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JAMILA FROM BANGLADESH Twenty-two-year-old, Jamila, is a single mother, living in the world’s largest refugee camp in in Bangladesh. A Rohingya woman, she fled the armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to save herself, her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby daughter. Having been abandoned by her husband, she faced life in the camp on her own.
Saturday 20th February 2021 Issue 209/2021
SECOND & FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
OLHC.Chinchilla
What Is Lent? Ash Wednesday was a few days ago, starting the Lenten countdown toward Holy Week and Easter. But maybe some of us are not completely clear as to why these weeks of preparation are there in the first place. One opinion is that Lent is a time to deprive yourself. You give up candy or smoking or desserts or heavy meals or … well, choose your favorite and then give it up. These are part of Lenten practice. Lenten deprivation gave birth to Mardi Gras (literally meaning “Fat Tuesday”). In contrast to the toughness of Lent. Mardi Gras, at least in non-covid-19 years, had you eat all the fat you could, parade around in costume, go wild. The public usually does not recall that Mardi Gras has something to do with what is to them a quaint old practice, Lent. But that sharpens the question: what have they or we forgotten about Lent and its practices? Well, what if we described Lent as a “Retreat”? A Retreat, in Catholic and other religions, is a space of days taken out to pray and to be with the Lord. Often one goes to a retreat house to do these. In St. Louis, for instance, there is a beautiful place called “White House”—different from the one for the president—which has a stunning view of the Mississippi River. For many decades Jesuits have preached retreats there every weekend and sometimes during the week. Sizeable groups of men or women stay for two or three days to meditate, listen to talks, and refresh their spiritual lives. I am not saying that you should disappear to the nearest retreat house for the five weeks of Lent. But what about letting each Lenten day partake of certain retreat practices? For instance, what about setting aside a little time each day to let your insides settle down for a while, to create a space within you to welcome God. Maybe set up a special place in your home or someplace else just to pray. How about a picture or crucifix or maybe a candle? Or just 10 minutes of silence? And why not use some time to read in advance the gospel from the upcoming Sunday Mass? Sit down, read it slowly, and let the scene described take place within the your heart and mind. This week you could ask Jesus how it felt to have the Spirit drive him into the desert, as described in this week’s Gospel. The point? Let the Lord’s loving deeds be your motivation for “giving up” anything during Lent. Make a gift of gratitude to God—rather than just refraining from something or other. How does any of this prepare you for Holy Week and Easter? By doing exactly what Jesus does when he makes of himself a gift consisting of suffering and death. He is returning a gift of love to the Father. Lent prepares us to witness this reality of our savior. John Foley, SJ
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Parish Office 8 Villiers Street Chinchilla QLD 4413 Phone: (07) 4662 7031 or 0429 547 711 Parish Administrator Fr Gonzalo Garcia Duran www.olhcchinchilla.org olhcchinchilla@bigpond.com Pastoral Parish Council Chairman Mr Bob Dickman Parish School St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Mrs Melissa Hobson School Principal Ph: (07) 4662 7850 chinchilla@twb.catholic.edu.au Parish Safeguard Representative Noelle Nevin Ph: 0428 197 132 Diocese's Professional Standards & Safeguard Officer Fr Peter Dorfield Executive Officer Ph: (07) 4638 1379 Mass Times Weekdays Tuesday - Friday 9 am Schedule Weekend Mass During February 2021: Saturday 6th - 6 pm Sunday 14th - 9 am Saturday 20th - 6 pm Sunday 28th - 9am
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days
MASS READINGS First Reading - Genesis 9:8-15 Why do you think God chose a rainbow to be a sign of this covenant? Was it a sign for future generations, us included, as well as Noah’s family? Responsorial Psalm R. Your ways. O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant. Second Reading - 1 Peter 3:18-22 Compare Noah with Christ: Noah brings people out of the flood into a new creation; Christ to a new life or transformative experience through the waters of baptism. Gospel - - Mark 1:12-15 “He was among the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” What are the “wild beasts” today? Are they personal wild beasts or community ones? Climate crises? Pandemic? Racial discrimination? Indifference?
