms negotiations with Catholic schools assures great support and benefits for teachers giving
up to two years for this mission. Teachers should talk with Palms about the details.
The Palms mission offers the rewardine challenge to reach beyond cultural, class and gender differences in order to afarin the dignity of all while "promoting and implementing the development goals that are supported by our deepest religious and critical values (Pope Francis)"
As always in the Lord,
Mark Coleridge
Archbishop of Brisbane
Easter and Then What?
Somewhere in our city, there are very large storage sheds that are getting ready to store the thousands of Easter decorations that have been in the shops since Boxing Day. When all the commercial carry-on of Easter is over the shelves will be cleared, and the chocolate eggs will be melted down to be turned into some other saleable treat just in time for the next religious festival of Christmas.
For those who have used their Lent as a preparation for their full and meaningful participation in the ceremonies and spirit of what we call 'The Paschal Mystery', this may well be a time of real conversion or greater insight. For others, Easter may just be a time to catch up on lost sleep and neglected chores. How we see this time is directly related to what we are looking for and the care with which we look for it.
Even though we may put away the symbols of this season, we cannot store away the fact that we are 'people of the resurrection', people intimately connected to both the death and the rising of Christ. While this connection begins at our Baptism, it must be nurtured by the understanding and participation in what that death and rising means.
It is not learnt in the consuming of chocolate bunnies or hunting for eggs, but rather in asking how we are changed by being baptised into and forever engaged in the resurrection event. Easter is not a once-a-year religious feeling but an everyday acknowledgment that something has changed in us when we choose to accept a belief in it. The resurrection cannot be stored away or shelved like some seasonal festivity or commercial gimmick.
Rather than putting away our faith till next year, keep it going, make it a constant active involvement, celebrate it communally and individually - live it!
Fr Peter Dillon PP.
First Rite Reconciliation resumes at Sacred Heart Church - Clear Island Waters from 4 pm Saturdays until about 4.30 pm every Saturday. Please note that this weekly reconciliation is only at Sacred Heart church.
SEVEN PRIORITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BRISBANE -
LAMPS ABLAZE: The Seven Apostolic Priorities of the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, from 2023 onwards. (Part two of a series).
The Third Sunday of Easter
Priority: Reshaping Parish Communities
(Acts 2:14, 22 – 33, Psalm 15, 1 Peter 1:17 – 21, Luke 24:13 – 35)
Introduction:
For thousands of years, we assumed that the earth was in the centre of the universe, or at least the centre of the solar system. Ptolemy had attempted to map the movement of the planets on this assumption and the result was intensely complicated and confusing.
It was not until the sixteenth century that Copernicus developed the heliocentric model which assumed that the sun, not the earth, was at the centre of the solar system. When he mapped the movement of the planets under this assumption, a much simpler pattern emerged of planets moving in an elliptical shape around the sun. This changed the way we viewed ourselves and the universe. We were no longer at the centre. It was a paradigm shift that made sense of everything.
In today’s gospel, two disciples on their way to Emmaus have their own kind of paradigm shift. It was the light of the risen Christ, the Son, who would make sense of everything.
Introducing Archbishop Mark’s Apostolic Priorities
Last week we began a seven-week series of homilies that engage with Archbishop Mark’s apostolic priorities for the Archdiocese. Today we move to the second priority, “reshaping parish communities.”
Archbishop Mark writes:
“Our current structures are based upon the facts of an earlier time and our current mode of provision is unsustainable. In the cities at least we have too many parishes and too many churches. Urban parishes were established on the assumption that people had to be able to walk to church and at a time when the numbers attending Mass were much larger. Many of our parishes are pressed financially and cannot provide the range of services which a missionary Church requires. Therefore, we need – sensibly and over time – to move towards larger configurations of a community of communities where the concentration of personnel and the sharing of resources would allow a greater range of services for the sake of the Gospel.”
Luke’s account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus can help us understand how God might speak to us in ways we did not anticipate.
