After our Good Friday service on the 7th of April at OLM join us for the first day of the Divine Mercy novena. The chaplet of the Divine Mercy and the first day novena prayer will be recited. All are welcome. The rest of this nine-day novena may then be completed privately.
Feast of the Divine Mercy: Please join us at 3:00 p.m. for the feast of the Divine Mercy on Sunday 16th April 2023 here in our church. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, at 3:00 p.m. sharp followed by the recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Please join us for the celebration of this important Feast Day of Our Lord.
Project Compassion brings together Australian schools, parishes and supporters to raise funds for people in vulnerable communities across the world. This year, we introduced you to the story of four inspiring people whose lives have been transformed with your generous support: Laxmi, Tereesa, Priscilla and Thu. Today, they are creating a better world for their families, their communities and for all future generations.
Please donate to Project Compassion 2023.
Together, we can help vulnerable communities face their challenges today and build a better tomorrow For All Future Generations.
You can donate through Project Compassion donation boxes and envelopes available from your parish, by visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion, or by calling 1800 024 413.
Lazarus, the friend of Jesus and the brother of Martha and Mary, is at the centre of today’s Gospel. Lazarus is brought back to life in Jesus’ spectacular and final “sign”, as miracles are termed in John’s Gospel.
First Reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
Through the prophet, the Lord speaks to the community in exile: “I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live.”
Second Reading:Romans 8:8-11
Paul focuses on how God’s Spirit lives in us.
Gospel Reading: John 11:3-7,17,20-27,33-45
The extraordinary account of the final sign that Jesus gave – the raising of Lazarus from death itself.
Antiphon to the Psalm:
With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.
First reading: Ezekiel 37:12-14
I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live
The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks.
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Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 129(130)
Response: With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice! O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleading. R.
If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt, Lord, who would survive? But with you is found forgiveness: for this we revere you. R.
My soul is waiting for the Lord. I count on his word. My soul is longing for the Lord more than watchman for daybreak. (Let the watchman count on daybreak and Israel on the Lord.) R.
Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity. R.
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Second reading: Romans 8:8-11
The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you
People who are interested only in unspiritual things can never be pleasing to God. Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him. Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.
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Gospel Acclamation: John 11:25. 26
Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will not die for ever. Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
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Gospel Reading: John 11:3-7,17,20-27,33-45
I am the resurrection and the life
Mary and Martha sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’ On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’ Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So, they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer. I knew indeed that you always hear me, but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me, so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’ Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him.
2023 Project Compassion Prayer:
God of all generations, we thank you for those who have gone before us, especially those who have cared for your earth and who inspire us to help respect your creation and contribute to its healing. We thank you for those with whom we share our lives today, especially those who work for justice and peace. May we welcome the opportunity that Lent brings to walk more closely with you, especially through fasting, almsgiving and prayer. We thank you for the challenge of the future. May the cross of Jesus remind us that only love finds the way forward. As we work with big hearts, may we join with Mary in her hope that from now on all generations will experience the great things you will do through us. We ask this, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bible Studies – “Do you understand what being a Catholic means?”: Maybe you’ve been Catholic your entire life. Maybe you’re just beginning to explore the Catholic Faith. Wherever you may be in your journey, you will be profoundly moved by the beauty and the richness of the Catholic Church. Please join us on Wednesday 26th April at 7.00 pm in the Parish Hall when we commence our 10 week course “What we Believe”. There are registration sheets at the back of the Church and if you have any questions please contact: Carol Wright 0419 948 411 Email: clwright@bigpond.net.au
We have stations of the cross every Friday of Lent at 7.00pm right here in the Church. Please plan to join us from 24th February as we accompany our Lord in his Passion.
Parish Monthly Healing Mass: Thank you to all those who joined us at our Healing Mass on 28th January. Our next Healing Mass will be on Saturday, 29 April at 8.30a.m. Please mark your diaries and plan to join us.
Novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help: takes place every Tuesday evening in the Adoration Chapel at 6pm. Please consider coming specially to pray to Mary, Queen of Peace, for peace in The Ukraine.
New Collection Practice: Both First and Second collections are now being deposited in special collection boxes provided in the Church foyer upon arrival or as you leave Church after Mass. There will be NO collection at offertory time during Mass. For your information, First collection goes toward support of priests and Second collection is toward every day running and maintenance of the Church.
