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OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PARISH
The Baptism of the Lord
Year B Cycle l
11 January 2015
The Mission Begins, the Struggle Commences
The baptism of John stands out as something different
from the traditional ablutions and purification rites that
the Jews are accustomed to. While these are repeatable, the baptism that John enjoins cannot be repeated
and is meant to be a concrete celebration of a
conversion that gives the person a whole new life
direction forever. It is a baptism characterised by a
confession of sins, with the goal of leaving one’s sinful
life behind. The immersion into the water of the Jordan
symbolises death to sin (recalling the destructive
power of the great deluge in Noah’s time), and
emergence out of the flowing waters of the Jordan
ritualises the coming into a new life (since ‘flowing
rivers’ like the Nile, the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the
Jordan are cradles of ancient prosperous civilisations).
The greater novelty in the Gospel event today, however, is this: Jesus - the Sinless One - comes to be
baptised with John’s baptism of repentance! He blends
into the mass of sinners waiting at the banks of the
Jordan. With this gesture, he underscores that he
comes in the name of God to express solidarity with
humanity who has incurred sin and guilt but longs
for righteousness.
Regarded as the inauguration of the public life of
Jesus, the baptism then is a gesture that anticipates
the climax of Jesus’ public life: his sacrificial death on
the Cross for humankind. The expressions that accompany the narration of the baptism - the heavens being
‘torn open,’ the Spirit descending and hovering as in
the creation story of Genesis 1:2, and the voice of the
Father saying, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am
well pleased’ - point to the Resurrection which is the
exaltation of Jesus by the Father, and the renewal of
life and creation.
Jesus’ baptism is thus no mere ritual to begin the three
-year ministry. It is in anticipation of the Cross and
Resurrection, the Paschal Mystery. Hence, Jesus
refers to his death as a ‘baptism’. In a related matter,
since the baptism of Jesus underscores his solidarity
with sinful humanity and his willingness to suffer with
humanity so that he can transform humanity, John the
Baptist introduces Jesus as ‘the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world.’ (Jn 1:29)
365 Days with the Lord Gil Alinsangan SSP
Pain of the Heart Touches Too Many
Remembering that in three months I would give a talk
at a Catholic Men’s Conference on Fatherhood, I made
a decision: knowing that many of my young friends
in Eastern Europe had experienced alcoholism,
abandonment and various kinds of abuse I would ask
them to help me prepare the talk by asking: ‘What do
you wish your father or mother would have said to you
but they never did?’
I cursorily read emails as they started arriving in
November and December. I was at Mass six years ago
to the day, on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,
when I heard the proclamation of today’s gospel. I was
almost crushed: there were about 75 responses and in
each one I heard the pain of their heart’s cry. Each
respondent, in different words, gave one of two
answers: ‘I wish my father would tell me he loved me;’
or, ‘I wanted so much to hear my mum’s approval of
me’. Many of them did not remember so much as a hug
from their parents!
How ironic that Jesus, the eternal Son of God made
man, who forever knew the love of God the Father,
should have God the Father speak those very words of
love and approval to Him. Heaven, because of Adam
and Eve’s sin was formerly closed to humanity. Now
God the Father tears open the heavens to say again
what he has spoken from all eternity to Jesus:
‘You are my beloved Son and with you I am well
pleased.’
A reflection on this weekend’s Gospel from an online blogger and
Catholic Deacon, ‘Deacon Steve’ (surname not available at the time
of writing) http://deaconsteve.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/the-baptism
-of-the-lord-year-b/
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The year of consecrated life
Symbolic of our Baptism
Bible Café
The Gospel
of Luke
A new series with
scripture scholar
Frances Hogan
Wednesdays from
21 January
10:15-11:15am
& 7-8pm in the
Muldoon Room.
All Welcome!
Offertory
Procession
Any parishioner,
and especially
families, is invited
to take part
in the Offertory
Procession.
If you would like to
participate please
inform the Acolytes
prior to Mass.
Many of the incidents which accompanied
Christ's baptism are symbolical of what
happened at our Baptism. At Christ's
baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon
him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its
abode in our soul. At his baptism, Christ
was proclaimed the ‘Beloved Son’ of the
Father; at our Baptism we become the
adopted sons of God. At Christ's baptism
the heavens were opened; at our Baptism
heaven was opened to us. At his baptism
Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must
pray to avoid actual sin.
Msgr Rudolph G. Bandas
Our Own Baptisms
The baptism of Jesus naturally makes us
think of our own baptism. Christ’s baptism
was not just an isolated event in his life, it
was the beginning of a new era in God’s
relationship with mankind, and has
implications for us all, as it affects each of
us at the deepest and most personal level.
At baptism the Spirit of God takes possession of us in a very special way, to direct
and guide us in the footsteps of Christ.
Baptism unites us with Jesus in the most
intimate manner, bringing us into the
family of God with the right to call God
Abba, Father.
