tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308593652012-02-17T11:31:24.938+10:30Home of the traditional Catholic parish in Adelaide, Australia. 80 Payneham Road, Stepney SA 5069Tradelaidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09948854581919617122noreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-90710622334590297762008-11-09T22:37:00.002+10:302008-11-09T22:39:03.671+10:30

Future posts from me will now appear on Lux Vera blogsite http://luxvera.blogspot.com/Hope to see you there.

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Mass times for All Saints and All Souls Day: All Saints, Saturday 1st: Sung Mass at 8.30am All Souls, Monday 3rd: Low Mass at 7am and 12noon; Sung Mass at 6.30pm

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Feast of Christ the King 26.10.08This feast was instituted in 1925 in a time of great trouble, to remind the world that they have one ultimate authority, Jesus Christ, Lord and King.If He were given proper recognition there would be no more wars or revolutions, but peace and concord all round.People often express a longing for unity among the whole human race. What better way than to begin with

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Below is an announcement of the appointment of Fr Michael McCaffrey FSSP to Adelaide:******************************************************************************October 12, 2008 To the lay faithful of the Latin Mass Community in the Archdiocese of Adelaide.I am pleased to announce to you that negotiations with the Fraternity of St Peter have now resulted in Father Michael McCaffrey being

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23rd Sunday after Pentecost 19.10.08 Trust in GodThe global financial crisis is claiming casualties in terms of despair and suicide. People are killing themselves and sometimes their families to avoid facing the shame of financial ruin.This is terribly sad, of course, and something that should never happen. No matter what crises we face we should take refuge in God and He will deliver. If Job had

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22nd Sunday after Pentecost 12.10.08 Give to God what is God’s.Give to God what is God’s – how much belongs to God? Everything. Though not all of it is useful to Him, such as money. He has no need of our cars, houses, clothes etc, but He would like us to use them according to His will.For one thing we should not make false gods of them, but see ourselves as merely stewards looking after God’s

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21st Sunday after Pentecost 5.10.08 Battle/AbortionThe epistle tells us that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. What is the nature of this warfare. It is not like other wars where we arm ourselves with weapons and go out and start shooting or bombing the other side.The warfare of the Christian is essentially in the realm of ideas. It is a battle for truth. Seeing it, understanding it, living by

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21st Sunday after Pentecost 5.10.08 Forgiving others.It seems so easy when we hear that parable. It is so obvious how foolish that servant was for not releasing the other servant from the debt. We feel the indignation of the other servants and the king. He deserved to be punished for his hard-heartedness.Yet we are not just observers of the scene. We are in that parable. We are that unforgiving

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20th Sunday after Pentecost 28.9.08 Redeeming the ageThis may be a wicked age but your lives should redeem it...(Epistle, Eph 5). We frequently find ourselves in the minority if we are to be serious disciples of Our Lord.It may be you are the only person in your family or workplace or club etc that is fully practising and believing the faith.Then, when we confront the tides of public opinion we

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19th Sunday after Pentecost. 21.9.08 Be angry and do not sin‘Be angry and do not sin’ St Paul tells us. This tells us that anger is not always a sin. Let us explore further.Anger is a frequent issue for Catholics. When is it alright to be angry, and how is it acceptable to express anger?For divine inspiration we have the story of Our Lord’s cleansing of the Temple, and this reminds us that He was

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Exaltation of the Cross 14.9.08Today we exalt the Cross, that is, we honour it, give thanks for it, in every way try to grasp and express how important it is to us.We are led to think of the Cross under two aspects. As it was on the original Good Friday and how it affects us now.The epistle today reminds us of how momentous the Cross was in its original form. How many people would have expected

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17th Sunday after Pentecost 7.9.08 Love of God"I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul." So said St Therese of Lisieux. How could it be so?What is important is not so much the action as the intensity of love with which it is performed.Some fortunate souls are capable of mystical experiences of God. They are taken up into ecstacy

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16th Sunday after Pentecost 31.8.08 Reaching your potentialWe have just had the Olympic Games where we see athletes striving to be the best possible at pole vaulting, swimming, running, etc.It is very hard to be the best in the world at something like that. Should we even try? A lot of the activities, of themselves, would not seem to contribute much to the wellbeing of the human race. For example

