In a society which highly values those who are young, healthy and

rich, the acknowledgement of sickness and even death is not always

welcome. But the Bible has no qualms about facing these realities.

It tells us outright that we are mortal and gives us permission to

lament our suffering just as Job did. Jesus confronts the misery of the

world head-on. He makes the healing of sick people central to his

ministry. By entering fully into the misery of the world through his

cross and resurrection Jesus becomes for us a source of healing.

Optimism is a feeling that things will get better, but Christian hope is

rooted in a person who has triumphed over death.

Catechist Sunday Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time—4 February 2018 Year B

MON 5 FEB Weekday Mass 6.45am

TUE 6 FEB

Weekday Mass 6.45am

Marian Movement of Priests Cenacle 6pm Church

Devotion to St Michael & the Angels 7pm

WED 7 FEB Weekday Mass 6.45am

SMSS Yr 6 Reconciliation and Fr Janusz to visit Year 5 students

Legion of Mary 7.30pm Parish Office

Baptism Preparation Class 7.30pm Parish Office Meeting Room

THU 8 FEB Weekday Mass 9.15am

Marian Devotion Croatian Prayer Group 11am Church

FRI 9 FEB Weekday Mass 9.15am St Marys Star of the Sea Opening Mass

followed by Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

SAT 10 FEB Meditation 8am Back Meeting Room

Weekday Mass 9.00am followed by Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Mass Times: 5.00pm Vigil Mass

Spanish Mass 6.30pm

SUN 11 FEB FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Mass Times: 8.00am, 10.00am and 6.00pm

Easter and Holy Week Liturgy Meeting Wednesday 21 February at 6pm in the Presbytery. We invite all who are

involved in the Liturgy and those who would like to partake. Everyone is welcome.

Lenten Program Everyone is invited to come to the weekly meditation and

reflection on the Sunday Mass readings for 6 weeks starting: Monday, 12 February 2018, 7-8pm (25-45yo) Wednesday, 14 February 2018, 4-5pm (all age groups) Thursday, 22 February 2018 7-8pm (all age groups)

Friday, 16 February 2018 10.30-11.30am (all age grps) Sunday, 18 February 2018, 7-8pm (18-30yo)

We have volunteers to lead the sessions for the three time slots above. We can open up more time slots if we have

more volunteers to act as facilitators. Sign up sheets are available from the back of the Church. Venues TBA.

Please email: pastoral@stmichaelhurst.org.au

Spirituality and In-service Sessions for Parish Ministries I invite the MCRs, music ministry members, greeters, money counters and collectors

and the altar society to attend the in-service to be held at the presbytery on: Monday, 5th February at 7pm,

Saturday, 10th February at 10.15am Thursday, 15th February at 7pm

Please put your names down on the sign-up sheet at the back of the Church or in the Sacristy. God bless, Fr Janusz

Feast of Blessed Bronislaw Markiewicz Every year on 30th January the Church’s liturgy commemorates the life, works and virtues of Blessed Fr Bronislaw Markiewicz. For the Michaelite communities all over the world, in accordance with the calendarium proprium, it is a Feast Day.

Prayer through the intercession of Blessed Fr Markiewicz (Founder of the Congregation of St Michael the Archangel)

Almighty and merciful God, who chose Blessed Bronisław to be Father and protector of abandoned youth; Grant, that encouraged by his example of

hard work and temperance, we may faithfully carry out your will and be zealous in your service. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Michael’s Calendar of Events - What’s Coming Up

*Weekly Lenten Program starting Monday 12 February 2018 ongoing for 6wks of Lent *Ash Wednesday 14 February 2018, Mass Times 6.45am, 9.15am (School Mass) and 7.00pm

*Stations of the Cross, every Friday at 7.30pm starting Friday 16 March 2018 *Rite of Election at St Mary’s Cathedral (No Mass) Sunday 18 February 2018 at 2.00pm

*St Michael’s Parish Retreat Day—Divine Mercy Lenten Reflection Saturday 3 March 2018 *Palm Sunday 25 March 2018

*Holy Week Monday 26 March—Sunday 1 April 2018

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

To help with the Divine Mercy Retreat Day on Saturday,

3rd March 2018.

Please email: pastoral

@stmichaelhurst. org.au

© The scriptural quotations are taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton Longman and Todd Ltd and Double-day & Co Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. The English translation of the Psalm Responses, the Alleluia and Gospel Verses, and the Lenten Gospel Acclamations, and the Titles, Summaries, and Conclusion of the Readings, from the Lectionary for Mass © 1997, 1981, 1968, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON:

O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us,

for he is the Lord our God.

