S T . MARY ’ S P ARISH ARCHDIOCESE OF VANCOUVER 5251 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC V5R 4G8 (604) 435-9611 [email protected]stmarysvancouver.ca FB: St. Mary’s Parish—Vancouver April 19, 2020 DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY Year A Sunday Mass Readings First Reading: Acts 2: 42-47 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15. 22-24 Second Reading: 1 Pet 1:3-9 Gospel: Dear Parishioners, We too are for the most part behind closed, locked doors, not for fear of the Jews, but for fear of Covid-19. So seeing as our situation is the same as that of the disciples in today’s gospel, let’s try and read this gospel as though it were about us. Let’s read it in the first person, and see what it says to us. “Jesus came and stood among them and said: “Peace be with you”. What is preventing us from turning to Jesus in our confinement and saying to him: “I acknowledge your presence to us. Let your peace come upon us, upon me, and upon everyone who is with me. Upon everyone who is in the same situation, in their own homes. Your peace be upon us”. How can Jesus fail to answer this prayer? After this, he showed them his hands and his side. “Most people, I think, overlook the signifi- cance of this apparent detail. It was in fact nec- essary that Jesus show them his hands, and his side. Because the Risen Jesus was the same as the Jesus they had known, but at the same time, he was different. In fact, in many accounts, we have his post-resurrection apparitions, the dis- ciples fail to recognize him. Only the scars in his hands, on his feet, and in his side could establish his identity as the Jesus they had known, and whom they knew to have died, nailed to the cross, and his side, pierced with a sword. That is why only after they had seen his hands and his side were they able to rejoice, because they knew then that this strange Risen one really was the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ”Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. Our con- finement, just like that of the disciples on the first day of the week, will be temporary. Like them, we are sent out. To be ongoing presence of the Lord to the world. We are to be his hands and his feet. His ministry to the world. His preaching. His acts of mercy. His suffering and dying and rising again. We are to be his Church, his Body, ensuring his presence to the world un- til the end of time. No small task! But we’re not, of course, on our own. “Without me,” he once said, “You can do nothing”. Accordingly, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said to them: ”Receive the Holy Spirit”. It is in the Spirit of God that we achieve anything and everything we achieve as members of the Body of Christ. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are re- tained”. The classic understanding of this verse is that Jesus is passing on to the apostles the power he had during his lifetime to forgive sins on behalf of God the Father. But reading this gospel in the first person, as we are doing, gives this verse potentially a whole new meaning. The meaning becomes: If you, Christians, forgive the sins committed against you, either directly, or committed against someone you love, if you for- give the sins committed against you, those same sins are forgiven in Heaven. Wow, I have the power to ensure someone else’s good standing before God. I am personally inclined to wallow in resentment and grudges. But I don’t want the person who has offended me to be at odds with God. I will forgive this person, not by natural inclination, but because I want this person to be at peace with God. Do what you will with this thought. I could be wrong, but if I am right in surmising that anyone who is forgiven by me, of an offense committed against me, is forgiven by God, wow, what a powerful added incentive we have for forgiving. Jesus said to Thomas: “Have you believed be- cause you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. This makes it very clear. For the first disciples who actually saw Jesus risen as for us, it’s all a mater of belief. Of faith. And faith, when all is said and done, is a matter of grace. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. We come to believe, as Jesus puts it, under the gentle, discreet promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is a Spirit-driven process. My God, what an incredible adventure it is that we are all caught up in, by the grace of God. To each and every one of you, Happy Easter! - Fr. Guy PASTOR’S CORNER “It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews”. John 20:19 The church remains closed, but regular live streamed masses will be aired as follows: Sunday, 11:15 am & 3:00 pm (Tagalog); Mon—Sat, 9:00 am Wed, Thurs & Fri, 7:00 pm
Transcript
ST. MARY’S PARISH ARCHDIOCESE OF VANCOUVER
5251 Joyce Street, Vancouver, BC V5R 4G8 (604) 435-9611 [email protected] stmarysvancouver.ca FB: St. Mary’s Parish—Vancouver
April 19, 2020
DIVINE MERCY
SUNDAY
Year A
Sunday Mass Readings
First Reading: Acts 2: 42-47
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118: 2-4, 13-15.