1. Jesus is with the disciples, yet they do not recognise him.
These disciples knew Jesus, they’d followed Jesus, yet in this moment on the road to Emmaus, they were unable to recognise him. In the same way, Jesus can be walking with us, accompanying us, and even speaking to us, yet we do not recognise him. At times we can fail to recognise the presence of God in our lives because God is present and speaking in a way we did not expect. We at times expect God to speak to us through the clergy, regular parishioners, or spiritual mentors, but sometimes God is speaking to us through those in poverty, those in prison, those for whom society might consider ‘outcasts’ (Matt 25:31 – 46).
This can also be true when we consider our local communities of faith. We can at times be unable to hear the voice of God because it may not be what we expect. Future structures may look different in order that the gospel can be shared compellingly to future generations.
Jesus is amongst us, but do we recognise him? Jesus is speaking, but can we hear his voice?
2. Jesus enables the disciples to see reality in a whole new light.
In this conversation with the disciples, “Jesus interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” In this light, the Old Testament is now understood in a new context; it is interpreted in the light of Christ, crucified and risen. Just as death came through Adam, life would come through Christ (1 Cor 15:21). Just as Moses had led Israel out of the slavery of Egypt, Jesus would lead humanity out of the slavery of sin. Just as David would lead the Kingdom of Israel, Jesus would usher in the Kingdom of God. The Old Testament could now be understood as preparing the way for Jesus.
This same kind of paradigm shift may need to take place in our understanding of our parish communities. What would it mean to reflect on our faith communities in the light of the risen Christ? How do our communities reflect Jesus? Are we making disciples? Are we sharing faith, hope and love? Are we caring for the ‘sinner’? Do we care for the poor?
3. They recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread: The Eucharist is at the Centre.
At times, talk of renewal or reshaping parish communities can be met with fear that people are abandoning the Christian tradition and looking to create something other. It’s important here to make the distinction between what is unchangeable, and eternal compared with that which will continue to evolve and adapt depending on the time and place. The gospel does not change, but how we communicate it must. Our God doesn’t change, but the style in which we worship God continues to evolve and adapt. The Church is the eternal body of Christ, but its local structures continue to adapt and evolve. As we consider what it means to reshape parish communities into the future, we can be confident that whatever it may look like, at its heart is the breaking of bread, communion: the Eucharist.
Jesus can always be recognised by his followers in the breaking of bread. When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, like on the road to Emmaus, Jesus can be walking with us and speaking to us and yet we fail to recognise him because he has not come in the way we expected. How is Jesus speaking to us today?
Secondly, the encounter with Jesus on the road to Emmaus enabled a paradigm shift in how the disciples understood the scriptures: What might it mean to consider our faith communities in light of the risen Christ? Are we a community that truly reflects the life of Jesus? Will we allow the ‘Son’ to be at the centre of our communities?
Thirdly, as we consider the need to reshape communities into the future, at the heart of the Church will always be the breaking of bread – communion – the Eucharist. We, like the disciples, recognise
Jesus in the breaking of bread.
A final thought. When the disciples reflected on their experience with Jesus on the Emmaus Road, they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" Today as we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, let us ask Jesus to help us recognise his presence with us, enable us to imagine a reshaping of parish communities that enhances their reflection of the risen Christ, and let us ask Jesus to make our hearts burn within us as we recognise his real presence in the breaking of bread. Amen.
“LAMPS ABLAZE” - TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL DOCUMENT - PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/
Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations.
Happy Easter from all at Caritas Australia!
Thank you for your continued support for Project Compassion – past, present and future. Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations.
Thank you for supporting Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion 2023 Lenten appeal.
You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes and envelopes available from your parish, by visiting https://www.caritas.org.au/
Becoming Catholic! A Journey of Faith
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FULLY INITIATED CATHOLICS - FROM THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF
We invite all Parishioners to continue to pray for our new Catholics as they commence their journey of faith now as fully welcomed members of the Church. May they strive to deepen their relationship with Christ.
Are you interested in becoming Catholic or learning about the Catholic faith? Welcome!
