周景勳神父講座

周景勳神父於12月29日(星期三)在中區中心主持講座

上午十點至下午一點國語主題﹕變化氣質陶冶聖靈

Part 1

Part 2

下午二點至五點粵語主題﹕重拾心中愛-以基督的心分享生命

Part 1

Part 2

4th SUNDAY ADVENT (A) 19 Dec 2010

將臨期第四主日

依撒意亞先知書 7:10-14 聖保祿宗徒致羅馬人書 1:1-7 聖瑪竇福音 1:18-24

Now that we have reached the fourth Sunday of Advent it is good to recognise what this season has been demanding of us. The focus of Advent has been on the coming of Christ. We can speak of this in three senses. The first is the second coming of Christ; and this has been the focus of the last three weeks. A second sense is the remembrance of the first coming of Christ, the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. This is the focus of today’s readings, and it prepares us to celebrate Christmas next week. The third sense is his coming to us in our lives on a daily basis. This, of course, is related to the other two comings. Our consideration of them helps us ultimately to be ready to welcome him as he visits us personally.
Let’s reflect for a few moments on the readings we have listened to today. The focus is on the announcement of the birth of Jesus. In St Matthew’s gospel the announcement is made to Joseph, rather than Mary. The angel comes to him in a dream and tells him that a child will be born. Two things are striking about this announcement. The first is that the child to be born of Mary is conceived of the Holy Spirit, as we also say in the Creed. The second is that he is given a name, Emmanuel, which means that God-is-with-us. The point of these two facts is that they speak of the solidarity that God has with the whole of creation. The child, Jesus, will be one of us, like us, but he will also be God with us. The announcement of his birth, then, tells us something important about God, namely that God loves us, draws us into the divine life, desires good for us, and offers us salvation – a fulfilled life.

As we listen to this announcement our attention turns to Joseph and how he responds to what is announced to him. We know that he responds at first with hesitation, but then as he learns more about the promise of God in the forthcoming birth of Jesus he trusts the message he has heard and embraces the plan of God. He becomes a willing participant in this plan. Of course, he doesn’t really know what it all means, or what will happen to Jesus, but he lives with both faith and hope. He responds with faith because he both trusts God and is prompted by the Holy Spirit. He is sustained by hope – a hope that comes from the witness of his ancestors to God’s constant action for good in their lives.

Of course, it is not always easy to respond as Joseph did. While there is a long history of the people’s fidelity to God, there are also many times when they rebelled against God. We see a telling example of this in the first reading. It is amazing just how similar the message of both readings is. In both cases there is a young woman who is pregnant and will soon give birth to a child, who will save his people. The person who hears the message is Ahaz. His response is in stark contrast to Joseph’s in the gospel. Ahaz has had a run of bad luck. He was desperate for some good news and some good fortune. So the prophet tells him to ask God for a sign. Buy Ahaz can’t bring himself to ask God. He thinks he is being virtuous, and not putting God to the test. But the prophet makes the point that whether you ask or not, God will give you a sign. So Ahaz responds very differently to Joseph to this sign. While Joseph embraces it and participates in God’s plan, Ahaz stands back in fear.

This raises questions for us about how we respond to God’s announcement. I think the gospel asks us not just about how we will respond to the specific announcement of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. It asks us not just to respond to Christmas and Jesus’ coming in flesh and blood like ours. In getting us to think about the announcement of Jesus’ birth, it is asking us to reflect on how we respond to his coming in our own lives from day to day. The message of the readings is surely that we should take Joseph rather than Ahaz as our model. Joseph listened to God’s message, trusted God, and cooperated with God’s plan.

For us this means first of all that we should remain alert to the signs that God is coming and that God is with us. Often these are very simple, humble signs. We are not likely to receive a visit from an angel as Joseph did, but there will be moments of grace in our lives, moments when we encounter goodness and love. These are signs that can turn our mind to the one who is all-good and all-loving.

Having recognised the signs the next thing is to respond. This calls us to loved God in response to the love that we have received. It will also call us to love those around us. Of course, this does not have to be a grand gesture, but rather something that becomes a normal part of our daily life. We can be engaged with God’s plan in our joys and sorrows, or in our hopes and disappointments. Ahaz was looking for the extraordinary. The message of the angel to Joseph is that God will visit us in this child who is one of us; but he is also Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

Hymns Recording - 1st session

The Chinese Catholic Community (CCC) will produce a Hymn CD for spreading the Good News by music, future radio programs, worship & home listening.

(1) Rehearsal Session: 6 Nov 2010 Sat from 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Venue: St. Joseph Church, 2 Missenden Road, Camperdown (Upstairs lunch area)

(2) First Recording Session: 13 Nov 2010 Sat from 10:00am to 3:00pm
(one hour lunch break, lunch will be provided by CCC)
Recording venue is St. Joseph Church, 2 Missenden Road, Camperdown (inside church)

(3) Second Recording Session: 26 Nov 2010 Sat from 10:00am to 3:00pm
(one hour lunch break, lunch will be provided by CCC)
Recording venue is St. Joseph Church, 2 Missenden Road, Camperdown (inside church)

We have more than 30 voices with members from CCC, CCPC 牧靈中心 and some Catholic friends from Hwa Sheng Chorus.

It was great fun! Thanks to Connie and Terry Ko doing much of the organizing.

