26 August 2018

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings at Mass
1st: Joshua 24:1-2,15-17,18
Ps: 33:2-3,16-23
2nd: Ephesians 5:21-32
Gospel: John 6:60-69

Who shall we go to? You are the Holy One of God

After hearing his doctrine many of the followers of Jesus said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’ Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you? What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?

‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit ‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him.’ After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’

Words of Truth

But it may be asked, what reason was there for speaking words to them which did not edify, but might rather have injured them? It was very useful and necessary; for this reason, they had been just now urgently asking for bodily food, and reminding Him of that which had been given to their fathers. So He reminds them here of spiritual food; to show that all those miracles were but figures. They should not have been offended, but should have inquired of Him further. The scandal was due to their own foolishness and not to the difficulty of the truths declared by our Lord.
St. John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea

THIS WEEK’S FEASTS
Mon 27 St. Monica 
Tue 28 St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor 
Wed 29 Beheading of St. John the Baptist
Fri 31 Ss. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (in our Diocese) 
Sat 1 Blessed Virgin Mary Memorial

Psalter week I

22^nd Sunday OT:
1^st: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8
Ps: 14:2-5
2^nd: James:1:17-18,21-22,27
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23

Saint Monica’s Prayers

St. Monica was born of Christian parents at Tagaste, North Africa, in 333. She was very pious but married to Patritius, a man of bad habits and short temper, with whom she had three children: Augustine the eldest (the future St. Augustine), Navigius the second, and a daughter, Perpetua. Not being to baptise them caused Monica great grief, especially when Augustine fell ill, on which occasion, Patritius had allowed her to baptise him, but as the boy recovered, he withdrew his consent. Monica worried that Augustine was becoming very worldly and began living a sinful life as a student in Carthage, so she prayed intensely night and day for the conversion of her son. She received some solace, however, as Patritius became a Christian shortly before his death. Augustine, however, had joined a heretical sect, the Manicheans, which caused Monica to kick him out while he was visiting, but she was told in a vision to call him back. This caused Monica to go seek the bishop’s advice, who consoled her with the famous phrase: “the child of those tears shall never perish.” Monica tirelessly sought her son in Rome and then Milan where, with the help of St. Ambrose, after seventeen years, Augustine converted and was baptised, Monica died a few months later.  Cult to St. Monica began to spread in the 13^th century, and when her relics were being brought to Rome, many miracles occurred on the way. In 1850, in Paris an Association of Christian mothers was established under the patronage of St. Monica to pray for sons and husbands who had gone astray, this Association spread rapidly through the Catholic world.

St. Paul’s Apostolates: We’d like to inform you that the Children’s Oratory will begin on Saturday 6 October and our Bible Group on Thursday 11 October. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Archangel Michael Hospice is having a very busy summer and so we ask for your prayers and support. Thank you.

Can You Help CARITAS? We need someone to bag the vegetables for the food program, can be temporarily. Call Wendy 9904 0294. Thank you for your prayers and donations.

Mass Times HERE