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LENTEN REFLECTION

As we enter into the 2nd week of Lent, let us continue to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God, who gives us life and all we have, and who blesses us even when all hope seems lost. The first reading tells us that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham unhesitatingly said, “Yes.” God spared Isaac’s life and blessed Abraham abundantly, “because you have obeyed my voice.”
Paul reminds us that God gave up his own Son for us. Jesus died on a cross and, as his followers, we are called to carry our daily crosses: a loved one with an incurable disease, a broken relationship…. In painful moments, God asks us to trust and God will shower us with blessings.
Throughout Lent, may we reply “Yes” when God asks something difficult of us.

WE ARE NOT ALONE: MY BROTHER, MY SISTER, MY NEIGHBOUR

Do I welcome people who come and sit next to me in Church? Often I do not know them or I know them only by sight. Am I happy that they join me for celebrating the Lord or do I feel they distract me? I must make room for them and allow them to pass in front of me.
Maybe I have to remove my bag which is next to me to make space for someone.
How do I take the presence of toddlers, children who can be noisy and restless?
The Lord brings us together to be the faith celebrating community of St Teresa. Young or old, new comers or old-timers, we need each other and need to acknowledge and enjoy being different people with many different gifts.
Some people come late. They try to squeeze in. It’s a fact.
Most of the time owing to public transport being not on time and traffic congestion. Parents too would need time to gather the family with small children to come to Church on time.
All these people of God are alive, praying and sharing at the table of the Lord.
A smile from each other. A smile to each other. There is room for everybody if we make room for others. And St Teresa is no more my Church but our Church.
A small exercise of love for this time of Lent: Welcome - I am happy to have you next to me.
Welcome is one of the needs highlighted during our Parish Assembly.

1 Jan - MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

It was a life-changing moment when Mary said ‘Yes!’ to God’s plan of salvation. Two thousand years later, Mary’s yes continues to echo and bear fruit in the hearts and lives of people everywhere. Like Mary, we are invited to say yes to God as we work to build God’s kingdom.
Today we honour Mary, the mother of God, for her courage and selflessness, her faith and devotion. We also treasure her as our mother. Mary knows what it is to feel vulnerable; she had worries and fears. Still, her trust in God carried her as she carried her baby in her womb; that trust was rewarded when shepherds, guided by angels, came to pay homage to the infant Jesus.
My only child, a son, was born on a starry night in December. A close friend came to see us in the hospital the next afternoon: our first visitor. Gazing at this tiny newborn resting in her arms, she said softly, ‘Now I know how the shepherds felt.’ As a mother, I have pondered these words in my heart ever since. They lead me to a hay-strewn stable where Mary, filled with joy, is embracing the Son of God.
Like the shepherds who found their way to Bethlehem, we are on a journey of discovery. Mary, our mother, travels with us: listening, guiding, loving and leading us to Christ.

R.C.I.A. Journey with Jesus
Commencing on 18 Apr, every Friday at 7.45 pm
5th Floor Parish House

- For people who desire to be baptised

- For baptised people who want to renew their faith

- For those who want to serve as sponsors

Invite your friends to join, many are waiting for our call.

Please register with the parish office.

17 March - St Patrick
Although legends abound concerning the life and work of Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, he tells us about himself in his Confession, a document written near the end of his life. His father was a Roman tax collector and held a position in the government of the Roman settlement, now in Wales.
At 16, Patrick, along with many others, was carried off in a pirate raid and sold as a slave in Ireland. He was made a swineherd, living in solitude on a mountain. This radical change in his life forced him to rely on his Christian training, and his prayer and asceticism marked him forever.
After serving his master for 6 years, Patrick heard an inner voice telling him that he would return to his homeland and that a boat would take him there. He made his escape, traveling 300 km on foot to the promised ship. They landed in Gaul (Western Europe) and after many adventures, returned to his parents in Britain. Later, he returned to Gaul to study for the priesthood, eventually becoming a bishop.
When the missionary to Ireland, St Palladius, died, Patrick took his place, fulfilling his dream of returning to evangelize the Irish. It was a dangerous life and he was constantly at risk from hostile pagans, but by the time of his death in 492, he could see the fruits of his work: a native clergy was in place and although there was still danger, Christianity had reached nearly all of Ireland, and churches and monasteries had been established to receive the constant stream of converts.

