Fr Anthony's Message
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet you with
the love, joy and peace from the Lord.
For the last two Sundays, we have heard from the
Gospel of John. We once again encounter the Gospel of John this Sunday, the fifth Sunday of Lent. The reading from John continues the break from Cycle A’s focus on the Gospel of Matthew. Today’s Gospel reading recounts another sign, or miracle, found in John’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus. As we and especially our catechumens move closer to the celebration of their Baptisms at the Triduum, we have reflected on the themes of water (3rd Sunday of Lent) and light (4th Sunday of Lent), today’s reading invites us to reflect upon what it means to call Jesus the Resurrection and the life. 
The context for the story of the raising of Lazarus is the Jewish leaders’ growing animosity toward Jesus.
Jesus has been in Jerusalem, taking part in the feast of
the Dedication, which we have come to know as Ha nukkah. The people have been pressing him to declare
plainly whether he is the Messiah. Jesus tells them to
look to his works, which testify to his coming from
God. Many do not believe Jesus, however, and some
try to stone him for blasphemy. Into this scene of
confrontation, Mary and Martha, the sisters of Laza rus, send word to Jesus that his friend is ill. Jesus is
said to love Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but he delays
his journey for two days. The delay heightens the drama and shows Jesus’ obedience to God, who is to be glorified through Lazarus’s resurrection. When Jesus finally declares that he will journey to Bethany, his disciples fear for his life. Thomas declares that he and the other disciples should prepare to die with Jesus. Thomas’ attitude poses in front of us a challenge: Are we prepared to die with Jesus: Die for
our sins, die for our shortcomings and vices in order
to rise with him?
The scene described at Bethany is a sad one.
Martha meets Jesus weeping and saying that if Jesus
had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Yet she
remains confident that God will do whatever Jesus
asks. Martha affirms her belief that there will be a
resurrection of the dead in the last days. Then Martha’s sister, Mary, comes to Jesus with the same confidence, saying that Jesus could have cured Lazarus. This scene makes us ponder upon our daily life situation.   We sometimes encounter sad experiences. There have been times in which we have confidence in God, in Jesus; but there have been moments wherein we lost our trust in him. Even though we falter, but Jesus is always there and asks us to bring him to our sad experiences in order that he can pray and call us out from those sad moments.
Dear brothers and sis ters, as we are moving closer
to the Holy Week, with our catechumens preparing for
their Baptism at Easter, the
Gospel today calls us to reflect on Baptism as a dying
and rising with Jesus. In Baptism we die to sin’s power over us, rising as children of God. In Baptism we join ourselves with Christ, who conquered death once and for all so that we who believe in him may have eternal life. With Martha and Mary, we are called to profess our belief that Jesus is indeed the Resurrection and the life.

Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday,
in the Christian tradition, the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter,
commemorating Jesus
Christ’s triumphal entry
into Jerusalem. The liturgy
begins with a blessing and
procession of palms, but
prime attention is given to a
reading of the Passion. The palms are often taken
home by the members of the congregation to serve as
sacramentals and some of them are burned the following year to serve as the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
Encyclopaedia Brittanica

Moving forward ...
Our vision and Mission Statement
Please take a copy of the draft revised Vision and
Mission Statement for our Parish. It was developed
during Covid by an online Lenten Reflection group
and has been reviewed by Father Anthony. After
Easter we will arrange a meeting after 11am Mass for
parishioners to share their thoughts and suggestions
how this statement can truly reflect our parish in
2023 and in the years ahead. Your input is both welcomed and valued.

Parish Lenten Refection
The parish is holding Lenten Reflection with
Reconciliation on Friday, 31st March at 7:30-
8:30pm with Fr Frank Moloney. All are welcome to
join us at St John’s Church. Please note that there
will not be Lenten series this coming Thursday.

Did you know?
Who were Thomas and Elizabeth Verga?
On either side of the entrance to the side chapel,
the Lady Chapel are two brass plaques, one to each
of Thomas and Elizabeth Verga. To find the answer
to the question, take the time to read these two
plaques. Where else in the church might you find
reminders of these two people?

St Johns School welcome all parishioners to our major fundraiser, twilight market. Come for an evening of live music, food, community stalls, craft and family fun!
Food stalls, craft, clothing, cakes, plants, relishes, oils, candles, Ethiopian coffee, games and activities for kids, bar, band and much more. We would love to see
you all there!

Playing your part at Mass
EASTER HELPERS WANTED AT BOTH CHURCHES
For Holy Thursday, Good Friday including Stations of
the Cross, Saturday Vigil and Easter Sunday we need people for the following:
*  Meeters and Greeters
*  Readers
*  Washing of the Feet (Holy Thursday only)
*  Offertory Procession
*  Special Ministers
Please put your name down for any or all of
these tasks on the large sheets at the back of the Church. Include your contact details please.
Thanks for your support of our parish.

Church Centenary
MPORTANT DATE AND INVITE
Please keep Sunday 8 October free as we will be
celebrating the Centenary of the Consecration of our
church on that day.You may have ideas to
share of how best to cele brate that important historic
occasion in the lead up to and on the day.
Leave your name and contact details in the Office.
Be part of our centenary.


 
Loretto Cultural Series for 2023
As St Pope John Paul II said, “The future starts
today, not tomorrow.” Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and
build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations.
The first event in the Series is “The Summer in
Opera and Operetta”, exploring 400 years of opera
and operetta from the 17th to 20th centuries including Monteverdi, Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, Lehar, Debussy and Menotti. This concert features world renowned Pianist, Anthony Halliday, Soprano, Judith
Dodsworth, Mezzo Soprano, Lynlee Williams and
Bass, Eddie Muliaumaseali'i.
Sunday 26 March, 2.00pm in the Chapel of Christ
the King, Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak. Tickets:
$50 / $40 which includes light refreshments

Parish Lenten Series
The parish is holding a series of Lenten Reflec tions, prayers and sharing on Thursdays at 7:30-8:30pm during Lenten Season. All are welcome to join us at St John’s Church.

The Holy Hour for Vocations will resume on the
first Friday of each month. You are invited to come
and join those praying for discernment of their
vocation. The next time of prayer will be at Friday
3rd March, 7.30pm St Johns Clifton Hill.
The Salesian Sisters will also be running Taize
on Wednesdays during Lent 7-8pm at 43 George
Street, Scoresby. All welcome.
For more information contact Sr Rochelle on
rmLamb195@hotmail.com.au