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15th Sunday after Pentecost 24.8.08 God comforts us in sufferingThe Lord has compassion on the widow, the main motive for His miracle. He extends that compassion to us as well. He shows both how much He loves and how much power He has. Power and Love make a great combination.He is not working a miracle just for that particular family. It is a sign for all of us that He has come for precisely that

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14th Sunday after Pentecost 17.8.08 Trust in GodOur Lord tells us to trust in God to provide for us. Funny that we do not do that when we otherwise claim to believe in God and are happy to believe that He has rescued other people at other times, such as Israelites from Egypt, but somehow doubt that He will rescue me at this particular time – even though even in my own personal history He has

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13th Sunday after Pentecost 10.8.08 ThanksgivingWhen things go wrong we hear people say things like: ‘It’s just my luck; this would happen to me.’ Funny that so many say that. ‘Why is it always me that these things happen to?’ It is not actually true that we always get the wrong end of things. It is just that when we get the right outcomes we take it for granted. (For example, we notice parts of

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11th Sunday after Pentecost 27.7.08 Hearing the word of GodAs Psalm 94 puts it: If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.This, and countless other biblical references, exhort us to hear the word of God. Hear it and let it take root in our hearts, and then be expressed in action.It seems, however, we are not inclined to hear the word of God.Especially the words that tell us what to do,

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10th Sunday after Pentecost 20.7.08 StatusMuch is made of self-image among youth. They worry what people think of them.Much is made of appearance. The hair, the clothes, the look. The Pharisee in today’s parable worried about appearance too much. He was more worried how he looked to others than how he looked to God.Man looks at appearances; God looks at the heart.The Publican had the right heart.

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12th Sunday after Pentecost 3.8.08 Loving God (and neighbour)The first and most important commandment is this: love God with your whole heart and soul and mind...We find this one hard because God is invisible, and inaudible, and intangible... and we are creatures of flesh and blood and we find it hard to love in the abstract.So God, knowing this, comes to our help. He sends us countless blessings

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Sorry for the delay in posting recent sermons. I have moved house and have been out of internet connection for some time. Will be back to normal soon!

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9th Sunday after Pentecost 13.7.08 Strength in trial In the epistle we are told we are never tested beyond our strength. However, we often feel as though we are so tested!God is telling us that whatever we are called upon to suffer in this life, no matter how hard it is, or seems to be – He will give us the grace necessary to cope with that suffering, and turn it to a fruitful outcome.We hear

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8th Sunday after Pentecost 6.7.08 The smart thing to do.Our Lord praises the dishonest steward, not for his dishonesty, but for his astuteness – that he used his brains. Beyond that He does not comment.The reason He is telling us this story is that He wants us to use our brains also. Or more theologically, to use the gifts of wisdom, understanding, knowledge and counsel – all graciously provided

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Sts Peter and Paul 29.6.08We honour these men for who they were, as individuals, but also for what they symbolize.There is a saying about what happens when an irresistible force meets immoveable object? If the two are opposed it is hard to say what will triumph. But what if the force and the object are on the same side, working together? What if someone or something could be both an

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6th Sunday after Pentecost 22.6.08 Bread of LifeThere is no need for anyone in the world to be hungry, it is often claimed; there is enough food for all; it is just a matter of distribution. There are things like civil wars, and brutal regimes that keep the food from the people.So we could say in the same way there is no need for anyone in the world to be spiritually hungry. There is more than

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5th Sunday after Pentecost 15.6.08 Perfect OfferingI suggested one time that there should be a brass band playing when a sinner emerges from the confessional, because we can celebrate the return of a prodigal son, or the finding of a lost sheep.Well, if that is too noisy for you, how about each penitent breaking into a highland jig in sheer joy for being forgiven from a terrible debt they would

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4th Sunday after Pentecost 8.6.08 Unless the Lord build the houseThe miraculous catch of fish reminds us that we rely heavily on the power of the Lord to get things done. If we have access to that power miracles can happen. If we are apart from God we are as much use as a branch that has fallen off the tree.Refer the story of Gideon and the shrinking army. God made Gideon reduce the size of his

