Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Bishop’s Corner - Year of Maronite Spirituality
Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Dearly beloved,
On this third Sunday of the Lent, we read the gospel of Jesus healing the haemorrhaging woman. Moved by her faith, the woman dared to touch Jesus knowing that He is able to heal her with one simple touch of the hem of his garment.
In many ways, we are like this haemorrhaging woman: as individuals, as a community, and as a church. We are bleeding and suffering because of our sins, our selfishness, our division and our mistakes. We are bleeding because we do not always live up to our role as true witnesses to Christ, to His love, His mercy and His compassion. If we seek Him with the faith of that woman, He is offering us much more than just the hem of his garment. When we accept to be “touched” by His Living Word and His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we can be transformed. We can also be healed.
Faith and healing are necessary for us now, as a Church, especially as we read the news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction and sentencing. This case has no doubt shocked many of us across Australia and all over the world. We believe that everyone should be equal under the law, and we respect the Australian legal system. As the legal process is not yet complete, we will not draw any conclusions. We pray that justice is served and that the truth is upheld.
At the forefront of our thoughts and in our prayers are the individuals who have suffered from abuse and their families. We pray for them and commit ourselves to doing everything possible to help them heal and to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.
The courage and audacity of the woman always strike me in this passage of the Bible. She was considered unclean and was ostracized from society. Yet, she did not lose hope or faith. In her example, we need to get out of our comfort zones, and come to Jesus, and allow him to heal us and make us whole again.
+ Antoine-Charbel Tarabay
Bishop’s Corner
Year of Maronite Spirituality
Sunday of the Haemorrhaging Woman
Dearly beloved,
On this third Sunday of the Lent, we read the gospel of Jesus healing the haemorrhaging woman. Moved by her faith, the woman dared to touch Jesus knowing that He is able to heal her with one simple touch of the hem of his garment.
In many ways, we are like this haemorrhaging woman: as individuals, as a community, and as a church. We are bleeding and suffering because of our sins, our selfishness, our division and our mistakes. We are bleeding because we do not always live up to our role as true witnesses to Christ, to His love, His mercy and His compassion. If we seek Him with the faith of that woman, He is offering us much more than just the hem of his garment. When we accept to be “touched” by His Living Word and His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we can be transformed. We can also be healed.
Faith and healing are necessary for us now, as a Church, especially as we read the news of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction and sentencing. This case has no doubt shocked many of us across Australia and all over the world. We believe that everyone should be equal under the law, and we respect the Australian legal system. As the legal process is not yet complete, we will not draw any conclusions. We pray that justice is served and that the truth is upheld.
At the forefront of our thoughts and in our prayers are the individuals who have suffered from abuse and their families. We pray for them and commit ourselves to doing everything possible to help them heal and to ensure that the Church is a safe place for all, especially the young and the vulnerable.
The courage and audacity of the woman always strike me in this passage of the Bible. She was considered unclean and was ostracized from society. Yet, she did not lose hope or faith. In her example, we need to get out of our comfort zones, and come to Jesus, and allow him to heal us and make us whole again.
+ Antoine-Charbel Tarabay
Joy of the Lent Season
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
After concluding the Season of the Epiphany and the three weeks of Commemorations, we have now reached Sunday of the Entrance into the blessed Great Lent. We have then started a new season in our liturgical calendar, a season as joyous as the one that has just ended.
In the Season of the Epiphany, Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him. At the entrance into lent, Jesus revealed his glory again at the wedding of Cana in Galilee and the faith of his disciples became stronger. At that wedding, Jesus transformed water into good wine, leaving the chief steward astonished for its good taste, thus transforming his disciples into a group of believers, and his mother Mary into the first disciple, the new Eve.
In the Season of the Great Lent, our faith is strengthened so we can be ready for the joy of the glorious resurrection. Saint Paul, however, cautions us today in his letter to the Romans against erring in our faith, urging us to pay special attention to our words and deeds so we do not consider anything unclean as this may ruin someone for whom Christ died. It is then necessary to be ready for our journey into the Great Lent with a repentant spirit and true contrition so that our actions can be the expression of our true faith.
The Lord wants us to make our lent a time of spiritual joy to complement, through fasting, what he started at Cana so our joy lasts. The Lord warns us not to put on a gloomy look when we fast like the hypocrites, but “when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face” (Matthew 6: 16-17). The fasting that the Lord wants from you is to “share your food with the hungry and shelter the homeless; if you see someone lacking clothes, to clothe him, and do not turn away from your own kin” (Isaiah 58: 7). Thus we learn from Jesus how to fast, and we accompany him in his fasting and learn from him how to strive.
