Prayer, in the sense of union with God, is the most crucifying thing there is. One must do it for God’s sake; but one will not get any satisfaction out of it, in the sense of feeling “I am good at prayer”, “I have an infallible method”. That would be disastrous, since what we want to learn is precisely our own weakness, powerlessness, unworthiness. Nor ought one to expect a “sense of the supernatural”…And one should wish for no prayer, except precisely the prayer that God gives us – probably very distracted and unsatisfactory in every way!
On the other hand, the only way to pray is to pray; and the way to pray well is to pray much. If one has no time for this, then one must at least pray regularly. But the less one prays, the worse it goes. And if circumstances do not permit even regularity, then one must put up with the fact that when one does try to pray, one can’t pray—and our prayer will probably consist of telling this to God…The rule is simply: pray as you can, and do not try to pray as you can’t.
Abbot John Chapman (1865-1933) In Treasury of the Catholic Church compiled by Teresa de Bertodano (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1999)
Following the very disappointing news that the Strong Futures legislation had been passed by the Senate, the Assembly of the United Church, who were meeting in Adelaide, protested on the steps of the South Australian Parliament. They were not meddling in politics, they were being the church. Four hundred people in total walked in silence from the Assembly venue to hold a vigil on the steps of Parliament House to sing, pray and mourn the continuing disrespect shown to the First Peoples of this land, in a public act of worship and lament.
We are one body in Christ ‘if one member suffers, all suffer’. (1 Corinthians 12:26) This legislation was also strongly opposed by the Australian Catholic Bishops. In the words of Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra from the Northern Territory, the Government has declared a ‘war on democracy.’ It has ignored our 43,000 signatures, the 450 submissions made to the Senate Enquiry, United Nations condemnation and even its own Human Rights Committee asking for a human rights test of the legislation. The full statement by Andrew Dutney, President of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church can be obtained at the Welcome
“Birthplace of The Ashes”
REGISTRATION DAY Saturday 25th AUGUST 2012 9am – 12noon
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Reflection on the Gospel – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
Veronica Lawson RSM
John 6:41-51
Jesus was a Jew, as was John, the author of the gospel. It may seem strange, therefore, that John has the ‘Jews’ complaining about Jesus. It is strange indeed, and it has caused many a reader to wonder. John seems to use the designation ‘Jew’ as a code word for the opponents of Jesus. These opponents are almost exclusively Jewish leaders and not the ordinary people who followed Jesus. The designation does not include all the leaders of course: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea stand out as leaders who came to accept him and to take risks on account of their faith.
The complaint of the ‘Jews’ relates to Jesus’ claim: ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’. Jesus shares the world view of his contemporaries: God is in the heavens above, so that anything or anyone coming from God comes down from heaven. The problem for his adversaries is that Jesus is one of them: they know his father Joseph and his grandparents, so how can he be making such a claim? They make the mistake of thinking that is all there is to know about his origins. ‘Don’t complain’ is Jesus’ response to them. He goes on to tell them that there are dimensions of his being of which they know nothing. Yet they need to know, as do we. It is God who draws us to Jesus. Like the opponents of Jesus, we need to listen and to learn, to be taught by God. We need the bread of God’s teaching.
Jesus makes a future promise: the bread he offers is different from the bread the Israelites ate in the desert in that those who eat of the bread that Jesus offers will live forever. Furthermore, the bread that he will give for the life of the world is his flesh. This leads to further misunderstanding and the opportunity for Jesus to teach at a deeper level, as we shall see in next’s week’s reading. The eucharistic overtones in today’s reading are subtle but nonetheless present, as they were in the feeding story. John is writing some seventy years after the death of Jesus for communities that gathered every week for the breaking of the bread-in memory of him. Like the early Christians, we reflect on the mystery of eucharist. At the very least, we are invited to move beyond over-literal interpretations that can blind us to the deeper dimensions of our faith.
We offer our prayers and sympathy to Jonathan and Andrew Hines as their father Michael entered eternal life last Wednesday. Michael has been our parishioner for twenty years and was involved in a small Christian community and in the music ministry. He held several positions in the Knights of the Southern Cross, including past Branch Chairman and with some of his fellow KSC friends, acted as a volunteer maintenance man, especially for the Sisters at the Convent.
His funeral on Tuesday will begin with Mass at 2.00pm and conclude with burial at Sunbury Cemetery.
An invitation is extended to attend a movie afternoon that has been arranged to raise funds for the next African Children’s Choir in Uganda. Sunday August 12 at 4pm “The Sapphires” starring Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman will be played at Readings Cinema Sunbury. Tickets are $25 each and include admission and refreshment at the end of the movie. All profits will go directly to Kwaya Aust. Inc. Contact Sonjo on 9740 1705 for tickets. If you would like to know more about Kwaya Aust Inc, go to www.kwaya.org.
The Caleb Faria fundraiser will be held on Saturday 15th September 6.30pm to 11.00pm in the Parish Centre. BYO food and drinks. Contact Betty 0408 398 173 or Michelle 0401 283 065 for tickets.
Donated items to be raffled and auctioned and music entertainment will be provided.
It will be an evening of fun with friends to help raise funds for Caleb Faria.
“Thank you for all the various types of support given to Anthony and me over the last few months of his illness. The Holy Spirit is definitely present in our Parish. I was so overwhelmed by the number of people in attendance at both the Vigil Prayers and the Celebration of Anthony’s life. Anthony always felt the embrace our Parish community gives and it has been very comforting to see this be extended to our families. A special thanks goes out to the St Vinnies Conference for the contribution to the service and for hosting the wake. I would especially like to extend my gratitude to Father Kevin for making Anthony’s farewell such a special occasion. Thanks also goes to Fr Bert and Fr Will for con- celebrating the Mass. God Bless,” Rita Rocco.