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3rd Sunday after Pentecost 1.6.08 Seeking out the lost sheepStaggering that with all the people in the world, God can know every one of them, and everything about each one, better than they know themselves – every word they have ever spoken, every thought, every hope, dream, desire, fear, longing, sin, suffering etc etc.And He loves each one better than they love themselves. Self-love is usually

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2nd Sunday after Pentecost 25.5.08 Banquet Preaching would be a lot easier if we could say, ‘You are all wonderful and you are all going to heaven. You are all welcome to Holy Communion, just come, whoever you are, wherever you are from.’ It is harder having to say, ‘Everybody come, but not if you are in mortal sin, or if you are not a Catholic.’It is understandable that people have gone

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Trinity Sunday 18.5.08 Trinity and UnityThere are so many special days in the year. Volunteer Day, Secretaries Day, Nurses Day, Environment Day, etc....Is it not reasonable to have God’s Day? Today’s feast is just that. It is a day to contemplate the nature and identity of God Himself.One God, three Persons – it is hard for us to understand because in our dealings with everyone else it is only

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Pentecost Sunday 11.5.08 Experiencing GodIn a previous parish one Pentecost Sunday a young lady came to Mass to provide music for the singing. She did not usually come, so I thought she must have been converted for Pentecost, but it turned out she had only come because it was Mothers Day! Well, coming for Mothers Day has some value too, but it does reveal how we can operate at different levels

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Sunday after Ascension 4.5.08 Praying in depthThe Church is watching and waiting, as we re-live the time of the Jerusalem cenacle.Not just this time of year, but all the time the Church prays for help from God to deal with all the crises we face, and to be able to do the good things He asks of us.The apostles at Pentecost had to pray only for nine days for the fulfilment they needed; most of the

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5th Sunday after Easter 27.4.08 Prayer The apostles had the power to heal, such that even their shadow would heal those on whom it fell. Also clothing which had touched people had healing effect.And people will flock to see Padre Pio, St Bernadette and other incorrupt saints.Why? Because they feel they are getting closer to God, through these holy people and objects.The place where Our Lady

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4th Sunday after Easter 20.4.08 Immersed in GodThe three young men were cast into the furnace, and emerged without a hair singed, and not even the smell of burning about them. Just a pleasant excursion for them (cf Daniel 3).This is a very remarkable story, because we are accustomed to think of fire as a very destructive element and something much to be feared.We could say they were cast into God

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3rd Sunday after Easter 13.4.08 Easter mentalityIt is proposed that soon we could be buried on the moon. It should not make any difference on the Last Day. Those on the moon also will rise.Death is not the end, but a passing to glory. We think of the dead as in God’s presence. My Uncle Joe is not in West Terrace cemetery, getting rained on, but in heaven (or at least purgatory). A big difference

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2nd Sunday after Easter 6.4.08 To be loved or feared?Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The image of Him gathering up a stray lamb and carrying it home is a familiar one and very comforting. That stray lamb is you or I.Just when we become comfortable with that image, however, we remember that there are other passages where Our Lord is presented as Judge and will scatter evildoers in all directions. So

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Low Sunday 30.3.08 Faith and MercyAt the Easter vigil the people were asked: Creditis... and they replied Credimus to certain propositions, such as God is Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the Holy Catholic Church...Do you believe it? Do you really really believe it, in the depths of your soul, or is it just a mental concept for your brain only but not really in your heart?It is saying a

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Easter Sunday 23.3.08 Can you believe it?Imagine if you were alive at the time of the Crucifixion and you went into the garden where Our Lord was buried on the following Sunday morning. Do you think you would expect to find that He had risen from the dead?We know the story and we have become used to the idea, but put yourself in the shoes of those who lived then and think what a shock it must

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From Sunday 6th April 2008 there will be a second Sunday Traditional Latin Mass at Holy Name Church. It will be at 5pm each Sunday. The first Mass will continue at 9.15am.This way we hope more can attend each Sunday.

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Times for Holy Week 2008 in the Adelaide Latin Mass CommunityHoly Thursday: 7pm Mass (with adoration to Midnight)Good Friday: 11am Stations (followed by Confessions) 5pm Passion LiturgyHoly Saturday: 10.30pm Easter VigilEaster Sunday: 9am Mass***********************Happy Easter to all!

