5 February 2012

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON

Come, let us worship the Lord. Let us bow down in the presence of our maker, for he is the Lord our God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 146

Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.

Praise the Lord for he is good;

Sing to our God for he is loving:

To him our praise is due.  ®

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. ®

Our Lord is great and almighty;

His wisdom can never be measured.

The Lord raises the lowly;

He humbles the wicked to the dust. ®

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord,

Anyone who follows me will have the light of life. Alleluia!

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Give praise to the Lord for his kindness, for his wonderful deeds towards men. He has filled the hungry with good things, he has satisfied the thirsty.

LITURGICAL:  SCRIPTURE NOTE

The Book of Job confronts the problem of suffering.  The common explanation was that suffering was a punishment for sin. But, though Job is a good man, he suffers greatly.  His suffering causes him to take a gloom view of life. (First Reading).

This sets the scene for the Gospel.  However, what we see in the Gospel is not Jesus’ answer to the question ‘Why suffering?’, but his response to actual suffering.  He heals the sick and proclaims the good news of salvation.  The Gospel also shows the urgency with which he dedicated himself to preaching the Gospel, something we see exemplified also in Paul (Second Reading).

In the midst of his activity Jesus found time to pray in quiet places.  It was during these hours of solitude that he maintained and fostered the most important thing in his life – his relationship with the Father.  Here lay the secret of his successful ministry.

AN INTERESTING HISTORICAL FACT; (Taken from the book BOBOSIC) By Sister Janet Baxendale; A WALK THROUGH THE MASS.

MASS IN THE EARLY CHURCH

Striking similarities between the Mass of the early Church and the Mass we know today are found in the readings of Saint Justin Martyr, in about the year 150 A.D.

On the day which is called Sun-day, all, whether they live in the town or the country, gather in the same place.  Then the Memoirs of the Apostles or the Writings of the Prophets are read for as long as time allows. (Readings).  When the reader has finished, the president speaks, exhorting us to live by these noble teachings (Homily).  Then we all rise and pray (Prayers of the Faithful).  When the prayer is finished, bread, wine and water are brought.  (Presentation and Preparation of the gifts).  The president prays and gives thanks and all reply with the acclamation, Amen!  (Eucharistic Prayer).  After this the Eucharist is distributed and shared out to everyone, and the deacons are sent to take it to those who are absent. (Holy Communion).  Gifts are collected and distributed to all those in need.  (Offering or Collection).

EXPOSITION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT: 

If we are genuine followers of Christ we must be a praying community.  This stands to reason.  The Gospel today tells us that Jesus was extremely active preaching and healing the house of Peter, but “Rising early the next morning he went out to a lonely place in the desert, there he was absorbed in prayer.”  This “Lonely place” does not refer only to the physical.  There is a lonely place in our hearts that we can share only with God.  What better place to share this desert place in our hearts than with our fellow members of the Christian community before the Blessed Sacrament exposed?  Even allowing for all the demands and exigencies that are made on our time, are twenty to twenty five people present at Exposition, as much as we appreciate their coming, an adequate representation of the praying community which is Rosebank?

REFLECTION:      A Lonely Place

Jesus often went off to a lonely place to pray.

Yet the same Jesus who prayed in lonely places said,

‘When  you pray, go into your room,

And pray to your Father in Secret.’

This means that the lonely place is not necessarily a place far away, or that by ‘room’ he means four walls that separate us physically from others.

The room is the room of our innermost heart.  This room is with us at all times.

We should make it a place to which we can go to find rest and spiritual recovery when the world is too much with us.

Then we will discover that the inner room is not empty after all, but is occupied by the God of love who dwells in us all.     

RCIA (RIGHT OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION FOR ADULTS) is being introduced for the first time this year.  The classes begin on the 17^th June and are held in the Centre from 09h00 – 10h00 each Sunday morning. Confirmation will take place at the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening the 30^th March 2013

OUR CENTRE:  After the break in parish activity over Christmas, New Year and January, the Parish has burst into life.  Wednesday evening was witness to this as four substantially-supported meetings took place; Alpha, at which a meal was served, Baptism instructions for parents having their babies baptized, The Assistant-Ministers of the Eucharist planning for the coming year, and the first of the pre-marriage instructions (about 20 couples participating.)  And what is more, we didn’t get in each other’s way! And when the last person left, our staff moved in to clean and tidy up for the activities to follow, starting with the bridge people on Thursday morning and the very active weekend,  especially the Catechism classes which are getting into full swing.  It’s worth mentioning that on Wednesday morning there was a reception in the centre after a funeral had taken place in the Church.

