St Luke's Catholic Faith Community Marsden Park in Marsden, New South Wales, Australia | Community organisation

St Luke's Catholic Faith Community Marsden Park

Locality: Marsden, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 8840 8521

Address: 2 Springdale Street 2765 Marsden, NSW, Australia

Website: http://stlukesmarsdenpark.org.au

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24.01.2022 A recording of our 10 am Mass this morning: https://us02web.zoom.us//aTaCTAHkCiw0w74kf8rfNCrvh5V_wMTjs Passcode: Z2FBHs0=

24.01.2022 #dailyreflections Remembering the martyrs’ courage of faith. Today is the memorial of St Andrew Dung-Lac and the martyrs of Vietnam. Amid religious persecution in Vietnam in the 19th century, between 100,000 and 300,000 Catholics were killed, including Fr Andrew and other priests and lay people who refused to deny their faith. In today’s Gospel reading, we hear of Jesus speaking about the destruction of the temple, and the coming of the end of all worldly things. ‘Do not be t...errified’, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘for such things must happen first.’ It’s hard to imagine the horrors that these and other martyrs endured for their faith. Remembering them, and their courage and faith, helps remind us that God invites us into a life long beyond the end of our existence in this world. And that God will continue to share in our lives, even in the depths of our pain, in this passing world we live in now. Ss Andrew Dung-Lac & Cc Apocalypse 14:14-19. The Lord comes to judge the earth Psalm 95(96):10-13. Luke 21:5-11.

24.01.2022 JOIN US FOR MASS WHEREVER YOU ARE THESE HOLIDAYS With the school holidays about to start, St Luke's Catholic Faith Community members can join together for Mass whether you stay at home or travel away. If you are staying home, book in for Mass this weekend:... Saturday Vigil (5.30pm) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110582713874 Sunday morning (10am) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110583072948 If you have difficulty using our ticketing system, you are free to email us at [email protected] If you are travelling away from home, you an still join the community for Mass via Zoom at 10am on Sunday via this link: https://zoom.us/j/93918900500 Blessings to you and your family. Deacon Tony Hoban Pastoral Director

23.01.2022 Hear from Arvin Joya, one of our Pastoral Council members providing an update on our 2nd pillar ‘Our Place to Gather and Worship’. As members of the faith community, we shall embark on a major project of constructing our own place for a new church building in the next couple of years. Our immediate areas of focus are planning and fundraising where we will establish working committees such as finance advisory group, a finance committee where fundraising will be a sub-committee..., a member’s database committee and a building committee. How can you help? We now have an opportunity to take the lead and be visionaries in our parish using the wisdom, skills, and gifts that God has given us. If you have experience and technical knowledge in Project and Event Management, Building and Construction, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Sales and other related fields and/or also have the soft skills such as the passion to take a mission to completion, perseverance, Creativity, Patience, and Communication skills, and would like to share your gifts let us know by emailing us at: [email protected]

22.01.2022 Rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Saturday Reflections) In today’s Gospel I am struck by the fact that Jesus teaches his disciples how to view their world and their God. He says that the way to see the world is not through the eyes of those in power, but through the eyes of children and those without influence. He tells them to be thankful that they have been given this gift of seeing the world as he does. He tells them that the only way to know the Father is to ...know the Son, a simple man who travelled, taught and had no fixed address. This goes against all the Roman world of the time taught. Power, privilege and money were all important. Jesus was seen as a radical because he challenged this view, not only with his teaching, but with his actions and his calls to action. Readings for the day Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17. Lord, let your face shine on me Psalm 118(119):66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130. Luke 10:17-24. pray.com.au

22.01.2022 Learn to see the truth before you (Thursday Reflections) If one were to translate the words of Herod in today’s Gospel to today’s parlance, the term ‘Fake news’ might be considered an appropriate one.... The reading finds Herod becoming perplexed by strange news of happenings in the Kingdom of John being raised from the dead, of Elijah or an ancient prophet appearing. The reading ends with the words, ‘and he kept trying to see him’. In the figure of Herod, we see a leader who is disconnected from his people, one whose arrogance and narrow mindedness prevents him from seeing the truth that’s before him. Even today, Jesus is not accessible to those who only seek to find him from on high. Only by humbling ourselves, only by going among those on the margins of society, only by building relationships with the outcasts, will we be able to ‘see’ Jesus. Readings for the day: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge Psalm 89(90):3-6, 12-14, 17. Luke 9:7-9.