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Palm Sunday 16.3.08 Conflicting emotionsWhen we come to Mass – any Mass – we are experiencing a double emotion.Mass is sometimes called a celebration. We celebrate God’s love for us; we celebrate the Resurrection; or any other part of our faith; or the particular feast or occasion.Then again, Mass is rightly considered a sacrifice. Each Mass is a renewal, a making present of the death of Christ

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Passion Sunday 9.3.08 Sin binds and blinds.Our Lord came to save the human race, but that proved to be no easy task.The trouble with sin is it has two effects, both bad. One is to put the soul into darkness and alienation from God.The other is to confuse the intellect so that the sinner does not necessarily see what is wrong with his sin, and does not necessarily want to be free of it.The sinner

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3rd Sunday of Lent 24.2.08 Demons awayWe pray to St Michael to cast down to hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Because evil spirits are invisible we are not sure how many there are, or exactly where they are. We hope our prayer to have them moved somewhere else is successful.It would appear from the amount of trouble we experience in this

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Sr Frances Teresa a Jesu Hostia will make her solemn profession at theCarmel in Valparaiso on the Feast of Corpus Christi. She asks that LatinMass priests make this known to the faithful so that people can pray forher. All of course welcome to attend if that be possible. details are asfollows:Solemn Profession of Sr Frances Teresa a Jesu Hostia OCD (Margaret McHugh) May 22,

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2nd Sunday of Lent 17.2.08 Transfiguration.Sometimes I think of being in heaven, and how good it would be to look back on this life with all its troubles, and say, Well, I’m glad that’s over. We cope with present troubles by looking forward to a better time.The Transfiguration was meant to fill the apostles with hope; and since it was to be recorded in the Gospels it was meant to give hope to the

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1st Sunday of Lent 10.2.08 Setting forthWe have some young people in our community (Ruth, Aaron, Natasha) setting off for other fields. This must happen in every generation. It is a sad thing insofar as it means separation; hopeful insofar as it leads to other things, and very much in line with being ‘sent’ which is a characteristic of an apostolic church.We must at times take risks and step out

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Quinquagesima 3.2.08 FastingRemember what Israel used to do when about to be invaded...they would suddenly get serious and put on sackcloth and ashes. Why did they do that, and not just say they were sorry. We can consider as we enter Lent the usefulness of penance: there are 3 main fronts:1) Penance adds intensity to our prayer: we do not pray just with words, as though casually, but we pray

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Septuagesima Sunday 20.1.08 Working in the vineyardIn the Christmas season we have been celebrating God’s generous offer of salvation. In Septuagesima/Lent we must consider our response to this offer.It is necessary we respond, otherwise the offer of salvation will remain only a possibility and not become actual.So the readings today put before us vital aspects of our response.The Gospel tells us

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Epiphany 6.1.08 Progress to the LightWe always hope with a new year that there will be peace on earth, especially an end to violence and bloodshed. Yet one cannot escape a single news service in which there is not a suicide bombing, a murder, an outburst of killing somewhere or other in the world (lately, Pakistan, Kenya, Iraq...)These violent events are all the harder to take when so close to

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Sunday in Octave of Christmas 30.12.07 AdulthoodOur Lord tells us we should be like children if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. Some have explained this requirement for adults as meaning we should be child-like but not child-ish.It does not mean all the adults must suddenly start playing chasey or hide-and-seek, but it does mean that we should all be innocent of sin, and retain or regain

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Midnight Mass Christmas 2007In all the busyness, the frantic activity, the vast array and amount of human suffering, there is a still point, a place of peace and we find it at Midnight Mass, transporting ourselves in spirit to Bethlehem.The never-changing scene which transcends all time give us comfort and reassurance that all is well, and all shall be well, provided we take refuge with the

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4th Sunday of Advent 23.12.07 Enabling othersWhen someone wins an award he will make a speech thanking everyone who has made this award possible. He might thank his parents, his wife, his colleagues, his coach/teacher etc.These people have all contributed something to his success. He is the shining light; they provided the platform for the light.We prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ at

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Christmas Day Mass times are Midnight Mass and 9.30am.Extra Confessions are available: Friday 21st Dec from 7pm-8pmand Monday 24th Dec from 11pm to Midnight.A Happy and Holy Christmas to all!