The Catholic Church’s mission is to offer people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to deepen their understanding and relationship with Jesus Christ. Becoming Catholic involves a journey of faith accompanied by the support of a parish community. This process is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). During the RCIA process, you meet with others to share, reflect, pray and learn more about the Catholic faith. Ceremonies or ‘rites’ at each stage signify the steps along the way. If you or someone you know would like to know more about becoming Catholic or learning more about their Catholic faith as an adult, please contact Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, Clear Island Waters Q 4226. Phone: 5671 7388 surfers@bne.catholic.net.au
A VOCATION VIEW:
We can feel the Lord's call at the strangest places and times. The call can haunt us and pursue us until we say, "Lord, what will you have me do?" To talk to someone about your vocation, contact Vocation Brisbane: 1300 133 544. vocation@bne.catholic.net.au and www.vocationbrisbane.com
STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION -
Today’s readings focus on the theme of “sojourning.” As Christian stewards, we know that our lives are a sojourn towards the ultimate destination of heaven.
Our second reading instructs us to “conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realising that you were ransomed… with the precious blood of Christ.” What a powerful reminder during the Easter season of our “why” for embracing the stewardship way of life — we have been ransomed by our Lord’s saving death and resurrection. Our lives are a gift from Him — as we sojourn through life, we are to make our lives a gift to Him in return.
Our Gospel passage today describes a sojourn as well, the familiar Easter season story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The two are dejected and despondent after Jesus’ death. These men knew Jesus personally. They were believers. They had heard the Gospel message directly from His lips. They talked with Him, travelled with Him, and ate with Him. They heard the testimony of the women who discovered the empty tomb of our Lord and saw a vision of angels announcing He was alive. And if that were not enough, they had also been informed by other disciples who went to the tomb that all was exactly as the women reported.
How much more obvious could the Good News be?
And yet, at times, the reaction of the two disciples describes our own walk of faith, doesn’t it?
We have the fullness of the Catholic faith, the power of the sacraments, and the support of our parish family. Yet, we lose our way. We fail to see all the gifts we have been given. We lack trust in the perfect goodness and almighty power of God. The life of a disciple — even for us modern-day disciples — is truly a sojourn, with valleys and mountaintops, wrong turns and course corrections required regularly.
Our Lord offers a course correction to the two disciples who have lost their way, opening their eyes to the reality of His presence and the truth of His Resurrection. What happens when their eyes are opened once again, and they recognise Jesus in the Eucharist — “the breaking of the bread?” They are transformed! Their hearts are set on fire with love for the Lord and their faith. They recall that their hearts began “burning within” as the Lord was explaining the Scriptures to them.
So, what can we do when we become discouraged when we need our hearts set on fire once again? We can go to the same sources as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus — the Scriptures (the living Word of God) and the Eucharist (the very source and summit of our faith). Frequent recourse to these two gifts from our Lord is absolutely essential to sustain us in the stewardship way of life.
In this Easter season, resolve to feast sincerely on these two sources of grace. They are the fuel that will propel us on the journey towards heaven, with a renewed sense of joy and gratitude as we go!
The vision of Stewardship speaks in every aspect of life, inviting everyone to be thankful, generous and accountable for what each has been given.
LITURGY NEWS MAGAZINE - free copy here:
The Autumn edition of the Liturgy News magazine is now available for free. Please click the link below: https://drive.google.com/
ADORATION OF THE SACRAMENT - SHALOM MEDIA
Fr Paul leads reflection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
TAKE FIVE FOR FAITH - Three ways to foolishness—or faith
Some of us are quick to admit we don’t need help in being foolish. We do this quite well on our own. Nonetheless, the story of the Emmaus travellers provides a checklist of choices that lead to boneheaded moves. First of all, they abandon hope too soon. Second, they separate from the community of faith. Third, they discount reports that Jesus is still being encountered. No wonder they didn’t recognise Jesus when he was standing right next to them! Practice patience. Stay close. And seek the Lord while he may be found. “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” (Luke 24:13-35).
