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22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2020

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR AUGUST
CORONAVIRUS PRAYER

God our Father, we come to You in our need, to ask Your protection against the COVID-19 that has disturbed and even claimed lives.

We pray that You guide the people tasked to find cures for this disease and to stem its transmission.

Protect the medical experts that they may minister to the sick with competence and compassion.

We pray for those afflicted. May they be restored to health soon.

Protect those who care for them.

Grant eternal rest to those who have died.

Give us the grace in this trying time to work for the good of all and to help those in need.

We implore You to stop the spread of this virus and to save us from our fears.

Grant all these through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

We fly to Your protection, oh Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our petition in our  necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, Oh glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

Our Lady, health of the sick, pray for us.
St. Peter Apostle, pray for us.

Entrance Antiphon
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I cry to you all the day long. O Lord, you are good and forgiving, full of mercy to all who call to you.

1st Reading (Jer 20:7-9)
A reading from the prophet Jeremiah.
You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger. I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody’s butt. Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’ The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision, all day long. I used to say, ‘I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more.’ Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it.
The Word of the Lord.

2nd Reading (Rom 12:1-2)
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans.
Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God. Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you, but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.
The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our heart, that we might see how great is the hope to which we are called. Alleluia!

Gospel (Mt 16:21-27)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life? ‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’
The Gospel of the Lord.

Communion Antiphon
How great is the goodness, Lord, that you keep for those who fear you.

Next Week’s Readings
Ezek 33:7-9;   Rom 13:8-10;   Mt 18:15-20

Feasts of the Week
Thu, 3 Sept - St. Gregory the Great   

PARISH NEWS

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
(A reflection by Dcn. Charles English)

In today’s Gospel there is a two-fold invitation from Jesus, to share His human suffering and to share His Divine glory. Peter’s rebuke to Jesus shows us both his familiarity with Jesus and the weakness of his faith. As good as Peter is, his mind and heart are not yet centred on what God wants for the world. Peter’s outburst was, no doubt, well meant but it revealed such misunderstanding of Jesus’ vocation. The heart and mind of Our Lord Jesus was set and centred on His mission; that He had to suffer and die on the Cross. Then three days later, He rose from the dead so that the gates of Heaven would be opened for us, mankind. Peter receives an even stronger rebuke from Jesus who calls him ‘Satan’, that is someone who opposes the actions of God, an obstacle to responsive faith in God.

In the second part of this episode, Jesus challenges His disciples to walk the same path as Himself; that is self-denial for God and suffering even to the cross. Jesus Himself walks this path.

So to take up one’s cross is more than a readiness for physical pain. It also includes a willingness to bear with Christ the shame of ridicule and rejection by people. Now this could include some of our own friends and family members, who have given up their Catholic faith and then decide to taunt and ridicule you because you hold onto your wonderful Catholic faith. To follow Christ is to suffer. However, there are also great rewards. Without God we can do nothing. It is God who works miracles in our lives, miracles both big and small. We just need the ‘eyes of faith’ to see them. And we remember the most wonderful words of the Archangel Gabriel when he appeared to Mary at the Annunciation; ‘For nothing is impossible to God’. Let us go boldly forward full of trust in God and God’s holy Word, even in these difficult and uncertain times of the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Gospel, contains some of the most serious words of Christ. He says to His disciples:

‘What then will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Another translation puts it like this: ‘What good will it do you even if you gain the whole world, if you lose your soul?’

Jesus’ words should make us think, especially when we have tough choices to make and when we are setting (or re-setting) goals for our lives. In rebuking Peter, we see that Our Lord does not banish Peter from His presence; rather, this rebuke recalls Peter to his proper place, as a follower walking in the footsteps of Christ. Let us always remember that Peter died for Christ. It is true for all of us that we must ever take the way of Christ, and never seek to try and compel Him in our petitions to take our way. As we conclude our prayers and petitions we should bow our head and say: ‘Thy will be done, Lord’. Again and again Jesus confronted the people (and us too) with the challenge of the Christian life. There are three things which we must be prepared to do as Catholics:

  1. We must learn to deny ourselves (Self-denial).
  2. We must take up our cross each and every day (The burden of sacrifice and suffering).
  3. We must follow Our Lord Jesus and His teachings (Perfect obedience).

Let us dwell on these most wonderful, hopeful, closing words of Jesus in this Gospel passage of today: ‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and when He does, He will reward each one according to his behaviour.’ May our reward be to hear Our Blessed Lord Jesus speak these words to us: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, your faith has saved you’.

LIVE STREAMING OF DAILY MASS FROM OUR CHURCH
Our church is live streaming daily Mass through our Facebook Page link
https://m.facebook.com/stpetershoppers/
ZOOM link
https://zoom.us/j/93990476817
Masses are Monday to Friday 8:30am, Saturday 9:00am and Sunday 10:30am

UPDATED PARISH GUIDELINES
Our church is now closed as per Government regulations. Please note that the Sunday Obligation will not apply during this time of suspension.

