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WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN Dear Catechists the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Stolen a Lot of Precious Time That Could Have Been Used Fruitful- Cathedral Administrator Fr

WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN Dear Catechists the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Stolen a Lot of Precious Time That Could Have Been Used Fruitful- Cathedral Administrator Fr

Message to Catechists WEEKLY PARISH BULLETIN Dear Catechists The Coronavirus pandemic has stolen a lot of precious time that could have been used fruitful- Cathedral Administrator Fr. Amos Masemola Cell 079 989 1515 ly in your Catechism classes. I am quite sure that a lot of those who were due to receive sac- Parish Office Tel (012)326 3027 Fax(012)326 1740 raments are anxious and worried. This is beyond our control and can only that the situa- Email Address [email protected] tion will be better going forward. Website Address www.cshpretoria.co.za I encourage you to keep in touch with your catechumen's (groups), keep on motivating them. It is crucial you give them some lessons to work on with their parents /guardians such that Cathedral Of The they remain in touch with what has been taught and continue to gain new insights. Parish Pastoral Council Chairperson Mr. Tony Khumalo Sacred Heart I am however worried about the state of our classes when we reopen. I foresee a great chal- ISSUE: 11 lenge especially when social distancing will still be the order of the day. It is going to be an 07TH JUNE 2020 enormous challenge since you all know that we lack sufficient space. I am busy cracking my head wondering what will be the way forward. I can only hope and pray that something comes up in due time. Solemnity of the Blessed In the meantime let us keep strong in . Our Lord will not abandon us in this time of need. the Father, Son and I urge you dear Catechists to keep in touch with your groups, keep them motivated as we sail through this unchartered waters. Dear Parishioners

Let us hear the words of to his disciples when he was walking on the water and they Grace and Peace of our Lord be with you. were filled with fear, "do not be afraid, take " Mt 14:27. Yours in

Rev. Fr. Mabuti Masemola Subsequent to the Archbishop’s letter on the Guidelines for the reopening of the churches guided by the regulations laid down by the government, I met with the PPC on Tuesday the 2nd June 2020 to assess the state of our readiness to open the church. Informed by the Archbishop’s Guidelines and government regulations, Cathedral Parish News we deemed it necessary no to open the church. 1) Live Streaming of the Holy celebration on Sunday’s at 11am

2) Upcoming Feast and Solemnities in June We are mindful that a number of people are keen on returning to church but before a) Sunday 14th June Solemnity of The Body and Blood of Christ that can be done, serious work has to be done in preparing the church for the reo- b) Friday 19th of June Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus pening. The work that is entailed will not happen in haste, careful and thorough Patronal Feast of our Parish and Archdiocese of Pretoria preparation has to be undertaken. It was our view and that of the priests of the Western Deanery where we belong as a parish that we should not open our church- Daily Holy Mass Reading - Week 10 Ordinary Time es while we continue to monitor and observe the situation at hand. Week 08 –13 June First Reading Psalm Gospel Reading Monday 1 Kings 17:1-6 121:1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8 Matthew 5:1-12 We have therefore decided to establish a COVID-19 compliance team that will assist Tuesday 1 Kings 17:7-16 4:2-3,4-5,7-8 Matthew 5:13– 16 in assessing and assisting us in getting ready to reopen our church in the near fu- ture. Wednesday 1 Kings 18:20-39 16:1-2,4,5 & 8,11 Matthew 5:17– 19 In the meantime, I continue to urge you to pray in your homes and follow the Thursday Acts 11:21-26; livestreaming that are made available to you. 98:1,2-3,4,5-6 Matthew 10:7– 13 13:1-3 Memorial St. Barnabas 1 Kings 19:9,11 – Friday 27:7-8,9,13-14 Matthew 5:27–32 We also appeal that you continue assisting in the sustenance of the church and 16 those in need. Saturday 1 Kings 19:19-21 16:1-2; 5,7-8,9-10 Matthew 5:33–37

