stop talking to yourself! - welcome | st paul apostle ... sunday in...your vocation is not the same...
TRANSCRIPT
This Week
SUNDAY 31st July
9am, 11am, 6pm Mass
Baptism Welcome
MONDAY 1st Aug 9.00am Mass
TUESDAY 2nd Aug 8.30am Rosary
9.00am Mass
9.30am Adoration
WEDNESDAY 3rd Aug 6.30pm Rosary
7pm Mass
7.30pm Meditation
THURSDAY 4th Aug 9.15am Mass
(North School)
FRIDAY 5th Aug 8.30am Rosary
9am Mass
9.30am Divine Mercy
SATURDAY 6th Aug 10.30am Reconciliation
6pm Mass
SUNDAY 7th Aug
9am, 11am, 6pm Mass
Baptism at 12.30pm
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C, 30th-31st July, 2016
Stop Talking to Yourself!
Sometimes I catch myself talking to myself.
Usually, it is quite interesting, seldom any con-
tradictory remarks! It is in the form of a dia-
logue, but of course it is a monologue – a total-
ly self-contained conversation.
Did you notice in today’s gospel that the rich
landowner is constantly murmuring to himself.
He poses questions which he answers – to his
advantage, of course, or so he thinks.
The point is obvious. He is so
bound up with his property,
his possessions, that there is
no room in his life for real
conversation with real peo-
ple, other real people, or con-
versation with the Creator.
If he had talked to others about
what to do with the surplus
grain, he would have opened
himself to the risk of discover-
ing that there may be a claim
on his wealth, a claim on his
property, arising out of our common humanity
– that it wasn’t ‘all about me’.
He may have heard the plea: ‘Give us this day
our daily bread.’ In responding, he may have
decided on a different course of action, the dis-
tribution of the surplus grain to grind into flour
for the poor.
I was taught by the Christian Brothers that if a
poor man is so destitute that he can’t feed him-
self and his family, then if a rich man refuses
to give him what he needs for the necessities of
life, he can take from that rich man and it is not
the sin of stealing – it may be a crime, but it is
not a sin!
This comes from the core Catholic teaching
that all the earth and its resources belong to
every person as a gift.
But, whilst that is true, Our Lord was not lay-
ing the foundation for some political ideology.
Why was He really concerned for this sort of
rich person? The answer is that the rich man
was denying the need for conversation.
But, conversation is what makes us human: we
are word animals. Anyone who has been in
hospital for some time knows that it is the lack
of conversation which starts to tell, particularly
if there is a long period of recovery. We need
mouth to mouth resuscitation.
In muttering to himself, the rich man was be-
coming dehumanised.
There are two dimensions of conversation we
need:
With God we call it prayer. The Our Father is
the conversation of the children of God with
their heavenly Father;
With other people, dialogue with them might
reveal something about them such that we need
to respond, and of course
something about ourselves,
that we are built for talking
with others.
Otherwise when we arrive at
the moment of death, which, as
in this gospel, may be at a time
unknown to us, we will sur-
vive because our souls are im-
mortal, but we could find our-
selves monologuing for all
eternity, and that is a Hellish
existence.
We need to learn the language of Heaven and
we begin that on earth.
What should we do in the light of today’s gos-
pel? If you knew you were going to die, say,
before the end of the year, and you wanted to
die ‘rich in the eyes of God’ as the Gospel puts
it, what could you do?
Look at your wealth, and if you are old
enough, look at your Will. Enter imaginatively
into dialogue with those in need, and, after
providing for the security and dignity of those
close to you, could things be re-arranged to
satisfy the real needs of others?
And then, draw closer to Our Lady who was
the greatest conversation partner with God: ‘Be
it done unto me according to Thy word.’ She is
constantly trying to draw us into her conversa-
tion with God.
Let us pray the ‘Hail Mary’, lingering on the
last phrase, that we may be saved from mono-
loguing for all eternity. Learn the language of
Heaven here on earth and ask Our Lady to pray
for us ‘now, and at the hour of our death.’