SIGN UP FOR "TAKE FIVE" DAILY ww.takefiveforfaith.com/
Sacrament of EUCHARIST - First HOLY COMMUNION (for Children in Year 4 or greater)
The celebration of First Holy Communion will be either May 28 at 11:00 am Or June 4 at 11:00 am, 2023.
Eucharist is the sacrament that completes the process of Sacramental Initiation. The Sacrament of Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. The child can fully participate in the Eucharist (also known as the mass) through this sacrament by receiving Holy Communion.
There are two compulsory meetings: 1. Parent Meeting – was held on either Monday, March 27 at 5:30 pm or Tuesday, March 28 at 5:30 pm in Sacred Heart Church (Children were not required at this meeting but were welcome to attend if it assisted parents with childminding.) 2. Final Meeting and Practice – Either Monday, May 22nd at 5:30 pm Or Tuesday, May 23rd at 5:30 pm (Child/ren and one adult are required to attend.)
The At Home Preparation Program for First Communion Program is due to be completed and returned to Cathy Anderson by May 4th.
To join the Preparation for First Communion Group in 2024: Parents of children in Year 4 or greater who have been baptised and confirmed in parishes other than Surfers Paradise are invited to enrol their children in the continuing Sacramental Journey (Baptism, Confirmation, First Holy Communion and Reconciliation) with Surfers Paradise Parish. The enrolment form is available at our website, www.surfersparadiseparish.com.
We ask that all families check the parish newsletter regularly for First Holy Communion updates and further information. The Surfers Paradise Parish newsletter is available at our website www.surfersparadiseparish.com.
Sacrament of BAPTISM for Children in Surfers Paradise
Baptism is the first of three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Surfers Paradise Parish follows the policies of the Archdiocese of Brisbane as it welcomes each person into the family of the Church through the waters of Baptism.
Infants and children are baptised at the request of their parents. Within the Baptism ritual, parents promise to accept the responsibility of training their children to practise the faith and to raise their children to understand and live God’s commandments. Parents can request Baptism for their child by filling out an enrolment form on our Surfers Paradise Parish website: www.surfersparadiseparish.com.
Once the online baptism form has been received, the Parish Office will email details for preparation for the Sacrament of Baptism and confirm the online booking.
Parents of primary school age children will be asked to attend three preparation meetings (at least one parent and their child/ren) prior to booking a Baptism date via our online system.
Sacrament of CONFIRMATION (for Children in Year 3 or greater)
Within the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Confirmation is the second sacrament children are invited to receive. Confirmation completes Baptism. The Sacrament of Confirmation for the Surfers Paradise Parish will be celebrated on the evening of October 20, 2023.
Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation includes two compulsory meetings:
1. Parent Meeting – Either Tuesday, July 11 at 5:30 pm Or Wednesday, July 12 at 5:30 pm in Sacred Heart Church (Children are not required at this meeting but are welcome to attend if this assists with childminding.) 2. Final Meeting and Practice - Either Monday, October 9 at 5:30 pm Or Tuesday, October 10 at 5:30 pm in Sacred Heart Church (Child/ren and one adult are required to attend.)
For the celebration of Confirmation in 2023, parents of baptised children in Year 3 or older are invited to enrol their children in the continuing Sacramental Journey (Confirmation, then Eucharist) and lastly, Reconciliation). The Sacramental Journey in our parish involves preparation and celebration for children and their parents. It requires a small number of meetings and the completion of an At Home Preparation Program led by the parents and supported by the Parish Sacramental Team.
The enrolment form (Please complete one for each child) is available at our website, www.surfersparadiseparish.com.
Once on the website, use the drop-down menu under Sacraments, then click on Confirmation; scroll down the page to the Children’s Sacramental Program Application Form (in the blue box). Next, complete the orange and red forms and click Submit. You will receive an automated email indicating that your form has been received. In Term 2, 2023, you will receive an email from our Sacramental Coordinator, Cathy Anderson, providing further details regarding the required meetings and documentation.
Please continue regularly checking the parish newsletter for Confirmation updates and further information.
