Gospel Reflection 2022

 Easter 5C - May 15

John's Gospel does not include an institution of the Eucharist narrative; instead, Jesus washes his disciples' feet. Immediately after, Jesus predicts his betrayal by Judas. Today's Gospel follows that prediction. It can be read as a continuing explanation of Jesus' act of washing his disciples' feet. It begins with the announcement that this is the moment when the Son of Man will be glorified. This theme continues throughout John's Passion. Jesus will be glorified in his death on the cross and in his Resurrection, and the disciples will glorify Jesus in the love they show.

John's Gospel does not present a sentimental view of love. This is a type of love that is shown in service and sacrifice. It is difficult to choose to love when faced with hatred and anger. Jesus tells the disciples that all will know that they are his disciples because of the love they show for one another.

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Audio Gospel Reflections -  Fr Frank Moloney SDB

[Updated May 14]

A message from Fr Anthony
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Greetings of peace and joy of the Lord!
I am deeply sorry for forgetting to include my best
wishes for mothers in my message last Sunday as we
celebrated Mother’s Day. This does not mean that I
forget to pray for each one of mothers to be blessed
abundantly by the Lord with goodness, joy and love. I
wish you all the best for your life, especially to see the
success of your children.
Last Sunday, we celebrated the Good Shepherd
Sunday and we professed that the Lord is our shepherd. We are his sheep, who listen to his voice and
follow him. What does this profession mean to us? It
means that we are brothers and sisters of the same
sheepfold. This is the context in which I would like to
share with you my thought on today’s Gospel. Human ly speaking, when a person is going to die, his or her
last words or last testaments are important because
they come from the bottom of his or her heart. It is
often a unfulfilled wish which he or she wants to happen (for him or her or for those who he or she will
leave behind). Today’s Gospel is part of the discourse
of Jesus’ “farewell speech.” 
In his farewell speech, he asked his disciples to love
one another. I would like to draw your attention to Jesus’ “new commandment.” It is new since Jesus gives us a “new point of reference” for our love for one another and for our neighbours.
In the old testament, we find the “old commandment” as follows: “Love your neighbours as your self” (Lv 19:18). We see here the point of reference is
“our self.” We love others as we would love ourself.
However, in his new commandment, Jesus changes the
point of reference. We no longer love others as we love our self; but to love others as Jesus has loved us. This point of reference of love becomes the sign which shows we are the disciples of Jesus. In other words, we become true disciples of Jesus only when we love others with the same love that Jesus has
loved us. It is a love that is ready to “lay down one’s
life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13).

 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christian love is not simply a “sentimental love.” Rather, it is a “decision of the heart” as St. John Paul II
would say. Christian love has “eternal character” since it has its source in God who is eternal. I would like to end my sharing with these words St. John Paul II: “If you do not decide to love forever, you will find it hard to truly love even for a day.” I pray that our love for
one another does not fade away throughout the
course of time, but is caught up into the love of the
God, who loves us so much that he gave us his only
Son, not to condemn us, but to save us (see Jn 3:16).
Let us love one another as Jesus Christ has loved us!
Fr Anthony

Feast of Our Lady
Please join us for our parish feast day celebration! We will be celebrating Mass at St. Joseph’s in Collingwood at 10am, followed by a reception in the hall. It is a blessing that after two years, we can come together to rejoice in our blessings.Quyen Pham and Quyen Le are
organizing food. If you are interested in bringing a dessert to share, we would be grateful! Questions can be directed to… jjacobsvandegeer@gmail.com
Please note that all Sunday Masses at St. John’s are cancelled on May 22nd due to the feast day celebrations. That is … 9am, 11am and 5pm.
Blessings ... Jennifer

St Mary MacKillop Pilgrimage
The Sisters of Saint Joseph have prepared an
Australian Pilgrimage, “In the Footsteps of Mary
MacKillop” commencing in Melbourne on 18
October, journeying through Victoria and South
Australia, and ending at Mary MacKillop Place,
North Sydney on 29 October 2022.

St Mary MacKillop
Mary’s parents were Scottish immigrants set tling in Melbourne and Mary was born on January
15, 1842. Money worries were part of Mary’s life
and the ‘boom and bust’ gold days saw the MacKillops suffer continual financial instability. From her
teens to mid-twenties Mary supported the family,
working as a school teacher and governess, before
taking the first of many courageous steps in her life
at the age of 24.
Mary wanted to serve the poor, particularly
educating the children who lived in the bush. She
opened a school in a stable on 19 March 1866,
wearing a simple black dress as a sign of a radical
life change. The first school set the pattern for many
to come – it was for the children of the working
class, aiming to make children independent, employable and well-grounded.
Mary MacKillop had a radical vision of the way
the Order of the Sisters should be structured – she
didn’t want the Order to be subject to direction by
the Bishops of particular dioceses. In response to
this stand, Mary came into conflict with the Bishop
of Adelaide. She was excommunicated on 22 Sep tember 1871, which was removed the following
year, although conflict around the principle of the
matter continued.
Mary decided to take her cause to the Pope in
Rome. Aged just 31 and as a professed Sister of St
Joseph, Mary went to Rome, gained an audience
with Pope Pius IX, and received approval of her
Rule within a year.
Mary MacKillop’s attitude was always
of forgiveness and respect. Her many letters are
evidence of her vision, courage and leadership.

Parish HistoryHave you shared your memories and photographs
of St John’s Parish and its schools with John Andrews
yet? You can contact John on 0439 614 461 or
acesja@gmail.com