31st SUNDAY (C) 31 October 2010

The story of Zacchaeus has always been a favourite gospel passage for children. They seem to identify easily with him. Perhaps it is because he likes climbing trees, or perhaps it is because he is curious and wants to know what is going on. Perhaps it is because he is short and sometimes misses out on many of the things that others see easily. Of course, Zacchaeus is far from being a child. He is an adult man, who has a fairly powerful job as a senior tax collector. Yet Luke seems to want us to see his response as like that of a child. It reminds us of a saying of Jesus elsewhere, that our faith should be like that of a little child. Of course, Jesus is not telling us to have a childish faith, but rather a faith that is child-like. A child-like faith is one that remains fascinated by Jesus and ready to listen to him and follow his sayings.

As we listen to the conversation between Jesus and Zacchaeus we get a sense of what this child-like faith looks like. The conversation – at least in terms of the encounter between the two of them – actually seems to begin before they meet. Zacchaeus had already heard about Jesus and was becoming curious about him. I wonder what he had heard. Perhaps he had heard about his miracles, or the impact his preaching was having on the crowds. Maybe when he was out collecting the taxes, Zacchaeus had met someone who had already heard Jesus preach and was clearly affected by meeting him. Perhaps this person told Zacchaeus that when he met Jesus things were different and that he felt a sense of peace that he had not known for years. However it happened, Zacchaeus’s interest in Jesus had already been aroused – so much so that when he heard that Jesus was moving through the village he ran ahead so that he could get a glimpse of Jesus. At this stage it was probably more a matter of curiosity than anything else. He climbed a tree; from there he could see what was going on, and hope that the townspeople might not notice him.

But Jesus sees him and calls out to him. I imagine that Zacchaeus had not been expecting this. Jesus had initiated a conversation with him, and invites himself to Zacchaeus’s house. We shouldn’t underestimate the significance of this self-invitation. To go to someone’s house was a sign of reconciliation and friendship. By this simple invitation Jesus was really saying to Zacchaeus that his sins were forgiven. Jesus was opening up for him the possibility of changing and of living differently. Zacchaeus clearly understood the significance of what Jesus had said because he immediately speaks to Jesus of how he is going to change his life. He says that not only will he pay back what he has stolen from people, but he will give back to them fourfold. His generosity exceeded the bounds of expectation. Then comes Jesus’ final statement that today salvation has come to this house.

The conversation between Jesus and Zacchaeus was about salvation. In fact, we can call it a “dialogue of salvation”. By this we mean that the conversation with Jesus actually leads to the offer of salvation and its acceptance. The crowds recognised what was going on because they complained about Jesus’ attitude to this tax collector, who they knew was a sinner. The problem they had was that they didn’t believe that Jesus could make that sort of difference is someone’s life. They didn’t believe a dialogue of salvation was possible. Zacchaeus did believe it was possible.

As we listen to this story of Zacchaeus today we are being invited to participate in this dialogue of salvation. What does this mean for us? In the first place it means that we should cultivate the child-like faith of Zacchaeus. In other words, we should allow ourselves to be fascinated by Jesus and his message. Of course, it is a message that we have heard many times before, and we can think that we know it. But if that is our attitude we are merely treating the message as mere information. He second point for us is that the idea of a dialogue means that there is a constant exchange, and that in that exchange we come to know this person Jesus more deeply. The message is only properly received when we know the person. Zacchaeus was fascinated by the person of Jesus, and this made him ready to listen when Jesus spoke to him. In a similar way, if we cultivate that sense of fascination and inquiry, then we can be sure that Jesus will approach us with a similar message, “I want to come to your house today”. Christian faith is always like this; it begins with Jesus calling us and inviting himself into our lives. Our next move is to respond to his invitation.

This leads to the third dimension of the dialogue of salvation. Our response cannot simply be at the level of a feeling or an idea. It must eventually become concrete. The message of Jesus – and the call to conversion – challenges us to think about how we live with other people, how we live in the world, and how we are concerned for the poorest and the weakest. That step is a hard one to take, because it takes us out of our comfort zone. But let’s not forget that it was hard for Zacchaeus, but when he took it he welcomed salvation to his house.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

30th Sunday (C) 24 Oct 2010

Public worship, not private devotional prayer, is argued by scholars as the setting of Jesus’ parable in our Sunday liturgy. The liturgical text from the New American Bible states that the two men “went up the temple to pray,” but the more literal rendition of the Revised Standard Version states that the two went “to worship.” In its more original form, our Sunday Gospel leads us to meditate on what is pleasing worship to God. Jesus says: “…indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth” (cf Jn 4:23-24).

