DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR SEPTEMBER
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
Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets be found true. Hear the prayers of your servant, and of your people Israel.
1st Reading (Sir 27:30 – 28:7)
A reading from the prophet Sirach.
Resentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found with the sinner. He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord, who keeps strict account of sin. Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven. If a man nurses anger against another, can he then demand compassion from the Lord? Showing no pity for a man like himself, can he then plead for his own sins? Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment, who will forgive him his sins? Remember the last things, and stop hating, remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments. Remember the commandments, and do not bear your neighbour ill-will; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
The Lord is kind and merciful; slow to anger and rich in compassion.
2nd Reading (Rom 14:7-9)
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans.
The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Alleluia!
Gospel (Mt 18:21-35)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’
The Gospel of the Lord.
Communion Antiphon
How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men seek shelter in the shadow of your wings.
Next Week’s Readings
Is 55:6-9; Phil 1:20-24,27; Mt 20:1-16
Feasts of the Week
Mon, 14 Sep - The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Tue, 15 Sep - Our Lady of Sorrows
Wed 16 Sep - Sts. Cornelius & Cyprian
PARISH NEWS
FORGIVENESS – PARABLE OF THE MERCIFUL, FORGIVING KING
(A reflection by Dcn. Charles English)
The message of today’s Gospel is one of the most important in the whole Bible. It concerns forgiveness. Each one of us stands in need of forgiveness. Christianity is unique among all world religions, in our belief in the intensity of God’s deep love for us, God’s closeness to us and God’s desire to forgive us. This is not surprising to us Catholics, since only Christianity enjoys the fullness of God’s self-revelation in Christ Jesus. God revealed Himself to us, mankind, in Jesus who is Emmanuel – ‘God-with-us’. God showed us just how much He wanted to forgive us by sending His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus, to die on the cross on Calvary. To teach us about unconditional forgiveness, Jesus tells a parable about a king who forgave a servant, who owed the king a huge sum of money. The amount was so large that the servant could never have repaid it, and the king in his great mercy and forgiveness cancelled the debt. However, after being forgiven so much, this servant then met a fellow-servant who owed him one hundred denarii. He started to throttle the fellow-servant demanding payment. He who had been forgiven so much did not show mercy and forgiveness to his fellow-servant. When the king heard about this he was angry and sent for the servant and called him a ‘wicked servant’ and punished him. Let us always remember that in the prayer that Our Lord Jesus taught us we pray, ‘… and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us….’.Our Lord Jesus is clearly teaching us that we need to forgive others. None of us can go through life without getting hurt. How do we cope with these hurts? How do we react to them? They can provide us with an opportunity to grow, or, they can become an enormous stumbling block to our human and spiritual development. So often, as soon as we get hurt by someone, then self-pity walks in the door. It is the most natural of reactions. We see ourselves as innocent victims of someone else’s cruel and unjust action. Once self-pity is entertained within us, it produces a legacy of bitterness, rancour, resentment and anger. We may even wish to seek revenge. The memory of wrongs and hurts flows into the depth of our being, into our very soul. There it festers and becomes malignant. It poisons our spirit and even dooms us to a life of misery. It becomes a very heavy burden to carry. Our Lord Jesus teaches us, in this parable today, that we need to clean out within us the cobwebs of self-pity, and let go of those feelings of past hurts, bitterness and resentment. Here is where forgiveness comes in. Though it is by no means easy; even from a human point of view it makes great sense and certainly helps us spiritually too. Forgiveness heals us. It is like a balm that flows gently over our wounds of past hurts and heals them. We receive wonderful benefits: physically, emotionally and spiritually. We experience a great sense of freedom, relief and cleanliness within us. To forgive releases us from the chains that bound us. Above all, we are set free to devote ourselves to loving once more; and this is the only activity for a Christian. Jesus himself told us to ‘Love one another’. Let us keep praying for the grace to forgive others, remembering the words of Our Blessed Lord, ‘I have come to give you life; and life to the full’.
LIVE STREAMING OF DAILY MASS FROM OUR CHURCH
Our church is live streaming daily Mass through our
Facebook Page - https://m.facebook.com/stpetershoppers/
Via Zoom - ZOOM link https://zoom.us/j/93990476817 Meeting ID: 9399 047 6817.
Parishioners can now dial in via mobile phone or landline to participate in our daily Masses on ZOOM.