CHILDREN’S Sacrament of PENANCE - FIRST RECONCILIATION - November 9 at 5:30 pm, 2023
Penance is a sacrament of forgiveness. It celebrates God’s love and mercy towards us. It is about acknowledging and naming those times when we know we have done wrong and then making peace and restoring the relationships with those affected by our poor choices. The Sacrament of Penance is celebrated through the Rites of Reconciliation.
In Term 3, parents of children who have completed their Sacraments of Initiation with Surfers Paradise Parish will receive an email invitation to participate in the At Home Preparation Program for Reconciliation.
For those whose children received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) in other parishes and who wish their child to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance in Surfers Paradise Parish,
the enrolment form is available at our website, www.surfersparadiseparish.com.
Please continue to regularly check the parish newsletter for Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) updates and further information.
THIS WEEKEND’S GOSPEL -
The Gospel this weekend is really wonderful. It has such a richness to it… and many levels of meaning….
The journey of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, is also like a symbol of what happens each time we gather as disciples of Jesus at Eucharist…. when we listen to the word of God in scriptures, and Christ opens our minds to his word. And when Christ breaks the bread for us and becomes present to us, in this special way ….. and we too recognise Jesus in the breaking of the bread…….
Another very special thing about this Emmaus journey is the fact that the disciples are talking to a fellow traveller along the road… and show hospitality to this person…. unknown to them this person is Jesus himself….. it is no coincidence that Jesus becomes present to them in the outsider to whom they show hospitality … and with whom they break bread together… then their eyes are opened and they recognise Jesus…… if they had not showed hospitality to this person if they had let him go on… they may never have know who they were walking with… and what he had to offer them….. Jesus told us … what you do to the least of my brothers and sisters… you do it to ME…… love God, love your neighbour as you love yourself…… so hospitality, community and service are completely interconnected in Jesus’ kingdom….
Today’s gospel reminds us that Jesus is always with us… always there to encourage us and give us new hope… he gives his disciples the sacraments to strengthen them on our journey. Jesus also gives his disciples the power to experience the forgiveness and mercy of God through reconciliation… which assures us of God’s love and care and healing.
Our Lord walks along with us on our life journey… he is always interested to hear us tell him of our hopes, our fears… our disappointments and our failures… and he is there to reassure us and give us strength and assure us that if we keep trusting in him, the love of God has the final word in our life…. and it lasts forever…..
whenever we gather at Mass, we come together as disciples and friends of Jesus, and we break the bread and drink from the cup….and we believe that this is not just a sign of our connection to Jesus, that God forgives us, renews us and commissions us… we believe that Jesus comes to us in what looks like bread and wine and Jesus comes into our hearts and we become more and more part of Jesus’ life…. and go out into our daily lives to live his commandments to show love and care for each other… this is the unique message of the journey to Emmaus…and when we listen to the scriptures and reflect on the many ways in which Jesus is present and active in our lives, inviting us to listen to him and follow his ways……..we too can say to each other… “did not our hearts burn as Jesus talked to us along the way, and explained the scriptures to us. “
References: Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 1585608064 - Ramla, Israel, December 07, 2019: Religious icon on the territory of the ruins of the Byzantine church complex on the territory of Emmaus Nicopolis. Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: Dmitriy Feldman svarshik
To listen to the Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, please visit this link: Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - https://soundcloud.com/user-
Also found at - https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk
APRIL 25 - ANZAC Day. 108 years ago, soldiers from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Gallipoli at dawn on this day in 1915, during World War I. This national day of remembrance honours the courage and the self-sacrifice of those who served in that campaign, and that war and indeed all wars, conflicts and peace-keeping operations. We particularly recognise the sacrifice of the fallen. We commend them to God's eternal care... and we also pray fervently that the peace and justice, which they sought to defend and preserve, will dwell richly in our land and in our world and that God's peace and reverence will make a home in the hearts of every person in this world.
APRIL 26 - F - Saint Mark, evangelist - St Mark Evangelist:
◆ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Jesus Christ, quoted in Mark 12:30
◆ “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus Christ, in Mark 10:42-45.