Eternal God, in wisdom and love you created our earth to sustain and give us life. We turn to you now in faith, hope and love, asking you to look with favour on our drought-stricken land, on our starving animals, on our failing crops. Strengthen, sustain and give new heart to our farmers and to all who are affected by drought; be with those who support them. In your loving providence, send abundant rain and restore our parched earth. Father of all compassion, hear our prayer through Jesus Christ your Son, in whom the promise of new life has dawned, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life: Renew your faithful people; Renew the face of the earth. Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Mary, help of Christians - Pray for us. St Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Pray for us.
Prayers of the Faithful First Sunday of Lent For the church in Australia and around the world: that during this time of lent, may repent of her sins against children and vulnerable adults. (pause) Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer. For those who are suffering at this time - physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually -: may unite their lives to that of Christ as an offering pleasing to the Father. (pause) Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer. For all the people in the world: that the kingdom of God may be established in every heart so that each person knows that they are loved personally by God. (pause) Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer. For all those in our parish who are sick and hosebound - N -: may they be touched by the healing power of Christ in their lives. (pause) Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer. For all those we love who have died and for all those who have no one to remember them or pray for them - N-: may they be blessed by the peace and love of their Lord. (pause) Lord in your mercy….Hear our prayer.
MONTHLY ROSTER
FEBRUARY
Grounds
P Gearon Team
Brass
T Lenihan
Floral
L Gadsby
Meals On Wheels
L Gadsby, J Budden, N Gearon, M Blinco
Bulletin Typing
B Rookas bianka.rookas@twb.catholic.edu.au
Computer Streaming
Dahl Borck
Weekend Mass
Sunday 28th February, 8 am
Welcome
Readers
L Gadsby and V Hughes*
Organist
M Weir
COVID Safe Helpers
L and B Erbacher
Collection Counters
Church Cleaning
Joey's School Group
Sick: Gerald Collins, John Eley (Beenleigh), Sister Mary O'Sullivan OSU, Elaine Jahnke. Anniversaries: Marjory Scott, Frederick Turner, Debbie Kurtz, Russell Kerr, Dot Jones, Veronica Rafter, Rev Msgr John Bergin, Rev Fr Michael Hayes. If you wish to add someone to the sick list, please contact the bulletin typist, after seeking permission from the person or a family member. Thank you.
FEBRUARY Violence Against Women. We pray for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded.
Dear God, You created me with a specific purpose for my life; this is my vocation. Please help me to hear, understand, and follow Your call with my whole heart, especially when it seems most difficult. We ask that You inspire people whom You call to the priesthood and consecrated life to courageously follow your will. Send workers into Your great harvest so that the Gospel is preached, the poor are served with love, the suffering are comforted, and Your people are strengthened by the sacraments. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr Gonzalo Garcia Duran - 07 4662 7031 Vocation Directors for the Diocese of Toowoomba vocations@twb.catholic.org.au
URGENTLY WANTED MEN TO OPERATE A WOOL PRESS AT VINNIES TO BAIL EXCESS CLOTHES. YOUR ASSISTANCE WOULD BE NEEDED FOR A SHORT TIME AT YOUR CONVENIENCE. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. CONTACT DIRECTLY THE VINNIES SHOP AT 4662 7736.
RURAL LIBRARY AVAILABLE Conctact Dahl Borck if you want to borrow from the library
NO ONE IS BORN A PRIEST...
JOB VACANCY: OFFICE COORDINATOR FOR CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMISSION Applications are invited for the position of Office Coordinator for the Catholic Social Justice Commission. This position’s purpose is to provide administrative assistance and support to the Catholic Social Justice Commission Executive Officer and Commission members. The position description is available by contacting David Tutty ondtutty@twb.catholic.org.au Applications close at 5:00 pm on Friday 5 March 2021, and should be emailed todtutty@twb.catholic.org.au It would be appreciated if parishes could advertise this position in your newsletter.Full advertisement. ST ANTHONY'S PARISH AUCTION OF PROMISES Date:13/3/21 Saturday Time:After Vigil Mass (approx 7:00pm) RSVP:Chris Gwydir on 0478 132 070 Join the St Anthony's community for this enjoyable social event to help raise money for Caritas. Attend in person (limit 50) or join via Zoom.See flyer for details. HOLY OIL BOTTLES FOR CHRISM MASS Gabrielle Saide (C/- Diocesan Archives, 68 Lindsay St Tmba) would appreciate it if you could return your oil bottles to the Cathedral Office next time you are in Toowoomba. This gives time for the bottles to be prepared well in advance of the Chrism Mass.
