SUNDAY MASSENTRANCE ANTIPHON:The merciful love of the Lord fi lls the earth; by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia.FIRST READING: Acts 2:36-41.RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 23.RESPONSE:The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.1. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me; he revives my soul. ℟2. He guides me along the right path, for the sake of his name. Though I should walk in the valley

of the shadow of death, no evil would I fear, for you are with me. Your crook and your staff will give me comfort. ℟3. You have prepared a table before me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overfl owing. ℟4. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for length of days unending. ℟SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2:20-25.GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own, and my own know me. Alleluia.GOSPEL: John 10:1-10.COMMUNION ANTIPHON:The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his fl ock, alleluia.

CCCCatholic ink inkinkinkL Easter Light4th Sunday of Easter Year A Divine Office: Week IV 7 May 2017

Copyright. Do not reproduce without permission. © Redemptorist Pastoral Publications, P O Box 341, Merrivale, 3291. Phone 087 808 2369. Fax 086 545 4381. Email: janet@rpp.org.za. Internet: www.rpp.org.za. Printed by Paarl Media.

RedemptoristPublicationsSouthAfrica

A painting of St Christopher by Titian, 1524

EVERY YEAR on this, Good Shepherd Sunday, we are invited to pray for ‘good shepherds’ within the Church. This year the Pope

has chosen to reflect on a vital aspect of the vocation of every Christian: the missionary dimension of being a disciple of Jesus. The basis of the message of Pope Francis for Vocations Sunday is that all Christians are called to be missionaries of the Gospel: ‘As disciples, we do not receive the gif t of God’s love for our per sona l conso la t ion , nor a re we ca l led to promote ourselves, or a business concern. We are simply men and women… who cannot keep this experience to ourselves’.

I f every Christian is a ‘Christ bearer (christopher)’ then this is v iv idly the case for those called to the Consecrated Life (in Religious Life) and/or to the ordained ministry (deacons, priests, bishops).

In his Message for today’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations the Pope offers a brief reflection on three aspects of the missionary vocation.

The f irst is the fact that as Christians we share in the very mission of Jesus himself. Through our baptism we too are anointed by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor… to proclaim release to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (Luke 4:18-19). Without this mission we would not be Christian.

Secondly the Pope assures us that as we

bring the good news to others, Jesus is with us ‘at every step of the way’. He reminds us how Jesus walked along the road to Emmaus with the dejected disciples af ter the tragedy

of Good Friday and how they eventually recognised him in how he explained the Scriptures to them and in the breaking of the bread. So with us on our journey of faith: Jesus accompanies us, warms our heart with his Word and feeds our spirit with his real presence.

Finally we are offered an important insight into how to be missionary. Pope Franc i s echoes the Gospel in telling us not to put our trust in ‘power, prosely tism or intolerant f anat icism’; nor should we place too much reliance on ‘undue concern for structures’. The secret of missionary work and indeed o f vocat ions promot ion , l i e s i n ‘ c o n s t a n t contemplative prayer’.

We are reminded that the Spirit works quietly, secretly and silently; our role is to be available to sow the seed – and to let God give the increase.

It is in our ‘profound friendship with the Lord’ that all missionary/vocation ministry f lourishes.

The Pope finishes his Message by recalling how Mary, Mother of our Saviour, placed her youth and her enthusiasm in God’s hands. Young people will respond to the gentle invitation of the Spirit if we show them an attractive face of Jesus by our own missionary enthusiasm.

Light on Vocations

Live the Word T H E W E E K A H E A D

(KEY: SOLEMNITY; FEAST; Memorial; (Optional Memorial)Colour = Liturgical colour of the day or feast)

Mon 8 May Liturgy of the DayActs 11:1-18; Psalm 42; John 10:11-18Just as water is so much more precious when one is thirsty, so our focus on what we long for fades quickly if and when it’s obtained. Cherish your thirst for God as the gift that keeps you seeking.

Sun 14 May 5TH SUNDAY OF EASTERActs 6:1-7; Psalm 33; John 14:1-12Jesus promised a place for us, in his Father’s house, beyond the grave. We don’t know exactly what to expect, but we can be sure of a homecoming, a wel-coming, and we will know that we are f inally home.

Sat 13 May (Our Lady of Fatima)Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 98; John 14:7-14Sometimes we feel that God seems hidden from us. Yet God may in fact be shouting at us, but because God’s ‘shouting’ is so knitted into ordinariness, we don’t hear the ocean against the noise of the waves.

Fri 12 May (St Pancras, Martyr)Acts 13:26-33; Psalm 2; John 14:1-6No two humans have exactly the same perception or experience of God. Though we agree on essentials, our beliefs are not exactly the same due to our dif-ferent experiences and preferences.