First, pleasing worship should make us one! The Pharisee and the tax collector are not meant to represent their whole class. They are meant to represent two “types” of extreme dispositions that persons can have when they come to join the community for corporate worship and fellowship. The Pharisee is a personification of those who scrupulously observe the Law. He is sincere, not hypocritical as some imagine him to be. He stated the truth about himself: he was a man who went beyond the perfection that the Mosaic Law seeks. While the Mosaic Law obliges one day of Atonement—the Yom Kippur—this man did penitential fasting twice a week. While the Mosaic Law obliges tithing on agricultural produce, this man tithed on everything! The tax collector, on the other hand, personifies the hopeless arch-sinner. He earned his money through the shameful profession of serving the interests of the Roman exploiters. He beat his breast in great anguish and sorrow because conversion was practically impossible for him. Conversion would mean resigning from a livelihood with which he supported himself and his family. Also, conversion for him meant restoring to individuals all the money he got, plus an interest of one-fifth, the amount as stipulated by the Law. The Mishna taught that theft was only forgivable when full restitution had been made. In coming to the temple to join the atonement offering, the Pharisee and the tax collector committed the same sin, with different reasons. The Pharisee “took up his position and spoke… to himself.” (Other Bible version such as RSV)—“The Pharisee was standing apart by himself and praying.” The Pharisee then came with an attitude of being aloof from the congregation in worship. As Pharisee, he believed that he had to do this because accidental contact with the clothes of the “people of the land” (the ’am ha-aretz) would make him unclean. Besides, personally he had such a strong self-pride. The tax collector, on the other hand, also “stood off at a distance” from the congregation. This time, his aloofness from the worshiping community was due to his strong sense of unworthiness. Either way, the Pharisee and the tax collector were undermining the spirit of worship! Authentic worship should be of one heart and one mind. The words proclaimed in the First Reading from the book of Sirach ring strongly: “The Lord is a God of justice who knows no favorites!”

Second, pleasing worship should open us all to God—to God alone. Worship is not ours; it is not our “performance.” Sincere though he was—for he was really stating the truth about himself and his acts—the Pharisee fell to the trap of the traditional rabbis who taught that the coming of God and the awarding of God’s blessings depended on a person’s repentance and fulfillment of the Law. However, in its true sense, worship is God’s gracious moment! The word “worship” itself developed from “worth ship,” that is, giving God his worth. Worship is asking God to take his place, and to manifest his Godhead. Here was the saving grace of the tax collector. Hopeless and knowing that he was practically incapable of conversion and atonement according to the strict terms of the Law, the tax collector implored, “Hilastheti moi” (“Make an atonement for me!”). He asked God, and God justified him. The Pharisee asked nothing from God, so God gave him nothing. The Pharisee came to worship God, but he did not need God. He was satisfied with himself! At this point it is good to relate what the apostle Paul wrote Timothy from prison. He affirmed that God is a just Judge who awards the crown of righteousness not only to the faithful, but more importantly to those who wait and long for God. So, in worship let us wait on God, long for God, open to him alone.

Is there something we can take from this story? If we were to compare ourselves with the Pharisee on the other hand, and the tax collector on the other, most of us would probably fall somewhere in the middle. We are not quite as arrogant as the Pharisee, but neither are we honest and humble about ourselves as the tax collector. We would benefit from having something less of the Pharisee, and something more of the tax collector. In other words, we need to take a honest look at ourselves and our sins, acknowledge how little we have done with what God has given us, and pray often the prayer of the tax collector, “ O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Fr. Lito

Homily - Oct

Cantonese translation of Sunday Homilies by Louis Kong

17-Oct-2010 Fr. G. Kelly



24-Oct-2010 Fr. Lito



31-Oct-2010 Fr. G. Kelly (translated by Simon Chan)

MARY MACKILLOP 17 October 2010

Today we have interrupted our normal celebration of the Sundays in Ordinary Time to celebrate the Mass for the Feast of Mary MacKillop on this day of her canonisation. Later this evening at a Mass in Rome she will be named Australia’s first saint. It is worth taking some time to ponder what this means for us and for the Church in Australia. For the first time we now have someone who has walked our land, been in our schools, and cared for the poorest and the most needy; someone who has been publicly recognised by the whole church for her holiness of life. We can look to her as a model of Christian life, and an inspiration for our own efforts to live a life of holiness in fidelity to the Gospel of God.

Over the last few weeks we have been receiving a lot of information about Mary’s life. This is important, and it is important that we remember her life. Memory is a central aspect of the Christian life. This goes right back to the command of Jesus to “do this in memory of me”. Each Sunday we listen to the Scripture readings and celebrate the Eucharist remembering what Jesus has done for us and for the world. Christian memory is not simply recalling what he did. In our worship he is present so that we can participate in the very events that we remember, and share in their saving effects.

Mary MacKillop participated in these same events, not only in her celebration of the Liturgy, but also in her daily life. She embodied the Gospel of God. As we listened to today’s gospel surely we all saw the link with Mary’s life. More than anything else, it was a life that flourished by trusting God. I am quite sure that as she began her adventure of founding a new religious congregation she was not thinking about what it might grow into or what might unfold in her own life, but rather she was thinking of those children who could not afford to go to school and would now have the opportunity. She didn’t have a business plan that told everyone that her scheme would work. Rather she set out trusting in God, and relying on the good will of those who could afford to help her. There were times when she was rebuffed and rejected, when people despised her for what she was doing, but this did not stop her. She trusted in God, and had confidence in her own capacity to bring off what she had undertaken. This was a self-confidence that was born of faith in God.

We shouldn’t think, though, that this was just foolishness on her part. She wasn’t the sort of person who would put God to the test, by sitting back and saying that she would leave it all to God and not make an effort to see that her plan was realised. For her, trusting God didn’t release her from the responsibility of working hard to make things happen, and of continuing on with her project whenever there was a setback. She survived because she had determination, courage, practical common sense, and a profound trust in God.