22-24
Second Reading: 1 Pet 1:3-9
Gospel:
Dear Parishioners, We too are for the most part behind closed, locked doors, not for fear of the Jews, but for fear of Covid-19. So seeing as our situation is the same as that of the disciples in today’s gospel, let’s try and read this gospel as though it were about us. Let’s read it in the first person, and see what it says to us. “Jesus came and stood among them and said: “Peace be with you”. What is preventing us from turning to Jesus in our confinement and saying to him: “I acknowledge your presence to us. Let your peace come upon us, upon me, and upon everyone who is with me. Upon everyone who is in the same situation, in their own homes. Your peace be upon us”. How can Jesus fail to answer this prayer? After this, he showed them his hands and his side. “Most people, I think, overlook the signifi-cance of this apparent detail. It was in fact nec-essary that Jesus show them his hands, and his side. Because the Risen Jesus was the same as the Jesus they had known, but at the same time, he was different. In fact, in many accounts, we have his post-resurrection apparitions, the dis-ciples fail to recognize him. Only the scars in his hands, on his feet, and in his side could establish his identity as the Jesus they had known, and whom they knew to have died, nailed to the cross, and his side, pierced with a sword. That is why only after they had seen his hands and his side were they able to rejoice, because they knew then that this strange Risen one really was the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ”Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. Our con-finement, just like that of the disciples on the first day of the week, will be temporary. Like them, we are sent out. To be ongoing presence of the Lord to the world. We are to be his hands and his feet. His ministry to the world. His preaching. His acts of mercy. His suffering and dying and rising again. We are to be his Church, his Body, ensuring his presence to the world un-til the end of time. No small task! But we’re not, of course, on our own. “Without me,” he once said, “You can do nothing”. Accordingly, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said to them: ”Receive the Holy Spirit”. It is in the Spirit of God that we achieve anything and everything we achieve as members of the Body of Christ.
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are re-tained”. The classic understanding of this verse is that Jesus is passing on to the apostles the power he had during his lifetime to forgive sins on behalf of God the Father. But reading this gospel in the first person, as we are doing, gives this verse potentially a whole new meaning. The meaning becomes: If you, Christians, forgive the sins committed against you, either directly, or committed against someone you love, if you for-give the sins committed against you, those same sins are forgiven in Heaven. Wow, I have the power to ensure someone else’s good standing before God. I am personally inclined to wallow in resentment and grudges. But I don’t want the person who has offended me to be at odds with God. I will forgive this person, not by natural inclination, but because I want this person to be at peace with God. Do what you will with this thought. I could be wrong, but if I am right in surmising that anyone who is forgiven by me, of an offense committed against me, is forgiven by God, wow, what a powerful added incentive we have for forgiving. Jesus said to Thomas: “Have you believed be-cause you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. This makes it very clear. For the first disciples who actually saw Jesus risen as for us, it’s all a mater of belief. Of faith. And faith, when all is said and done, is a matter of grace. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. We come to believe, as Jesus puts it, under the gentle, discreet promptings of the Holy Spirit. It is a Spirit-driven process. My God, what an incredible adventure it is that we are all caught up in, by the grace of God. To each and every one of you, Happy Easter! - Fr. Guy
PASTOR’S CORNER “It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and
the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews”. John 20:19
The church remains closed, but regular live streamed masses will be aired as follows:
Sunday, 11:15 am & 3:00 pm (Tagalog); Mon—Sat, 9:00 am
Wed, Thurs & Fri, 7:00 pm
DEVOTIONS:
All Prayer gatherings on Devotions are temporarily can-celled until further notice. HOLY COMMUNION for shut-ins: Contact the Parish Office.
BAPTISM: To register your child for baptism, contact Reception or visit http://stmarysvancouver.ca/baptisms/
MARRIAGE: One of the couple must be Catholic and a parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish. Contact us at least six months prior to the wedding. Please make no wedding arrange-ment until you have met with the priest. More information at stmarysvancouver.ca/matrimony and rcav.org/m-prep
RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults): Contact the RCIA Coordinator. For adults in need of Baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation, or who want to learn more about the Catholic Faith.
PREP (Catechism for children attending public schools): Contact the PREP Coordinator. Occurs Tuesdays or Wednes-days 6:30-8pm / Teen Prep Wednesdays only
VANSPEC (an alternative to regular PREP setting): one-on-one Catechism for special needs. Occurs Mondays 6:30-8pm
ST. MARY’S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Principal: Ms. Brenda Krivuzoff Website: stmary.bc.ca Phone: (604) 437-1312 Fax: (604) 437-1193
Stewardship Reflection April 19, 2020 Divine Mercy Sunday
Jesus came and stood among them, “Peace be with you”.