19 March - St Joseph, Husband of Mary
Joseph, according to gospel accounts, was a village carpenter, and a descendant of King David. Art and popular imagination have usually portrayed Joseph as an old man. This is probably a false notion.
The rabbis at the time of Christ commonly taught that men should marry between the ages of 13 and 19, and Joseph, as a ‘just’ (that is, law-abiding) man, would likely have conformed to this practice.
Embarassed by Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife. His thoughts of rejecting her for infidelity were banished and he was faithful to his responsibility as her husband and foster father of Jesus.
The Feast of Saint Joseph has been observed on this day since the 10th century. St Joseph was declared patron of the universal Church in 1870, and is principal patron of Canada.

26 July - St Joachim & St Ann
ST JOACHIM & ST ANN – 26 JULY
The feast honouring the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on the day that the basilica in honour of St Ann was dedicated in Constantinople in the year 550.
Details about Joachim and Ann are found only in apocryphal literature, such as the Protoevangelium of St James. It states that Mary’s birth was miraculous because her parents were sterile, and that an angel predicted her birth to Joachim after he had fasted for forty days in the desert.

25 July - St James
ST JAMES – 25 JULY
St. James the Apostle, brother of St John the Evangelist, was the first apostle to shed his blood for Christ; he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I in the year 42 or 44 (Acts 12:2-3).
James was the son of Zebedee and Salome (Mk 15:40; Mt 27:59) and he was one of the three privileged apostles, together with Peter and John. He witnessed the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mt 1:29-31), the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (Mk 5:37-43), the transfiguration of Jesus (Mk 9:2-8) and the agony in the Garden (Mt 26:37).

29 June - Sts Peter and St Paul
According to ancient tradition, Simon, whose name was changed to Peter (meaning rock), died by crucifixion with his head near the ground, as was the Roman custom for the crucifixion of slaves. The martyrdom of St Peter around the year 67, took place on the Vatican hill, where the basilica of Constantine was constructed.
Paul of Tarsus, whose name was originally Saul, was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians. He converted to Christianity after his extraordinary experience on the road to Damascus (Ac 9:1-19). After his second imprisonment at Rome he was beheaded around the year 67 outside the walls.
These two saints have always been coupled together in the devotion of the Christian people. The martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul is also a symbol of the unity of the Church.

Birth of St John the Baptist - 24 June
God chose John to prepare the way of the Lord. He was indeed more than a prophet because he not only preached repentance and conversion, but he actually pointed to Christ present in the midst of mankind. He baptized in the waters of the Jordan him who is the author of baptism.
John’s action as a prophet was heroic, even to the point of death; he was also humble in stating that he was not worthy to tie the strap of Christ’s sandal (Jn 3:30).

St. Irenaeus (120/140-202/3) - 28 June
Irenaeus was born at Smyrna and was a member of the Christian colony of Greek origin in Asia Minor. He was a disciple of Polycarp. He became very well acquainted with various heresies and Gnosticism.
Irenaeus became a priest at Lyons and eventually became bishop of the diocese. He sent missionaries to various parts of France and according to Jerome and Gregory of Tours, he suffered martyrdom but there is no other proof of this. His relics were contained in a crypt beneath the altar but were totally destroyed by the Calvinists in 1562.

Saint Barnabas - June 11
A native of Cyprus and a Jew of the tribe of Levi, he is also called an apostle. He went forth to preach the gospel at Antioch. It was Barnabas who presented Paul to the apostles and convinced them that Paul was truly converted. Barnabas took part in the Council of Jerusalem to help settle the dispute about the observance of the Jewish law by Gentile converts.

Barnabas is a man of faith filled with the Holy Spirit and brought the light of the gospel to the nations. We are thus urged to imitate two characteristics of this saint. First of all, to recognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit that enabled Barnabas to collaborate with Paul in the ministry of the word. Secondly, we note his readiness to carry the gospel message to the Gentiles and his defense of the Gentile converts at the Council of Jerusalem. He was stoned to death at Salamis in Cyprus. His relics were discovered in the fifth century.

