This year at Sts Peter and Paul, we are all called to ‘Let Your Light Shine”

Assumption

On Monday we celebrated Mass as a school in honour of the Assumption of Mary. Thank you to Year One and Year Five for enhancing our Liturgy with their song.

Celebration of First Eucharist

Parents that have enrolled their child in the Sacrament of First Eucharist will need to nominate a weekend Mass (Sat. 6pm, Sun. 9.30am or Sun. 5.30pm) on the weekend of 17-18 September for the celebration.  There will be a limited number of seats available for candidates, their families and guests, mindful of the need to accommodate other parishioners at each of these Masses.

Please click here to nominate your child for a Mass.

Enquiries can be directed to the Parish Office (6281 3999 / wodennorth@cg.org.au ).

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Gospel Reflection

This week’s gospel passage picks up one of the major themes that runs throughout the Gospel of Luke: the message of salvation is not reserved exclusively for the Jews, but is for all people; Jew and Gentile alike. A number of times in this gospel, the writer makes a point of having Jesus relate this controversial and fairly unpopular message to his audience. Today’s gospel makes clear that to gain salvation, you have to do more than just show up! Like those knocking on the locked door and claiming friendship, we can’t just turn up at the last minute and expect to be received. Salvation – entrance into the kingdom of God – belongs to those who accept the message of Jesus and act on it for the rest of their lives.

The gospel makes plain to the Jewish people of the time that unless they accept the message of Jesus and act upon it, they will get a terrible shock ('weeping and grinding of teeth') at the coming of the kingdom. Those who believe in name only will find themselves looking in from the outside and will see the greatest prophets in the kingdom while they themselves are denied access. To further make the point, they are told that people from east and west, north and south will be welcomed into the feast of the kingdom. References to people from the four points of the compass always indicate people from other lands – non-Jews. Jesus tells his audience that people who are faithful to his message, even though they may be Gentile, will gain salvation before anyone who thinks they deserve it because of their birth or title. The kingdom must be earned through faithful effort, not by just turning up and claiming to be a believer.

(Reflection by Greg Sunter)

Have a blessed week,

Stephanie Burns

Religious Education Coordinator