The Good News from Your Parish
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TheThe GoodGood NewsNews fromfrom YourYour ParishParish 14 December 2014 Issue 7 www.olol.org.au Revelation to Joseph - Feast of St Nehmatallah The Gospel The Epistle Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner place in this way. When his mother Mary for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles had been engaged to Joseph, but before — for surely you have already heard of the they lived together, she was found to be commission of God’s grace that was given with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband me for you, and how the mystery was made Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling known to me by revelation, as I wrote above to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just as he had in a few words, a reading of which will resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord enable you to perceive my understanding of appeared to him in a dream and said, the mystery of Christ. In former generations “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to this mystery was not made known to take Mary as your wife, for the child humankind, as it has now been revealed to conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: will bear a son, and you are to name him that is, the Gentiles have become fellow Jesus, for he will save his people from their Next Sunday’s Readings heirs, members of the same body, and sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had Rom 1:1-12 sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus been spoken by the Lord through the Mt 1:1-17 through the gospel. prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and Of this gospel I have become a servant bear a son, and they shall name him QUOTE OF THE according to the gift of God’s grace that was Emmanuel”, which means, “God is with us.” WEEK given me by the working of his power. When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as Although I am the very least of all the saints, the angel of the Lord commanded him; he “All the Darkness this grace was given to me to bring to the took Mary as his wife, but had no marital relations with her and she had borne a son; in the world Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the and he named him Jesus. cannot extinguish Matt 1: 18- 25 plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God Prayer of the Week the Light of a who created all things; so that through the single candle." church the wisdom of God in its rich variety The truth was revealed to righteous might now be made known to the rulers and Joseph and he believed. St Francis of Assisi authorities in the heavenly places. This was Let us always be willing to embrace God’s in accordance with the eternal purpose that truth in our lives. Carols by Candlelight he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in This Christmas, we pray that the “Light in the Darkness” whom we have access to God in boldness chambers of our hearts and minds are Fri 19 Dec 7.30pm and confidence through faith in him. I pray opened, so that like Joseph, we may therefore that you may not lose heart over welcome Emmanuel, who is God with us. Church Grounds with Live Nativity & our my sufferings for you; they are your glory. Church Choirs Eph 3:1- 13 Amen Theresa Simon Families & all age groups “O Come Let us Adore Him” welcome Christmas Adoration to the New Born King Registrations for First Holy Communion for 2015 In event of bad weather with Carols: Thursday 18 December 8.00pm. being taken contact Parish office 9689 2899 lower level car park SUNDAY HOLY LITURGIES (Masses) OLOL Co Cathedral - Harris Park 8am (Arabic), 9:30am (English Family), 11am (Ar/Eng), 5pm (Ar/Eng), 7pm (English Youth) Mass Centres: 11am St. Joseph the Worker, Auburn (Ar/Eng) 10.30am starting on Christmas Day 6pm St Patrick’s, Guildford (Ar/Eng) WEEKDAY HOLY LITURGIES (Masses) Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 7am, 8.45am & 6pm. Wed 7am, 8.45am & 5:30pm; 7pm (English Youth) Sat 7:30am & 6pm (Ar/Eng) CONFESSIONS Before and during Saturday 6pm and Sunday Masses or by appointment on weekdays WEEKDAY DEVOTIONS Rosary: Mon, Tues 8pm, Wed 6:30pm, Thurs 7:30pm Sun 6:30pm Divine Mercy followed by Rosary Fri 7:30pm Adoration Hour: Thursdays 8pm – 9pm 42 Hour Adoration: Every first Friday from 9:30am - Sat 7:30am Parish Contact Numbers: Office: 9689 2899 Fax: 9689 2068. Email: [email