21.01.2022 The women who accompanied Jesus (Friday Reflections) As Jesus spread the Good News he cured people and forgave their sins. Many of his disciples were women. In our world sadly the definition of a person’s gender still limits their abilities and opportunities.... Inspired by today’s short Gospel spend time contemplating our Lord’s love for people. He loved their uniqueness and their differences. He saw through the labels and limitations placed on them by social structures. Do you allow difference of any kind cloud your view? How can you enter into each day more aware of the perfection of each person? How can you forgive and heal like Jesus? Who do you journey with as you seek to spread good news? Day of penance Readings for the day: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full Psalm 16(17):1, 6-8, 15. Luke 8:1-3. pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@priscilladupreez

20.01.2022 First Reconciliation Class of 2020 We congratulate the class of almost 40 children who made their first Reconciliation last night at St Luke’s. We pray that they continue to meet the mercy, love and forgiveness of Jesus in this sacrament throughout their lives. We thank Fr Florito from Marayong and Fr Regie from Blacktown for being celebrants of the Sacrament.

19.01.2022 BOOK IN FOR MASS THIS WEEKEND: Saturday Vigil (5.30pm) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110582713874 Sunday morning (10am) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110583072948 If you have difficulty using our ticketing system, you are free to email us at [email protected] ... If you are travelling away from home, you can still join the community for Mass via Zoom at 10am on Sunday via this link: https://zoom.us/j/93918900500 Blessings to you and your family. Kind Regards Deacon Tony Hoban Pastoral Director

18.01.2022 ‘Guard your heart’. This short Gospel gives a warning to stay alert for the second coming but also reminds us of the comfort and support of connecting to God, particularly through prayer, can bring. When we focus too much on the busyness of our lives or become slaves to our work, our passions, or any form of addiction, we can lose sight of the support God can give us. In the next verse of the Gospel, not in today’s reading, Jesus leads by example and goes off to spend time wi...th God on the Mount of Olives. He put his relationship with his Father at the centre of hismission. Apocalypse 22:1-7. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Psalm 94(95):1-7. Luke 21:34-36. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

18.01.2022 No one knows who the Son is except the Father. When I first made the Spiritual Exercises, back in 1980, the great grace of the retreat was a new awareness of God as Father. I had a deep sense of having a Father who loved and cared for me. This persisted for years. About five years later, I was making an eight-day retreat at a retreat centre. Each afternoon, I would walk for an hour around the area. Walking through a wooded area, I suddenly thought ‘Oh, you know about the Fath...er’. I realised I could talk to Jesus about who the Father was to me. I became aware of Jesus living for the Father and that I could live with Jesus for the Father. The Father had revealed Jesus to me, and Jesus, in turn had deepened my knowledge of the Father. That became my dominant way of living. Isaiah 11:1-10. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever Psalm 71(72):1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17. Luke 10:21-24. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

17.01.2022 The choice to be a Christian means stepping out of one’s comfort zone (Wednesday Reflections) Today’s Gospel highlights the cost of choosing to follow Christ. We may have a place to lay our head, but spiritually we are homeless until we rest in God. The other words of Jesus seem harsh to abandon family and loved ones without saying goodbye. Perhaps Jesus was exaggerating in order to make a bigger point. We can always find reasons to delay what could be done in the present. ...Sometimes we need to reflect on where our priorities lie. If we are always making excuses for delaying, what are we trying to avoid? Let us take our procrastinations and concerns to God in prayer. St Jerome Readings for the day Job 9:1-12, 14-16. Let my prayer come before you, Lord Psalm 87(88):10-15. Luke 9:57-62. pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@baciutudor

15.01.2022 ‘You will be seized and persecuted ’ It is easy enough for us to trust God when all is going well. It is when we find the going difficult that it can be much harder. We can then tend to look for help from within ourselves or from those around us. There is a saying that when we take our eyes off God all we see are the obstacles about us. But it is precisely in those times of difficulty and hardship that Jesus is telling us to place everything in his hands. He offers help when... we declare our need. The literal situation in today’s gospel probably won’t happen to most of us, but there we read of the care Jesus has for us. He wants to help us in our smallest difficultiesif we but turn to him. St Catherine of Alexandria Apocalypse 15:1-4. Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God Psalm 97(98):1-3, 7-9. Luke 21:12-19. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