CHINCHILLA
LIVING SPACE Commentary on Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13 WE HAVE NOW ENTERED the great season of Lent. For those of us who are old enough to remember, Lent in the past was not, in some respects, a time we looked forward to. Fasting and abstinence, not to mention other forms of penance, were in force and it was a serious business. Easter was looked forward to with real anticipation. Our attitudes to Lent tended to be on the gloomy and negative side. Perhaps nowadays we have gone to the other extreme where Lent hardly means anything at all. “You mean Lent has started already? Really, I had no idea! Easter will be on top of us before we know where we are and I haven’t bought a thing!” Yet Lent has always been one of the key periods of the Church year and it would be a great pity if we were to forget its real meaning: to understand the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus and to live that out in our own lives. An annual retreat The period of Lent is six weeks to help us do precisely that. The Church provides Lent almost like an annual retreat, a time for deepening the understanding of our Christian faith, a time for reflection and renewal, a time to make a fresh start. It was a pious custom in the past for people, as part of their Lenten observance to go to Mass every day during this time. This is even more meaningful now since the Second Vatican Council and the reformation of the liturgy, because we are provided with a magnificent set of Scripture readings from both the Hebrew (Old) and Christian (New) Testaments every day during the Lenten season. In the First Reading of today’s Mass, Moses speaks to the Israelites at the end of their forty years wandering in the desert and he prepares them for their new life in the Promised Land. That is what the Lenten season is meant to do for us also. Traditionally on this First Sunday of Lent the Gospel speaks of the temptations of Jesus in the desert. Jesus has just completed his forty days of preparation in the desert and he now faces one more test before he begins his mission. This incident takes place between the baptism of Jesus and the start of his public mission, beginning (in Luke’s gospel) at Nazareth. A time of beginning In the early centuries of the Church, Lent was seen as a time of beginning. It was – and again now is – a time for forming new converts, preparing them for their formal entry into the Church community by baptism and confirmation during the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection at the Easter Vigil. Today, in fact, is their day of Election. Our catechumens are entering the last six weeks of preparation for Baptism. Let us pray for them and be in solidarity with them during this time. For those of us who are already baptised, it can equally be a new beginning. Often we prefer to stay with the known and the familiar, even though it does not give us great satisfaction. We can settle into a routine kind of Christianity that goes on basically unchanged from year to year. It is not very inspiring but we stick with it rather than risk the unknown that radical conversion can bring. www.sacredspace.ie
Our Lady Help of Christians' Parish is committed to supporting the right of everybody to be and feel safe. If you believe anybody is at immediate risk of harm you should phone 000 and report the matter to police. Other concerns about the safety of children or vulnerable persons may be raised with our Parish Safeguarding Representative (Noelle Nevin - 0428197132), with the Diocesan Professional Standards Office (07 4638 1379 or profstandards@twb.catholic.org.au), or with the Queensland Professional Standards Office (1800 337 928 or http://psoqld.catholic.net.au/).
DATE CLAIMER Zoom Workshops FREE EVENT DOMESTIC & FAMILY VIOLENCE AWARENESS Joint Churches DV Prevention Project (JCDVPP) Session 1: 25thFebruary: Session 2: 4thMarch Session 3: 11thMarch What is Domestic & Family Violence, DFV A personal story Theology and DFV Understanding Perpetrators Responding to DFV Expert Q&A Panel Our Parish is Organising an Open Session for the community at the Parish Centre. All the session would be running from 7 pm - 8.30 pm Please contact Maree Turner (M: 0429 097 163) if you like to attend and to abide by the COVID Provisions on place.