St Peter Chanel & St Joseph Berala Streams of living water will flow from within. ~John 7:38 Parish Office: 60 Kingsland Rd, Berala, 2141, Ph: 96447787 E: [email protected] Parish Website: www.stpeter-stjoseph.org.au, facebook: stpeterstjoseph Holy Mass at Berala: Monday to Friday 6.45am, Wednesday to Friday 9.15am, Saturday 8.00am, Saturday 9.00am Adoration & Novena. Holy Mass at Auburn South: Tuesday 9.00am (during school term only) Lord’s Day Mass Berala: Saturday 5.00am (Vigil) Sunday 10.00am Lord’s Day Mass Auburn South: Sunday 8.00am Reconciliation at Berala: Saturday 9.00am - 10.00am. Or contact the parish office for any other time. For Baptisms, Weddings, Bible Study and Catholic Enquiry, please contact Fr Thomas or the parish office on 9644 7787. Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time—Year A 17 September 2017 First Reading the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Now as this servant went out, he Sir 27:30 – 28:7 Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to happened to meet a fellow servant who Resentment and anger, these are foul the Lord. This explains why Christ both owed him one hundred denarii; and he things, and both are found with the died and came to life, it was so that he seized him by the throat and began to sinner. He who exacts vengeance will might be Lord both of the dead and of throttle him. “Pay what you owe me”, he experience the vengeance of the Lord, the living. said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and who keeps strict account of sin. Forgive implored him, saying, “Give me time and your neighbour the hurt he does you, Gospel I will pay you.” But the other would not and when you pray, your sins will be Mt 18:21-35 agree; on the contrary, he had him forgiven. If a man nurses anger against Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, thrown into prison till he should pay the another, can he then demand how often must I forgive my brother if he debt. His fellow servants were deeply compassion from the Lord? Showing no wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ distressed when they saw what had pity for a man like himself, can he then Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but happened, and they went to their master plead for his own sins? Mere creature of seventy-seven times. and reported the whole affair to him. flesh, he cherishes resentment; who will ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be Then the master sent for him. “You forgive him his sins? Remember the last compared to a king who decided to settle wicked servant,” he said. “I cancelled all things, and stop hating, remember his accounts with his servants. When the that debt of yours when you appealed to dissolution and death, and live by the reckoning began, they brought him a me. Were you not bound, then, to have commandments. Remember the man who owed ten thousand talents; but pity on your fellow servant just as I had commandments, and do not bear your he had no means of paying, so his master pity on you?” And in his anger the master neighbour ill-will; remember the gave orders that he should be sold, handed him over to the covenant of the Most High, and overlook together with his wife and children and torturers till he should the offence.’ all his possessions, to meet the debt. At pay all his debt. And that this, the servant threw himself down at is how my heavenly Second Reading his master’s feet. “Give me time,” he said Father will deal with you Rom 14:7-9 “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the unless you each forgive The life and death of each of us has its servant’s master felt so sorry for him that your brother from your influence on others; if we live, we live for he let him go and cancelled the debt. heart.’.’ Antiphons, Readings & Reflections Entrance Antiphon Cf. Sir 36:18 Communion Antiphon Cf. Ps 35:8 it up with his next breath. His question in Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for How precious is your mercy, O God! The this week’s gospel is one that any one of us you, that your prophets be found true. children of men seek shelter in the shadow might ask. I try to do what’s right, but how Hear the prayers of your servant, and of of your wings. long do I have to hang in there? There has your people Israel. to be a limit to patience with someone who Next Week’s Readings: keeps upsetting me, surely? Jesus shows us Responsorial Psalm: Is 55:6-9 that if we operate from a motivation of (R) The Lord is kind and merciful; Phil 1:20-24. 