Mary MacKillop was a young woman when she began her remarkable journey as the founder of the Sisters of St Joseph – she was in her 20s. It was a time in her life when she was open-eyed enough to recognise a pressing need in the community for the education of the poor. It was a time in her life where she was young and adventurous enough to be fired with the vision of the kingdom of God in the preaching of Jesus. What she dreamed of was a new way of living the gospel. It was a time in her life when she had the energy to make her dream a reality. We know that she never lost that vision, and that energy. It matured with her, and in a sense became even more real as she grew older. She had a spirituality that relied on the power of the cross as her source of inspiration. She trusted that the cross would always lead to the new life of Easter. In her old age she maintained a concern for the sisters that were now part of her dream, now organised in a more formal way in the Congregation of the Sister of St Joseph. The formal approval of the constitution would ensure that the dream she had as a young woman would survive well beyond her.

So today we remember her life. This is a profoundly Christian thing to do, particularly in the context of this liturgical act of worship. We remember how she participated in the mystery of Jesus and the great drama of salvation. But today we should also look to the future. The celebration of a saint is not simply about looking to the past. It would be good for us to consider how we are drawn into her life. Let me suggest a few things. The first is that we can note the importance of being open to discovering new ways of living the gospel in our own time. What characterises ordinary life in a society like ours, and what is the gospel message that can renew and refresh that life? What is the bold vision that connects the kingdom of God with life in 21st century Australia? Trusting faith will allow us to see that vision; it will give us the courage to put it into action. Most of us won’t be called to do this in as dramatic a fashion as Mary MacKillop. But all of us, if we embrace the courage she showed and the determination to bring the gospel alive, can live a life of holiness in the very fabric of our lives. May Mary MacKillop pray for us.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

25TH SUNDAY (C) 19 September 2010

亞毛斯先知書　8:4-7 聖保祿宗徒致弟茂德前書 2:1-8 聖路加福音　16:1-13

If we ever had any thoughts that the Christian life should separate us from the world, then today’s readings tell us otherwise. The prophet Amos in the first reading addresses the people with strong words. The scene he describes is right there in the market place where the people are milling around trying to buy their food. He points to the salesperson whose scales have been tampered with so that they always weigh just a little bit heavier than the true weight. When the poor come to buy their food they end up paying more than they should and find themselves struggling to provide food for their hungry children. The prophet also points to the full bags of grain, indicating that there is plenty to feed the whole town, and asking why some people still go hungry. It is not because of lack of grain that they go hungry but because they cannot afford it. They end up having to rely on the scraps of wheat or even just the husks. The good wheat is kept for the wealthy. The prophet is not suggesting that they should abandon commercial activities, but rather that they should do them with justice and fairness.

Jesus keeps these themes alive in the gospel parable, but in a way that we do not expect. I imagine that the crowds were expecting Jesus to roundly condemn the untrustworthy steward. After all, he could be faulted on several fronts. He had mismanaged his master’s property, allowed it to run into debt, and had probably siphoned off a large share of the profits into his own pocket. Then, to compound his error, once he was told that he was going to be dismissed he set about to win friends by calling in his master’s debtors, and in what was probably a fraudulent move began to reduce the size of their debt. This man doesn’t seem to have much to recommend him.

I’m sure the crowd is shocked as the parable unfolds. Jesus ends up praising the untrustworthy steward. I think we need to be clear as to what Jesus was praising. He was certainly not praising him for his dishonesty. Rather he was drawing attention to his cleverness in dealing with the problem. He was facing a real crisis: he knew that he was going to lose his managerial position and with it not only his income but also his personal security and prestige. If he was going to survive he would have to act quickly. He was no dreamer; he was realistic enough to know that he didn’t have the strength to go out and get a labouring job; he was honest enough to know that he was a proud man and could not shame himself by begging in the streets. This is why he comes up with the plan to buy a few friends who might think of him or remember him when he finds himself destitute. Yes, all of this seems very selfish, and he is acting from the worst of motives, but Jesus praises him because he was realistic, because he recognised the crisis he was facing and because he made an effort to do something to respond to it. Jesus praises him for his astuteness and his prudence.

I think Jesus deliberately wanted to shock his listeners into considering how they conducted their business, especially in the light of his preaching about the coming kingdom of God. Throughout his ministry he had been challenging the way they thought about God and knew God, and this was having serious consequences for the way they lived their lives, especially in their treatment of others. If they were truly hearing his message then they would be forced to give a lot of consideration to the way they treated the poor and the sick, to the way they perceived others in their society who were regarded as sinners and were condemned and ostracised. They would be challenged to allow their own lives to reflect something of the quality of God’s compassion and mercy; they would be challenged to recognise their own dependence on God. In other words, the preaching of the gospel by Jesus was creating a crisis in their lives far more serious than that faced by the unjust, dishonest steward.

As we listen to the gospel each week and make an effort to live the values of our Christian faith, we can still live from week to week without it having too much of an impact on our lives. Yet I think that for all of us there are key moments in life when we become aware that if we are going to keep listening to the gospel then we must do something about it in the concrete circumstances of our daily lives. This is particularly the case for the youth. You have your whole life before you but the choices you make today will affect the way you live into the future. Perhaps the biggest challenge most people face is when they realise that the faith aspect of life is closely connected to the other decisions they make in life. All of us are making choices everyday. As we listen to the Word of God we can be nudged to realise that all of our choices have some sort of faith dimension. This goes right down to the choices we make about what we eat, how we treat people, how we act as stewards of the world God has created. Let’s take to heart Jesus’ challenge to the crowd in today’s gospel: be astute, be prudent, recognise what is going on and make decisions about your own life, your own future. Even the dishonest steward did this.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

ASSUMPTION OF MARY 15 August 2010

ASSUMPTION OF MARY

This feast of the Assumption of Mary has been celebrated for centuries in the Church, but was only declared a dogma of faith in 1950. The dogma professes our belief that Mary, at the end of her life, was assumed body and soul into heaven. If we want to appreciate the full significance of this feast we need to look at it against the background of God’s plan for the whole world, and the fulfilment of this plan in Jesus. Mary is caught up in this plan.