Though we were baptised when we were
a few days old, our baptism is not merely
an event of the past, it is an ever present
reality, a constant sharing in the divine life
of the Risen Christ. It is a daily invitation to
come closer to God and to be helpers in
his work of saving the world. We are called
to be partners of Christ’s mission in our
own sphere of living, and to make the
world a better place to live in. In our everyday lives we may not have the ability to do
great things but we have the power to do
good things. Through good works each of
us, in our own way, completes the mission
which Christ began after his baptism. Let
us ask ourselves: Are we true to the
direction in which our lives were pointed at
our baptism?
God’s Word Fr George Mathew SSP
The Church & Baptism
Shop Locally!
Please support the
shops in the
Carnival Hall
building in the
shopping centre.
These shops
support our Parish.
Quote
for the
Week
Don’t give God
instructions - just
report for duty!
The Church, like a mother anxious for the
salvation of her children, and eager to
rescue them from the slavery of Satan, to
make them living temples of God, does
not wait until a child is able to appreciate
the value of Baptism, but hastens to
confer it upon him or her in the first
days of life. Thus Baptism is the only
Sacrament which is given without the
consent of the recipient.
However, the Church requires that
competent sponsors
represent the
newborn child in order that God’s gift
may not be lost through the child’s
unawareness in receiving it. As soon
as the child has attained the age of
reason, it is the sacred duty of these
sponsors to see that it understands and
appreciates this great Sacrament and
lives accordingly. Indeed, we are all
bound to cultivate during the entire
course of our life that knowledge and
appreciation which we could not take
personally to the baptismal font; we are
bound to live in such a way as to place
no obstacle to the development of
baptismal grace, thus making ourselves
more worthy of the sacramental character
we have received. We must live up to
the pledges of our Baptism. That is, we
must conform our lives to the petitions,
renouncement's, and promises which our
Godparents made in our name. Through
our Godparents we asked for faith; we
renounced Satan and all his works and
pomps; we requested to be baptised, so
that we might be received into God’s
great and holy family.
God, by means of the Church, has
delivered us from the bonds of sin; he has
taken us into his arms and marked us with
an indelible sign as his children. The
passing years, the vicissitudes of life, our
failures to cooperate with grace, even the
most serious sins, if we have been so
unfortunate as to commit any, can
never destroy that indelible make of a
child of God. Think what an honour it is,
how glorious and blessed, to be for all
eternity the child of God! ‘Behold what
manner of charity the Father has bestowed
on us, that we should be called and
should be the sons of God.’ (1 Jn 3,1)
We are children of God, not through any
merit on our part, but only through his
infinite goodness anticipating, as it were,
our request and desire.
Divine Intimacy Fr Gabriel OCD
THE MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS
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What Does the Name of Jesus Mean?
The name Jesus comes from the Greek
Iesous which was derived from the
Aramaic, Yeshu. It means "Yaweh is
salvation." The name was not unique,
even in biblical times, and today it is
common in Arabic-speaking East and in
Spanish-speaking countries. From apostolic times the name has been treated with
the greatest respect, as honour is due the
name which represents Our Lord, himself.
The holy name of Jesus is, first of all, an
all-powerful prayer. Our Lord himself
solemnly promises that whatever we ask
the Father in his name we shall receive.
God never fails to keep his word.
When, therefore, we say, "Jesus," let us
ask God for all we need with absolute
confidence of being heard. For this reason, the Church ends her prayer with the
words, "through Jesus Christ," which gives
the prayer a new and divine efficacy.
But the holy name is something still greater. Each time we say, "Jesus," we give
God infinite joy and glory, for we offer him
all the infinite merits of the passion and
death of Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us that
Jesus merited the name Jesus by his
passion and death.
Each time we say "Jesus," let us clearly
wish to offer God all the Masses being
said all over the world for all our intentions. We thus share in these thousands
of Masses.
Each time we say "Jesus," we gain indulgences for the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
thus relieving and liberating very many of
these holy souls from their awful pains.
Thus they may be our best friends and
pray for us - they cannot pray for themselves, however.
Each time we say "Jesus," it is an act
of perfect love, for we offer to God the
infinite love of Jesus.
The holy name of Jesus saves us from
innumerable evils and delivers us especially from the power of the devil, who
is constantly seeking to do us harm.
The holy name of Jesus gradually fills
our souls with a peace and joy we never
had before.
The holy name of Jesus gives us strength
that our sufferings become light and easy
to bear.
www.catholictradition.org/Christ/holy-name.htm
Warning
There has been
theft of a wallet
and money
from the Church
during Mass.
Please do not leave
your bags behind
you on the seats
and take them to
Communion
with you.
1300PRIEST
(1300 774 378)
If you need a priest
in an emergency
and cannot reach
the parish number
(4332 2216) call
1300PRIEST for
assistance.
The Pope’s Prayer Intentions for January
Universal: For Peace. That those from
diverse religious traditions and all people
of good will may work together for peace.
Evangelisation: For Consecrated life.
That in this year dedicated to consecrated
life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy of following Christ and strive
to serve the poor with zeal.
The Word of God
The readings from the Word of God are to
be listened to reverently by everyone, for
they are an element of the greatest
importance in the Liturgy. Although in the
readings from Sacred Scripture the Word
of God is addressed to all people of whatever era and is understandable to them,
a fuller understanding and a greater
efficaciousness of the word is nevertheless fostered by a living commentary on
the word, that is, by the Homily, as part of
the liturgical action.
