Audio Gospel Reflections -  Fr Frank Moloney SDB

[Updated Sept 30]

Holiness is for Everyone
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish you
peace and joy of the Lord!
The readings of this Sunday, especially the Gospel,
help us to know what to ask for in life. Like the disciples, we ask the Lord to increase our faith. On his part,
Jesus assures his disciples that if they have faith, just
the same size of a mustard seed, they can do wonder.
Allow me to share with you something about faith.
There is no doubt that we live in a historical situation in which the temptation to do without God has
become very great. Our culture of technology and
welfare rests on the belief that basically we can do
everything. From this perspective, life is restricted to
what we can make and manufacture and demonstrate.
The question of God leaves the
stage. In this sense, we come to
believe that what we have not
made ourselves does not exist
(life is what you make of it!!!).
Today, many who have
been formed – or deformed –
by a sort of pragmatism and a
utilitarianism, seem to ask:
“When all is said and done,
what is the use of believing? Does faith offer some thing more? Isn’t it possible to live an honest upright
life without bothering to take the Gospel seriously?”
Indeed, in a world where science seems to be the only
discipline to have a say on all matters, faith is not necessary. “Salvation by/through faith” seems to be an
“old saying” which has no value and effect. In the end,
we still ask ourselves: What will my faith do to me? Do
I still need faith in order to inherit the eternal life?
What is faith? Why did Jesus’ disciples ask for it?
Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in
God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us,
and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because
he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his
entire self to God” (Dei Verbum, no. 5). For this reason,
the believer seeks to know and to do God’s will
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1814). Theological faith is usually conceived of as assent to truths
contained in biblical revelation and to doctrines de clared by the Church as dogmas of faith. Yet, faith is
not primarily assent to a specific set of propositions. It
is a personal encounter with God, a self-disclosure of
the divine Father and personal adherence to him.
In our daily life, faith opens the way to knowledge
of a person. St. Anselm said: “faith seeking understanding.” The one, who believes, shares in the being and
world of another, in his thought, in his knowledge,
understanding, love and desire. However, faith in God
is not a form of knowledge that can be learned like
chemistry or mathematics, but remains a belief. It is
not just some dark mystery or other with which one
has dealings. Faith gives one insight. Since faith demands our whole existence, our will, our love, since it
requires letting go of ourselves, it necessarily always
goes beyond a mere knowledge, beyond what is demonstrable.
My dear brothers and sisters, faith is not an end
in itself. It is always a path. Faith can only mature by
suffering anew, at every stage in life, the oppression
and the power of unbelief, by admitting its reality and
then finally going right through it, so that it again
finds the path opening ahead for a while. Romano
Guardini said: “as you grow older faith does not get
easier, but harder” (Cf. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, God
and the World, 33-37). Let us ask the Lord to increase
our faith that we may be able to have a more intimate
encounter with him day by day.

Holy Hour
Adoration and prayer for deepening vocations
Friday 7 October 7.30pm-8.30pm
at St John the Baptist Church
Prayer for vocations: either your own discernment,
or to pray for others who are discerning their way
in life.

Walter Sylvester Memorial Lecture
A free public lecture sponsored by the Union of
Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Family), Catholic
Theological College and the University of Divinity
Tuesday, 25 October at 6.30 p.m. in
person or via Zoom. Bishop Vincent
Nguyen Van Long OFM Conv will be
the orator, speaking on “Inverting
the Ecclesial Pyramid 60 years after
Vatican II: Evolution of a Synodal
Church in Australia under Pope
Francis”.
The venue will be the Knox Room: Thomas Carr
Centre, 278 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne (cnr
Eades Street) and light refreshments will be available from 5.45pm. RSVP (message) on 9304 2926 or
wsml@uacpallottines.org.au
Zoom: : https://divinity.zoom.us/j/83350628349?
pwd=TzJYNnh4d21KdTVYSWhzaVoxdjJuZz09 Meeting ID: 833 5062 8349 Passcode: 879518

Installation of our PP
On Sunday, 2nd October at our 11am Mass, Bishop Terry Curtin will formally install Fr Anthony Nguyen Ngoc Dung SDB as Parish Priest of the Parish of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, encompassing St John’s, St Joseph’s and the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
All are warmly invited to this auspicious occasion and afterwards in the playground for delicious eats, particularly from our Vietnamese friends.

RSVP by 24/09/2022
*  Fr Peter Hoang, SDB
0412 715 656 - phoang@salesians.org.au
*  Mr Minh Hoang
0403 128 979 - quangminhmc@clubtelco.com
*  Mr Truc Nguyen
0418 926 986 - trucnguyen58@gmail.com

Knox Public Lecture
As Catholic Theological College marks its 50th
anniversary as a College and a member of the ecu menical University of Divinity, we have invited a
panel of speakers to reflect on CTC’s achievements
and challenges, and to consider future directions in
theological education and ministry formation. You
are warmly invited to join us for the conversation.
The panel : Rev Prof Austin Cooper OMI AM, Rev
Prof Frank Moloney SDB AM FAHA, Most Rev Dr
Terence Curtin DD, Dr Rosemary Canavan and Dr
Michelle Goh RSM.
The 2022 Knox Public Lecture is to be held on
Wednesday 12th October at the Celtic Hall, Catholic
Leadership Centre, Cnr Victoria Parade and Hoddle
Street, commencing at 7.30pm.
“50 Years of Theological Education in Context:
Then, Now, What Next?”
Bookings and Info: www.ctc.edu.au/knox-public-lecture
Enq: sarah.styring@ctc.edu.au or Ph 9412 3333
Light refreshments will be provided after the
lecture.

St Peter Clavar Fete
The Missionary Sisters of St Peter Claver will hold
their annual mission fete on Saturday, 8th October
from 9am to 2:30pm at 154 Cotham Road, Kew. This
year the proceeds will be forwarded to Sr Sol Meda B
Pomoy, OSA Delegate Superior for financial aid to
construct a wall needed for landslide prevention and
the safety of their Chapel. Enquiries phone: 9817 3715.

Bible Study
Join fellow parishioners as we come together to
pray the Rosary in the month of October (the month
of the Rosary). Zoom Meetings will be 7:30pm each
Tuesday evening in October. Meeting ID is
74123186021 Password is Zb3eDQ
All welcome !! Bernadette Riley

The Journey
The Journey is a weekly program developed by the
Catholic Diocese of Wollongong and is the only Catholic
radio program in Australia aired on general Christian radio.
Visit www.jcr.org.au or www.itunes.jcr.org.au where
you can listen anytime and subscribe to weekly shows by email. Do you have friends or family who might like to hear this show each week? Tell them to send an email
to journey@dow.org.au or call (02) 4222 2407.
Listen to this week's presenter inputs
 Gospel Reflection–Fr Mark De Battista–Judgement
 Wisdom from The Abbey–Mother Hilda–Officially Awesome
 Positive Psychology–Fr Anthony Crook–Spirituality and Well Being (part 3)
 Milk & Honey–Trish McCarthy– Use Your Words
 The Call–Fr Dave Callaghan–Christianity is not a Spectator
Sport