Landline – Dial 0011 618 6119 3900
Mobile – Dial +618 6119 3900
Once you connect you will be requested to put in the meeting ID: 9399 047 6817##.
Masses are held Monday to Friday 8:30am, Saturday 9:00am, Sunday 10:30am.
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
ONLINE CHILDREN’S LITURGY
St Peters Young Adults will be holding Online Children’s Liturgy for children aged 5 – 8 years commencing Sunday 20th September 2020 from 11:30am to 12:30pm. These sessions will be held fortnightly. Children will pray together, read and listen to the Gospel and be supported to grow in their faith through sharing and activities. We welcome you and your family to take part! Parents are required to register their children before attending. To enrol your child in this program, please email the Parish office at hopperscrossing@cam.or.au or call on 9749 4300 (Tues/Thursday/Friday 9:00am – 3:30pm) and we will send you an enrolment form to register your child, which is to be completed and returned. Our parish will ensure that child e-safety is maintained as we follow the child safety guidelines recommended by the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is a program for anyone interested in becoming a Catholic and receiving the Sacraments. Meetings are 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 0499 416 158.
ZOOM LINKS TO WEEKLY ST. ANTHONY’S NOVENA & OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL SUCCOUR NOVENA
St. Anthony’s Novena held every Tuesday at 7:00pm, followed by Rosary
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82338237597?pwd=dlZyKzFCOERFNDBDMCs5cDBkUnFOdz09
Meeting ID: 823 3823 7597, Password: 524250
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Novena held every Wednesday at 7:00pm, followed by Rosary
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83632685197?pwd=RWRxQWJ1TXpoZHlLRTRIUVp0Nk0zdz09
Meeting ID: 836 3268 5197. No Password.
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 13.
Enquiries Francis Thomas francispthomas@hotmail.com
Meeting ID: 9689427525 Password: 2Vp4ef
CHILD PROTECTION SUNDAY (13 SEPTEMBER)
This weekend, the Catholic Church in Australia marks Child Protection Sunday, on which we pray for those who have been abused, their families and supporters. We recognise and apologise for the harm done by priests, religious and lay people in Church settings. The Church takes a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse. We recommit to practices that support survivors and make the Catholic Church and its ministries the safest possible place for children and people at risk. Our parish is committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people in our parish. As part of this, we have a Child Safety Committee which meets regularly to ensure that our Ministries safeguard all children and young people in our parish
'ENGAGING YOUR CATHOLIC FAITH' ONLINE SESSIONS
Engaging Your Catholic Faith is a series of short online sessions being offered by Catholic Theological College exploring a variety of topics including Meditation and Prayer, Spirituality, Women in the Early Church, Interfaith Relations, Reading the Church Classics, Eucharist, Science and Religion. Each session is $20 and runs from 14 September to 31 October. For more information use the link below
https://ctc.edu.au/documents/engaging-your-catholic-faith/
ARE YOU CALLED TO BE A SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR?
The Siloam Program is a full-time or part-time program to form Spiritual Directors. It is suitable for those who wish to companion others on their spiritual journey, helping them to notice the movement of God in their hearts and in their lived experience. The program, which commences on 4 Feb 2021, blends academic and supervisory work to foster a discerning, contemplative approach. It may be offered face-to-face, online via Zoom, or a combination of both. It may be studied as a Graduate Diploma in Spiritual Direction at the University of Divinity, with Fee-Help to qualifying students. Previous participants have commented that this program has been transformational for their personal spirituality and has deepened their awareness and ability to listen. Apply to Heart of Life Centre for Spiritual & Pastoral Formation. Brochure and application form at www.heartoflife.melbourne or tel 03 9890 1101.
RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Noemi Medel-Villareal, Gracias Manganelli, K.M. Joseph, Mary Vella, William Lobo, Annakutty Joseph, Lilia Balasabas Capuno, Kari Pesonen, Stella Dias, Bill Fairney, all who have died due to COVID-19 and all who have passed away recently.
DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Norma Lord, Thelma French, Harry Smith, Luis Fernando Jr., Tony Carvalho, Irene & David Matheson, Agatha Azzopardi, Sebastian Rozario, A P Nayagam, Renato Padua and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.
PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for 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, Teresita Grisancich, Wilma Pimenta, Kathy Smith, Paul Burton, Honerine Rosario, Aloysius Silva, Shirley Poppen, Joseph DiBeneditto, Norma Medina, Nicolas Caruana, Florine Fernandes, Christine Hall, Esther Uwase and all who are ill in our Parish.