FIRST READING: Jb 7:1-4. 6-7 A reading from the book of Job

Job began to speak: Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no

better than hired drudgery? Like the slave, sighing for the shade, or the workman with no

thought but his wages, months of delusion I have assigned to me, nothing for my own but

nights of grief. Lying in bed I wonder, ‘When will it be day?’ Risen I think, ‘How slowly

evening comes!’ Restlessly I fret till twilight falls. Swifter than a weaver’s shuttle my days

have passed, and vanished, leaving no hope behind. Remember that my life is but a breath,

and that my eyes will never again see joy.

The word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 146:1-6. R. v.3

All: Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

1. Praise the Lord for he is good; sing to our God for he is loving:

to him our praise is due.

2. The Lord builds up Jerusalem and brings back Israel’s exiles,

he heals the broken-hearted, he binds up all their wounds.

He fixes the number of the stars; he calls each one by its name.

3. Our Lord is great and almighty; his wisdom can never be measured.

The Lord raises the lowly; he humbles the wicked to the dust.

All: Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

SECOND READING: 1 Cor 9:16-19. 22-23

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians

I do not boast of preaching the gospel, since it is a duty which has been laid on me; I should

be punished if I did not preach it! If I had chosen this work myself, I might have been paid for

it, but as I have not, it is a responsibility which has been put into my hands. Do you know

what my reward is? It is this: in my preaching, to be able to offer the Good News free, and

not insist on the rights which the gospel gives me. So though I am not a slave of any man I

have made myself the slave of everyone so as to win as many as I could. For the weak I made

myself weak. I made myself all things to all men in order to save some at any cost; and I still

do this, for the sake of the gospel, to have a share in its blessings.

The word of the Lord.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION:

Alleluia, alleluia!

He bore our sickness, and endured our suffering.

Alleluia!

✝GOSPEL: Mk 1:29-39 A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon

and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him

about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the

fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening, after sunset, they brought to him

all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding

round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another;

he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who

he was. In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a

lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when

they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go

elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is

why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out

devils.

The Gospel of the Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON:

Let them thank the Lord for his mercy, his wonders for the children of men,

for he satisfies the thirsty soul, and the hungry he fills with good things.

ST MICHAEL’S PARISH

10 Croydon Road,

Hurstville 2220

Ph: 9587 2166

www.stmichaelhurst.org.au

PARISH PRIEST:

Fr Janusz Bieniek CSMA

PARISH STAFF:

Leena Strickland-Langatuki,

David Sofatzis, Maria Awad

and Valerie Gonzaga

We pray for the sick in our community: Neall Ward, Ernesto Madrona,

Daniella, Georgie Craven, Atelaite Alamoti, Charlotte Massoud, Giuseppe Sciacca,

Mary Eileen Kennedy, Joseph Park, Nathan Nguyen, Fr Bill Heng, Theodora Sakr,

Yolande Charleston, Ellie Humphries, Terese Bull and Anne Grout-Smith.

We pray for the repose of the souls of the recently deceased: Andre Felex Leung,

Carolina Randall, Erno Kulcsar, Fr Laurie Sullivan SSS, Jatjet Sotto, Cecilia Mok,

Laosamoa Palamo, Joe Rached, Gary Schmalfeldt, Alfina Vitale, Tjamas Djana,

Thomas Tien Pham, Colleen Burgess, Rufo Magante and Siahi Kerisome.

We remember those relatives and friends who have departed this life: Robert Mihelic, Victor Care,

Herbert & Dora Christensen, George & Josephine Cowell, Trevor Gaynor, Florence May Jones,

Frank & Lillian Lucas, Ken Lucas, Alan & Kathleen Mercer, Jennifer Meredith, Antonino Picone,

Joseph George & Mary Sakr, Vittorio & Angela Scali and the Tracey and Kelly families.

We pray for: Angelina Lombardo, John Farrugia, Marko Bozicevic, Teresa Giuliano,

Isidro & Presentacion Diego whose anniversaries occur about now.

We pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and for those who have no one to pray for them.

Holy Communion to the Sick

The Legion of Mary takes Holy Communion to those who are unable to come to Mass on

Sundays, either because of a temporary illness or permanent condition (homes, nursing homes,

Waratah Hospital and Hurstville Private.) Please contact the Parish Office if you have or

know of any relatives, friends and/or neighbours who would like to receive Holy Communion.

Please note: Both St George Public & Private Hospitals have their own administrators.