27 compassion and a desire to constantly build slow to anger and rich in compassion. Mt 20:1-16 relationships that are life-giving for both 1. My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my parties, then there is no end to the number being, bless his holy name. My soul, give Reflections of times that we try to re-build that thanks to the Lord and never forget all Have you Thought? relationship. his blessings. (R.) The parable sees the unforgiving servant 2. It is he who forgives all your guilt, who putting his fellow servant in prison ‘until he Gospel Focus: How many times? heals every one of your ills, who paid back the debt’. This is almost Peter says, ‘How many times should I redeems your life from the grave, who exclusively what prisons were used for until forgive? As many as seven times?’ Peter crowns you with love and only a few hundred years ago. When a probably thought that he was being pretty compassion. (R.) person could not repay a debt, they were generous. The religious law of his time 3. His wrath will come to an end; he will held in prison until the debt was paid. Of required people to forgive three times, so not be angry for ever. He does not treat course, being in prison, they had little by suggesting seven times, Peter would us according to our sins nor repay us opportunity to repay the debt themselves have thought that he was really going the according to our faults. (R.) and relied on friends and relatives to repay extra mile. To forgive someone seven 4. For as the heavens are high above the the debt on their behalf. To pay someone’s times is a pretty big call. But the number earth so strong is his love for those who debt was to ‘redeem’ them. The earliest seven has great significance in scripture; it fear him. As far as the east is from the ideas of Christ as a ‘Redeemer’ were based is regarded as a number of perfection. west so far does he remove our sins. (R.) on the idea of Christ paying a debt on Peter is suggesting that there is an ideal behalf of humankind. number of times that one should forgive. Gospel Acclamation Jn 13:34 Jesus blows this out of the water by saying, Alleluia, alleluia! Living the Gospel: Just like Peter take that perfect number of times and I give you a new commandment: Throughout the gospels, Peter is a fantastic multiply it by seventy. There is no perfect love one another as I have loved you. example of the common person. He has number of times to forgive. Alleluia! insights of faith at times but usually messes Parish Priest Parish Diary This Week Family that pray together stay together” Fr Thomas Kurunthanam PILGRIM STATUE Monday 6.45am Mass [email protected] T. (02) 9644 7787 Tuesday 6.45am Mass 9.00am Mass (SJW) Priest in Residence 7.00pm First Reconciliation Parents Mgr Michael Berbari, Cor Bishop Meeting (Jubilee Hall) T. (02) 8723 9192 Wednesday 6.45am Mass M. 0418 459 431 9.15am Mass FROM ST PETER CHANEL at the Williams Home Parish Secretary Thursday 6.45am Mass 15 London Rd, Lidcombe Lea Baldoria 9.15am Mass 1.30pm Starting Afresh this Winter [email protected] (St Joseph’s House) Please join them any evening at Tues to Fri 9am -3pm T. (02) 9644 7787 7.30pm Parish Pastoral Council 7.30pm for the Rosary. Meeting (St Joseph’s House) Youth Ministry Co-ordinator To host the Pilgrim Statue and Rosary Tommy Francisco Friday 6.45am Mass prayer please contact Mona [email protected] 9.15am Mass on 9709 8701 or 0417 282 603. 12.30pm Pastoral Care of Sick Pastoral Relations Officer Meeting Mariana Tannous T. (02) 9644 7787 FROM ST JOSEPH THE WORKER Saturday 8.00am Mass at the Olie Home Pastoral Council 8.30am Rosary Charlie Scully (Chair) T. 0402 071 849 9.00am Novena Adoration Confession To host the Rosary Statue from St Joseph Karim Kassis (Vice Chair) T. 0402 071 849 5.00pm Sunday Vigil Mass (SPC) the Worker contact the Legion of Mary. Maureen Hynes (Secretary) Joji Salar (Asst Secretary), Sunday 8.00am Mass (SJW) 10.00am Mass (SPC) Micheline Botham (Social Committee) T. 0422 939 342 Roster Next Week Jenny Michael (Liturgy Committee) 24 SEPTEMBER 2017 25th SUNDAY IN ORDINDARY TIME Pat Kavanagh (Social Justice), Jann Rockliff (Hospital Visit) , Mass VIGIL (SPC) 8AM (SJW) 10AM (SPC) Rhia Victorino, Arthur Doumit (SVDP) and ACOLYTE Bob KENSEY William ANDREWS Robert JAKSIC Principals of the Parish Schools.