All Saints Day - 1 Nov & All Souls Day - 2 Nov
Feast of All Saints – feast celebrated in the West on 1 November. Originally the word ‘saint’ was synonymous with ‘martyr’ (someone who witnesses faith in Christ even to death). After a martyr’s death, local Christians endeavoured to bury the body in the tomb that would be accessible to the faithful. On the anniversary of the martyr’s death, Christians would gather to pray and celebrate the Eucharist “in memory of those ‘athletes’ who have gone before, and to train and make ready those who are to come hereafter.” Eventually the memorial celebration of martyrs occurred in local churches that did not have tombs. By the 5th century, there was already a feast of ‘all saints’ in the East, on the Friday of Easter week. By the 8th century, the church of ‘St Mary to the Martyrs’ in Rome seems to have celebrated a similar feast. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV changed the date of the feast to November 1. From the beginning, those who had endured torture for the faith but had not died (confessors) were treated with great respect. Eventually Christians who led heroic gospel-inspired lives were often acclaimed after their death as a saint by a local church. The theology and the celebration of the feast emphasized the bond between those Christians already with God and those still on earth. The feast points to our ultimate goal – to be with God.

Feast of All Souls – feast celebrated on 2 November since the 11th century for deceased Christians that they ‘may rest in peace.’ At an early date, Christians had the custom of remembering their dead. Third-century Christians writers like Tertullian spoke of an intermediate place of rest where the faithful waited until the final judgement. In the same century there seems to have been some idea of deceased Christians who need purification before seeing God. From the 11th to 13th centuries, the feast spread throughout Europe until it was finally adopted in Rome. The feast involves several beliefs: that some Christians while dying in peace with Christ might still need some purification, that the prayers and good deeds of the living help those who have died, and that there is an intermediate place between heaven and hell. The Eastern Church has usually insisted upon the need for growth in seeing God as characteristic of this intermediate state while the Roman Catholic Church tended to emphasize the penal character of this state. The liturgy itself is the best guide to the meaning of this feast. The liturgical readings point to Christ as the hope of the living and the dead. The liturgical prayers see new life in Christ as God’s promise that enables the Christian to face death with faith and hope. Ultimately the feast complements that of All Saints in proclaiming that all those who love God, whether living or dead, are united in a living communion with Christ and one another.