John 20:19
Are you good at making people feel welcome? When you meet some-one new, like a new neighbor, a new work colleague or a new parish-ioner, do you make them feel at home? Many of us can probably do a much better job at this. When we make people feel welcome, we make them feel like they are included instead of being excluded. We are made for relationships—with God and each other. A simple “hello” and a smile goes a long way. Copyright Archdiocese of Fort Worth
OTHER SUNDAY & DAILY MASS ONLINE / TV & OTHER RESOURCES
BELOW ARE THE SCHEDULES OF LIVE-STREAMED MASSES IN THE ARCHDIOCESE AND SOME HELPFUL LINKS AND RE-SOURCES YOU CAN USE FOR PRAYER & REFLECTION: (press control & click on the church or link) Holy Rosary Cathedral Monday to Saturday 7:15 am, 12:10 pm, 5:10 pm Sunday 8:00 am, 11:00 am, 6:30 pm (Spanish), 8:00 pm Holy Family, Vancouver
Monday to Sunday 9:00 am
Canadian Martyrs Saturday 5:00 pm (Mandarin) Sunday 10:00 am (Cantonese), 11:45 am (English) Corpus Christi Mass uploaded to YouTube each day Our Lady of Fatima, Coquitlam Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 am (English/French) Sunday 9:00 am (French) Our Lady of Sorrows
Precious Blood
St. Ann’s Monday to Friday 7:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 10:00 am Monday & Saturday 8:00 pm – Holy Rosary Tuesday & Thursday 8:00 pm – Eucharistic Adoration Wednesday 8:00 pm – Lenten Reflection Friday 8:00 pm – Stations of the Cross St. Anthony of Padua St. Francis Xavier Sunday Mass (Cantonese/Mandarin) available from Saturday night St. Joseph’s, Squamish St. Joseph’s, Vancouver Saturday 7:00 pm Sunday 9:30 am St. Joseph the Worker St. Mary’s, Chilliwack
Daily Mass at 9:00 am
St. Mary’s, Vancouver Mon—Sat, 9:00 am; Wed, Thurs & Fri, 7:00 pm Sunday 11:15 am & 3:00 pm (Tagalog) St. Matthew’s Monday to Sunday 9:00 am St. Patrick’s, Maple Ridge Monday to Friday 8:00 am Saturday 9:00 am Sunday 9:00 am, 4:30 pm St. Peter’s
Go to the website https://stmarysvancouver.ca Click DONATE at the upper right hand side of the home page and fill up the information. OR
From the Archdiocese Development Office
It is now possible to make your regular offertory gift online, either by credit card or direct bank de-posit. Your parish relies on your regular offertory giving to both sustain itself and grow. Go to https://rcav.org/sunday-offering/ and select St. Mary’s Parish Vancouver, By making your pre-authorized offertory gift, you are providing crucial support to carry your parish during this difficult time. If you prefer to make a one-time donation to your parish offertory, please click here. If you would like make a gift to any Second Collection, please click
here. If you have questions regarding this form or would like to make changes to your offertory gift please contact the Archdiocese of Vancouver Development Office at 604-683-0281 ext. 50322 or dona-
REMEMBER ST. MARY ’S PARISH IN YOUR WILL
Catholic Registered Counsellors in the Lower Mainland For a list of Catholic counsellors ready to support clients who want to adhere to the Church's
teachings on life, marriage, and family. Visit rcav.org/personal-counselling
CANCELLATION OF ST. MARY’S SCHOOL RAFFLE
EVENT
In view of the current COVID 19 pandemic, St. Mary’s Fundraising Committee feels that health and personal finances are the top priorities and it is only appropriate to CANCEL the St. Mary’s School
Raffle event.
If you have purchased any tickets, you will be contacted shortly for refund or you can consider
donating to the Building Fund by forgoing the reimbursement. We appre-ciate all your support and participation to parish fundraising initiatives for the past years. Take care, stay safe and may the Lord give us
strength and guidance during these trying times.
HOW TO ACCESS LIVE STREAMING ONLINE: 1. For YouTube, open YouTube on your computer or on your mobile phone.
Click Search , , located at the top of the YouTube page, type in St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver. Click the result with
the logo St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver. It will open St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver YouTube channel. Scroll down, you will see videos that were posted previously. To identify an on-going mass live streaming you can see the video with . label on it. Click that to open the live streaming. 1. For facebook, open facebook on your computer or mobile phone. Login to your account. Click Search , located at the top left corner. Type in St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver. Click the result that has the logo of St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver. It will open St. Mary’s Parish - Vancouver face-book page. Scroll on the page to see the latest posting about the Holy Mass
live streaming. 1. For Instagram, open Instagram app on your computer or mobile phone. Search @stmarysvancouver. Click the profile picture and it will open St. Mary’s Parish. Click the profile photo (top left) to open Story and Live. Click LIVE at the bottom of the screen.
PARISH OFFICE MEASURES TO PROTECT EVERYONE The parish offices are still open, but given the current Covid-19 situa-tion, no one, other than staff is allowed inside the rectory without an appointment. If you absolutely need to come to the rectory, please call ahead. Thank you for understanding.
Please make your offertory contribution
Yes, I want to stand by my
Parish during this difficult
Dear parishioners,
Please note that our parish collections have decreased by almost 70% since the last
Sunday on which we were able to have a collection. For this reason, we are asking
those of you who are able to do so to continue to contribute financially to the parish
in our time of need, either online, as is explained in the neighbouring column on this
page, or by dropping off your envelopes into the slot in the front door of the rectory.
I point out that if the latter is your preferred way of giving, but that it’s not conven-
ient for you to drop off an envelope weekly, you can also simply make a monthly
donation.
Even as we ask those of you who are able to do so to continue to contribute financial-
ly to the parish in our time of need, I want you to know that we are doing what we
can, at our end, to scale back our costs. We have succeeded in eliminating the equiv-
alent of three and a half full-time salaries. For the remainder of our staff, we will
apply for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy which, if we receive it, will cover 75%
of our salary costs. The first date at which we can apply for this is April 27th, and if
accepted, we should start receiving the subsidy at the earliest, toward the end of the
first week in May. So the month of April will be difficult. If you are so blessed as to
not have seen your income compromised and can afford to do so, please help.