15.01.2022 JESUS GIVES A WAKE UP CALL FOR CATHOLICS IN COVID TIME I think our Gospel today is a very important one for us Catholics in a time of pandemic. In fact, it can be a wake-up call for us....Continue reading

14.01.2022 St Luke’s has welcomed Jerome, a ‘Deacon in Training’ into its community this month. Jerome D’Rozario is in training to be a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Parramatta. He and his wife, Theresa, have previously been at Sacred Heart Church, Mt Druitt South.... Jerome has been in formation to be a deacon for three years. As part of formation for this vocation, the men in training spend a period of time in a parish away from their home parish in order to broader their experience and pastoral skills. Jerome has joined the Leadership Team at St Luke’s and is already active as an Acolyte and usher. He will take on other ministries next year. We welcome Jerome and Theresa to our faith community.

13.01.2022 Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands (Tuesday Reflections) It is human nature to want to belong, to be part of the ‘in crowd’. In today’s Gospel there is a simple formula for becoming part of the ‘innest’ crowd of them all to become brothers and sisters to Jesus all we need to do is to hear the Word of God and put it into practice. Today’s readings are all concerned with wickedness and virtue. If we follow the Lord’s command and keep God’s law we will find delight, b...ut those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor shall themselves plead and not be heard. Readings for the day Proverbs 21:1-6, 10-13. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands Psalm 118(119):1, 27, 30, 34-35, 44. Luke 8:19-21. pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@jannerboy62

13.01.2022 A recording of our 10am Mass this morning with Fr John Hogan, Rector of the Holy Spirit Seminary, as celebrant: https://us02web.zoom.us//AaK1HcF__c-ySPjkDibH6lKPDtLviN5y5 Passcode: D=7?OuXk

12.01.2022 WE ENTER A NEW YEAR OF CHRISTIAN VITALITY In the Gospel parable today (Mark 13:33-37), each of the servants in the master’s home are given their own tasks to perform while the master is away. They must perform these tasks to the best of their ability. One day the master will return at a time he will not announce in advance and the servants need to be ready to give an account of how well they have performed their tasks. As Christians, we can see the Church as the master’s ...house. We all have our various tasks to do to help the house to function as it was meant to. For most adults, your primary task is to be great parents and spouses. To bring your children up to not only be happy, healthy and well educated, but also with a knowledge that they are loved by God and called to love God and their neighbour in return. To not only tell your children how to be good followers of Christ but to also model this in the way you live yourselves. Whether this is the primary vocation we are called to live out, or as single people, or in ordained or professed vocations, the key is that we fulfil our role to the best of our ability. And in living out our calling to be good servants of Christ we come to enjoy fullness of life or vitality. This is the opposite of regret, guilt and remorse. Those feelings are heavy feelings that pull us down. Living with Christian vitality is, by comparison, a light feeling. A feeling that we stayed the course of discipleship, amidst the challenges we have faced. That whenever we have failed, and perhaps temporarily become irresponsible, we have had the vulnerability to say sorry, to repent, and then to have returned to a state of vitality. St Paul reminds us in our second reading today (1 Corinthians 1:3-9) that our vitality can only come from one place. He tells us we have been joined to Jesus Christ. We need to stay in Christ. To return to him each week as members of his worshipping community. To turn to him for forgiveness when we fail - through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To receive the food of vitality in the Eucharist. By these means God offers us many ways of staying awake so that we may be found ready when the master returns. As we enter a new Church year today, let’s turn to this loving God and ask him to help us deepen our relationship with him in the year to come. See more

12.01.2022 Hear from Julia Hoban, our Youth Leader this time wearing another hat as a Pastoral Council member in providing a quick update on our 3rd pillar, Our Youth Support and Outreach. The vision for this pillar is to provide children with their own liturgy and youth an opportunity to grow in faith together. Also to provide the community with sacraments and opportunities for outreach programs. So how can you help? You can volunteer your time to one of the ministries using your ow...n gifts and talents. As I mentioned earlier we specifically need more volunteers for the Children’s and Youth ministries. We are also looking for adult volunteers to support our Sacramental programs. If you are interested in volunteering for one of these ministries or would like some further information, you can email us at [email protected] Next week, Charles will provide an update on the last pillar.

