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4th Sunday of Easter 2020

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER FOR MAY

CORONAVIRUS PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, you travelled through towns and villages curing every disease and illness. At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care. Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbours from helping one another. Heal us from our pride, which made us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.

Lord Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace. Be with doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace. Be with leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Lord Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace. Lord Jesus Christ, heal us.

Entrance Antiphon
The merciful love of the Lord fills the earth; by the word of the Lord the heavens were made, alleluia.

1st Reading   (Acts 2:14,  36-41)
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’ Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

2nd Reading   (1 Pet 2:20-25)
A reading from the first letter of St. Peter
The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty. This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep and mine know me. Alleluia!

Gospel   (Jn 10:1-10)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. John
Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’ Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’
The Gospel of the Lord.

Communion Antiphon
The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia.

Next Week's Readings
Acts 6:1-7;   1 Pet 2:4-9;   Jn 14:1-12

PARISH NEWS

A Reflection on GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY - YEAR A - 2020
In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we witness Peter’s powerful speech on the Pentecost and its amazing response from the public. St Peter said to the crowd, “You crucified Jesus”, and that awakened in them a sense of guilt and a movement towards conversion, which urged them to ask, “what must we do?” They were right, because true belief in Jesus as the Christ necessitates such a radical conversion, and it finds expression in a new way of living. What about us? After being converted to Christ in Baptism, is our heart still full of worldly ambition, which often leads one to selfishness and jealousy, making it impossible to live the Gospel values of love and care? Is our heart still craving for power and money? These are good in themselves, but when they possess us, they lead us to trample the rights and dignity of other people. Once a learned professor went to visit a famous Master with the intention of getting some wisdom. After welcoming the professor, the Master poured the man a cup of tea. He continued to pour until it began to spill on to the saucer. The professor exclaimed, “the cup is full, you cannot get any more into it.” “That is precisely the way it is with you," said the Master. “You are too full of yourself to let God in.”

Today is called Good Shepherd Sunday. Every year, on this fourth Sunday of Easter, the Gospel comes from the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel, where the Lord speaks of Himself as a shepherd. Through the image of the Good Shepherd, Jesus presents himself as a unique means of salvation (sheep gate) and as a selfless, caring shepherd who provides protection and life itself. Besides guiding his flock to eternal life as a good shepherd, Jesus himself is the gateway to eternal life. Jesus compares himself to "the shepherd" and to "the gate". The first title of "the shepherd" represents his ownership because the shepherd is the true owner of his flock. The second title of "the gate" represents his leadership. Jesus is the gate, the only way. He is the only mediator between God and men.

The message of this day is that everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses,  government officials, etc. are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents with them and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers.

May God bless you.
Fr. Vincent John CMI

MAY 3, WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY)
Today is the World Day of Vocations. Pope Francis tells us: Every vocation is born of that gaze of love with which the Lord came to meet us, perhaps even at a time when our boat was being battered by the storm. We will succeed in discovering and embracing our vocation once we open our hearts in gratitude and perceive the passage of God in our lives. Let us pray for the young people in our community, and in our families and circle of friends. May our prayers and presence reflect the gaze of love from the Lord to help them discover their vocation.

PARISH GUIDELINES

  • To receive current information, you can update us with your email address by emailing the parish office at hopperscrossing@cam.org.au.
  • Thanksgiving Contributions
    As there are no regular masses being held, we have been approached by some parishioners regarding their weekly contributions. If you would like to continue your contributions to support the parish, the following options are available:

    • Drop off your Thanksgiving envelope and Project Compassion Boxes at the Parish office during office hours Monday to Friday 9:00am to 3:30pm.
    • Thanksgiving donations can be made directly to our Church Bank Account.
    • To change your Thanksgiving from Envelopes to Credit Card/Debit Card, please call or email the parish office and we will send you a form to make this change.
  • Online Thanksgiving Options
    Parishioners who normally give cash each weekend for the Thanksgiving collections, can now make payments online if you wish to do so, either by

You can make quick and easy recurring thanksgiving payments or can choose a one-time offering from the comfort of your own home. When making an offering online, you have the option to choose which collection you would like the offering to go to, just as you would do during Sunday Mass – first collection (Parish) or the second collection (Presbytery).