Thu 11 May Liturgy of the DayActs 13:13-25; Psalm 89; John 13:16-20Our God is not the white bearded elderly gentle-man sitting in the clouds ruling the universe from afar. Our God knows us intimately, knows us by name, knows us better than we know ourselves.

Wed 10 May Liturgy of the DayActs 12:24–13:5; Psalm 67; John 12:44-50If Christ were to come back today, would he rec-ognise us as his followers? Is forgiveness, kindness and compassion at the centre of our lives? Today, do we really stand with Christ in our lives?

Tue 9 May Liturgy of the DayActs 11:19-26; Psalm 87; John 10:22-30No matter where we travel or what obstacles we face, no matter what personal crises or health issues we battle, God sits at our centre and connects us to something real and true and strong.

A program to help couples heal and renew their marriage relationship. Programs offered in Durban,

Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.THERE IS HOPE AND HELP

make the call – 082 850 0500 or visit www.helpourmarriage.com

HOLY REDEEMER PARISH

Parish Priest: Fr Gerard McCabe C.Ss.R � parishpriest@holyredeemer.co.za

Assistants: Fr Scott Davidson C.Ss.R and Fr Charles Mulenga C.Ss.R

6 / 7 MAY 2017 ~ FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER PAGE: 255 in New Sunday Missal. Year A. THEME: The Good Shepherd

WEEKEND SUNDAY MASS TIMES :

SATURDAY: 6.00pm

SUNDAY: 7.00am, 9.00am, 11.00am and 6.00pm

FRENCH MASS: SUNDAYS: 1.30pm

DAILY MASS TIMES:

MON to FRI: 6.15am (or Communion Service)

MON to SAT: 8.30am

MORNING PRAYER: MON to FRI at 8.00am

ROSARY: WEDNESDAY after 8.30am Mass

CONFESSION TIMES:

THURSDAY: 7.00 to 7.30pm

SATURDAY: 9.00 to 10.00am & 5.00 to 5.55pm

ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT:

MONDAY to FRIDAY: 9.00am to 9.00pm

except THURSDAY: 9.00am to 7.30pm

NOVENA & BENEDICTION:

TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

THURSDAY: 7.30pm

NORMAL WORSHIP TIMES

CONTACTS

Bergvliet Road, Bergvliet, 7945

021 712-2210 or712-1181

021 712-4271

9.00am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday

parish@holyredeemer.co.za

www.holyredeemer.co.za

ricardo1duncan@gmail.com

Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Bergvliet

Catholic Counselling

Network

Need somewhere to talk that is safe, where there is total confidentiality and where you will not be judged?

Contact one of our trained counsellors

Cynthia Wiese: 021 794-1601

Annette Milner: 021 715-8177

St. Vincent de Paul Society assists the areas poor.

If you need help / assistance / a visit contact the SVDP pres-ident on 083 450-5479. The matter will be dealt with in confidence.

WEEKLY DIARY MASS INTENTIONS

May 8 Mon 6.15am Philippe Souchon - Rip 8.30am Joan Williamson - Birthday

May 9 Tues

Care & craft after 8.30am Mass Edna Cottle room SVP 6.30pm Room 2 RCIA 7.30pm Edna Cottle room Liturgy group 7.30pm in boardroom Charismatic Praise & Worship 7.45pm Room 1

6.15am Private Intention 8.30am Joao & Julea Martins - Rip

May 10 Wed Rosary after 8.30am Mass 6.15am Private Intention 8.30am Private Intention

May 11 Thurs Novena 7.30pm in the Church 6.15am Private Intention 8.30am Private Intention

May 12 Fri 10.00am Private Intention 8.30am Lisa Stokoe - 21st Birthday

May 13 Sat. Legion of Mary 9.15am Room 2 Baptism instruction 1 – 4.30pm Parish centre

8.30am Michael Fernandez - 21st Birthday 7.30pm Special Intention

May 14 Sun Fifth Sunday of Easter Theme: The Many Ways of Giving up One’s Life

PAGE: 259 in New Sunday Missal. Year A

7.00am For All Mothers 9.00am Edna Cottle - Rip 11.00am Tyrone Lombard - Birthday 6.00pm Parishioners

PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

LORD of the Harvest, BLESS young people with the gift of courage to respond to your call.

Open their hearts to great ideals, to great things. INSPIRE all of your disciples to mutual love and giving—

for vocations blossom in the

good soil of faithful people. INSTILL those in religious life, parish

ministries, and families with the confidence

and grace to invite others to embrace

the bold and noble path of a life

consecrated to you.

