The humility of God expresses itself through His immersion into the human condition so that he can lift people out of their slavery to sin. (listen to Fr Robert Barron’s homily here);
This is the first great theophany of The Trinity (see Fr Steve Grunow’s comments here);
Just like David and Solomon before him, Jesus is being anointed for his kingly mission (see John Bergsma’s comments here).
The Annunciation with St Dominic, Fra Angelico (1395 – 1455), Cell No. 3, Fresco Cycle in the Dominican Convent of San Marco, Florence.
In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, the angel says, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.”
How is Jesus the fulfilment of Old Testament expectations? Fr Robert Barron talks about kingship from Adam to Jesus in his homily here:
And if you are fascinated by the idea of angels bringing messages from God, watch Professor of Philosophy, Peter Kreeft, discussing angels (and demons) here:
An angel frees the souls from Purgatory (detail), Ludovico Caracci, 1610, oil on canvas, Pinacoteca Vaticana
The Solemnities of All Saints (1 Nov) and All Souls (2 Nov) are particularly poignant to me this year.
I lost my husband to cancer in March, and I remember thinking, as I said goodbye to his body, that Chemistry and Biology could only go a certain way to explaining what had happened. The essence of Bill, his irrepressible cheerfulness and zest for life, his forgetfulness of self, his ridiculous jokes, his kindness and generosity, the way he would give a chirpy greeting to everyone he passed – in short, those elements which made up his transcendent soul – had moved on, and all that was left behind was merely a shell.
As Fr Barron says in his homily,
We are more than our bodies, more than our memories, more than our imagination, more than our senses. There is a mysterious spiritual capacity within us. That’s what the church calls the soul.
Click here to listen:
Fr Barron also has a beautiful take on All Saints’ Day here:
The takeaway message is that once you surrender your life to Christ, you find your deepest self. The saints are those people who have surrendered their lives to God so completely, that they have lit up the world around them with God’s love. Yes, the saints are heroes and role models but they are also still alive, and they are our spiritual friends – and we can ask them to pray for us and act on our behalf (think of St Therese of Lisieux – ‘I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.’)
Don’t forget Fr Augustine will join with other Northern suburbs’ priests to celebrate Mass for All Souls at the Chapel at Pinnaroo Memorial Park, Whitfords Avenue on 2 November at 2.30 p.m. We particularly remember our former parishioner, Veronica (Ronnie) Spratling, who died on 29 October in Victoria. Our condolences to all the Spratling family.
I have also written a list of deceased members of our parish in the intentions section of the Newsletter. If I have left anyone out, please email me and I will add them to our November list.
Also, this is the last week you can make a submission to the Euthanasia enquiry. If you don’t know what this is about, let me explain. Green’s Senator, Richard di Natale, tabled a draft bill in parliament in June, proposing that doctors be allowed to prescribe and administer an end of life substance to a terminally ill person. Pleasego here to find out what you can do.
Some points to remember (quoted from ACL):
Legalising euthanasia puts at risk the lives of society’s most vulnerable people – the elderly, the lonely, the sick, and the depressed. Euthanasia transmits the message that some lives are no longer worth living or worth caring for.
Euthanasia undermines the fundamental relationship of trust between doctor and patient. Patients trust doctors to act in their best interest.
Euthanasia puts pressure on patients who are concerned about being a burden to their families or friends.
Despite safeguards, in countries where euthanasia has been legalised, a large number of euthanasia deaths occur without the explicit request or consent of the patient.
After euthanasia is introduced, the strict boundaries are often relaxed to include, for example, mental illness but no terminal physical illness. Euthanasia for children as young as 12 is permitted in the Netherlands, and for children of any age in Belgium.
In most cases, physical pain can be treated with palliative care.
Also this week, Senator Eric Abetz has been shot down for suggesting there is a link between abortion and breast cancer. MercatorNet has a great take on this issue here. Stay informed because you probably won’t be informed by the main stream media. By the way, Senator George Brandis has been a great defender of religious freedom and will this week be delivering the University of Notre Dame’s annual lecture on religious liberty. Read more here. (… and sorry, it’s in Sydney, not Perth).
And now a quote for the day:
“Love and ever more love is the only solution to every problem that comes up. If we love each other enough, we will bear with each other’s faults and burdens. If we love enough, we are going to light a fire in the hearts of others. And it is love that will burn out the sins and hatreds that sadden us. It is love that will make us want to do great things for each other. No sacrifice and no suffering will then seem too much.”
― Dorothy Day
Catholic in Yanchep 