GIRM 29
The homily is a means of bringing the
scriptural message to life in a way that
helps the faithful to realise that God’s
word is present and at work in their everyday lives.
Verbum Domini
Please Note
The Wisdom of Teresa
A Retreat presented by Fr Paul Maunder
30 January to 1 February at Mount Carmel
Retreat Centre 247 St Andrews Road
Varroville. Cost $220 or concession. Contact 8795 3400 or [email protected]
Worldwide Marriage Encounter
Spend a weekend with your spouse at a
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend.
6-8 March at Mt Carmel Retreat Centre
Varroville. Enquiries to 4283 3435 or
[email protected]
*Please see the Bulletin boards for more Notices*
Parish
Morning Tea
The Ambrosian
Family Group is
hosting our Morning
Tea next Sunday
18 January at the
canteen after
9:30am Mass.
Come along for a
cuppa and a chat!
This week we
would like to thank
Nona Redman for
her sewing and
needlework making
Stoles for the
Extraordinary
Ministers and
Lectionary Book
covers for
the Church.
Thank you Nona!
Serving the Catholic Community of The Entrance and extending the Kingdom of God
THE ENTRANCE PARISH
DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY
PROPERTY MANAGER Michael de la Motte
Tel 4334 7600 (BH)
GIFT CENTRE
Sunday
9:00am - 9:30am & 10:30am - 11:00am
Tuesday-Friday
9:30am - 1:30pm
Tel/Fax 4332 5997
OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Tel 4332 5594 Fax 4334 5599
ST PETER’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE
Tel 4351 2344 Fax 4351 2965
PARISH PRIEST & DEAN Fr Bill Stevens
ASSISTANT PRIEST Fr Shaju John OSH
PASTORAL COORDINATOR Anne Allen
Office Hours Monday-Friday 9.30-5.00pm
Postal Address PO Box 189 THE ENTRANCE 2261
Street Address 239-243 The Entrance Rd
Tel 4332 2216 Fax 4333 5344
Email [email protected]
Website www.ourladyoftherosary.org.au
Mass & Devotions in Ordinary Time
Sunday Masses Saturday Vigil 6:00pm Sunday 8:00am & 9:30am
Weekday Masses Monday -Thursday 9:00am Friday 11:45am
Saturday 9:00am
Sacrament of Reconciliation Saturday 9:30am & 5:00pm
The Baptism of the Lord
Today’s Readings:
1 John 5:1-9
Liturgy of the Hours Saturday 8:40am
Rosary Monday-Thursday 8:35am Friday 11:20am Saturday 9:30am
Cenacle Wednesday 9:30am
Christian Meditation Group Friday 10:30am Muldoon Room
Year B
Isaiah 55:1-11
Mark 1:7-11
Entrance Antiphon
After the Lord was baptised, the heavens were opened, and the
Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father
thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
Responsorial Psalm
You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Weekdays Cycle I
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
John saw Jesus approaching him, and said:
This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
Alleluia!
Communion Antiphon
Behold the One of whom John said: I have seen and testified that
this is the Son of God.
Keep Us In Your Prayers
Recently Deceased: Maurice Cramsie, Gen Duggan, Philomena
Scott, Joseph Wehbe.
Anniversaries: Jan Sheridan, William Stubbs, Joan Dorahy.
Remembrances:
Bruce Parry, Beryl White, Nora O’Leary,
Jean Workman, Col McLaurin, Dorothy Cribb, Gloria Shackleton,
Jean Beaton, Bruce Evers, Mary & Joe Pace, Charles Magri, Les &
Terry Nolan, Cheryl Rogers, Chris, Phyllis & Ray Collison, George
& Damia Dib, Milad & Mahab Beaini, Lio Sassine, Sam Moussa,
Sam Marmara, Charlie Vella and the Holy Souls in Purgatory.
Families: Bouchet.
Sick: John Verhoeven Snr, Mary Camilleri, Julie Webb, Lyn Moon,
Patricia O’Brien, Bernard Bond, Dorothy Patterson, Brian Crowe,
Mary Hughes, Heather Wise, Pat O’Hara, Antoinette Grech,
Bernie Lowe, Carl Sanchez, Maurice Cramsie, Sue Batten,
Sue MacSween, Elaine Keyte, Lisa Hennessey, Hayley Hartas,
Brian & Valerie Staggs, Zoe Kidd, Jenny Carter, Linda Read,
Christopher Forster, Grace Miller, Delma Clarke, Debbie Simonds,
Jenny Rist.
Pearly
Gates
Our Lady of the Rosary
GIFT
CENTRE
For all your devotional needs...
Welcome to all visitors to The Entrance. Our Gift
Centre has a great variety of gifts and cards for all
occasions. We are open after the Sunday Masses for
your convenience.
You’ll find us behind the Church carpark, corner of
Ashton and Copnor Avenues.
Open:
Sunday 9am-9:30am & 10:30-11am
Tuesday-Friday 9:30am-1:30pm
Phone/Fax 4332 5997

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