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3rd Sunday of Advent 16.12.07 JoyPeople have noticed over many generations that there is a certain cyclical effect to life. You are up one day and down the next. What comes around goes around. If your football team wins the premiership one year they may be bottom the next year, or vice versa.No wonder that certain false religions developed along the lines of reincarnation – that we go around in

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2nd Sunday of Advent 9.12.07 Standards of holinessThe figure of John the Baptist is both appealing and repelling. He is appealing because fascinating. Here is someone who obviously takes seriously what he does.Even Herod, whom John was attacking for living in adultery, liked to hear him speak.It reminds me of the old days when people would crowd churches at parish missions, to be told by a fiery

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1st Sunday of Advent 2.12.07We are told in today’s Gospel that when the events of the Last Day come upon us, far from being afraid, we should, as faithful followers of Our Lord, go out to meet Him, with our heads held high.Not for us the terror of those who have rebelled against Him.The teaching of the Second Coming of Christ is a rather neglected part of our tradition. Perhaps because it is

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Last Sunday after Pentecost 24.11.07 Punishment. It may seem strange that we preach that God loves us, and if we love Him in return we will have great blessings --- so far, so good – but if we fail to love God in return we will be boiled alive in both temporal and eternal punishment! Or words to that effect.But how can it be that if God loves us He would punish us so severely for not

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25th Sunday after Pentecost 18.11.07 (6th Sunday after Epiphany readings) Growth through humility.The power of the humble prayer. The littleness of the seed symbolises the powerlessness we feel as we confront the huge obstacles around us. Yet just as the seed turns into a tree, so our contributions, however slight they may seem to us, can also turn into a tree and bear fruit.So all you widows

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24th Sunday after Pentecost 11.11.07 Good and badThe problem of having wheat and tares side by side is that the wheat might be corrupted.So many Catholics have lost their faith by following the lax ways of the world around them.What we have to do is keep the fire burning, maintain the intensity of our faith, without becoming insular, ghettoish, holier-than-thou, or writing people off – in fact

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23rd Sunday after Pentecost 4.11.07 ResurrectionThey laughed at Jesus when He said the girl was only sleeping. But who had the last laugh? We have since learned to call death ‘sleep’, as when in each Mass we pray for those who have gone before us and ‘dormiunt in somno pacis.’Jesus has power over life and death and to Him it is just sleep. He can call forth life as easily as waking someone up.

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Feast of Christ the King 28.10.07We have a federal election looming, so there is much talk of who is going to govern us for the next three years. Will there be a change of government?If we get right down to the matter there can be no change of government while God is still King of heaven and earth. In other words it is God who rules Australia (and every other country). He rules us in the sense

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Masses for All Saints Day: Thursday 1st Nov: 7am and 6.30pmAll Souls Day: Friday 2nd Nov: 11am and 6.30pmat Holy Name, Stepney.

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21st Sunday after Pentecost 21.10.07 We cannot do it aloneWe give thanks to God for the recent mission which has revived our awareness of certain key points, particularly the value of and need for the sacraments.We cannot do it alone, we might say is the message from the Mission. We need God to help us, just as we needed Him to create us, and to provide an eternal dwelling for us.There are two

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19th Sunday after Pentecost 7.10.07 The MassThink of it, that somewhere in the world at any given time a Mass is being offered.Each Mass is an outpouring of God’s love on the world, so there is from the rising of the sun to its setting a constant giving and receiving of God’s love in the world.There is a lot of bad stuff happening too, of course, but it is good to know the Mass is there, holding

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18th Sunday after Pentecost 30.9.07 Social justiceIt is often pointed out that there should be no contrast or contradiction in the way we behave in church to the way we behave outside. What we profess in here should be the way we live out there.On a similar line there should be no contradiction between what we profess as our own personal morality and the way we deal with larger social or moral

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17th Sunday after Pentecost 23.9.07 Love GodEvery problem in the world can be traced to a 'disconnection' from God. The solution to every problem is to re-establish that connection.The Gospel today brings before us the command to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind.We find it hard to remember God, or easy to forget Him.God is abstract, not immediately reachable through the senses. That’