12.01.2022 Sunday 29th November is the LAST day of collection. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL - A reminder that we have until Nov.29 left to bring in donated items for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. To allow time for them to be sorted and then distributed to families in need, they need to be here by the last Sunday of this month. The items needed are: Christmas pudding, fruit cake, tea & coffee, long life milk, milo, sweet & savoury biscuits, pancake mix, fruit mince pies, j...am/vegemite, Christmas cake, custard, breakfast cereal, Christmas decs/bon bons, candy canes/lollies, dried & tinned fruit, pasta & pasta sauce, couscous & rice, muesli bars, toiletry items. (Please ensure all items are well within the ‘use by’ date.) All items must be non-perishable. Small gifts for children aged from 0-12 years, both male and female are always appreciated. (Please do not wrap these in Christmas paper as they will need to be checked as being safe and appropriate). Stationary items would also be very helpful at this time of year. Please bring the items and leave at our donation table when you attend Mass. See more

12.01.2022 ‘The kingdom of God is near!’ Today’s readings are so optimistic. The psalm says, ‘My heart and my soul ring out their joy to God, the living God.’ The Gospel Acclamation bids us, ‘Lift up your heads and see ’ Jesus, who always used nature and human living as examples through which to teach, here urges his disciples to notice the tiny buds on the fig tree, and, indeed, to notice ‘every tree’, for signs of good things to come. Perhaps today could be a good day on which to lif...t up our heads and see the signs around us of God’s presencethe kingdom of God here and now, in creation, in the unexpected ‘buds’ and in the marvels of human living! Then, may our ‘hearts and souls ring out their joy’ to our ever-present living God. Day of penance Apocalypse 20:1-4, 11 21:2. Here God lives among his people Psalm 83(84):3-6, 8. Luke 21:29-33. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

11.01.2022 To give and receive love (Thursday Reflections) In my workplace with children aged 5 18, I frequently use the concept of honour ‘Let us honour each other in this sacred space, for each of us is worthy of love and respect.’ No matter the faith and cultural backgrounds of the children, they get this idea what it is to honour another person, not to label, to accept, include and show positive regard. In this Gospel passage, a woman who courageously enters the home of a Phar...isee, is openly labelled as having a ‘bad name’ and Jesus is questioned for allowing her near him. She honours him with her tears, her ointment, her hair, not asking him for anything, simply expressing her love. She must sense that she is safe in his presence. Jesus, in return, stands up for her. This is a simple, yet challenging, example of how to give and receive love and how to honour this ultimate gift. St Robert Bellarmine Readings for the day: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good Psalm 117(118):1-2, 15-17, 28. Luke 7:36-50. pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@jtylernix

10.01.2022 Starting Advent Spiritually A group of St Luke’s Catholic Faith Community members got off to a special start to Advent with a Spirituality Day on Saturday, November 28. Led by Faith Enrichment Coordinator, Tessie James, the day involved reflection on videos from the Diocese of Parramatta site, ‘The Well’ (https://thewell.org.au/). There was time for personal reflection, great sharing of personal insights, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction, and prayer and wor...ship. The participants were asked to reflect on the Canonised Saints who are important to them as well as the ‘living saints’ who inspire them. It was a wonderful, prayerful opportunity to start the time of expectation and waiting for the arrival of Jesus at Christmas. Thank you to Tessie Ida James, our Liturgical Ministry Lead for leading this successful Spiritual Day

10.01.2022 BOOK IN FOR MASS THIS WEEKEND Hi St Luke's Catholic Faith Community members Please book in for Mass this weekend:... Saturday Vigil (5.30pm) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110582713874 Sunday morning (10am) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110583072948 If you have difficulty using our ticketing system, you are free to email us at [email protected] If you can't be there in person, join us via Zoom at 10am on Sunday via this link: https://zoom.us/j/93918900500 We will also be offering the Sacrament of Reconciliation AFTER our 5.30pm Mass tomorrow. Check out our bulletin for this weekend here: https://stlukesmarsdenpark.org.au//2020/09/Sept-20-2020.pdf Blessings to you and your family. - Deacon Tony Hoban Pastoral Director St Luke's Catholic Faith Community