UNITE us to Jesus through prayer and sacrament, so that we may cooperate

with you in building your reign of mercy

and truth, of justice and peace. Amen.

— Pope Francis

(A WORD FROM YOUR PARISH PRIEST— CONTINUED)

the Gospel tells us to reject the idolatry of power and success, undue concern for structures, and a kind of anxiety that has more to do with the spirit of con-quest than that of service. The seed of the Kingdom, however tiny, unseen and at times insignificant, silently continues to grow, thanks to God’s tireless activity. “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep or rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how” (Mk 4:26-27). This is our first reason for confi-dence: God surpasses all our expectations and constantly surprises us by his generosity. He makes our efforts bear fruit beyond all human calculation.

With this confidence born of the Gospel, we become open to the silent working of the Spirit, which is the basis of mission. There can be no promotion of vo-cations or Christian mission apart from constant contemplative prayer. The Christian life needs to be nourished by attentive listening to God’s word and, above all, by the cultivation of a personal relationship with the Lord in Eucha-ristic adoration, the privileged “place” for our encounter with God.

I wish heartily to encourage this kind of profound friendship with the Lord, above all for the sake of imploring from on high new vocations to the priest-hood and the consecrated life. The People of God need to be guided by pas-tors whose lives are spent in service to the Gospel. I ask parish communities, associations and the many prayer groups present in the Church, not to yield to discouragement but to continue praying that the Lord will send workers to his harvest. May he give us priests enamoured of the Gospel, close to all their brothers and sisters, living signs of God’s merciful love.

Dear brothers and sisters, today too, we can regain fervour in preaching the Gospel and we can encourage young people in particular to take up the path of Christian discipleship. Despite a widespread sense that the faith is listless or reduced to mere “duties to discharge”, our young people desire to discover the perennial attraction of Jesus, to be challenged by his words and actions, and to cherish the ideal that he holds out of a life that is fully human, happy to spend itself in love.

A WORD FROM YOUR PARISH PRIEST

The Message of His Holiness Pope Francis 2017 World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this 54th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I would like to reflect on the missionary dimension of our Christian calling. Those who drawn by God’s voice and determined to follow Jesus soon discover within themselves an irre-pressible desire to bring the Good News to their brothers and sisters through proclamation and the service of charity. All Christians are called to be mis-sionaries of the Gospel! As disciples, we do not receive the gift of God’s love for our personal consolation, nor are we called to promote ourselves, or a business concern. We are simply men and women touched and transformed by the joy of God’s love, who cannot keep this experience just to ourselves. For “the Gospel joy which enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy. Commitment to mission is not something added on to the Christian life as a kind of decoration, but is instead an essential element of faith itself. A rela-tionship with the Lord entails being sent out into the world as prophets of his word and witnesses of his love.

Even if at times we are conscious of our weaknesses and tempted to discouragement, we need to turn with God with confidence. We must over-come a sense of our own inadequacy and not yield to pessimism, which mere-ly turns us into passive spectators of a dreary and monotonous life. There is no room for fear! God himself comes to cleanse our “unclean lips” and equip us for the mission: “Your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me’” (Is 6:6-8).

Certainly many questions arise when we speak of the Christian mission. What does it mean to be a missionary of the Gospel? Who gives us the strength and courage to preach? What is the evangelical basis and inspiration of mission? We can respond to these questions by meditating on three scenes from the Gospels: the inauguration of Jesus’ mission in the synagogue at Naz-areth (cf. Lk 4:16-30); the journey that, after his resurrection, he makes in the company of the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35) and, finally, the parable of the sower and the seed (cf. Mt 4:26-27).

Jesus is anointed by the Spirit and sent. To be a missionary disciple means to share actively in the mission of Christ. Jesus himself described that mission in the synagogue of Nazareth in these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Lk 4:18-19). This is also our mission: to be anointed by the Spirit, and to go out to our brothers and sisters in order to proclaim the word and to be for them a means of salvation.

Jesus makes the seed grow. Finally, it is important to let the Gospel teach us the way of proclamation. At times, even with the best intentions, we can in-dulge in a certain hunger for power, proselytism or intolerant fanaticism. Yet

(Continued 2nd last page)

2nd COLLECTION

This week: Ecclesiastical Education Fund

Next week: Archdiocesan Priests Sick

Fund

DOUGHNUTS FOR SALE

Sunday 7 May after 7 & 9am Masses

THEOLOGICAL CIRCLE MEETING

Monday 8 May at 7.30pm

Venue - Boardroom

LITURGY GROUP MEETING

Tuesday 9 May 7.30pm

Venue - Boardroom

FUND-RAISING MEETING

for all stall holders

Monday 15 May 7.30pm

Venue - Parish Centre

YOUNG ADULTS MEETING

Tuesday 16 May 7.15pm

Venue - Monastery

BAPTISM INSTRUCTION

Saturday 13 May 1.00 to 4.30 pm.