To keep yourself updated with Parish news, visit the

PARISH OFFICE
The Parish Office is closed, however staff will be working from home on Tuesday/Thursday/Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm. You can still contact us on the office phone 9749 4300 or send in your enquiries/prayer requests by email to stpeters@westnet.com.au or hopperscrossing@cam.org.au

THANKSGIVING CONTRIBUTIONS

  • As the Parish Office is closed during the lockdown, we ask that parishioners who have envelopes please hold on to them for now. They can be brought to the Parish Office when the lockdown is over.
  • Thanksgiving donations can be made directly to our Church Bank Account. Details as follows:
    Account Name: St Peter Apostle Parish Church Account
    BSB: 083-347 Account No: 637286747
    Please use your Thanksgiving Envelope Number and your name for reference purposes (eg.TG123 - Tom Smith)
  • Parishioners can also make payments online if you wish to do so, either by going to the link Online Thanksgiving Payments CDF Pay  OR by going to the link on our website (under the Support your Parish tab) Please add your Thanksgiving Envelope number if you have one. You also have the option to choose which collection you would like the offering to go to, i.e. first collection (Parish) or second collection (Presbytery).

RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is a program for anyone interested in becoming a Catholic and receiving the Sacraments. The meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 7:00pm on Zoom. Meeting ID 937 5345 2162. Passcode: 624286. If you or anyone you know is interested, you are welcome to join. Please contact Francis Thomas on 0401 787 372 or francispthomas@hotmail.com or Evelyn Stowers on 0499416158.

HSI SCHOOL OF DISCIPLESHIP
HSI School of Discipleship continues this Sunday (23 August 2020) and every Sunday from 7 PM. The session consists of prayer, song, video talk, discussion, sharing and blessing. This week the session is on OUTREACH. Newcomers welcome. Meeting ID 843 9084 5271. No password required. Enquiries Connie Skinner 0422165133

ST. PETER'S CHARISMATIC PRAYER COMMUNITY – KNK
Saturdays at 3:00pm – Divine Mercy & Praise & Worship
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7414862105?pwd=NlVwaXUyS3hVSlFzZ0pNOG1MT29Ldz09
Meeting ID: 741 486 2105          Password: 023368

BIBLE STUDY MINISTRY
Every week on a Monday from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.
Focus on Gospel of John, Chapter 12.
Enquiries Francis Thomas francispthomas@hotmail.com
Meeting ID: 9689427525     Password: 2Vp4ef

GOD’S WORD 2021 DAILY REFLECTIONS
Books are now available to order. It includes the daily Bible readings with a reflection. If interested please contact Pauline Publications Tel: 03 9882 3424 or
Email: orders.melbourne@paulinebooks.com.au

MORNING TEA/CHAT WITH PARISHIONERS
Fr. Vincent invites parishioners to join him for another Morning Tea/Chat via Zoom on Saturday 5 September. The ZOOM Room will open at 9:45am, so that any connection issues can be resolved prior to starting the chat at 10:00am. Meeting ID: 9590 572 9639.

LECTORS FOR DAILY & WEEKEND MASSES
Fr Vincent would like to invite Lectors who can join in on Zoom to read at Daily and Weekend Masses. If you would like to participate, please send an email to the parish office at stpeters@westnet.com.au  or
hopperscrossing@cam.org.au and let us know the days you are available to read.

AID TO BEIRUT
Funds are being collected for those who have been impacted by the recent explosion in Beirut, If you would like to contribute to the cause, please contact our Sacristan Kamal Chamie on 0403 322 773.

STANDING TOGETHER TO SEE THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
All Victorians are invited to come together in prayer on the last two days of winter to pray for an end to the Pandemic. This Sunday 30th August at 2:00pm, Archbishop Peter together with other faith leaders from across Victoria will gather online to pray for an outpouring of God’s grace during this difficult time. The virtual prayer will be livestreamed from the Victorian Council of Churches Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/viccouncilchurches/ Then on Monday 31st August at 7:00pm you are invited to light a candle, stand in your front garden and spend some time in silence and prayer to remember all those who have lost their lives to Covid-19 or to violence this year.

RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Bill Fairney, Vin Beasley, Manny Zamora, Daphne White, Betty Donald, Charles Lovett, Hilda D’souza, all who have died due to COVID-19, all those who lost their lives in the Beirut explosion and all who have passed away recently.

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Gwenda McDonald, Frank Donaldson, Andrew Charles Mulquiney and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Adrian Tully, Gary Spotswood, Sean Donaldson, Kath Meddings, Irene Jones, Thais Long, Jean Cameron, Gordon Newman, Denis Webber, Monique Hoaster, Wilfredo Villareal, Rolando Navarro, Avis Fernandes, Francis Goonting, Anne Deluca, Hellen Bonnici, Filippo Sciglitano, Anthony Hanford, James Barwick, Gerry Akein, Carmelina Costanzo, Bryan Dalton, Pat Borcich, Antony, Alki Christopoulos, Charlotte Mary, Frank Forbes, Baby Lucy Rodriguerz, Baillie Millar, Teresita Grisancich, Wilma Pimenta,  Kathy Smith, Paul Burton, Martina Serrao, Honerine Rosario, Hilda D’souza, Aloysius Silva, Shirley Poppen and all who are ill in our Parish.