St Gemma Galgani – feast day Monday May 16th
Gemma was born in 1878, in Camigliano, near Lucca. She was eight when her mother died of TB. When she was seventeen, she nursed her brother Eugene day and night until he died in 1896, also of TB. Her father was a pharmacist and had been prosperous but these deaths, and a prolonged sickness of others in the family took all his money. Soon the family was reduced to poverty. The situation got worse when her father got cancer of the throat and Gemma nursed him until his death in 1897. So, before Gemma was twenty, experienced the sorrow of seeing both her parents and brother die.

Once again this Sunday we acknowledge and give thanks for our mothers – those present amongst us and those who have gone.

Mother’s Day is an opportunity for us to remember and pray with thanks for our own mothers and the mothers in our extended families and our faith community

We also remember those reflected in this accompanying image.

THE PASSION OF JESUS IS TOTALLY THE WORK OF LOVE. YOU SHOULD NEVER LOSE SIGHT OFTHIS. A reflection by Br Cao Van Tri cp
(Tri is studying theology at YTU and living at Holy Cross)

At the time of Paul of the Cross, people in his home town had a deep devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ. However, instead of speaking about God’s love through the mystery of the Cross, they spoke about the sufferings of people as being the result of their many sins. Paul of the Cross said that “the world is sliding into a profound forgetfulness of the most bitter sufferings endured by Jesus Christ our true good of our love, while the memory of his most holy Passion is practically extinct in the faithful.” (1747 account Paul wrote to present the life and purpose of the Congregation).
For Paul of the Cross, the Passion of Jesus is totally the work of love and so we should never lose sight of this. Indeed, Jesus the Son of the Living God, chose to live a human life: He chose to suffer as we suffer; to die as we die. Many times, I have wondered why Jesus, the Son of God, had to suffer. He is God and He could save us in many ways, not just by suffering and dying.

What has happened to spirituality….Part 2

We know that many religious practices reflect the world view and morality of an earlier era and some have been made challenging or irrelevant in the light of today’s worldview. There have been many challenges posed by scientific discoveries and they have not always been without conflict and struggle. Galileo’s claim (1564-1642) that the earth was not the centre of the universe and that it moved around the sun, did not fit with how the church and science of the time understood the world or how it had shaped theology. Because his view contradicted Scripture, Galileo was accused of heresy and he was forced to recant his theories.

What has happened to spirituality….Part 1

It is suggested that in England one thousand years ago, most people never travelled more than fifteen kilometres from their place of birth. The roads were poor, the hospitality inns were run down and means of travel were limited. People’s lives were tied up with their nearby neighbours and there was little awareness of happenings ‘in the outside world’. This reality us how different modern life is from every previous generation that has lived on earth.

Admittedly, a thousand years is a long time ago, but even just one hundred and thirty years ago in 1893, the first private motor vehicle was unveiled in Sydney. Ten years later, the Wright brothers flew their plane one hundred metres! One hundred years after that primitive flight, the Sojourner spacecraft landed on Mars and began collecting and photographing rocks and soil matter and sending the photos back to earth!

Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need
Catholic Charity Aid to the Church in Need is conducting an emergency appeal to
support the Church in Ukraine. Funds are being sent direct to clergy and religious on
the ground assisting people. Please visit: www.aidtochurch.org/ukraine
There will be some donation forms at the back of the chapel on Sunday.

Palm Sunday…the Passion according to Luke
Every Good Friday we hear the same version of gospel. It is John’s account. On Passion (or Palm) Sunday this year we will hear Luke’s version. Luke and John have many differences. In fact each of the four gospels describes how Jesus died, in a different way.

In Mark, Jesus “screamed in a loud voice and breathed his last ” and the text says that “hearing his cry and seeing how he died” the Roman Centurion said “Indeed this man was the Son of God”.

In Matthew, Jesus cries out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit. Then he breathed his last”. the Roman Centurion: “seeing the earthquake and all these things he exclaimed, “Surely he was the song of God”

In Luke, Jesus says, "Father into your hands I commend my spirit" and the text says that “following all these events, ”The Roman Centurion says This man was truly righteous”.

In John, ”Jesus says, “It is accomplished, and bowing his head he gave up his spirit”. There is no Roman Centurion mentioned, and it is the only gospel that mentions Mary was there at the cross.

COVID
During the past week, four of our men in St Brigid’s community, Marrickville have contracted COVID. That provides a real challenge for a large community. Likewise in St Paul’s, Saigon, most of the men have had COVID over recent weeks. May you be safe.

Dear all at Holy Cross Community

It was an opportunity for me of great transformation and to rediscover new ways to live a faith-filled life. Holy Cross is so visionary, bold, and creative in a prophetic way, respecting the work of the Spirit in each other. I really enjoyed living in Templestowe which for me is based on relationships, not on our ministerial roles or duties but fraternal friendships and charity. Templestowe welcomed me with a warm heart and open arms, making space for me to enter and experience your culture and the vast treasure of who you are.

Of all the things that I learned from you, I can assure you nothing today will be the same in my future ministry here in Tanzania. Because you have shaped my whole life specifically spiritually in a way that is very creative and inspirational. And that is what I am taking home with me in my ministry.

Templestowe has been about weaving fraternal relationships together so that life for all of us is more deeply rooted in love, justice, and fairness. Thanks, Brian.

Templestowe has been a community with shared talents, stories, and jokes in all spheres of life but more so in Sacred Scriptures in a professional and prophetic way. Thanks, Chris.

Templestowe has been a lively and welcoming community, full of smiles and laughter. Ready to help, direct and pray for. Thank you, the Holy Cross family.

God and Religion 5: Sin and evolution
Both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures teach that God is good and has made a good world. In the first chapter of Genesis after every stage in creation, we are told that God looked at what had been made and saw that it was good. The heavens and the earth and the sea, the plants, and the animals are all good. All of this is said before humanity entered the scene. The world before and without people is good in and of itself, and is seen to be good in God's eyes.

Another significant theme of Genesis, is the ‘fall’ of creation. The original goodness of creation is seen to have been corrupted by the sinfulness of humanity (Adam and Eve). Some people today suggest that we should abandon this idea because we know that a perfect paradise never existed in any literal sense before or after the ‘arrival’ of humanity. The story of cosmic and biological evolution teaches us that the universe emerged from a flaring of light ("big bang") 13.8 billion years ago, and expanded and developed into the present world. Death has always been a part of that expansion and development. Earth formed from a star that died!