Gospel Reflection 2021

 Ascension B - May 16 

There are similarities in the reports of Jesus’ Ascension found in the Synoptic Gospels—Mark, Matthew, and Luke. In each case, Jesus assigns his disciples the task of proclaiming the gospel message to the entire world. There are also notable distinctions. In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, the disciples are sent by Jesus to baptize and to preach. In Luke’s Gospel, however, the commission to baptize is absent. Instead, Jesus directs the disciples to return to Jerusalem to await the fulfillment of his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. Curiously, only the Gospels of Mark and Luke actually report Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Matthew’s Gospel concludes with Jesus’ promise to remain with his disciples forever. Only the Gospel of Mark notes that Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of God. In noting this, Mark teaches that Jesus’ ascension affirms the glory Jesus received from God after his death and Resurrection.

 Pentecost B - May 23 

In the context of the feast of Pentecost, John 20:19-23 reminds us about the integral connection between the gifts of peace and forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit. Jesus greets his disciples with the gift of peace. Jesus then commissions his disciples to continue the work that he has begun: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples and sends them to continue his work of reconciliation through the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ act of breathing the Holy Spirit upon the apostles mirrors God’s act of breathing life into Adam. In fact, both the Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” can also be translated as “breath.” This Gospel reminds us that the Church is called to be a reconciling presence in the world. The reconciling presence of Christ is celebrated in the Church’s sacramental life. In the Sacrament of Baptism, we are cleansed of sin and become a new creation in Christ. In the Sacrament of Penance, the Church celebrates the mercy of God through the forgiveness of sins. This reconciling presence is also to be a way of life for Christians. In situations of conflict, we are to be agents of peace and harmony among people.

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[Updated May 7]

Mass Times in OLSC Parish
St John’s:  Tuesday, Thursday at 9.15am, Saturday 8.30 am
Sunday at 9:00 am (Italian), 11:00am and 5:00pm
St Joseph’s: Tuesday to Saturday at 9am
Saturday at 6:00pm Sunday at 9:00am and 10.30am
(Vietnamese)

A message from Fr Martin ...  
Dear Parishioners
Let me first wish all mothers a
Happy Mother’s Day. Our mums
do so much for us when we are
growing up and even as adults. Let
us also give thanks to all women
who share their gifts to others and
those who have a ‘motherly role’ in
our lives. Mothers have a special
place in society. Let us remember
those mothers who are still with us and those who have
returned to God the Father. Motherly affection and care is
given by those who have given birth and those who take up
the role of motherhood as a foster parent, step-mother,
grandmother and those women who are there for those in
need. Thanks God for those women who love us and care
for us.
This week we bid farewell to one of our parishioners Judy
O’Leary – Shepherd. She will be sadly missed by her family, friends and parishioners. Her
life was cut short and this kind of experience reminds me that life is so precious. Let us
remember not to take for granted those whom we love, those who love us, look after us and those who are part of
our daily lives. Sometimes we give the excuse that we don’t visit or call because we are so busy. We don’t often know what is around the corner in life and we are taken by
surprise. Christ reminds us to love one another as God
loves us. May we always try to put into practice the love
God has for us.
Finally, let us continue to pray for those countries
which are still struggling with Covid-19, for example India
and Brazil. Let us thank God the benefits we have in our
own country and how we can live a fairly normal life
again. Also, let us remember these people who have lost
loved ones in this difficult time and in these difficult cirrcumstances. May the Lord comfort them in their sorrow
and give them consolation.
As mentioned else where in this newsletter, we remember the miracle on May 13 when Our Lady of Fatima visited three young
Portuguese children.Of the seven Fatima prayers this one is the most well-known, often being referred to simply as the
"Fatima Prayer". On June 13, 1917 Our Lady taught the
children to say this prayer after each decade of the
Rosary. Our Lady encouraged the children to continue
to pray the Rosary every day.
“O Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell.
Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are most
in need.” Those most in need certainly would include
India and Brazil.
Have a wonderful week. God Bless.
Fr Martin

Parish Feast Day
Our Parish Feast Day... Feast of Our Lady of the
Southern Cross, is coming up on the 24th of
May. Mass celebrations will be held at each of our
churches on the 23rd. At St. John's, we will have a
morning tea following the 9am Italian Mass. After
the 11am English Mass, we would like to gather at
the Clifton Hill Pub for lunch. Please let us know if
you are interested in this outing, as bookings are
essential. Please contact
<Jennifer.jacobs@utoronto.ca>

Vinnies’ 2021 Winter Appeal
As Vinnies responds to a growing de mand for services following the end of JobKeeper
and cuts to Job Seeker, the National Council of St
Vincent de Paul Society in Australia is calling for
donations to help support the rising number of
people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Launching the Vinnies Winter Appeal
today, National President Claire Victory said that
historically low wages and cuts to income support,
coupled with rising house prices and the decline in
affordable rental accommodation, are pushing more
families into homelessness. ‘This has been exacer bated by the economic impact from the COVID-19
pandemic,’ Ms Victory said. ‘The government’s
coronavirus supplement helped keep many strug gling families afloat over the past year. When that
safety net disappeared at the end of March, it left
the most vulnerable members of our community
with nowhere to turn. In the second year of the
pandemic, families are fighting to stay in their own
homes, and right around the country it is children
who are bearing the greatest burden.

St John’s Outreach Program
Don’t forget our outreach program and buy some thing extra for our outreach program next time you are
shopping. Long life milk and cleaning products would
be appreciated by our outreach team. Thank you.

Thank you
A big thank you to Barry Whelan for once again
supplying a large skip to St John’s Presbytery. We
were able to dispose of quite a lot of stuff which had
been lingering in the offices and cupboards for some
time. It’s good to have room to “swing the cat” now.
Thank you so much, Barry.