Our parish is blessed, it offers us many options to help us fulfil our obligations during Lent. Let’s start our journey together with the celebrations of Ash Monday at 7.00 am, 8.45 am, 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm. If you are unable to attend a full mass, participate at least in the first 25 minutes of the mass to be present during the service of the Word and the Rite of the Blessing of the Ashes. The Stations of the Cross, evening prayer and Adoration of the Cross will be held on Fridays during the Lent Season, at 6.00 pm in Arabic and 8 pm in English. If you are able to help with the charitable work – giving food, clothes or shelter to the poor and needy – “Heaven on Earth” will be grateful for your help. If you want to deepen your knowledge in the faith, the Family of Divine Word, the bible study group, the Faith Formation team in English, all welcome you in their evenings which they hold on different days of the week. During Lent, the formation lessons in English will continue every Wednesday evening with the Living the Gospel group. For those who are younger, they can join either the Fersen or the Teens (Years 7 to 9) every Saturday afternoon in the Parish Centre, the older youths can be with Come Alive (Years 10 to 12), every second Wednesday evening. Adoration of the Eucharist every Thursday evening. Mid-day prayer at 12.15 pm Monday to Friday. Also, the Elderly Committee holds many activities while the Sodality holds lunch every Wednesday at 12 pm. Please take some time to go through the Parish bulletin this week to learn more about the activities of all these groups in our parish, and think of participating in a program during this lent which helps you to be ready for the glorious resurrection in a way that pleases the Lord.
O God, restore our thoughts and actions to do your will so we do not be a cause of fall for anyone.
Towards Our Real Home
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In the last Sunday of the Commemoration Sundays we remember the faithful departed as we prepare ourselves to start our journey into the Great Lent. On this day, our Church
celebrates the commemoration of the faithful departed, urging us to pray for our dead and all the dead with whom we are bound by the spiritual bond of communion. Through prayer, we connect with them. The prayer is the bridge that connects the Earthly Church with the Heavenly Church, and upon which God’s mercy for them and for us runs.
The commemoration is not for the dead only, bug also for us, as we remember on this day and throughout the whole week that we are walking, in our turn, towards our real home, the Kingdom of Heaven where Jesus has prepared for us many dwellings.
To reach the Kingdom we need to move towards it now and hence, not waiting until we depart from this world. This is a truth of faith which Saint Paul confirms for us today in his letter, enlightening our hearts on the need to be always ready through watchfulness, faith and active love. We are the “children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” (1 Thess. 5: 5). Thus we should remain ready “and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” (1 Thess. 5: 8).
Saint Luke stresses in his Gospel today on the need to walk towards the Kingdom through good deeds, citing the example of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31). The rich man forgot the spiritual communion he should have had with Lazarus, ignoring him and leaving him to his misery right at his gate. When he departed from this world, the rich man remembered that spiritual bond and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to help him, but it was too late.
Through our constant readiness we activate our watchfulness and we proclaim our faith in the risen Jesus, the Lord of life and hope. The main purpose for our readiness is to be longing for a union with the Lord in the Kingdom. Are we truly ready to meet the heavenly groom?
Our parish moves in firm steps towards the Kingdom of Heaven by being watchful and serving untiringly. The Parish Council held its first meeting for the year with the presence of 30 people representing 24 committees in the Parish. the Council discussed ways to coordinate and plan for the pastoral, spiritual and social work in the parish. I would like to thank all the Council members for their dedication. Hand in hand, together we build the House of God, in stones and in people.
On Thursday, our parish will rejoice in the Holy Spirit as its own son, subdeacon Charbel Dib, is elevated to the deaconate. May his service in the field of the Lord be blessed. This is an invitation to you all to participate in this joy through a celebratory mass on Thursday 28 February, at 6.00 pm.
I would like to remind you about the mass which we will celebrate at the Rookwood Cemetery, Saint Michael Chapel for the repose of the souls of our departed on the occasion of the faithful departed week. The prayer of the community is unity, unification and peace. We pray as one for all our departed in faith full of hope and life.
Grant us Lord to well prepare for your coming in watchfulness and prayer, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, so we are worth of your eternal joy.