St Louis de Montfort APRIL 27 - m - Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, priest
◆ “Have you strayed from the path leading to heaven? Then call on Mary, for her name means "Star of the Sea, the North Star which guides the ships of our souls during the voyage of this life," and she will guide you to the harbour of eternal salvation.”
◆ “God the Father has communicated to Mary His fruitfulness, as far as a mere creature was capable of it, in order that He might give her the power to produce His Son, and all the members of His mystical body.”
◆ “The works of Jesus and Mary can also be called wonderful flowers; but their perfume and beauty can only be appreciated by those who study them carefully—and who open them and drink in their scent by diligent and sincere meditation.”
◆ “When Mary has struck her roots in a soul, she produces there marvels of grace, which she alone can produce, because she alone is the fruitful Virgin who never has had, and never will have, her equal in purity and in fruitfulness.”
◆ “If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.”42 Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practise black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
◆ “In order to rid ourselves of self, we must die ourselves daily. That is to say, we must renounce the operations of the powers of our soul and the senses of our body. We must see as if we saw not, understand as if we understood not, and make use of the things of this world as if we made no use of them at all (1 Cor. 7:29-31). This is what St. Paul calls dying daily (1 Cor. 15:31). "Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone," and bringeth forth no good fruit (Jn. 12:24-25).”
◆ “Mary has produced, together with the Holy Ghost, the greatest thing which has been or ever will be—a God-Man; and she will consequently produce the greatest saints that there will be in the end of time.”
St Peter Chanel APRIL 28 - M - Saint Peter Chanel, priest and martyr
◆ St. Peter Chanel, known as the “Apostle of the South Seas” because of his missionary efforts on the island of Futuna.
◆ The day before his death, he knew that the King, Nuiliki, had ordered him to be killed. He explained: “It does not matter whether or not I am killed; the religion has taken root on the island; it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.” Fortunately, isn’t it, that everything doesn’t rest on our weak shoulders. We are instruments of God, yes, but all that we need to do is witness to the faith we know is true.
(https://www.crisismagazine.
POPE FRANCIS: Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis. Third Sunday of Easter.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
The Gospel from this Sunday, which is the Third Sunday of Easter, is that of the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). They were two of Jesus’ disciples who, after his death and the Sabbath was past, leave Jerusalem and return, sad and dejected, to their village which was named Emmaus. Along the way the Risen Jesus draws near to them, but they do not recognise him. Seeing them so sad, he first helps them to understand that the Passion and death of the Messiah were foreseen in the plan of God and announced in the Sacred Scriptures: and thus he rekindled a fire of hope in their hearts.
At that point, the two disciples experienced an extraordinary attraction to the mysterious man, and they invited him to stay with them that evening. Jesus accepted and went into the house with them. When, at table, he blessed the bread and broke it, they recognised him, but he vanished out of their sight, leaving them full of wonder. After being enlightened by the Word, they had recognised the Risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread, a new sign of his presence. And immediately they felt the need to go back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples about their experience, that they had met the living Jesus and recognised him in the act of the breaking of the bread.
The road to Emmaus thus becomes a symbol of our journey of faith: the Scriptures and the Eucharist are the indispensable elements for encountering the Lord. We too often go to Sunday Mass with our worries, difficulties and disappointments…. Life sometimes wounds us and we go away feeling sad, towards our “Emmaus”, turning our backs on God’s plan. We distance ourselves from God. But the Liturgy of the Word welcomes us: Jesus explains the Scriptures to us and rekindles in our hearts the warmth of faith and hope, and in Communion he gives us strength. The Word of God, the Eucharist. Read a passage of the Gospel every day. Remember it well: read a passage from the Gospel every day, and on Sundays go to Communion, to receive Jesus. This is what happened to the disciples of Emmaus: they received the Word; they shared the breaking of bread and from feeling sad and defeated they became joyful. Dear brothers and sisters, the Word of God and the Eucharist fill us with joy always. Remember it well! When you are sad, take up the Word of God. When you are down, take up the Word of God and go to Sunday Mass and receive Communion, to participate in the mystery of Jesus. The Word of God, the Eucharist: they fill us with joy.