Indigenous communities are over represented among the world’s poorest and most marginalised. How can we walk in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples to challenge this injustice? Join us on 25-26 August in Sydney for two exciting days of learning, skill building and action planning. Visit our website for more information: http://www.caritas.org.au/act/walk-as-one-indigenous-peoples-campaign.
This Feast day is a Holy Day of Obligation on which Catholics over the age of reason are obliged to take part in the Celebration of the Eucharist. There are three Masses on the day : 9.30am St Anne’s Church, 12.30pm OLMC Church 7.30pm St. Anne’s Church.
GRACEFEST is a five day festival from this Wednesday to next Sunday as part of the Year of Grace. Full details are in the booklet available at the Welcome Desk.
Training for young people wishing to become Altar Servers will be held at 11am on Saturdays 11 and 18 August in St Anne’s Church. Applicants must be 10 years of age and have received or about to receive Eucharist.
Any inquiries can be directed to 9744-2674.
We are invited to the Sunbury Community free concert and luncheon, Sunbury Community Hall, Wednesday 15 August 2012 from 11.30 to 2.30pm. Starring the Huffers & Puffers Band. Bookings Frances Arians on 9744 1999.
Next week we begin National Vocations Awareness Week. We focus on each person’s vocation, especially our primary vocation– the call to holiness. The call to holiness is to become all that God has created us to be, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul and to share our gifts and talents for the common good of all society. We pray that our young people will hear the call to dedicate their lives to God and make a commitment to serve God’s people. If we have already committed to a particular vocation, such as single or marriage, or priesthood or consecrated life we also pray for God’s grace to rededicate ourselves and continue to live out this call in our life.
It is as simple as that. There is no need for us to get caught up in the ways of the world – consumed with our possessions or achievements, focused on keeping up with the Joneses or being the best of the best. No. As St. Paul reminds us in today’s second reading, in order to be happy and fulfilled in our lives, in order to do what we were created to do, to glorify the Lord and live worthy of the lives He has given us, we must simply live in love. Notice how much more peaceful and manageable that calling is to the calling of the world which encourages us to attain more material possessions, to become a better businessman than the next one, to have the biggest most well furnished house on the block, and on and on. The world encourages us to find comfort and greatness in the here and now. It is exhausting just to think about. And, what’s more, it will never fulfill us, because we were not made for the here and now. We were made for God. God calls us to simply love – love Him above all else and love our neighbors as ourselves. And, the wonderful Lord that He is, He does not merely call us to do that, He gives us an example to follow. So, St. Paul urges us, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed Himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God” (second reading). Living in love, in true, unconditional, Christian love, means giving oneself for the sake of another, just as Christ did. He offered His life out of true love for us, because He wanted us to have life everlasting, and He knew that in His offering Himself as expiation for our sins, that would be possible. Likewise, each one of us is called to love God and love our neighbor. In doing so, we look out for our neighbor. We offer him ourselves in loving service, for no other reason than because we care for him. There are plenty of ministries within our parish that offer us the opportunity to do just that. As Christ’s disciples, we should get involved. We should show true genuine Christian charity, and not in order to be praised or to check a to-do off our list, but solely out of love for one another. That’s what it means to be a Christian steward, to follow Christ, and to serve one another in love. And to think, we don’t have to do it alone. In His ever-present spirit of love for us, the Lord not only gives us an example to follow, He gives us His grace and His strength, especially through the sacraments, aiding us in carrying out our mission as Christian stewards. The more we participate in the sacraments, the more equipped we’ll be to live discipleship. “Get up and eat, else your journey will be too long for you” (first reading). Christ gives us Himself in the sacraments – His grace, His life – and He invites us to participate in them, promising us that when we do, He will strengthen us. “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, but they died… I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (gospel). So, as we live our lives, striving to follow Christ as His disciples, we are called to love, first God and then one another, and we ought to run to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, to encounter Christ and to gain the strength to “live in a manner worthy of the call we have received”(Eph. 4:1).
As part of our Year of Grace, you are invited to join the festivities of Gracefest. Beginning with the feast of the Assumption on Wednesday 15 August, Opening Mass 6.20pm St Patrick’s Cathedral. Gracefest will continue until the 19 August. Special performance by The Voice contestant, Fataik Veamatahau. The full details are in a booklet at the back of the church.
Fr Paul was ordained in 1952 and served the Church with humble devotion. Fr Paul died on the morning of the anniversary of his 60th year of ordination into priesthood. He was the parish priest of Fawkner North for 36 years.
An invitation is extended to attend a movie afternoon that has been arranged to raise funds for the next African Children’s Choir in Uganda. Sunday August 12 at 4pm “The Sapphires” starring Jessica Mauboy and Deborah Mailman will be played at Readings Cinema Sunbury. Tickets are $25 each and include admission and refreshment at the end of the movie. All profits will go directly to Kwaya Aust. Inc. Contact Sonjo on 9740 1705 for tickets. If you would like to know more about Kwaya Aust Inc, go to www.kwaya.org.
Married couples, we encourage you to prioritise your relationship. It underpins your family life. please join us for a Marriage Encounter weekend. Our weekend helps you to remember why you married and gives you skills to maintain your love for each other. Couples and priests present the weekend. It is based around catholic values but you don’t need to be catholic to attend.
There is no group sharing.
Our weekends in 2012 are: 10-12 August and 12-14 October in Melbourne. Further info contact Mr & Mrs Van den Bronk on 03 9733 6979 or email vicbookings@wwme.org.au.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Sunbury 
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