The gospel tells us of the beginning of Mary’s involvement in God’s plan. We heard of the events in Mary’s life immediately after she had been visited by the angel Gabriel to say that she would give birth to a son and that she was to name him Jesus. He would be great and would be called son of the most high, and his kingdom would have no end. We know that Mary consented to the angel’s message and accepted God’s will. In the passage we heard today Mary has travelled to meet Elizabeth, and Elizabeth greets her as the mother of the Lord. Elizabeth recognises the important place Mary has in God’s plan, and she declares that Mary is most blessed among women. We know that in time Jesus is born and Mary watches him grow and treasures in her heart all that she sees and hears.

During the ministry of Jesus we do not encounter Mary very often, but she is still there. At one important moment in Jesus’ ministry Mary is once again called blessed. This time Jesus announces that she is blessed because she listens to the word of God and keeps it. In saying this he points out that all who want to be disciples should be like his mother. She is the model of what a disciple is. Let’s think of what this means. Above all, she was open to the call that came to her from God and she responded to it. Her life then took shape in the light of God’s call and in the light of Jesus’ message about the kingdom. She visited Elizabeth out of a sense of joy and support for this woman who was soon to give birth to her own child. When Jesus began his earthly ministry Mary advised the stewards at the wedding
feast at Cana to do whatever he told them. Later on this call meant that she followed Jesus to his death and stood at the foot of the cross. At that moment she learnt the meaning of the prophecy given at the time of his birth, that a sword would pierce her own heart. As we watch Mary at the foot of the cross we see not just the love of a mother, but the love of a disciple. She gives us a lesson in what it means to be a disciple of Jesus; she demonstrates that to have faith is to be in relationship with God.

We all know that the story of Jesus does not end at his death; that he was raised from the dead. This is God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Today’s feast of the Assumption brings this out in a very personal way. While all of us are drawn into the new life of the risen Lord and we all have a well founded hope of participating in God’s life, we are reminded today that Mary, who was assumed into heaven, already shares in this in its fullness. This should be no surprise to us because her life, as we have noted, was lived out in the context of God’s plan. Her death too is seen in the context of God’s plan. It was only fitting that at the end of her life she should be taken into the realm of God.

This feast of the Assumption has two important lessons for us. The first is the lesson about discipleship. Mary is regarded as the first disciple and the model for all disciples. We can all imitate her in her faith: her attentive listening to the word of God and her positive response to God’s call. We should also imitate her in her actions. She lived a life that was shaped by the call of God. She literally brought Christ to the world. We, as followers of Jesus, are called to bring him into our world. We are able to do this for the very same reason that Mary could, namely we have received the Holy Spirit. This means that we need regularly to make time
to recognise where the Holy Spirit is prompting us to action. It doesn’t have to be anything grand; it has more to do with doing the ordinary things in life well, and doing them out of a sense of responding to God’s plan.

The second lesson of this feast is a reminder that the Christian life is lived with hope, and that we should always look positively to the future. The Assumption is an affirmation that God’s promise for every person is already realised in Mary. Elizabeth had called her blessed; Jesus called her blessed; at the Assumption we see the fulfilment of a blessed life. We too can allow the promise of a future where God’s plan is fulfilled to shape the way we live now.

On this feast let’s join with Mary in praising God, as she did when she visited Elizabeth: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. The Lord does great things for us; may we too be worthy to be called blessed.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

Dedication of New Altar 11 July 2010

By The Most Reverend Bishop Porteous

click here to see more photo

堂區在11/07祝聖新祭台,由悉尼教區主 教Julian Porteous主持。禮儀在彌撒聖祭中舉行，在講道及宣示信仰經文後，祝聖新祭台禮儀開始:

1) 領經員唱諸聖禱文: 表示地上教會與天上教會的共融，然後將加大利納拉布萊修女 (顯靈聖牌聖母啟示的修女) 聖髑盒安放在新祭台下，表達了基督之犧牲與其肢體犧牲的合一。

2) 主教向天父頌讚藉基督建立完美的祭台, 代替以往天主揀 選的諾厄、亞巴郎、依撒格、梅瑟所建立的祭台。 這祭台是基督的標記, 是天主與人相遇的地方，以主基督成為生活的祭台及大司祭。祈求天主派遣聖神聖化這所建築物和祭台，作為永久性的敬天聖所。

3) 傅油禮：主教首先以聖油倒在祭台中央及四角，為整個祭台傅油，使之與基督一樣成為「被傅過油者」。

4) 奉香禮：主教在祭台上燃起火焰， 有如焚燒的荊棘叢，以此火焰，焚燒大堆的香料（象徵基督的祭獻在祭台上繼續下去）；香味瀰漫聖堂，雲煙裊裊上升，也充分表 達基督及整個教會的祈禱由祭台上升到天主那裡。之後點燃提爐，向祭台奉香後，輔禮者先向全體會眾。