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Here is the timetable for the Latin Mass Mission 11th - 14th October 2007All events to be held at Holy Name, 80 Payneham Road, Stepney, South AustraliaThursday 11th October:7.30pm Low MassTalk: The Eucharist in ScriptureBenediction9.45pm ConclusionFriday 12th October:2-3pm Session for young children (7-12 years)'Youth Night'7.30pm Low MassTalk: The Eucharist in the Lives of the

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16th Sunday after Pentecost 16.9.07Sometimes the Church is accused of making people feel guilty. Well, is that such a bad thing? If someone is guilty it is better that they feel guilty than not feel it.If they feel guilty they might then humble themselves before God and seek His mercy, and resolve to correct whatever is causing the guilt.Nobody likes to feel guilty but it is often the first step

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15th Sunday after Pentecost 9.9.07 Becoming religiousOur Lord restores the young man to life and gives him back to his mother.This can be taken as a symbol of Our Lord’s restoring the sinner to life and giving him back to his mother (the Church).The Church is naturally solicitous for all her children and many of them are dead at any one time, dead in mortal sin.How to bring them back to life is a

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14th Sunday after Pentecost 2.9.07 TrustWhy does God want us to ask Him for things, when He already knows what we need?His will is that we ask. For example supposing He wants to send rain upon us. We pray for rain, but we might say, well, if He wants to make it rain He can, so what’s the point of asking Him?He wills us to ask for the rain and then to send the rain. The ‘asking’ is important to

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13th Sunday after Pentecost 26.8.07 ThanksgivingPeople often complain about life and how hard it is. One of the suggested remedies is to count one’s blessings.Go out and smell the roses, and get in touch with beauty again. This will ease the stress and remind one that life is worth living.The Gospel of the ten lepers is a standard reminder of the need to give thanks to God for His many

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12th Sunday after Pentecost 19.8.07 Love of neighbourIt is too hard to love our neighbour we might say, aware of the many faults that neighbours have, which make them hard to love.But it would be no use trying to convince God it is too hard to love neighbour because He already does. He loves all the people we don’t.He loves them so much He died on the Cross for them.So we will make no headway if

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11th Sunday after Pentecost 12.8.07 How to work a miracleThere is a certain stand-off between Almighty God and a sizeable part of the human race.Many people challenge God, as to His existence, His will, His reliability in a crisis. They will say that they prayed for something at a certain time and God did not hear them. So they cut ties with Him. If He comes back on track and works a miracle for

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10th Sunday after Pentecost 5.8.07 Our true identityThe epistle (1 Co 12) exhorts us to develop a communal sense of identity. We each have our place in the Body of Christ, different gifts, different roles. Strictly we have no identity of our own. We are automatically included in the team. We were never meant to have a separate agenda, any more than a part of an engine would think of itself

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9th Sunday after Pentecost 29.7.07 AtonementOur Lord weeps over Jerusalem, knowing its obstinacy and the punishment it is going to reap. If only they would repent, come to the party, then they would know happiness like never before.So we sigh and weep over the current world, for much the same reason. It doesn’t have to be like this.Some would argue that religion should be a cheerful affair and

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8th Sunday after Pentecost 22.7.07 ConversionThis corresponding Sunday in a year’s time the World Youth Day will be on in Sydney. There is much excitement and build-up to the event.The Latin Mass will be represented by the Juventutem movement.Some traditionalists are sceptical of such events, worrying about such things as irreverence to the eucharist, hosts being left on the ground etc.While some

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7th Sunday after Pentecost 15.7.07 Sing to the LordIn welcoming Latin Mass choirs to Adelaide this weekend let us consider the place of sacred music in the liturgy and in our lives.Why do we sing? For our own pleasure, yes, but when it comes to sacred music a lot of other things are happening.We enjoy singing and hearing sacred music, but it also gives glory to God.We can never exhaust the

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6th Sunday after Pentecost 8.7.07 Summorum Pontificum (released 7.7.07)Today we celebrate the Pope’s Motu Proprio enabling a freer celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.We hope the Mass will be celebrated more widely, and now free of any taint of being considered somehow disobedient, divisive, subversive.Hey, we are only praying after all!The clarifying of the status of the Mass will, the