	NEWS ARTICLES EVENTS SAINTS WEEK	SAINTS OF THE WEEK
		LENTEN REFLECTION As we enter into the 2nd week of Lent, let us continue to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God, who gives us life and all we have, and who blesses us even when all hope seems lost. The first reading tells us that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham unhesitatingly said, “Yes.” God spared Isaac’s life and blessed Abraham abundantly, “because you have obeyed my voice.” Paul reminds us that God gave up his own Son for us. Jesus died on a cross and, as his followers, we are called to carry our daily crosses: a loved one with an incurable disease, a broken relationship…. In painful moments, God asks us to trust and God will shower us with blessings. Throughout Lent, may we reply “Yes” when God asks something difficult of us. WE ARE NOT ALONE: MY BROTHER, MY SISTER, MY NEIGHBOUR Do I welcome people who come and sit next to me in Church? Often I do not know them or I know them only by sight. Am I happy that they join me for celebrating the Lord or do I feel they distract me? I must make room for them and allow them to pass in front of me. Maybe I have to remove my bag which is next to me to make space for someone. How do I take the presence of toddlers, children who can be noisy and restless? The Lord brings us together to be the faith celebrating community of St Teresa. Young or old, new comers or old-timers, we need each other and need to acknowledge and enjoy being different people with many different gifts. Some people come late. They try to squeeze in. It’s a fact. Most of the time owing to public transport being not on time and traffic congestion. Parents too would need time to gather the family with small children to come to Church on time. All these people of God are alive, praying and sharing at the table of the Lord. A smile from each other. A smile to each other. There is room for everybody if we make room for others. And St Teresa is no more my Church but our Church. A small exercise of love for this time of Lent: Welcome - I am happy to have you next to me. Welcome is one of the needs highlighted during our Parish Assembly. 1 Jan - MARY, MOTHER OF GOD It was a life-changing moment when Mary said ‘Yes!’ to God’s plan of salvation. Two thousand years later, Mary’s yes continues to echo and bear fruit in the hearts and lives of people everywhere. Like Mary, we are invited to say yes to God as we work to build God’s kingdom. Today we honour Mary, the mother of God, for her courage and selflessness, her faith and devotion. We also treasure her as our mother. Mary knows what it is to feel vulnerable; she had worries and fears. Still, her trust in God carried her as she carried her baby in her womb; that trust was rewarded when shepherds, guided by angels, came to pay homage to the infant Jesus. My only child, a son, was born on a starry night in December. A close friend came to see us in the hospital the next afternoon: our first visitor. Gazing at this tiny newborn resting in her arms, she said softly, ‘Now I know how the shepherds felt.’ As a mother, I have pondered these words in my heart ever since. They lead me to a hay-strewn stable where Mary, filled with joy, is embracing the Son of God. Like the shepherds who found their way to Bethlehem, we are on a journey of discovery. Mary, our mother, travels with us: listening, guiding, loving and leading us to Christ. R.C.I.A. Journey with Jesus Commencing on 18 Apr, every Friday at 7.45 pm 5th Floor Parish House - For people who desire to be baptised - For baptised people who want to renew their faith - For those who want to serve as sponsors Invite your friends to join, many are waiting for our call. Please register with the parish office. *17 March - St Patrick* Although legends abound concerning the life and work of Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, he tells us about himself in his Confession, a document written near the end of his life. His father was a Roman tax collector and held a position in the government of the Roman settlement, now in Wales. At 16, Patrick, along with many others, was carried off in a pirate raid and sold as a slave in Ireland. He was made a swineherd, living in solitude on a mountain. This radical change in his life forced him to rely on his Christian training, and his prayer and asceticism marked him forever. After serving his master for 6 years, Patrick heard an inner voice telling him that he would return to his homeland and that a boat would take him there. He made his escape, traveling 300 km on foot to the promised ship. They landed in Gaul (Western Europe) and after many adventures, returned to his parents in Britain. Later, he returned to Gaul to study for the priesthood, eventually becoming a bishop. When the missionary to Ireland, St Palladius, died, Patrick took his place, fulfilling his dream of returning to evangelize the Irish. It was a dangerous life and he was constantly at risk from hostile pagans, but by the time of his death in 492, he could see the fruits of his work: a native clergy was in place and although there was still danger, Christianity had reached nearly all of Ireland, and churches and monasteries had been established to receive the constant stream of converts. *19 March - St Joseph, Husband of Mary* Joseph, according to gospel accounts, was a village carpenter, and a descendant of King David. Art and popular imagination have usually portrayed Joseph as an old man. This is probably a false notion. The rabbis at the time of Christ commonly taught that men should marry between the ages of 13 and 19, and Joseph, as a ‘just’ (that is, law-abiding) man, would likely have conformed to this practice. Embarassed by Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph is told in a dream to take Mary as his wife. His thoughts of rejecting her for infidelity were banished and he was faithful to his responsibility as her husband and foster father of Jesus. The Feast of Saint Joseph has been observed on this day since the 10th century. St Joseph was declared patron of the universal Church in 1870, and is principal patron of Canada. *26 July - St Joachim & St Ann* ST JOACHIM & ST ANN – 26 JULY The feast honouring the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on the day that the basilica in honour of St Ann was dedicated in Constantinople in the year 550. Details about Joachim and Ann are found only in apocryphal literature, such as the Protoevangelium of St James. It states that Mary’s birth was miraculous because her parents were sterile, and that an angel predicted her birth to Joachim after he had fasted for forty days in the desert. 