MINISTRY TO THE SICK: Notify the parish office of any Sick and Housebound parishioners Remain strong in as I continue to assure of my fervent for you and your loved ones. in your care, so that they can be visited by the Priest. Yours in Christ MONTHLY PLEDGE Standard Account no. 011605529 Branch Code 01004 Rev. Fr. Mabuti Masemola Cathedral Administrator be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.” Today’s readings convey the Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity SUNDAY’S READINGS fundamental mystery that the Triune God reaches out to people in love, seeking the , Son and deepest communion with them. Holy Spirit FIRST READING Today’s first reading, taken from the book of Exodus, describes how God revealed The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a EXODUS 34: 4-6, 8-9 His name to Moses as “Yahweh,” which means, “I am Who am.” basic doctrine of Faith in , un- PSALM: DANIEL 3: 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 The Second Reading Taken from St. Paul’s second Letter to the Corinthians, con- derstandable not with our heads but with RESPONSORIAL PSALM: tains the ancient apostolic blessing in the name of the Holy Trinity: “The grace of the our hearts. It teaches us that there are Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with three distinct Persons in one God, sharing GLORY AND PRAISE FOR EVER! all of you.” Paul reminds the people of the Father’s love, the grace that comes the same Divine Nature. Our mind cannot SECOND READING through Jesus Christ and the fellowship or the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. In grasp this doctrine which teaches that SECOND CORINTHIANS 13: 11-13 Christ, God has shown favor toward us humans, a special care for us, and a desire 1+1+1 = 1 and not 3. that through Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection we might find and enjoy a right rela- But we believe in this Mystery because GOSPEL tionship with God. We often use the phrase “the love of God” to describe our re- Jesus who is God taught it clearly, the JOHN 3: 16-18 sponse to God and our duty to love God. That is both correct and appropriate. But Evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the what comes first is God’s love for us. The Scriptures emphasize that God has loved Church tried to explain it and the Councils us first and that our love for God is only a fitting response. And the fellowship of the of Nicaea and Constantinople defined it Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit shapes and animates the life of the Christian community. as a dogma of Christian Faith. Today’s Gospel comes from the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. Jesus There is a very old and much-repeated story about St. Augustine. He was walking speaks about the Father who has sent him (the Son), and after the Last Supper, He by the seashore one day, attempting to conceive of an intelligible explanation for the speaks about the Holy Spirit Whom he will send. He says that the Father has given mystery of the Trinity. As he walked along, he saw a small boy on the beach, pour- him (the Son) all that He has and that Jesus, in turn, has given to the Holy Spirit all ing seawater from a shell into a small hole in the sand. "What are you doing, my that he has received from the Father. In this we see the unity of purpose among the child?" asked Augustine. "I am trying to empty the sea into this hole," the boy an- Three Persons of the Trinity swered with an innocent smile. "But that is impossible, my dear child,” said Augus- tine. The boy stood up, looked straight into the eyes of Augustine and replied, Life Message “What you are trying to do? Comprehend the immensity of God with your small head 1) We need to respect ourselves and respect others. Our conviction of the pres- is even more impossible.” Then he vanished. The child was an angel sent by God to ence of the Triune God within us should help us to esteem ourselves as God’s teach Augustine a lesson. holy dwelling place, to behave well in His holy presence, and to lead purer and Later, St Augustine wrote: "You see the Trinity if you see love." According to him, holier lives, practicing acts of and . This Triune Presence should the Father is the lover, the Son is the loved one and the Holy Spirit is the personifi- also encourage us to respect and honor others as "Temples of the Holy Spirit." cation of the very act of loving. This means that we can understand something of the 2) We need to be aware of God as the Source of our strength and courage. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity more readily with the heart than with our feeble mind. awareness and conviction of the presence of God within us, gives us the strength to face the manifold problems of life with Christian courage. It was such Today’s feast invites us to live in the awareness of the presence of the Triune God a conviction that prompted the early Christian martyrs, when taken to their exe- within us: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Holy Trinity, a doctrine enunciated by the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, is cution, to shout the heroic of Faith from the Psalms: "The Lord of might is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and the greatest mystery of our with us, our God is within us, and the God of Jacob is our helper" (Psalm 46). Faith, namely, that there are Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine nature 3) We need to see the Trinity as the model for our Christian families: We are creat- in one God. “There is one God, who has three Persons, Father, Son and Holy ed in love to be a community of loving persons, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is God, yet there is still only one God” We have Father Who is Spirit are united in love. From the day of our , we have belonged to the the Creator, Son, the and Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier and the Counselor. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How privileged we are to grow up in such a beauti- ful Family! Hence, let us turn to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in prayer every The doctrine of the Trinity underlies all major Christian feasts, including Christmas, the Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost. All the official day. We belong to the Family of the Triune God. The love, unity and joy in the prayers of the Church, including the Holy Mass and the , begin with an relationship among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit should be the supreme mod- address to the Holy Trinity: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the el of our relationships within our Christian families. Our families become truly Holy Spirit.” We are baptized, absolved of our sins and anointed in the name of the Christian when we live in a relationship of love with God and with others. Blessed Trinity. Throughout the world, where church bells ring three times a day 4) We are called to become more like the Triune God through all our relation- they invite Christians to pray to God the Father (the Provider); (the ships. We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Savior); and God the Holy Spirit (the Sanctifier). Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only as one member of a rela- We bless ourselves with the Sign of the Cross invoking the Name of the Father, Son tionship of three partners. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with and Holy Spirit and we conclude our prayers glorifying the Holy Trinity, saying “Glory all other people and in a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life be- comes Trinitarian like that of God. @ Fr. Antony Kadavil

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