This is not written in any spirit of competition with other parishes – we know that many of them are just as active as or more active than we are. This is just a reminder to us that we as a community have so many blessings for which we should be grateful.  We have a beautiful Church, an outstanding parish centre and all this surrounded by a magnificent garden which gives it all a special atmosphere.

All this would or could never happen of course, if it were not for the amazing generosity of you, our parishioners.  It is expensive to maintain an establishment of this size and dare we say it in humility, dynamism.  But would we ever want it any other way? 

So let us give thanks to Almighty God for these blessings.  Thank you also, our parishioners, for your generous and constant support.  And thank you, too, for all engaged in the smooth running events which take place, both in the Church and in the Centre.  May God bless you all.

THE ALPHA COURSE

It is still not too late to join the course and we will assist you on catching up the evening you missed. So be bold and join us on Wednesday 08 February 2012 @ 19:00 in the Community Centre when we start week 2 of the 10 week course.  The topic for this week: Why did Jesus die?    Speak to Peggy on 011 788 5226/7 to add your name.  Don’t forget, you are more than welcome to bring along a family member or friend.

 CHILDREN’S LITURGY 

Children’s Liturgy takes place in the Community Centre for children from the ages of 3 - 6 years old.  We operate only during the 10.30 Mass and we will be working according to the government school terms. This is the perfect way for your children to learn about the Word of God while having fun at the same time. For further info.  Please contact:

Julia: 082 547 8782 or jules@uniclips.com

Lauren: 083 489 5722 or lauren.petersen@johannesburg.whitecase.com

Monique: 083 739 8637 or grconcc@mweb.co.za

Nadine: 083 647 4774 or nadinewc@gmail.com

WESTRIDGE STUDY CENTRE

 This Catholic men’s residence is situated in Parktown, close to WITS and UJ, and has recently been extended with funding from the Komati Foundation. The Centre offers accommodation  together with academic, professional and spiritual activities. Students taking up or resuming studies are invited to apply. 

Tel: 011482 1803 or visit www.westridgestudycentre.co.za

ASSIST PROGRAMME    NEED HELP?

If you have fallen on hard times or need assistance, perhaps we can help. The Assist Program has been designed to provide temporary assistance to people registered as Rosebank Catholic Church Parishioners who may be struggling in some way or other. If you would like to find out more about the program speak to Father Harry or one of the deacons. 

Can you help?

Our program has limited funding but our assistance can reach further if parishioners are prepared to offer occasional help in the form of advice or services. Our most critical area of need at present is employment. We have several people with varying qualifications who are desperate to earn their living. If any parishioners have odd jobs, either once off or regular part or full time work please give the details to Peggy at the office or call her in the mornings on 011 788 5226.

PARISH PRAYER LIST.

Fr Harry Wilkinson, Noëlla, Leila Guerreiro Kgaugelo Moloto, Errol Trompeter, Claude, Sally Steenkamp,  Andres Garcia & family,   Ava  &  Lila  O’Donovan, Patricia Trompeter, Elizabeth Baikie,  Thekiso Family,  Bollay Family,  Denise Ann  Govender,   Tracy Gibney,  Mary T.,  Mrs  Naidoo, Mrs Clark, Michael Howes,   Nkosinati and Charlotte  Sithole,  Malcolm Freeman,  Emmanuel Mariano, Manuela Mariano,   Megan Malone, Katelyn de Bruyn,  Emily,  Diane Aspen, Eileen Carey, Elizabeth, The Zungu Family,  Margaret O’Mahony,  Thulani Msimango,  Grant Mann and Family,  Armagh, Courtney,  Carla Alfonso, May Orsi,  Rachel Killian, Thelma Jokwana,  Baby Bowker, Deirdre,  Ann Van Blerk and Family,  The Baasch Family, Norman Gilmour,  Rudi & Jeannette Veit, Lila O’Donovan,  Trevor Tropeter, Lesley O’Brien, Kate O’Brien,  Hayley Johnson,  Zack Patterson, Maxwell Ndlovu,   Phindile Ncube,  Salvatore,   Cathy Malcolms-Smith,  Pasquale Ceroulo,  Lolla  Schilling,  Samson  Morotsi, Ann Chapman, Johnny,  Karly,  Ashleigh & John Meyer,   Sarah Morrison,  Vicky O’Byrne,  The Cardoso Family,  Felicity Mullin,  Pat Tomaselli,  Maria Coward,  Baby Joshua  Sequeria,  Matt Thompson, Alastair van Hilten, Wendy, Jenny McMahon, Rossouw Viljoen, Roger,  Evonne,  Egon Moslein.  Kay Areef,   Warren Porteous, Romi,  David Kelly, Penny,  Carol Burrell,  Orlando Medina,  Eric Kien,  Peter Cleaton-Jones, Sheila & Mose Wouters, Miguel.