Through the intercession of Most Holy Mary, let us pray that every Christian, in reliving the experience of the disciples of Emmaus, especially at Sunday Mass, may rediscover the grace of the transforming encounter with the Lord, with the Risen Lord, who is with us always. There is always a Word of God that gives us guidance after we slip; and through our weariness and disappointments there is always a Bread that is broken that keeps us going on the journey.
Let us imagine the scene: two men are walking; disappointed, sad, convinced that they are leaving behind them the bitterness of an event which ended badly. Before that Easter, they had been full of enthusiasm, convinced that those days would be decisive: their expectations met as well as the hopes of all the people. Jesus, to whom they had entrusted their lives, had seemed to arrive at the final battle. He would now manifest his power, after a long period of preparation and concealment. This is what they were expecting. And it was not to be.
The two pilgrims had been nurturing a uniquely human hope which was now falling to pieces. That Cross raised on Calvary was the most eloquent sign of a defeat that they had not foreseen. If that Jesus was truly in accordance with God’s heart, then they had to conclude that God was unarmed, defenceless in the hands of violent people, and unable to offer any resistance to evil.
So on that Sunday morning, these two men flee from Jerusalem. They still envision the events of the Passion, the death of Jesus unfolding, and their souls bear the painful torment of those events during Saturday’s forced repose. That Easter, which should have inspired a song of liberation, has instead transformed into the most painful day of their lives. They leave Jerusalem to go elsewhere, to a tranquil village. They look like people who are intent on removing a burning memory. They are thus on the road, walking in sadness. This scenario — the road — had already been important in the Gospel narratives. It will now become increasingly more important at the moment in which the history of the Church begins to be told.
Jesus’ encounter with those two disciples appears to be completely fortuitous. It seems to be one of those chance meetings that happen in life. The two disciples are walking, deep in thought, and a stranger comes up alongside them. It is Jesus, but their eyes are not able to recognise him. And therefore, Jesus begins his “therapy of hope”. What takes place on this road is a therapy of hope. Who administers it? Jesus.
Firstly, He asks and listens. Our God is not intrusive. Even though he knows the reason for the disappointment of those two men, he gives them time to be able to deeply fathom the bitterness which has overcome them. Out of this comes a confession that is a refrain in human existence. “We had hoped, but…. We had hoped, but…” (v. 21). How much sadness, how many defeats, how many failures there are in the lives of every person! Deep down, we are all a little like those two disciples. How many times do we have hope in our lives? How many times we have felt like we were one step away from happiness only to find ourselves knocked to the ground, disappointed? But, Jesus walks with all people who, discouraged, walk with their heads hung low. And walking with them in a discrete manner, he is able to restore hope.
Jesus speaks to them, above all, through the Scriptures. Those who take up God’s Book will not encounter easy heroism and fierce campaigns of conquest. True hope never comes cheaply. It continually undergoes defeat. The hope of those who do not suffer is perhaps not even [hope]. God does not like to be loved as one would love a ruler who leads his people to victory, annihilating his enemies in a bloodbath. Our God is a faint light burning on a cold and windy day, and as fragile as his presence in this world may appear, he has chosen the place that we all disdain.
Jesus then repeats for the disciples the fundamental gesture of every Eucharist. He takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it. Does not Jesus’ entire history perhaps lie in this series of gestures? And is there not in every Eucharist, also the symbol of what the Church should be? Jesus takes us, blesses us, “breaks” our life — because there is no love without sacrifice — and offers it to others; he offers it to everyone.
Jesus’ encounter with the two disciples of Emmaus is a fleeting one. But the entire destiny of the Church is contained within it. It tells us that the Christian community is not enclosed within a fortified citadel, but rather journeys along its most essential environment, which is the road. And there, it encounters people with their hopes and disappointments, burdensome at times. The Church listens to everyone’s stories as they emerge from the treasure chest of personal conscience, in order to then offer the Word of Life, the witness of love, a love that is faithful until the end. And thus, the hearts of people reignite with hope.