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Feast of the Most Precious Blood 1.7.07Some people faint at the sight of blood. It is impossible to see blood with indifference. It has such importance. It represents, and in a sense is, life itself.We can die from loss of blood. If we do start to bleed we instintively try to arrest that flow. We are holding on to life itself.The loss of blood is death; the receiving of blood is life (as in a

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Birth of John the Baptist 24.6.07The human spirit often shows great resilience in time of crisis. The way people survive things like wars, attempted genocide, and natural disasters is impressive.For example, people went on having babies in the midst of World War II.Some people ask, how can you bring children into a world which is so marked by trouble and which faces such a bleak future?But there

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3rd Sunday after Pentecost 17.6.07 Lost sheepThis parable of the lost sheep goes against our normal worldly thinking.99 out of 100 is not bad. Any bishop would be glad to have 99% of his diocese working as it should,but this parable is telling us, No, you cannot be happy if even one of your number is out in the cold.This makes sense if we think of the Church in the same light as a family.Suppose

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2nd Sunday after Pentecost (Corpus Christi octave) 10.6.07Today we continue our celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The Gospel presents us with an image of the banquet. Those first invited refuse to come, while those invited later take their place.This is a reference to Jews and Gentiles, but has application in every age.Everyone is invited to the banquet which is the Body and Blood of Jesus

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Trinity Sunday 3.6.07People asking about the Latin Mass are often puzzled by the fact that we pray in Latin. Why would you want to pray in a language you don’t understand, they ask.Well, one solution to that is to learn the language as some of this congregation is doing!But a more complete answer is that when it comes to prayer we do not have to understand every word that is spoken, nor even hear

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Pentecost Sunday 27.5.07They each heard the apostles speaking in their own language! - one of the miracles associated with Pentecost.It was truly an example of how far God will go to reach the human race. He adapts His communication so that each one has a chance to know Him and to respond.This miracle of languages was also a foreshadowing of the Church’s role in occupying every nation and

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Please pray for Stephen Greenslade, of Mt Barker, who died tonight (Saturday 26th May). Stephen and his wife Frances, were regular members of our community. May he rest in peace, and his family be consoled.

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Ascension 17.5.07Our Lord leaves us, blazing a trail to heaven. His intention is to come back and to take us by the same path to Heaven.This feast opens up a strong light on our mundane lives.We go about trying to find enough money to pay the bills, going to the doctor, taking children to soccer training, going to bed, getting up again… so it goes on.We barely make ends meet, only just keep our

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Sunday after Ascension 20.5.07 PrayerThe apostles spent a whole nine days praying between the time of the Ascension and Pentecost.They were waiting for something to happen. They did not quite know what it would be but they prayed for it to happen anyway.By this time they trusted Our Lord and His instructions.We know what they were praying for and what happened – the coming of the Holy Spirit.Yet,

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5th Sunday after Easter 13.5.07 FatimaOn the thirteenth of May 1917, after Sunday morning Mass, three children (Lucy, Francisco, and Jacinta) chose to lead their sheep to a property called Cova da Iria. After eating their meal at noon and praying the Rosary, the children began to play. Suddenly they saw a kind of lightning, making them believe that a storm was approaching, and they began to

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4th Sunday after Easter 6.5.07Is there life on the new planet they have discovered 20 light years from earth? I hope not, for their sake!Life is too much trouble, is it not? At least that is what we tend to say, taking a look around us on this very troubled planet.But it is not meant to be so. The epistle today (James) reminds us that only what is good comes from the hand of God – only good, and

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3rd Sunday after Easter 29.4.07 Reform of societySt Peter offers a radical plan to take over the world. No, not with the usual guns and bombs, but with humility, simplicity, forbearance.If you are a slave and your master treats you terribly, then serve him with a smile.If you are a wife and your husband is awful, then win him over by the purity of your life and the mildness of your disposition;

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2nd Sunday after Easter 22.4.07 Church and worldLast week we were reminded of Our Lord’s intention to build up His apostles and disciples into a fighting unit, fully convinced of their faith and able to make inroads into the unbelief of the surrounding world.Ever since, the Church has been attempting to do this, to make converts of as many people as possible and to convince the world that Christ

FrThoroughgoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02602547212398105998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-20829278862939931312007-04-18T20:37:00.000+09:302007-04-18T20:40:52.455+09:30

Low Sunday 15.4.07 FaithFaith comes to different people differently.I wonder why Our Lord did not appear to the unbelievers like Caiphas and Pilate etc. Would that not have converted them?He appeared only to His own disciples, to confirm rather than convert them.There are two types of conversion required. The proud need humbling and the timid need reassuring.The latter is much easier to achieve.

FrThoroughgoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02602547212398105998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-85791455621110820592007-04-10T08:43:00.000+09:302007-04-10T08:45:21.150+09:30

Easter Sunday 8.4.07Our Lord rose in the body. It was necessary that He do that because otherwise the victory would not be complete.The devil would have no part of Our Saviour, and to leave him the body would have been like giving him a trophy.It was impossible for the Holy One of God to suffer corruption.The devil must have been left wondering that all his plans has come so unstuck.Just a few

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Passion Sunday 25.3.07The epistle speaks of the superior nature of Christ’s sacrifice as against bulls and goats etc. His blood is far more effective in cleansing from sin. So the new covenant is superior to the old.We offer this blood every time we celebrate the Mass.We are very fortunate to have such an effective ‘bargaining tool’.We can come before our Heavenly Father and say, Father I have

FrThoroughgoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02602547212398105998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-1174350725653918172007-03-20T12:00:00.000+10:302007-03-20T12:02:05.666+10:30

4th Sunday of Lent 18.3.07 ProsperitySome Christians hold to what is called the Prosperity Gospel. They believe that if you have sufficient faith in God then He will bless you with material and physical blessings.You will have good health, a long life, and a large bank balance. And then you go to heaven as well.Sounds too good to be true? It needs a little correcting here and there.We don’t say

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3rd Sunday of Lent 11.3.07 PurityOur bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Just to think of our bodies as houses of any sort would be some progress.Because we do to our bodies what we would not do to our houses.Sexual impurity is like bringing in the rubbish bin and tipping it over the lounge room floor, and no one would do that, but nearly everyone it seems suffers from impurity.Not just in

FrThoroughgoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02602547212398105998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-1173059773996786902007-03-05T12:20:00.000+10:302007-03-05T12:26:14.010+10:30

2nd Sunday of Lent 4.3.07 TransfigurationThe Transfiguration is Our Lord’s way of assuring us of His glory in the midst of His degradation.While He (or we) go through suffering there is always that backdrop or foundation of glory to sustain us in hope and joy.The question is: will we hold on or give up when things get difficult?If our first introduction to Our Lord was seeing Him on the Cross, we

FrThoroughgoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02602547212398105998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30859365.post-1172399029263674172007-02-25T20:51:00.000+10:302007-02-25T20:53:49.276+10:30

1st Sunday of Lent 25.2.07 Jesus, God and ManI read a recent commentary on Our Lord’s time in the desert, which said that Jesus went into the desert to find out who He was!This is typical of a lot of modern scriptural commentary which tends to downplay the divinity of Christ, portraying Him to be not only human but a rather dithering human at that.In this school of thought, Jesus was not quite

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Quinquagesima Sunday 18.2.07 From the heartCertain contradictions can occur in the course of our spiritual lives. A Catholic coming or going from Mass might get into an altercation in the car park even with other Catholics going to the same Mass!It is funny in one way but also serious, as it just reminds us how hard it is to internalise our religious beliefs. We can do the externals fine but to

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Sexagesima Sunday 11.2.07 Our inheritanceEsau, son of Isaac, is one of those people who has gone down in history for one big mistake he made. He was so hungry one day that he agreed to give his privileged position to Jacob, his younger brother, in return for an immediate meal of soup. He thus made himself a lesson for future generations in not trading a long term goal for a short term gain. (

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Septuagesima Sunday 4.2.07 SalvationSt Paul mentions that he is working on his faith like an athlete prepares for an event. In another letter he says he is working out his salvation in ‘fear and trembling’.St Paul does not take his salvation for granted mentioning in one place that he himself could still be lost.Today people would politely laugh at St Paul and tell him that no one as good as he

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