Amen.
by Fr. Michael Tate
Parish Calendar, News & Events
DIARY
4th Aug: Youth Band practice 5pm 4th Aug: PPC Meeting 7pm 14th Aug: Youth Mass at 6pm 16th Aug: ASRE resumes at 4pm 16th Aug: 1st Family Night for Confirmation Candidates 23rd Aug: Parish Information Meeting 7.30pm This week is vocation awareness week when we are all
called to consider our Baptism call and how we are
responding as followers of Jesus.
What is a vocation? If you are looking for a simple definition of a vocation,
the literal meaning of the word is a "call. But a vocation
is more than an ordinary call. A vocation is a call from
God, and anyone who has felt God's call knows that the
process is anything but simple. While most people think
of a vocation as what they are called to do in life, it is
important to understand that the first and most
important call from God is a call to be - the universal
call to holiness.
Clarification Your vocation is not the same as your career or
profession. However, there is an overlap between a
vocation and a profession. A career or a profession is
something that you have in order to support yourself
and to contribute in some way to the good of the
society. You don't need to believe in God to choose a
career or a profession. A person can pick, choose and
switch profession freely depending on his/her
preferences, strengths or circumstances. A profession or
a career always has a horizontal dimension. When we
talk about vocation, we introduce a vertical dimension
in our life, which is God. It is no longer ‘what do I
prefer?' but rather ‘What does God want me to be?"
Holiness
This distinction between a call to holiness and a call to
a specific vocation - single person, married life,
consecrated life or ordained ministry - is important.
The universal call to holiness is rooted in our baptism.
It is a call to know, love and serve the Lord. It is a
movement that draws us toward a deeper union with
God. We feel a growing desire to love God and to love
our neighbour. We come to understand that there is a
reason for our existence and there is meaning in our
lives. The universal call to holiness is an ongoing
conversion experience. It keeps opening our eyes to
new awareness of God's loving presence. It keeps
inviting us to turn toward God by aligning our will with
God's will.
A brief outline of the four specific vocations We live out the invitation ‘to be holy' differently
depending on which vocation we have chosen. The four
specific vocations are: single life, married life,
consecrated life or the ordained ministry. Each vocation
is a call to follow Christ closely. A person who has
chosen a single life, can put their freedom at the service
of others in their work and prayer.
For those who choose Christian marriage, they follow
Christ by giving themselves to each other completely
and without any reservation, promising to love each
other faithfully for the rest of their lives, sharing their
joys and sufferings in whatever circumstances life
brings them.
A person who has chosen the consecrated life, follow
Christ through their vows of chastity, poverty and
obedience. They are called to live as Christ lived; to
model their lives on the life of Jesus- chaste, poor and
obedient - making their hearts more free for prayer and
service.
For those who have chosen the ordained ministry,
through sacramental ordination, they share in the
priesthood of Christ in a special way. They not only
offer their own lives to the Father, as all Christians do,
but they also stand before the Church and minister to
the faithful as Christ ‘in person.
Different yet the same The lifestyle and demands of each particular vocation is
very different but there are some similarities between
them. Each vocation is a commitment to love in a
certain way. The object of every vocation is God. It is
not building a better society, renewing the Church,
having a family, fulfilling yourself, helping people or
confronting new challenges. All these things may be
involved in a vocation but the primary objective is to
love God.