We have all had difficult moments in life, dark moments in which we walked in sadness, pensive, without horizons, with only a wall before us. And Jesus is always beside us to give us hope, to warm our hearts and to say: “Go ahead, I am with you. Go ahead”. The secret of the road that leads to Emmaus is simply this: despite appearances to the contrary, we continue to be loved and God will never stop loving us. God will walk with us always, always, even in the most painful moments, even in the worst moments, and even in moments of defeat. That is where the Lord is. And this is our hope. Let us go forward with this hope! Because he is beside us and walks with us. Always!
Source : Text courtesy of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 188488211 -VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - APRIL 19, 2014: Pope Francis leads the Easter vigil mass in Saint Peter's Basilica on Holy Saturday. Vatican City, 19 April 2014.Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor: giulio napolitano
SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY OF POPE FRANCIS’ GROUNDBREAKING LETTER - LAUDATO SI’ - An excerpt from the Pope’s groundbreaking Encyclical.
IV. JOY AND PEACE
222. Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.
223. Such sobriety, when lived freely and consciously, is liberating. It is not a lesser life or one lived with less intensity. On the contrary, it is a way of living life to the full. In reality, those who enjoy more and live better each moment are those who have given up dipping here and there, always on the look-out for what they do not have. They experience what it means to appreciate each person and each thing, learning familiarity with the simplest things and how to enjoy them. So they are able to shed unsatisfied needs, reducing their obsessiveness and weariness. Even living on little, they can live a lot, above all when they cultivate other pleasures and find satisfaction in fraternal encounters, in service, in developing their gifts, in music and art, in contact with nature, in prayer. Happiness means knowing how to limit some needs which only diminish us, and being open to the many different possibilities which life can offer.
224. Sobriety and humility were not favourably regarded in the last century. And yet, when there is a general breakdown in the exercise of a certain virtue in personal and social life, it ends up causing a number of imbalances, including environmental ones. That is why it is no longer enough to speak only of the integrity of ecosystems. We have to dare to speak of the integrity of human life, of the need to promote and unify all the great values. Once we lose our humility, and become enthralled with the possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably end up harming society and the environment. It is not easy to promote this kind of healthy humility or happy sobriety when we consider ourselves autonomous, when we exclude God from our lives or replace him with our own ego, and think that our subjective feelings can define what is right and what is wrong.
225. On the other hand, no one can cultivate a sober and satisfying life without being at peace with him or herself. An adequate understanding of spirituality consists in filling out what we mean by peace, which is much more than the absence of war. Inner peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good because, lived out authentically, it is reflected in a balanced lifestyle together with a capacity for wonder which takes us to a deeper understanding of life. Nature is filled with words of love, but how can we listen to them amid constant noise, interminable and nerve-wracking distractions, or the cult of appearances? Many people today sense a profound imbalance which drives them to frenetic activity and makes them feel busy, in a constant hurry which in turn leads them to ride rough-shod over everything around them. This too affects how they treat the environment. An integral ecology includes taking time to recover a serene harmony with creation, reflecting on our lifestyle and our ideals, and contemplating the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence “must not be contrived but found, uncovered”.[155]
226. We are speaking of an attitude of the heart, one which approaches life with serene attentiveness, which is capable of being fully present to someone without thinking of what comes next, which accepts each moment as a gift from God to be lived to the full. Jesus taught us this attitude when he invited us to contemplate the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, or when seeing the rich young man and knowing his restlessness, “he looked at him with love” (Mk 10:21). He was completely present to everyone and to everything, and in this way he showed us the way to overcome that unhealthy anxiety which makes us superficial, aggressive and compulsive consumers.
227. One expression of this attitude is when we stop and give thanks to God before and after meals. I ask all believers to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom. That moment of blessing, however brief, reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation; it acknowledges those who by their labours provide us with these goods; and it reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.
(see further: The Kombumerri People and https://
Commitment To Child Safety and Vulnerable-Adult Safety
……………..See overleaf …..
No comments:
Post a Comment