13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A Cycle II 28 June 2020

Mass Restrictions Update

F rom 1 July we are able to have all Masses back in the Church. The 4 square metre distancing rule still

applies so please be sure to sit in the designated seating spots. Families from the same household may sit

together. Able-bodied people may like to sit upstairs to make room downstairs for those less able. Our capacity is

103 downstairs and 47 upstairs. No bookings will need to be made to attend.

As a condition of entry into the Church and buildings, attendees must sign in at the door with contact details,

use hand sanitiser provided and keep social distance in the pews and while processing to Communion. We are

also instructed by the government not to congregate outside the Church so please disperse after Mass. If you

have cold or flu symptoms please do not enter the premises, and contact your doctor. (NSW Government public

health requirements.)

Baptisms are going ahead with the distancing rules. Please book in through the parish office for an appointment.

Funerals also have had numbers lifted as long as the distancing rule is maintained. Reconciliation is available

Saturday 9:30am and 4pm in the Parents Room in the Church.

We are most grateful for your cooperation and understanding during this difficult period.

The Cost of Discipleship

D ietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and theologian, is one of the Christian heroes of the last

century. In his native land, he argued strenuously against Adolf Hitler’s euthanasia programme and his

genocidal attack on the Jews. Because of this opposition, Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and later sent to a concen-

tration camp. He was executed by the Nazis towards the end of the war. The doctor who was present at his

execution recorded how he was moved by the calm and prayerful spirit in which the heroic pastor faced death.

In 1937 Bonhoeffer had written a book called, in its English translation, ‘The Cost of Discipleship,’ which has

become a modern spiritual classic. In it he warns against the notion of “cheap grace,” which he describes as

“grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” The “cheap grace” approach

emphasises the more attractive and consoling aspects of Christianity, with little or no reference to the demands

made upon those who follow Christ. Bonhoeffer insists that to leave out the difficult aspects of Christianity - such

as repentance, discipline, confession, discipleship, the cross - is to offer an incomplete version, a “cheap” version,

of God’s grace and discipleship.

Bonhoeffer’s views reflect what we’ve heard from Jesus today. (Continued over page)

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2

The Cost of Discipleship (continued) He makes no bones about it: following him will make demands of us, for he must be

the centre of our life, no matter what the cost. By way of extreme example, he insists

that even the most precious relationships, such as those between children and parents,

must not be allowed to come between us and him. Of course, this does not mean that

the bonds of love within a family are of no importance. On the contrary, they are of

supreme importance, and yet we cannot allow even these to become a barrier between

us and our duty to God.

We need only think of the English martyr St Thomas More. He was an outstanding

family man. When he was imprisoned for refusing to take the oath that would have

acknowledged King Henry Vlll as head of the Church in England, his wife and his

beloved daughter, Meg, pleaded with him to find some way of saving his life and being

able to return home. He wrestled with his conscience but knew that he must remain

faithful to the Lord. Only in that way, he assured his family, would they all “one day

meet merrily in heaven.” More’s words serve as a reminder that if the first part of

today’s Gospel insists that we are called to put God first, the second part assured us

that our efforts will never go unrewarded. Those who welcome a prophet, or offer help

to any of the “little ones,” even if it’s only by offering “a cup of cold water,” will receive

their reward. Those who serve their sisters and brothers in need are in fact welcoming

Jesus and, in welcoming him, welcoming the one who sent him, the Father in heaven.

There is no such thing as cheap grace. It should not surprise us that in following one

who took up his cross there will inevitably be something of the cross in our lives too.

It is always a costly business to live in a truly Christian way; at times it makes painful

demands on us that go against our instinctive desires; it sometimes makes us feel that

we are out of step with the rest of humanity, that we are losing out on life. But Jesus

makes an extraordinary promise: “anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Whatever the apparent losses, the profits will be immeasurably greater.

No one makes the point more powerfully than St Paul. Writing to a group of Christians

he draws a powerful contrast between what Christian living might look like to an

outsider and what it is in reality. Though the unbelieving world, he says, may regard

us as only half alive, we are in fact fully alive - alive with a sharing in the very life of

the risen Christ; we are not sad, joyless individuals, but rather we are always rejoicing,

with the deep-down joy of the Gospel that nothing can take away; we may seem to be

poor, in fact we are incredibly rich; it may look as though following Christ we’re left

with nothing: in fact it is we who possess everything.

The Living Word Majellan Publications

Shop Locally!

Please support the shops in the

Carnival Hall building in the

shopping centre. These shops

support our Parish.

Beauty Truth Goodness

The Fundamentals of Catholicism Wednesdays

10:30-11:30am and 7-8pm in the Muldoon Room.

Quote for

the Week

People deceive themselves

when they listen to only what

they want to hear.

Obituary - Common Sense

T oday we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of Common

Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he

was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to

come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn’t always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you

earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge). His health

began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were

set in place.

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;

teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; (continued next page)

Congratulations First

Reconciliation Students!

We congratulate the students and their

families on the completion of

preparation for the Sacrament of

Reconciliation.

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3

Obituary - Common Sense (continued)

and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to admin-

ister an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became

pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband,

and criminals received better treatment than their victims. He took a beating when you

couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue

you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realise that a

steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly award-

ed a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife,

Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by

his two stepbrothers; My Rights and I'm A Victim.

Do You Know

Someone who has a Child with

a Disability? St Lucy’s is a

Catholic School dedicated to children

with disabilities: enrolment@stlucys.

nsw.edu.au or 02 8355 3157.