Thank you to all our parishioners who have responded and dropped off your envelopes and Project Compassion Boxes to the parish office and also contributed directly to our Church Bank Account. Fr Vincent and Dcn. Charles thank you for your continued support to the parish.

2021 PREP ENROLMENT
Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2021 Prep enrolments are all online. To submit a request for an enrolment form, please visit the school website at:
http://www.stpeterahc.catholic.edu.au/enrolment-information/enrolling-for-prep-2021/

LINK TO MESSAGE FROM ARCHBISHOP PETER COMENSOLI
The following link will take you to a short message from Archbishop Peter Comensoli
https://bit.ly/MessagefromAPAC

ZOOM INVITATION TO PARISHIONERS FROM ST PETER'S CHARISMATIC PRAYER COMMUNITY - KNK
We invite you to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit, and express our joy and gratitude from the comfort of our own homes. The power of God’s word touches those who are hurting and awakens hope for the hopeless. Please join us on Zoom to praise God and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary with the intention that the current pandemic may be eradicated and for the Lord’s mercy and protection. To join us, please click on the link below. If you do not have the app please download it.
Saturdays at 3:00pm – Divine Mercy & Praise & Worship
Sundays at 7:00pm – Rosary & Praise & Worship

Please use the following link & password for both days to join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7414862105?pwd=NlVwaXUyS3hVSlFzZ0pNOG1MT29Ldz09
Meeting ID: 741 486 2105          Password: 023368

CATHOLIC CARE – EMERGENCY RELIEF
Emergency relief can be accessed by anyone experiencing a financial crisis which has left them unable to pay for necessities such as food. This support can also be provided to people who are at imminent risk of not being able to pay bills or purchase other necessities. To access Emergency Relief, please call Catholic Care Footscray office on 0436127882 to make an appointment, preferably a day before the appointment is required. Please take along some form of identification. The service is free. Opening hours are Wed to Fri 10:00am to 4:00pm, at 3 Wingfield Street, Footscray 3011. For more information on emergency relief services and other support services such as financial counselling, mental health wellbeing, loss and grief, alcohol and other drug support,  please check the following link
https://www.ccam.org.au/page/110/emergency-relief.

ONLINE CONCERT FOR CARITAS AUSTRALIA, 9 MAY
Australian singer, songwriter and musician, Gary Pinto will lead a free online concert on Saturday, May 9 for Project Compassion, bringing Australian and International music stars direct from their loungeroom to yours. Gary is urging thousands of school children, teachers, churches and families across Australia during this challenging time, to stand in solidarity with those most vulnerable to COVID-19 globally, during Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion. To donate to Project Compassion or find out more about the upcoming Loungeroom Sessions visit
Caritas.org.au/loungeroomsessions or call 1800 024 413.

RECENTLY DECEASED
We pray for Hope Lake, David Culbert, Godwin Arandez, William McCormack, Margaret Ramsden, Baldeep Sidhu, Matthew Joseph Kuzhinjalikunnel, Zenaida Cunanan, Dimitry Bilotsky and all who have passed away recently.

DEATH ANNIVERSARIES
We pray for Dot Mulquiney, Anna-Marie Medel, Teresa Colosimo, Salvatore Puglisi, Glenis Mumford, Thomas McClure, Gloria Granger and all whose anniversaries occur at this time.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK
We pray for Elaine Dalton, Gary Spotswood, Sean Donaldson, Kath Meddings, Lucy Ballan, Irene Jones, Thais Long, Jean Cameron, Gordon Newman, Sam Caruana, Therese Mary, Zandi Falzon, Robel Rosales, Denis Webber, Lourdes Sequeira, Mary D'cruz, Pat Heffernan, Monique Hoaster, Alphonsus De Roza, Aiden Leonard, Elvira de Torres, Wilfredo Villareal, Julia Rego, Keely Welsford, Rolando Navarro, Avis Fernandes, Felix Bephage, Francis Goonting, Fr Jolly Alavelil CMI, Anne Deluca, Andie Osmond, Hellen Bonnici, Filippo Sciglitano, Helen Hanford, Anthony Hanford, James Barwick, Gerry Akein, Helga Jacob and all who are ill in our Parish.