5) 上香後，祭台鋪上白色祭台布，有如洗禮後穿上白衣。

6) 啟光禮：主教將一支點著的蠟燭交給執事，並說：願基督的光在教會中照耀，使萬民得知完全的真理。之後，執事點燃祭台上的蠟燭。

感恩祭的禮儀繼續照常規進行。

希望以上的分享，能加深我們對教會的一份認識, 每一個禮儀是讓我們更容易明白及與基督的結合。而参與彌撒聖祭能成為我們豐盛的生活行為。

願天主永受讚美！

16TH SUNDAY (C) 18 July 2010

If we want to appreciate what is really going on in this incident with Martha and Mary then we need to understand something of the culture in which Jesus and they lived. Their world was known for its deep sense of hospitality. The idea of having someone to a meal was not simply about giving them something to eat; it was also about offering them friendship and respect. To invite someone into your home was to invite them into your life. People didn’t invite just anybody into their homes.

This makes Jesus’ words seem all the more startling. We can imagine that he may have scandalised those who were there, because he seemed to insult his host by telling her that she was fussing about too much. We can ask ourselves how would Martha have felt – especially since she seemed to be putting every effort into making sure that things were just right. To make matters worse, her sister seemed to be doing nothing and leaving all the work to her. How many times have any of us been in a similar situation – where some members of the family are just lounging around doing nothing while all the work falls to one person? Martha probably felt bitterly disappointed because she was doing everything to make sure that things were just perfect for Jesus’ visit, while Mary did nothing. To make matters worse, when
Jesus arrived he praised Mary.

I think there is something deeper going on. The sisters, Martha and Mary, are obviously offering hospitality to Jesus. Between the two of them they are ensuring that not only is he well nourished with food, but that he also enjoys their company. But something else is also happening: Jesus is offering hospitality. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to every word that he speaks. Jesus offers her nourishment for her soul and spirit. The thing about this sort of hospitality is that it needs to be consciously and deliberately received. Jesus praises Mary because she took the time to sit and listen. He doesn’t so much criticise Martha as point out that with all her activity she can only be partly attentive to what he is saying. In other words, she is not fully receiving him.

We have to be careful not to argue too much in favour of one or the other of these sisters. It is interesting that they are always spoken of together. Throughout Christian tradition they are both presented to us as a model of Christian living, representing the contemplative life and the apostolic life. At various times one or other of these ways of life may have been more prominent, but we recognise that both of them are essential to living the Christian gospel. The incident of Martha and Mary reminds us that achieving the balance between the active and the contemplative is never easy.

I wonder how we should hear the gospel speaking to us today. It strikes me that we live at a time when the lives of most people are characterised by lots of activity and noise. Think of how disappointed some people are if there is an evening when there is nothing to do. We all like to keep full diaries, as if having a spare moment might make people think we are lazy. Think of the noise that is always around us. Some people can’t work if there is no background noise. Or think of how we want everything instantaneously. We’re all taken in by instant messaging, and it is becoming quicker and more hurried. Communication these days is rapid, and people fret if they have not received a reply to their message within a few minutes. How many times have people sent a message off quickly and later come to regret it because the sentiments it expressed were not really what they meant to say? We are also capable of sending the same message to a large number of people at once. Sometimes someone receives it when it was not really intended for them. How many times has this caused alarm and even broken friendships?

If this is the context in which we live, what do we hear when we listen to today’s gospel? In the first place, it is clearly speaking about listening to the word of God, listening to the message of Jesus – but alerting us to how difficult this can be. This raises a question: how do we hear that word? Jesus’ rebuke of Martha suggests that we can only really hear him – and hear him deeply – if we make the space to listen. In the Christian tradition this has meant that we look for times of silence and stillness, when, like Mary, we lay aside the things we worry and fret about, so that we might have ears that are attentive. Jesus reminds us that listening is not really as easy as it may seem. We need to make a conscious effort to listen. We have to listen with the ears of the Holy Spirit. There is also something else the gospel can tell us – something that follows on from being able to listen to God. It is that we also need to cultivate the habit of being able to listen to one another.

Martha and Mary resonate in all our hearts. We admire their expression of hospitality, but we also hear Jesus’ encouragement not to become so busy that we lose our capacity to listen and thus to communicate fully with both God and our neighbour.

Fr Gerard Kelly

14th SUNDAY (C) 04 July 2010

One spiritual writer once said: IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE, WE GROW NOT BY ADDITION BUT BY SUBTRACTION.

The Gospel for today’s liturgy, the sending of the 72 speak to us today saying – SIMPLIFY

We all need to simplify our lives materially so we are free to focus on the spiritual goods of friends, family and faith. The Lord says: Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals… It is easy for us to accumulate things as individual or as a community, as a Church. We need to simplify our lives materially because that can help us focus on the spiritual goods of friendship, faith and family that really make life worth living. There is such a thing as a slavery to things and possessions in the hope that they will ensure happiness.

The words in the gospel and in the 2nd reading also is a call to simplify our mission in life. Maybe we can plan to do too many things for the Lord, We can become involved in too many issues, try to do too much too soon, and end up doing none of them well.

Jesus sent the 72 ahead of him to prepare the place he will be visiting, this is our mission too. We can be distracted in trying to do great things for Christ only in the big city and miss the opportunities for being a witness in our own town and place where we live. It is not about great results that will assure us of salvation, but rather it is about faithfulness of our daily living that prepares the way for Christ in the life and in the lives of others.

