Thoughts on the Gospel
‘The Pebble That Became a Rock. Some people have claimed that Jesus did not have a sense of humour because he is never shown laughing in the Bible. Actually, he told many jokes. They were puns, but these do not survive language translation. One of his best known witticisms is found in today’s Gospel.
‘The Old Testament referred to a mysterious figure called “One like a Son of Man” This was synonym for “human-appearing”. He would bring help from God. Jesus asks his apostles about current speculation on the figure’s identity. The disciples give the most common guesses. Jesus then quizzes them why they haven’t added his own person to the list. Only Simon Bar (son of) Jonah gets the point. He blurts out that Jesus must be the mystery man, the Messiah.
‘”Simon” means “pebble” in Hebrew. “Cephas” (or Peter) means “rock”. Jesus makes a double pun. He says that the little pebble is going to be a big rock in his scheme of things.’
Excerpt from a commentary by Fr Richard Lonsdale
Feast Days of the Week
Monday Aug 22 Queenship of Mary
The words of Pius XII well describe the Queenship of Mary: ‘Jesus, the Son of God, reflects on His heavenly Mother the glory, the majesty and the dominion of His kingship, for, having been associated to the King of Martyrs in the unspeakable work of human Redemption as Mother and co-operator, she remains forever associated to Him, with a practically unlimited power, in the distribution of the graces which flow from the Redemption. Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through Him, with Him, and subordinate to Him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular choice *of the Father+. And her kingdom is as vast as that of her Son and God, since nothing is excluded from her dominion.
Parish Collection 13/14 August— $819.45
Communion Antiphon:
“The Lord says: Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live forever; I shall raise them to life on the last day.”
NOTICE
1.Please pray for all the pilgrims and clergy attending the World Youth Dayin Madrid, Spain, especially Fr Wayne and the others that have travelled to Spain from our dio- cese. The curial tribunal, the Apostolic Penitentiary has announced that it will grant “partial indulgence,” or reduction of the temporal punishment of sins, for those who pray for World Youth Day. We also pray for the Pope’s intentions at this time.
2.Many thanks to Kath Rodwell, Denise O’Meara, Audrey Reilly, Carmel Logiudice for organizing the clean up of the Boyanup Church following the repairs to the ceiling. This is yet another example of how the Body of Christ is built up and encouraged through little works of charity and selflessness.
3.The Bunbury Parish has extended an invitation to all of us to attend aCatechesis“ for Adults”, every Monday and Friday at 7.30pm for eight weeks, commencing on Mon- day 5 September. These will be held in the Bunbury Parish Hall (in the new Cathedral complex) and enquiries can be directed to Fr Vittorio on 9721 2141 or 0433 211597 .
4.There will be a special collectionat each of this weekend’s masses for Caritas to sup- port the provision of humanitarian aid for those suffering in the terrible droughts affecting Eastern Africa.
PRAYER FOR THE PARISH COMMUNITY
Our Father in Heaven, You call us to form a Family of families, A community of Families, Led by your hand and guided by Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Grant our parish and home: Unity and Creativity in serving one another; Imagination and Right Motivation in spreading the Good News of your Kingdom; Joy and Enthusiasm as we grow in Holiness through the celebration of the Sacraments, the study of the Sacred Scriptures, and the Deepening of experiences through our Catholic Christian formation. Make our parish and home a worthy dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who will throw Fire into our hearts and minds; to enable us attain Unity that will move us towards Mission. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives, and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
| Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception | Pray for us! |
Parish Vision Statement:
In union with the entire Church, we aim to be a Christ-centred Family of families, spiritually alive and growing in our faith, reaching out, welcoming and engaging all in a spirit of generosi- ty, compassion and love.
Parish Mission Statement:
Through the example of our lives, we proclaim the Gospel by: Actively seeking opportunities to engage everybody in the sacramental life of the parish; Answering the call to serve with gener- osity; Providing opportunities and on-going support for the deepening of our faith; Recognizing the value of the parish school community to the life of the parish and supporting them in their faith journey; and Looking for ways to engage and include the broader community.
