THE PARISH OF BAULKHAM HILLS

St Michael'S Church

Our Lady of Lourdes

 

 

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Sunday of the Word of God

Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter, Motu proprio “Aperuit illis”, published on 30 September, establishes that “the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God”. Since the third Sunday coincided with Australia Day and the fourth Sunday was dedicated to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, it is then the fifth Sunday that is reserved as Sunday of the Word of God.

The title of the document, “Aperuit illis” are taken from St Luke’s Gospel, where the Evangelist describes how the Risen Jesus appeared to His disciples, and how “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures”.

The Bible is not meant for a privileged few, continues Pope Francis. It belongs “to those called to hear its message and to recognize themselves in its words”. The Bible cannot be monopolized or restricted to select groups either, he writes, because it is “the book of the Lord’s people, who, in listening to it, move from dispersion and division towards unity”.

The Pope concludes his Apostolic Letter by defining what he describes as “the great challenge before us in life: to listen to Sacred Scripture and then to practice mercy”. God’s Word, writes Pope Francis, “has the power to open our eyes and to enable us to renounce a stifling and barren individualism and instead to embark on a new path of sharing and solidarity”.

The Bible is the world’s best-selling book of all time and the best-selling book of the year, every year! Fifty Bibles are sold every minute. It’s never shown on the best-seller lists because it dwarfs the sales of all other books. The Bible was written over the course of 1,500 years (beginning in about 1,400 B.C.) by more than 40 individuals, from many backgrounds (prophets, fishermen, kings, philosophers, scholars, poets), who lived in 10 different countries on three continents (Asia, Africa, Europe), writing in one of three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek) about God and His interaction with 2,930 different characters from more than 1,550 different places. Worldwide, there are 80,000+ versions of the Bible, with full Bibles in 530+ languages and portions of the Bible in about 2,900 languages. A full Bible translation in a person’s native/heart language is available for 70% of the world’s population. In whole or in part, the Bible is accessible to 98% of the world’s population in a language in which they are fluent.

The Bible is available in all languages! But the question remains: Do we read the Bible every day? Or rather: do we let ourselves be captivated by its wisdom?

Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of catechists in the Catholic Church and has encouraged them to share their faith in a living way.

On the Sunday of the Word of God, I would like to thank our catechists. They sacrifice their time to bring the Word of God to the children. It is a noble task and responsibility. Therefore,
I would like to invite you all to pray for our catechists and to join them in spreading the Word of God.

If you are interested in becoming a catechist, please call the parish office for more information.

Have a good and enjoyable Sunday

Fr Joe

PARISH UPDATE – FRIDAY 15 Novemver 2024
A COVID SAFE PARISH

Diocese of Parramatta Wedding Anniversary Mass: 27 October  

The annual Diocese of Parramatta Wedding Anniversary Mass will be held on Sunday 27 October at 11am at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Parramatta. Bishop Vincent will celebrate Solemn Mass, followed by a light lunch at the Cathedral Hall. All couples celebrating a significant wedding anniversary will receive a certificate from Bishop Vincent. Please register your name, years of marriage and numbers attending by visiting parracatholic.org/weddingmass or phone 0488 000 211 by 20 October. Family and friends are welcome.

MASS LINK

LIVE STREAMING AND MASS LINK

This week’s live stream Mass link for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time on Saturday 08 February at 6pm from OLOL is   https://www.youtube.com/live/Pka4MMep0yQ

As always it is livestreamed at 6pm AEDT (summer) time, and then available on YouTube. Also it is now available via Parish of Baulkham Hills Facebook page.

THE DECEASED

Please also remember those for whom prayers have been requested, especially for:

Recently deceased:

  • Infant Jackie,
  • Ken Bailey

 Recently Anniversaries: 

  • Mary Anne Stacey
  • Margaret Wije

We really appreciate your continued support.  To assist with the proper recording for the second collection, please include your envelope number if you have one.

For EFT to the First Collection – supporting the Priests of Parramatta  Diocese

  • BSB 067 950
  • Account No 000004265
  • Account Name Diocesan Clergy
  • Reference 6001 your name

For EFT to the Second (envelope and loose) Collection – for support of the Parish of Baulkham Hills
to pay for staff wages, insurances, utilities, maintenance and upgrades of buildings and offices..

  • BSB 067 950
  • Account No 000000214
  • Account Name St Michael’s Baulkham Hills
  • Reference Envelope Number or Your Name

For EFT to the St Michael’s Special Account

If you wish to pay by credit card, please use this link https://www.bpoint.com.au/pay/stmichaelsparishbaulkhamhills

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