09.01.2022 They are like children sitting in the market place (Wednesday Reflections) Arabella: I see what you mean, Jesus. Your critics just looked for excuses to condemn John the Baptist and yourself. Nothing you did would ever have pleased them. The children’s song called them out. People of our generation hate hypocrisy, and we would have done the same as you, I am sure. We don’t like wowsers who preach against good food and drink. Jesus: Thanks for your support, Arabella. But don’t... you think my teaching might have offended the people of your generation, too, even those who boast of being Christian? Would you approve of your children abandoning their jobs and following me? Or encourage them to go out with prostitutes and extortioners? Or to call out the authorities for their injustice? Or urged them to go resolutely to gaol and death for believing in me, even when being offered a way out? Arabella: There’s no need to be offensive, Jesus. Do you really expect all that of us? Ss Cornelius & Cyprian Readings for the day: 1 Corinthians 12:31 13:13. Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own Psalm 32(33):2-5, 12, 22. Luke 7:31-35. pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@wonderlane

08.01.2022 Today we mark Child Protection Sunday, on which we pray for those who have been abused, their families and supporters. We recognise and apologise for the harm done by priests, religious and lay people in Church settings.... The Church takes a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse. We recommit to practices that support survivors and make the Catholic Church and its ministries the safest possible place for children and people at risk.

08.01.2022 SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT! Good News! We can again sing at Mass. Eased restrictions mean that singing is allowed again at Mass. However, people over the age of 12 must wear a mask when singing (and mask wearing is still strongly encouraged for all people attending Mass). Speaking of singing, a reminder that we will be holding Christmas Carols via Zoom on Saturday, December 12 from 7pm to 8.30pm. To join in, click on this link: ... https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81031688055 Passcode: 190723 Book in for Mass We continue to have 120 seats available for each Mass this weekend with Zoom still available for our 10am Sunday Mass. To book in, click on one of the links below: Saturday Vigil (5.30pm) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110582713874 Sunday morning (10am) Mass: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/110583072948 If you have difficulty using our ticketing system, you are free to email us at [email protected] If you can't make it in person, join the community for Mass via Zoom at 10am on Sunday via this link: https://zoom.us/j/93918900500 Vinnies Appeal Finally, a reminder that this weekend is the last weekend for you to bring in donated items for the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. To allow time for them to be sorted and then distributed to families in need, they need to be here by this Sunday, November 29. The items needed are: Christmas pudding, fruit cake, tea & coffee, long life milk, milo, sweet & savoury biscuits, pancake mix, fruit mince pies, jam/vegemite, Christmas cake, custard, breakfast cereal, Christmas decs/bon bons, candy canes/lollies, dried & tinned fruit, pasta & pasta sauce, couscous & rice, muesli bars, toiletry items. (Please ensure all items are well within the ‘use by’ date.) All items must be non-perishable. Small gifts for children aged from 0-12 years, both male and female are always appreciated. (Please do not wrap these in Christmas paper as they will need to be checked as being safe and appropriate). Stationary items would also be very helpful at this time of year. Blessings for a wonderful weekend Deacon Tony

07.01.2022 ‘I will make you fishers of men’ The readings today are a beautiful reflection of the invitational call to mission, to which StAndrew responded so generously that he gave his life. The Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ invitation to two sets of brothers Andrew and his brother Peter, James and his brother John and their unhesitating response. St Paul reminds the Roman community that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ. He also reminds the community that ‘Not everyo...ne, of course, listens to the Good News.’ Today, on this feast of St Andrew, one of the first to be called by Jesus, let us remind ourselves of our own invitational calling fromGod. Do we respond unhesitatingly? Dowe respond generously? Do we hear the Good News? Feast of St Andrew Romans 10:9-18. Their message goes out through all the earth Psalm 18(19):2-5. Matthew 4:18-22. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

07.01.2022 GOD DOESN’T WANT SLAVES IN HIS VINEYARD (Sunday Gospel Reflections) The Gospel story of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) is an illustration of the need for us to show perseverance in our walk of faith. The labourers hired at the eleventh hour could be perceived as being lucky because they received the same pay as those who worked all day. But they deserve praise because they were in the marketplace all day waiting to be hired....Continue reading