The story of the mission sending of the 72 have an exciting success as regards their preaching, healing, exorcism. However, Jesus was also quick to remind them that the power they used was not theirs. The power to tread over snakes and scorpions and over the full force of the enemy came from Jesus himself. Emphatically, Jesus said, ‘I have given you the power…’ That only mean, we can only be effective ministers of the Lord for as long as we recognize our connectedness with Jesus. Our effectiveness in our ministry is not because of what we do, but it because of what we allow the Lord Jesus to do with us and through us. As ministers, we must allow the Lord to minister to us.

Fr Lito Layug

12th SUNDAY (C) 20 Jun 2010

匝加利亞先知書12:10-11 聖保祿宗徒致迦拉達人書3:26-29 聖路加福音9:18-24

Today’s scene opens with Jesus praying alone. Luke presents Jesus as praying before all the important events of his life. Maybe there are some who wonder why Jesus, if he was the Son of God, had to pray. Who did he pray to? What did he pray about? These questions might be a hint that we have a limited concept of what prayer is about. Prayer is primarily being in communication with God. It involves both listening and speaking. In some of the deepest forms of prayer, nothing at all is said. One is just bathed in the all-surrounding presence of God.

It is to our best advantage to open ourselves totally to those transcendent values which the Gospel presents to us. And to take up our cross every day is not to go out of our way looking for pain and trouble. That would be a very unhealthy way of behaving. It means accepting what comes into our life and positively and constructively seeing God’s love and grace in every experience, even the most painful.

Anyone who actively lives out the way of life proposed to us by Jesus is almost certain to run into opposition, to rejection and even contempt. But, in the words of Paul who had his own full share of crosses, “Everything works together for good to those who love God.”

Do we want to experience Jesus? Do we want to experience his peace, his love, his joy, his forgiveness, his healing? Clearly, Jesus indicates in today’s Gospel: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That means we must be willing to have less space for ourselves, so that there can be more space for Jesus. Even the law of natural and physical science teaches that no two entities can occupy the same space at the same time. Faith which is required in our relationship with Jesus is not so much a matter of reaching out to Jesus as it is a matter of opening to him, opening to what he wants, what he wills.

Jesus said: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We reflect on these familiar words of Jesus in reverse:

Follow me – this is the main and absolute objective of discipleship. It is not to be an admirer and a member of Jesus’ fans club. It is to be identified with Jesus―his mission, his teachings, his values.

Take up your Cross – the trademark of Jesus is the Cross, no Cross, no Christ.

Deny self – We cannot be like Jesus if we cannot empty ourselves of many things: sin, pride, worldliness, a logic that follows the reasoning of success in the world. Rather we think and do what gives us treasures in heaven.

Fr Lito Layug

The forgotten language

By our ritual gestures — this “body language” — we unite the physical and mental/spiritual aspects of our worship of the Lord, and express our unity with Him with our entire being.

From GIRM on Movements and Posture
42. The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered. Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice. A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the sacred Liturgy: it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude.

Click here to see more from Adoremus http://www.adoremus.org/Gestures.pdf

ASCENSION (C) 16 May 2010

宗徒大事錄1:1-11 聖保祿宗徒致厄弗所人書1:17-23 聖路加福音24:46-53

With today’s feast of the Ascension we know that we are getting close to Pentecost and the end of our season of Easter. For those who were Jesus’ companions and followers, the Ascension marked the end of the time when he was with them to eat and drink and make conversation. His Ascension is the end of an era, the end of his presence among them. But it was also the beginning of something. We can only wonder at how they felt when he left them. The readings we have listened to today don’t give us any sense that they were sad at his going – sadness was more the mood at the time of his death. This time they seem to be more overcome by fear and paralysis. They just stand and keep gazing into the sky. An angel interrupts their gaze and tells them what they have to do.

So this moment of the Ascension becomes a moment of instruction for them. If we take notice of the words Jesus speaks to them and the words of the angel, we can learn just how important this moment of Ascension was. First, they are to go back and wait for the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ work is now finished, and he is going. But the gospel he preached will continue to take root in the world. The Holy Spirit will make Jesus and the gospel present. This is why Jesus’ leaving them is not a moment of sadness, because in a mysterious way he will be more present to them. His presence will not be limited by space and time; people of all times and places will be able to encounter him. So the disciples wait for the Holy Spirit as God’s gracious gift to the world.

The second thing that Jesus teaches the disciples just before he leaves them is that when the Holy Spirit comes they will receive power and will be his witnesses in the world. We might wonder what this means – after all haven’t they been with him for a long time and been instructed by him so that they already know his teaching and are empowered by it. Yes, they have learnt a lot from him, but the new learning that now awaits them is to translate on a daily basis the gospel message of Jesus into their own world. The power they will receive will help them shape the world as God wants it to be. This sounds an impossible task and perhaps even a silly dream. But the point is that it is God who is creating this new world and shaping it; it is the Holy Spirit who abides in the world and in the hearts of believers. The power they receive is the Spirit who renews and recreates their own hearts. Their lives will give witness to this Spirit.