25 July - St James ST JAMES – 25 JULY St. James the Apostle, brother of St John the Evangelist, was the first apostle to shed his blood for Christ; he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa I in the year 42 or 44 (Acts 12:2-3). James was the son of Zebedee and Salome (Mk 15:40; Mt 27:59) and he was one of the three privileged apostles, together with Peter and John. He witnessed the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mt 1:29-31), the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus (Mk 5:37-43), the transfiguration of Jesus (Mk 9:2-8) and the agony in the Garden (Mt 26:37). 29 June - Sts Peter and St Paul According to ancient tradition, Simon, whose name was changed to Peter (meaning rock), died by crucifixion with his head near the ground, as was the Roman custom for the crucifixion of slaves. The martyrdom of St Peter around the year 67, took place on the Vatican hill, where the basilica of Constantine was constructed. Paul of Tarsus, whose name was originally Saul, was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians. He converted to Christianity after his extraordinary experience on the road to Damascus (Ac 9:1-19). After his second imprisonment at Rome he was beheaded around the year 67 outside the walls. These two saints have always been coupled together in the devotion of the Christian people. The martyrdom of St Peter and St Paul is also a symbol of the unity of the Church. *Birth of St John the Baptist - 24 June* God chose John to prepare the way of the Lord. He was indeed more than a prophet because he not only preached repentance and conversion, but he actually pointed to Christ present in the midst of mankind. He baptized in the waters of the Jordan him who is the author of baptism. John’s action as a prophet was heroic, even to the point of death; he was also humble in stating that he was not worthy to tie the strap of Christ’s sandal (Jn 3:30). St. Irenaeus (120/140-202/3) - 28 June Irenaeus was born at Smyrna and was a member of the Christian colony of Greek origin in Asia Minor. He was a disciple of Polycarp. He became very well acquainted with various heresies and Gnosticism. Irenaeus became a priest at Lyons and eventually became bishop of the diocese. He sent missionaries to various parts of France and according to Jerome and Gregory of Tours, he suffered martyrdom but there is no other proof of this. His relics were contained in a crypt beneath the altar but were totally destroyed by the Calvinists in 1562. Saint Barnabas - June 11 A native of Cyprus and a Jew of the tribe of Levi, he is also called an apostle. He went forth to preach the gospel at Antioch. It was Barnabas who presented Paul to the apostles and convinced them that Paul was truly converted. Barnabas took part in the Council of Jerusalem to help settle the dispute about the observance of the Jewish law by Gentile converts. Barnabas is a man of faith filled with the Holy Spirit and brought the light of the gospel to the nations. We are thus urged to imitate two characteristics of this saint. First of all, to recognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit that enabled Barnabas to collaborate with Paul in the ministry of the word. Secondly, we note his readiness to carry the gospel message to the Gentiles and his defense of the Gentile converts at the Council of Jerusalem. He was stoned to death at Salamis in Cyprus. His relics were discovered in the fifth century. All Saints Day - 1 Nov & All Souls Day - 2 Nov Feast of All Saints – feast celebrated in the West on 1 November. Originally the word ‘saint’ was synonymous with ‘martyr’ (someone who witnesses faith in Christ even to death). After a martyr’s death, local Christians endeavoured to bury the body in the tomb that would be accessible to the faithful. On the anniversary of the martyr’s death, Christians would gather to pray and celebrate the Eucharist “in memory of those ‘athletes’ who have gone before, and to train and make ready those who are to come hereafter.” Eventually the memorial celebration of martyrs occurred in local churches that did not have tombs. By the 5th century, there was already a feast of ‘all saints’ in the East, on the Friday of Easter week. By the 8th century, the church of ‘St Mary to the Martyrs’ in Rome seems to have celebrated a similar feast. In the 9th century, Pope Gregory IV changed the date of the feast to November 1. From the beginning, those who had endured torture for the faith but had not died (confessors) were treated with great respect. Eventually Christians who led heroic gospel-inspired lives were often acclaimed after their death as a saint by a local church. The theology and the celebration of the feast emphasized the bond between those Christians already with God and those still on earth. The feast points to our ultimate goal – to be with God. Feast of All Souls – feast celebrated on 2 November since the 11th century for deceased Christians that they ‘may rest in peace.’ At an early date, Christians had the custom of remembering their dead. Third-century Christians writers like Tertullian spoke of an intermediate place of rest where the faithful waited until the final judgement. In the same century there seems to have been some idea of deceased Christians who need purification before seeing God. From the 11th to 13th centuries, the feast spread throughout Europe until it was finally adopted in Rome. The feast involves several beliefs: that some Christians while dying in peace with Christ might still need some purification, that the prayers and good deeds of the living help those who have died, and that there is an intermediate place between heaven and hell. The Eastern Church has usually insisted upon the need for growth in seeing God as characteristic of this intermediate state while the Roman Catholic Church tended to emphasize the penal character of this state. The liturgy itself is the best guide to the meaning of this feast. The liturgical readings point to Christ as the hope of the living and the dead. The liturgical prayers see new life in Christ as God’s promise that enables the Christian to face death with faith and hope. Ultimately the feast complements that of All Saints in proclaiming that all those who love God, whether living or dead, are united in a living communion with Christ and one another.

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