A doration of the Blessed Sacrament is held on all first Saturdays of the month, the

next being 4 July. There is a limit of 20 people at a time in the Prayer Room in

accord with the 4m2 rule. Prayer and quiet time will be held throughout the day from

9:30am to Benediction at 4:30pm (before the 5pm Vigil Mass). All welcome!

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

100 Club is Back!

T hank you to everyone for your support of the 100 Club. Any monies still owing

please put in an envelope and bring into the parish office.

Weeks 1-19: 1st Prize $50 2nd Prize $25 Week 20: 1st Prize $500 2nd Prize $250.

The first draw will be on 6 July. Winning numbers will be published in the bulletin

weekly and winners notified. Funds raised go towards Church maintenance projects.

Charitable Works Fund Appeal

W e thank you for your continued support of the Charitable Works Fund.

With collections not being able to be taken up at Masses we would ask you to

make your donations in one of these ways: by putting a CWF envelope in the collection

boxes at the doors, in person at the parish office, credit card donations over the phone,

or online at www.givenow.com.au/cwf If making a donation online, please nominate

our parish so that your gift can be applied to our quota of $25,374.60 due by 30 June.

St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal

V innies Winter Appeal is a vital source of funding for the many good works of the

Society. As a collection cannot be taken up at parish Masses this winter, you may

wish to consider donating in one of the following ways:

• By phone to 13 18 12 (option 1) using a credit or debit card; • By going online at

vinnies.org.au/winter appeal using credit or debit card; • By Appeal envelopes (to be

left at the parish office); • By cash placed in the poor boxes at the Church entrances.

Thank you for your generosity.

Join Fr Kevin for a short Bible Study

of the next Sunday’s Gospel. Tuesdays in the Muldoon Room after 9am Mass.

All welcome!

The Catholic

Weekly

Online

www.catholic

weekly.com.

au or on

facebook by

searching for

us at the top

of the page.

Christian Meditation Group

still in recess The Meditation

Group will not be meeting as yet. We

hope to recommence gatherings in the

near future.

Serving the Catholic Community of The Entrance and extending the Kingdom of God

PARISH PRIEST & DEAN Fr William Stevens ASSISTANT PRIEST Fr Vincent Varghese VC DEACON Paul Simmons

SACRAMENTAL COORDINATOR Br John Verhoeven FSP

Office Hours Monday-Friday 9.30-5.00pm Tel 4332 2216 Fax 4333 5344

Postal Address PO Box 189 THE ENTRANCE 2261 Street Address 239-243 The Entrance Rd THE ENTRANCE 2261

Email info@ourladyoftherosary.org.au Website www.ourladyoftherosary.org.au

PROPERTY MANAGER Michael de la Motte Tel 4334 7600 (BH)

OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PRIMARY SCHOOL Tel 4332 5594

ST PETER’S CATHOLIC COLLEGE Tel 4351 2344 Fax 4351 2965

THE ENTRANCE PARISH DIOCESE OF BROKEN BAY

Mass & Devotions See website for updates Sunday Masses Saturday Vigil 5:00pm Sunday 8:00am & 9:30am

Weekday Masses Monday - Thursday 9:00am Friday 11:45am Saturday 9:00am

Reconciliations Saturdays 9:30-10am & 4-4:30pm in the Parents Room

Liturgy of the Hours Saturday 8:40am Rosary Monday-Thursday 8:35am Friday 11:20am Saturday 9:30am

Cenacle Wednesday 9:30am Christian Meditation Group Friday 10:30am-11:30am Muldoon Room. (Not meeting yet.)

Gift Centre Open The Gift Centre is now open again Saturday

evenings before and after the 5pm Vigil Mass and Sunday mornings before and after the 9:30am Mass, with thanks to our wonderful volunteers. Drop by for all your devotional shopping. (Located in the Church foyer.) For any enquiries please call the

parish office on 4332 2216.

Keep Us In Your Prayers There is no gift more precious than prayer - Fr Benedict Groeschel

13th Sunday of the Year 2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 Matthew 10:37-42 Entrance Antiphon: All peoples, clap your hands. Cry to God with shouts of joy!

Responsorial Psalm: For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia, Alleluia! You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy people. Praise God who called you out of darkness and into his marvellous light. Alleluia!

Communion Antiphon: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all within me, his holy name.

Pearly

Gates

Revisited

Recently Deceased: Slavko Ercegovic, Bozo Glazar, Olive Chesterton, Felix Merlino, Russell McColough, Bruna Galasso.

Anniversaries: Mario & Norah Tabone, Carl Sanchez (2nd).

Remembrances: Vincent & Dorothy Cribb, Patricia Mahon, Pat Smith, Marie Powell, Jill O’Sullivan, Betty O’Neill and the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Families & Friends: Pannell, O’Sullivan.

Sick: Molly Innes (16 year old with cancer), Sr Jeanette Bubb, Kay Cincotta, Bill Champley, Mary Powell, Sue Simmons, Leo O’Meara, Jo Poynting, Amanda Priestley, Matthew Robinson, Andrew Kelly, Peter O’Grady, Linda Read, Antoinette Grech, Margaret Pizzuto, Pat & Diane McCudden, Tanya Doorn, David Drinan, Valda Kelso, Maria De Sousa, Steve Crowe, Ann Minogue, Agnes Burke, Val Rayner, Delma Clarke, Chris Morley, Anthony Morrell, Raymond & Tim Baker, Kelly Will and all those suffering from Covid-19 and long-term illnesses.

First Reconciliations: We pray for all the children completing their preparations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Our Lady of the Rosary

GIFT CENTRE

For all your devotional needs...