Propagation of the Faith’s collection Thank you to our parishioner who have generously give to help the Propagation of the Faith. Last weekend Masses we received $677.25. Thank you TV Entertainment Unit is looking for a new home Brand is “Criterion” and dimension is: 190cm in Length, 124 cm in Height and width is 47cm. If you are interested please call 0450 451 477 SPA Tennis Club will be having their AGM on Wednesday, 31st Aug 2016at 8.15pm. St Vincent de Paul Conference is looking for new members to join our Conference. Please contact Brenda on 9701 3449 or Sandra on 9700 3731
This weekend we pray for: Those who are sick Teresa Leong, , Hedwig D’Souza, Baby Aaliya, Elma Dilinger, Beryl Ratnayake, Har-old Strahan, Josephine Percy, Connie Iemmolo, Ross Diaco, Youlia Younan, Shoiseeh Younan, Ranka Galinac, Dyna Naine, Preveen Peiris, Theresia Salindeho, Bambi Domingo, Michael Demaio, Marie-Therese Hilton, Isaac Younan, Anne Payet, Lennie D’Souza, Henry D’Souza, Marie Martin, Maurice White, Sandy White, Harvey Wyett, Jessica Meintjies, Yolande Bonnefin, Pat Garard, Alin Le Merle, Michael Le Merle, Karolina Adamczuk, Muliaga Vaifale, Kylie King, Joy Anquiliano, Rey Domingo For those who have died Girolamo Muratore, Anna Scavo, John Clements, Cynthia McLeod, Marylin Hedrich, Esme de Fonseka, Lincoln de Fonseka, Annabel Brennan, Angolina Cardona, Mary Jones, Martin De Keyzer, Ignazio Stravato, Mario Salinas Hernandez, Erminio Nesich, Barbara Evans, Nora Eileen Augustus, Francesca Tedesco, Marie Josephine Lewis, Freda Seager, John Paul, Nancy Lespior, Maria G De-liva, Antonio Santucci, Bohdan Sarachman, Kylie Blackwood, Francisco Bermudez, Joseph Thomas Gibbs, Mico Telejega, Eithne Thomasz, Noel Bungaroo, Benoy Perumal, Daya Tillerkeratne, Carlos Afonso Henriques, Barny Don Paul, Andre Joly, Amy Parer, Lilian de Silva, Ron Watson May they rest in peace
Sunday Readings
THIS WEEK: 18th Sunday in Ordinary time
Year C Eccl 1: 2, 2: 21-23;
Col 3: 1-5, 9-11; Lk 12: 13-21
NEXT WEEK: 19th Sunday in Ordinary time
Year C Wis 18: 6-9;
Heb 11: 1-2, 8-19; Lk 12: 32-48
www.universalis.com
CARE OF THE EARTH -. CREATION
«Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is
essential to a life of Virtue; it is not an optional or
secondary aspect of our Christian experience.» L.S 21
Did you know that 1 Billion people have no access to clean water
1. Billion people go hungry
40% of arable land is damaged long term?|
Following on the report of the Reflection Day, we wish to
share some of the content of the reflection. Our first session
of the day focused on the birth of Creation; how it was in the
beginning before the advent of the human species brought
about significant changes which affected some of the basic
principles of the Universe.
Points of Interest in the conversation arising from this
session
The developmental and evolutionary nature of the birth of
Creation: all life forms continue to evolve;
Interconnectedness of all things: interdependence of all
aspects of the universe; relationship; diversity;
The balance in creation – every species has a place;
The domination of humans bringing about change;
The contribution and attitude of the
original/native/aboriginal peoples towards the earth and their
place within it;
The earth is miracle, life remains a mystery; the beauty and
wonder of our universe;
Humans created in God’s image;
Need for good stewardship; to be seen as participants in
creation; to be Custodians of the land/environment not
dominators;
What we can do: Research
opportunities for action; change of
personal attitudes leading to
custodianship not domination; and the
call to conversion and transformation.
PARISH STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM Our Stewardship Program begins next week. The Program invites us to revisit our role as committed parishioners and how our parish can benefit from our collective gifts. The word parishioner means ‘one who belongs to/is connected with a parish’. Being a member of a parish means playing a part in the parish community in all areas, taking ownership and belonging to a family of faith believers. Over the course of the next few weeks we will look at the different areas of our parish and where each of us fits in. INFORMATION MEETING All parishioners are warmly invited to attend our Parish Information Tuesday 23rd August at 07:30 PM in the Church. At this meeting we gather as a community to plan for the future of our parish and share a cuppa together. Please mark this date in your calendar. (Program Prayer)
Lord,
we thank you for calling us
to be your Church.
Through our Baptism we are called
to service and to witness.
In the Eucharist we sustain and
strengthen that call.
By serving others we follow your example
and proclaim our beliefs.
By our Christian generosity
we demonstrate our love and care.