Venue - Parish Centre

BAPTISM CEREMONY

Sunday 21 May after 11.00am Mass.

ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP

MEETING

Wednesday 17 May 10.00am

Venue - Parish Centre

TALK—DIABETES

The Holy Redeemer Seniors' Club invites you to hear Leslie Smith , the Chairman of the Diabetes Clinic of South Africa, deliver a very interesting and important talk in the Parish Centre on Thursday 18th May at 11am Tea/coffee on sale, R5. All welcome.

KNIT-A-THON

Please join the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa for a fun afternoon at the Annual Knit-a-thon on 20th May 2017 at 2.00 pm in the Parish Centre. Tea will be served and beautiful prizes to be won. All funds raised will go to the Sisters of Charity in Khayalitcha to assist in their work. Please contact Angela Preyser on 071 400 9988 if you have any queries.

REPOSITORY

Available from the Repository

• New stock

• Faith themed gift items and cards

• Living Faith for April -June

1. Papal surprise for KZN nun

2. Soccer star now a Catholic

3. Our Lady 1000 times around the world

4. Priest: I used to spit on Catholics

5. Why true friendship is a divine gift

THIS WEEK’S EDITORIAL:

Vocations today

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRAY FOR OUR SICK

Barbara Alexander Monica Arendse Fr Anderson Lily Ball Dylan Berry Jill Buser Gloriana Cloete

Alvin Cozett Magdalena Cozett Trevor de Beer Mr Doidge Christian Engelbrecht Mary-Anne Esau

Desmond Fernandez Dawn Forsdyk Jose Santos Gomes Keith Gomez

Fred Harrison Kerry Heideman

Rita Hendricks

Sam Hendricks

Dale Heynes

Dawn Heynes

Russell Heynes

Jean Kennedy

Fr Lunney

Gerald Louw

Geraldine Malander Willi Malherbe

Brian McEvoy

Rosetta Orgill Monty Pasqualie

Patrick Perreira

Ernest Peskin Sylvia Peters

Albert Petersen Carris Pietersen Lindsey Pietersen

Elaine Roode Lionel September Dorothy Slayne Vera Steyn

Renelda Visser Jack Whitwam Eileen(Fr Gerard sister)

NOVENA TO OUR MOTHER OF

PERPETUAL HELP

Thursday evening at 7.30pm

Place your special Prayer Intentions & Thanksgivings in the box at the back of the Church.

Also at www.holyredeemer.co.za

ADORATION CHAPEL

Please Note

The Adoration Chapel has now returned to the usual hours Monday to Friday 9.00am to 9.00pm except on Thursday when the Chapel closes at 7.30pm

There is an urgent need for someone to fill the following hours

Monday: 1 to 2pm and 2 to 3pm Wednesday: 2 to 3pm

Friday: 5 to 6pm

If you are interested please contact Carol Cornell on 073 194 7295 or Theresa in the office

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE SVDP

Meetings are held fortnightly at 6.30pm on a Tuesday. For further information or confirmation of meeting dates, please call 083 450-5479

SMS “CATHOLIC” to 31222

Receive a daily reflection from the Re-demptorist Community to your mobile phone. Support the Redemptorist Mission in South Africa.

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA - MAY 13TH

FATIMA has interest for all Catholics as a focus or meeting-point of the sen-timent of the faithful and as a Marian centre which prompted significant pa-pal pronouncements. It was at the end of an address to a gathering at Fatima, on the occasion of the silver jubilee of the apparitions (31 October 1942) that Pius X11 first pronounced the act of consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On May 13th1946, the same pope deliv-ered a lengthy address to pilgrims at the shrine on the theme of Mary’s roy-alty. Paul V1’s apostolic constitution (A Great Sign,1967) was issued on the Golden Jubilee of the apparitions when the pope visited Fatima. St John Paul also made a dramatic ges-ture when he went to Fatima and pre-sented to the shrine the bullet that nearly killed him in St Peter’s Square.

Fatima will forever be associated with growth in devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Like most pilgrimage centres, nowadays, Fatima has be-come a centre of a spirituality which embraces many aspects of our faith journey, not just devotional piety but social and cultural development, justice, reconciliation and peace.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA, PRAY FOR US.

PRAYERS FOR OUR WEEKEND

For all couples participating in the Retrouvaille Weekend for hurting marriage, we ask for healing and growth in their relationship. We ask this in Jesus Name

PRAY FOR OUR DECEASED

Russel Martin- RIP