This brings us to the third thing the disciples learn, as the angel tells them that Jesus will return. The angel is telling them that they now live in an in-between time. We can use the image of baking a loaf of bread to understand this. The time from Ascension and Pentecost until the second coming of Jesus is like the time when the bread is in the oven baking. At the right moment the bread comes out of the oven and is ready; it is there for the life of the world. We live, as it were, during this time when the bread is being baked. Taking it out of the oven is for the future. The disciples – and we as well – live in this time when the world is being prepared for its fulfillment in God. The point about the second coming of Jesus is not so much about working out a time or a date when this will happen. It is the angel’s way of saying that Jesus himself will complete the transformation of the world and reign over it. It is what is called elsewhere in the Scriptures the new heaven and the new earth. It is not about escaping from this world – which is the point of the image of the disciples gazing into heaven. Rather it is about the transformation of this world by God – which is the point of saying that Jesus will come back to usher in this new creation, to bring heaven to earth.

The disciples went back and waited for the Holy Spirit. This week we wait for the celebration of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. As the disciples waited they watched the world around them. No doubt they noticed its joys and hopes as well as its anxiety and grief. This was the world that the Spirit would transform, and it was the world into which they were called to be witnesses.

As we celebrate the Ascension today I believe we are called to see our world through eyes enlightened by the Holy Spirit. This means that we should allow ourselves to see the good things that are positive signs of the Holy Spirit transforming our world. These are the things that show up the highest dignity and grandeur of human beings. But just as importantly, we should allow ourselves to notice the ugly things that show up the worst in human action. These remind us that we are still waiting for the new creation. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to become witnesses in these situations to something different, namely that human behaviour can be better, that human dignity demands more, and that something new and different is possible.

Fr Gerard Kelly

3rd SUNDAY EASTER (C) 18 April 2010

復活期第三主日
宗徒大事錄5:27-32,40-41 聖若望默示錄5:11-14 聖若望福音21:1-19

For the last couple of weeks we have been listening to the accounts of the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection. This is the last Sunday we will hear them. As I have listened it struck me that the intention of the gospel writers wasn’t really about offering a proof that Jesus is risen. They are telling us about the experience of those who first encountered him. They want to invite us to read the gospel not so much as history, but as an invitation to reflect on our own experience of the risen Jesus.

The scene in today’s gospel is very busy. We have the disciples out fishing on the lake and, following a few helpful words from a stranger, they make a great catch of fish. Then there is the breakfast with Jesus on the shore. Finally, Peter and Jesus wander along the shore on their own and Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. It is tempting to start with this last scene and to ignore the very beginning. But the beginning is important. It tells us that these disciples had gone back to work. Life was returning to normal. After all the drama around the death of Jesus and the disappointment they no doubt felt that his cause was lost, they were probably just beginning to settle back into the normal routine of life, making sure that they had work to do so that they could provide for their families. And, like any life, it had its moments of disappointment: the times when the fish weren’t biting, when life was hard, when success was difficult.

The point we need to note is that Jesus appears to them in that world – not some other world where everything is holy or successful or perfect. Jesus appears to them in the normal course of their life. And they don’t notice him! He blends into their world. He looks just like any other stranger walking along the shore of the lake. Why should they listen to him? Why should they follow his advice to put out their nets one more time? Something in them urges them to listen, and they put out their nets. Then something unexpected happens: there is a massive school of fish and their nets are at breaking point. They only guess who this stranger is. The situation is so different to what it used to be. He is different. But they know that it is Jesus: they see this stranger through the eyes of faith and recognise him.

From this encounter they are drawn into his mission. This is a constant theme in all of the resurrection scenes. They are told to go and be his witnesses. This takes shape differently for different people. Some take on important roles of preaching and healing in his name. Some are community organisers. But the majority keep going about their normal work, even if their life now has a new meaning. Sometimes they have to re-think their lifestyle and make adjustments. But they continue in their normal roles and seek to live at peace in their neighbourhood.

We can notice a pattern in what happens after Jesus was raised from the dead and appeared to the disciples. First, they encounter him while going about their normal life. But they don’t initially recognise him because they are not expecting to meet him at that place. When they finally recognise him, they still only see him through the eyes of faith. Finally, he entrusts them to be witnesses to his mission. This pattern is important, and we should be alert to it in our own lives. Be ready to encounter Jesus in the ordinary places of your life.

The final scene in this gospel is the dialogue between Peter and Jesus. Don’t forget that Peter had denied Jesus three times before the crucifixion. Now Jesus asks him to profess his faith three times. It is easy to think that this is an incident that simply concerns Peter and perhaps the successors of Peter. But there is something here for all of us too. There is the reminder that even when we fall short in honouring our commitment to Jesus we can still renew our faith in him. But there are also those words right at the end about what happens when you grow up. When you were young you could make choices and choose to do what you liked. But as you get older and seek to honour your commitments of faith you may find that you are doing things you never expected. It is marvellous message for all of us to hear, but particularly the youth of our community. You can enjoy the freedom that comes with youth – the freedom to ask questions, to explore ideas, to experiment with various lifestyle choices. You can even do all of this while making a commitment to the risen Jesus and the Spirit who abides with us. But Jesus warns you to be ready to follow that commitment through, even to places that you can’t even imagine right now. This is faith: not knowing what the future will be, but being ready to be a part of it.

The Easter season is very much the time of the Holy Spirit. We only know Jesus through the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives. We only become witnesses because we follow the movement of the Holy Spirit. Here we have a great gift. Let’s open our hearts to receive from the Lord of life.

Fr Gerard Kelly