Lord, help us always to worship you
as you deserve,
to grow in faith and service
and to give without counting the cost.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
St Paul Apostle
Catholic Community
Priests:
Fr Xavier USA CP (PP)
Fr Brian Gleeson CP
Fr Jose Mathew CP
Pastoral Associates:
Sr Joan Smith CP
Sr Brigid Murphy CP
Parish Staff:
Bursar: Gillian Velupillay
Secretary: Didi Karkas
Passionist Community
Fr Brian Gleeson CP
(Leader)
Fr Chris Mithen CP
Fr Jose Mathew CP
Fr Xavier USA CP
Sisters of Cross and
Passion
Sr Anne Cunningham CP
Sr Brigid Murphy CP
Sr Joan Smith CP
Karen Englebretsen
St Paul Apostle
North Primary
School - 9700 6068
Principal
Mrs Christine White
St Paul Apostle
South Primary
School - 9700 3663
Principal
Mr. Paul Gleeson
St John’s Regional
College - 9791 3366
Principal
Mr Andrew Walsh
Roster for next weekend 6th-7th (1st Sunday of month)
Sacraments:
Baptism are held on the 1st & 2nd Sundays of the month.
Preparation is on the 3rd Sunday of the month.
Marriages require 6 months notice to one of the priests, partici-
pation in a FOCCUS marriage preparation program, or a
CatholicCARE Course.
Anointing of the Sick is held during Mass on the 1st Friday of
the Month at 9am. Before going to hospital for major surgery,
why not ask one of the priests to pray with you and anoint you.
Children’s Sacraments require full participation in the prepara-
tion phase.
Registration forms in the Parish Centre
Roster for this weekend 30th—31st July (5th Sunday of month) 6pm 9am 11am 6pm
Welcome Kathy, Neena Naisha
Siro De Rozairo Elizabeth Kee
Anabela Costa Volunteers
Sacristan Volunteers Volunteers Volunteers Volunteers
Readers & Commtrs
Natasha Denise
Kurt Dimitrakas Eliza-beth Kee
Mary John Louis Newman
Liz Spear Mignonne Meerwald
Gifts Evon & Reece Sadhani & Masha
Nick & Sandra Dimi-trakas Errie Gunawan
Jenny Barry Nina Nguyen Lily Nguyen
Communion
Lyndley Emily Liz Flood Alex Clark Fred Hall Sylvia Fernandes, Marg Keating
Ricki & Noel Haw-thorn Peter Van Helmond Edna & Bernard Da-vid Aaron Chitaranjan
Andrea Anthony George Jornet Florence Madeira Ging Calixto Anne Astin
Volunteers Daniel Masset Marie Masset Kathy Rowden
Servers Jocelyn, Amalesh Marc P, Ananya
Ashvika, Tara, Luke, Ethan, Mark Harper
Calvin, Jade, Joshua R, Marc P
Lakni Rachel Joseph
6pm 9am 11am 6pm
Welcome Judy Tarranto, Bettina D’Rozario
Marina Nadarajah Rita Constanzo
Antoinette Gargano Damian Kearney
Julian Disanayake volunteer
Sacristan Mark Rolfe Denver De Rozairo Yvonne Sherwin Volunteer
Readers & Commtrs
Emily or Lindley Ah-Qune, Kathleen Stewart Mary Pegram
Virendra Jayetileke Vel Vaifale
Rhonda or Michael O’Connor Geraldine Mutthumani Maximus Anthony
Aidan Del Socorro Pierre Mendonca Corina Bird
Gifts Beryl Barnfield Helen Sanders Van Nguyen & Jessica Vu
Margaret Magee Danny & Rose Sugun-asekera
Shalet Mamachan Ashlyn Mamachan
Nina Nguyen Gavin Nguyen
Communion
Gertrude Akom Jolene Stewart Jenny Satya Graha Lina Folino Denise Ritchie Jessica Satya Graha Jeremy Ferrao
Pierre Marion Sandra & David McGuire Esteban Morales Dina Mariette Sig Romano Ricki Hawthorn
Vianney & Alex Clark Louis Newman Crystal Jayamaha Antoinette Gargano Bryant Jayamaha Rinku Arora
Pierre Mendonca Margaret Keating Tania Mendez Maureen Dawson Anne Kankanige Volunteer
Servers Jessica, Jocelyn Ananya, Joshua
Mark Harper, Ashvika, Tara Luke
Shaun, Jade Jayden, Jaysen
Lakni Rachel, Schron Joseph
Cuppa
Flowers
Dina Mariette Vel Vaifale
Church Prep Team 2 S Stone
Communion to the sick (after 9am Mass) Vel Vaifale
View Hills: Friday, 5th August Communion Service
4th Sunday of the month