TAILPIECE:  There is a story told of an Oxford University professor who decided to ask his students to write a paper on the elephant.  This is what he got back from them.

• The British student wrote about the “Human rights of the elephant.

• The French student wrote about, “The Elephant and his love life.”
• The Japanese student entitled his essay, “The Elephant and its place in IT”.
• The American wrote about, “The elephant and the war machine.”
• The Israeli student wrote about, “The elephant and the Jewish problem

PERSONAL NOTICES:

EMPLOYMENT  OFFERED

Full Time  Book-keeper  required for a small office in  the Sandton area, min 6 Years experience in Pastel.  To do books up to  trail balance,  salary neg, Mon – Fri, own transport essential. Fax C.V. to  0866 488 789.

EMPLOYMENT WANTED

Thuli (Nokuthula Ncube) is looking for domestic work.  Several years experience and very reliable.  Good with children.  Contact her  on  078-488-4543.

Patricia Nyamajiwa is a hardworking woman looking for domestic work.  Experienced and reliable.  Live in/live out. Available immediately.  Contact  073-552-8398

Moses is a Malawian looking for employment  as a Gardener/ Driver/ Houseman.  Please contact  071- 003-8313 or 071-569 0909

Dobben is Malawian looking for a full/part time   Gardening job with accommodation.   He has 5 years experience.  Please contact

083-872-8787.  Ref.  Cecilia 082-805-7991

Daniel – Malawian. Looking for a gardening job  on Wednesdays.  He has 4 years experience and will work for a room.  Contact  073-827-7078 or Moses for a reference : 078-344-5889

Portia Molefe is looking for a clerical or Secretarial Position.  She has references. Please call her on  084-856-4387.

101 Handyman jobs waiting to be attended to around the house?   .  Please call  Andries   071-757-4051

House sitter available Parktown North/ Craighall/ Rosebank/ Linden area.
Available from 20 November to 31 January 2012. Very experienced and reliable.
Phone Tim 0828011752

A reliable, trustworthy and experienced             House sitter is available all year round.  For further details, please contact David Barenbrug  on 083-468-1474.

I am looking for alternative accommodation for my property caretaker and gardener, who has worked for me for 15 years, and has looked after my office premises for 10 years.   His name is Trevor Tshabalala.   Please contact me for more details or references on 0832600761.   Celeste Allan

2 Sewing Ladies require a work room with toilet facilities. They are prepared to pay not more that R2000-00 per month.  The size of the room required is 5x6 metres or 5x5 metres.  Please call Dorcas 072 – 7861621   Or  (011) 444 6566

Timeshare available at Kruger Park Lodge near Sabie Sands for a week from 9th - 16th March. Beautiful resort and close to Kruger Park. Any interest? Contact Denise
079-055-1724

Flat to Let in Rosebank: 1  big  Bedroom, bathroom, Kitchen, Lounge/Dining room, underground parking, suitable for a single person.   Close to all amenities. Please contact David on 071 783 5534/011 787 2213

HOLIDAY  RENTAL

18 The Shades, Umhlanga Rocks Beautiful – newly furnished apartment.  Accommodation for 4 people – 2 beds –2 baths –open plan kitchen and living area. Patio with sea views.  For further information contact Cheryl on 031 561 2012