running with endurance
TRANSCRIPT
Waiting
Year C (6th December 2015)
Sunday Mass St Joseph’s Institution Junior
3 Essex Road Singapore 309331.
Time: 8am, 10am, 12noon
Monday – Friday Church of The Risen Christ
91 Toa Payoh Central Singapore 319193
Time: 12.15pm Public Holiday – No Mass Except
on Day of Obligation Confession half an hour before Mass
Saturday Novena Devotion Church of The Risen Christ
91 Toa Payoh Central Singapore 319193
Morning Mass: 7am Devotion Times: 8am, 9am,
10am,2pm, 3pm and 4pm in Mandarin.
Confession half an hour after the devotion:
8.30am, 9.30am, 2.30pm and 3.30pm
Novena Church (Church of St Alphonsus) 300 Thomson Road, Singapore 307653 Tel : 62552133 Fax : 63569910 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.novenachurch.com Email:Petitions & Thanksgiving letters: [email protected]
Readings & Responses for the Week
Sunday, 13th November Mal 3:19-20; 2 Thess 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19 The Lord comes to rule the peoples with fairness.
Monday, 14th November Rev 1:1-4.2:1-5; Lk 18:35-43 I am the light of the world, says the Lord, anyone who follow me will have the light of life.
Tuesday, 15th November (St Albert the Great) Rev 3:1-6.14-22; Lk 19:1-10 Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne.
Wednesday, 16th November (St Margaret of Scotland) Rev 4:1-11; Lk 19:11-28 Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty.
Thursday, 17th November (St Elizabeth of Hungary) Rev 5:1-10; Lk 19:41-44 You made us a line of kings and priests to serve our God.
Friday, 18th November (Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts Peter & Paul) Rev 10:8-11; Lk 19:45-48 Your promise is sweet to my taste, O Lord.
Saturday, 19th November - BVM Rev 11:4-12; Lk 20:27-40 Blessed be the Lord, my rock.
In the 1960 Rome Olympic, an unknown barefoot runner from Ethiopia won the marathon. Abebe Bikila was the first East African to win an Olympic medal. 40 days after acute appendicitis, Bikila won the 1964 Tokyo Olympic marathon with another record time. In 1967, he lost the use of both his legs in a car accident. But he did not give up and took up archery. In 1973, he died at the age of 41 from a cerebral hemorrhage. Abebe Bikila is a story of endurance. As an athlete and a marathon runner, he had the endurance, strength, and self-belief to complete and win his races. Following his accident, he endured the tragedy of becoming a paraplegic who would never run again. He said: “Men of success meet with tragedy. It was the will of God that I won the Olympics, and it was the will of God that I met with my accident. I accepted those victories as I accept this tragedy. I have to accept both circumstances as facts of life and live happily." In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about the end of the world. The picture he paints is bleak and scary. But he tells us: “do not be frightened”. He also assures that he will be with us; giving us “an eloquence and a wisdom”. At the end, Jesus simply asks that we endure: “your endurance will win you your lives” So if we take our spiritual journey as a race to be completed, there are the steps that a person has to do.* First, Training and Preparation. These will require discipline, moderation and sacrifice. Next, Laying aside every weight. The runner will look for lightweight shoes and socks, and seek to rid anything that may weigh her down, including the water bottle. So, I have to find out what are the spiritual weights that make it hard for me to run. What are the distractions and sins that trap me and weigh me down? Then, running the actual race and enduring to the end. In a marathon, it is important to set the right pace. There’s a tendency for us to start sprinting at the beginning of the race. But we soon get tired, and it becomes harder to finish as we struggle for oxygen and fight off muscle cramps. So I have to keep a constant pace throughout the race such that it becomes a rhythm, a habit, and I don’t have to fight with myself at every step. So a daily habit of prayer and reading the Bible, as well as the regular reception of the Sacraments are vital to our endurance. We also have to prepare mentally for the hills, as well as to avoid “Hitting the wall”. This latter is the experience in the middle of the race when things start to fall apart. Your legs feel like concrete and your breathing grows laboured. Negative thoughts flood your mind, and the urge to quit becomes overwhelming. Just as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for strength to endure Calvary, I must also turn to God in times of severe trials. I must also follow Christ’s example of recommitting to do God’s will—to stick to His plan. Finally, the Finish Line. We do not know how soon we will see the finish line, but we must have the vision of that joy firmly in mind to motivate us, as it motivated Jesus to endure the cross. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus”
(Hebrews 12:1-2).
Reflection by Ros * Adapted from an online article by Mike Bennett, Run with Endurance (www.lifehopeandtruth.com)
33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C – 13th November 2016
Running with Endurance
Latest Development of the New Church & Pastoral Centre
A view from the plaza looking into the Old Church amidst the on-going construction. Society of St Vincent de Paul The second collection last Sunday amounted to $4996/-. Thank you for your generous support towards the poor and needy of the Society.
MAINTENANCE of the New Church Now that we have raised $55.4 million for our new Church and Pastoral Centre, all further donations will go towards our Church Maintenance Fund:-
Please make out your cheque payable to: “Redemptorist Fathers Maintenance Fund”. Thank you very much for your generous support. Year of Mercy
The five designated parishes with the Holy Doors (Holy Cross, Risen Christ, St Vincent de Paul, Sacred Hear and Divine Mercy) will conduct the Closing Celebration at the last Mass on the 13th November (Sunday) as well as decommissioning the Door.
PEWS: Donations for Our New Pews The pews give us the place to sit in silence, pray and worship. Your gift would be etched on a plaque affixed to the side of the pews. Brochures can be obtained from the Reception booth at Church of The Risen Christ from Monday – Friday during the 12.15pm Mass and Saturday during the novena services, at St Joseph’s Institution, Junior, during the Sunday Mass and at the Novena Church office.
Notification: “To those who donated a pew, we need to confirm the inscription on the plaque. We’ve sent a form for you to verify and to return to us. Kindly notify us if you have not received it.”
Advent Novena 2016
In preparation for Christmas, our Special Novena commenced on 29th October and will conclude on 24th December 2016. Theme: “God So Loved The World …” Week 1 (29-Oct): Loving our God Week 2 (-5-Nov): Loving oneself Week 3 (12-Nov): Loving our family Week 4 (19-Nov): Loving our neighbour Week 5 (26-Nov): Loving our enemy Week 6 (-3-Dec): Loving our community Week 7 (10-Dec) : Loving God’s creation Week 8 (17-Dec) : Loving our Blessed Mother Week 9 (24-Dec): God so loved the world ….. Please bring along your family members and friends to experience this special novena. All are welcome! Write your petitions and thanksgiving letters to Our Mother of Perpetual Help and place them into the wooden boxes around the church. You can also email your letters and petitions to [email protected]