protected] Msgr Shora Maree P.P. 0418 969 844. A.P.s Fr Pierre 0411 735 258. Fr Tony 0433 211 248. Fr Raphael 0401 627 777. Fr Sam, Fr Antoun 9689 2899. Fr Paul 0414 900 016. Fr Bernard 0411 811 807. Fr Yuhanna 0435 764 824. Light from the Word - Revelation to Joseph Saint of the Week As we draw closer to Christmas, our Sunday Gospel St Nematallah account is Matthew’s short version of the birth of 14 December Jesus the Messiah. Joseph and Mary play centre stage. Father Nemetallah Al-Hardini was born as Joseph Kassab in 1810. He entered the monastery of St In the Gospel passage we hear how Joseph discov- Anthony Ishaia and became a novice of the ered that Mary was with child and from Joseph’s re- Lebanese Maronite Order in 1828. He adopted the sponse, we can learn a great deal about relationships name Nemetallah (‘Grace of God’). He was and love. The Gospel reads, ‘Her husband Joseph, ordained a priest in the monastery at Kfifan in 1833 and he taught in monastic schools of the LMO, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to especially in Kfifan. One of his students was the public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly’v19. junior monk (and future saint) Charbel Makhlouf in This is a man deeply in love with Mary! the years 1853-58. He was a man of prayer and his fellow monks and the people who knew him called We rarely hear about the relationship between Joseph and Mary, but this him ‘The Saint’ even while he was still alive. His one line sums it all up. It tells us there was honest communication presence always imposed a special respect, between Joseph and Mary because she informed him of her pregnancy reverence and solemnity. Fr Nemetallah died in the and did not cover it up. There was trust in each other’s understanding. monastery of Kfifan on 14th December 1858. Sometime later, the monks opened Nemetallah’s Joseph in response, does not yell or threaten, or seek some sort of tomb and to their surprise they found his body had vengeance. Instead, he quietly decides the best course of action for his remained incorrupt. His body was examined and wife. He would never harm her. Only a man deeply in love, who possesses placed in a new coffin in 1996 in the Monastery of great respect and dignity, would respond in such a compassionate way. Kfifan where people may visit it. Pope John Paul II beatified Fr Nemetallah on 10 May 1998, the first Finally we read in the Gospel, ‘But just when he resolved to do this . anniversary of his pastoral visit to Lebanon. He was .’v20. Joseph’s decision was not rash but a conscious decision that he had canonised on 16 May 2004. pondered over, reflecting on all possible outcomes. Prayer St Nemetallah you have become an example of So from our Gospel passage today we can say that Joseph and Mary were Christian and monastic life for the Maronite perfect models of husband and wife. They communicated with love and community and for all Disciples of Christ today. You patient understanding. are a sign of hope for all Lebanese, particularly for families and young people. Through your prayer Jesus modelled perfect love in his life and he could only be love and and intercession, we ask that our Lord bless His receive love if he had experienced it first. We can confidently say, Jesus holy Maronite Church around the world and espe- experienced true love through his parents. Amen cially our home land Lebanon. Through his grace Sr Margaret Ghosn mshf may we follow your example of faith, humility and love. Amen By Charbel Dib Shepherd’s Corner Dear Parishioners, Sabbaticals & New Appointments I will be attending a Priestly Renewal (Sabbatical) Course in Rome from 9 January to 9 April 2015. Why you might ask do priests do Sabbatical Courses? Because St John Paul II, wrote: “Permanent formation is a require- ment of the priest’s own faithfulness to his ministry, to his very being. It is love for Jesus Christ and fidelity to oneself. But it is also an act of love for the People of God, at whose service the priest is placed.”(Pastores Dabo Vobis, n.70) By these words Pope John Paul was confirming and encouraging the practice in the Church for Priests to take Sabbaticals (periods of 3 months or more) every 10 years or so to do ongoing Study and Formation to be renewed in their Priestly Min- istry. Why the Course in Rome? Because early this year Monsignor Joe Takchi from Melbourne encouraged me to consider trav- elling to Rome with him to do our first Sabbatical Course together.