07.01.2022 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud. The terrifying details in Jesus’ apocalyptic description of the end time were drawn largely from the writings of the prophets and were doubtless familiar to Jesus’ contemporaries. Whatever we may understand by these events, we do affirm in the creed: ‘He will come again to judge the living and the dead.’ Leaving the past to the mercy of God and the future to his providence, let us focus on the present. The Risen Christ, our... hope and pledge of glory, comes to us today and every day. Every day is, in some sense, a day of judgment on which we should humbly acknowledge our infidelities, repent of our sinfulness and pray for the courage and strength that only Christ can give. ‘Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.’ Apocalypse 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9. Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb Psalm 99(100):2-5. Luke 21:20-28. #dailyreflections pray.com.au

07.01.2022 A profound lesson in wonder and awe (Friday Reflections) God’s response to Job, of which we hear parts today, comes after he and his ‘friends’ have discussed his suffering at length and after Elihu’s fiery intervention. The Lord does not offer a detailed explanation, but this beautiful passage provides a profound, if painful, lesson in wonder and awe. The knowledge of his greatness and transcendence found here is married in this text and many others with a forceful insistence... that this God, though so far beyond us, loves us. To me there are few places in Scripture which meditate on this more beautifully than today’s Psalm. Jesus, in response to his disciples’ questions about human greatness, teaches us to be childlike. Together these readings speak of God’s greatness, our smallness and his love. Saint Therese, well acquainted with suffering, ties these together when she offers as a model ‘the little child who sleeps without fear in its father’s arms’. Guardian Angels. Day of penance Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way Psalm 138(139):1-3, 7-10, 13-14. Matthew 18:1-5, 10 pray.com.au https://unsplash.com/@wildlittlethingsphoto

04.01.2022 Our 10 am Mass today: https://us02web.zoom.us//9iMcduA_KKkeM_RA7aekhN4cCMySTWY5B Passcode: *=B3%Cw%

03.01.2022 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son’ (Monday Reflections) We have heard the above well-known Bible verse so often that I wonder if its meaning washes over us as we think in our minds ‘Yeah yeah, I know, God loves us’. But let us sit with the enormity of that for a moment. God, the ground of our being, loves us so much that God gave himself to us in human form in the person of Jesus. This precious gift shows us that we are loved unconditionally and freely by ...God, who can do no other but love us. God gave this love for us so that we may have eternal life, so that we may be liberated from all that binds us, and experience life in all its fullness as God dreamt for us. Do we believe this? Do we live our lives firm in the knowledge and experience that we are loved and that nothing is going to change that? Do our relationships with others reflect this reality? Have we taken time recently to be still enough to hear God’s voice telling us just how much we are loved? Triumph of the Cross Readings for the day: Numbers 21:4-9. Do not forget the works of the Lord! Psalm 77(78):1-2, 34-38. Philippians 2:6-11. John 3:13-17. pray.com.au

01.01.2022 The 1st Sunday of Advent symbolizes Hope with the Prophet’s Candle reminding us that Jesus is coming. So, we pray: All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, forever and ever. AMEN.

01.01.2022 Our Lady watches over us (Tuesday Reflections) ‘At the Cross her station keeping, stood the mournful Mother weeping, close to her Son to the last’, begins the Stabat Mater hymn.... Today we place ourselves in the shoes of Mary, Mother of Jesus, as she keeps sorrowful vigil over her dying son. We also keep in our minds and hearts all mothers who keep a vigil over their children from the time they’re vulnerable infants, through their childhood and adolescence, to their time in the world. As we encounter people today, and throughout this week, let us consider them not just as shopkeepers, police officers, doctors, friends, but as children who a mother has raised and nurtured as a gift to the world. In doing so, let us also be grateful for how each person is loved and cherished and watched over by Our Lady. Our Lady of Sorrows Readings for the day: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31. We are his people: the sheep of his flock Psalm 99(100). Luke 7:11-17.

01.01.2022 A recording of our 10am Mass this morning: https://us02web.zoom.us//stKq9JOxNSmInJW0JRvayPXVEqWc1qV1U Passcode: #4=@7#Ku