|
St
John the Apostle ~ Kippax
|
CANBERRA,
AUSTRALIA |
|
Liturgical Life at Saint Johns We are the Body of Christ assembled for prayer At Saint John the Apostle, Kippax, as with every parish in the Archdiocese and throughout the world, our life as a Catholic community finds its source and nourishment in the Liturgy, especially in the Sunday Eucharist.
Jesus is present wherever two or three gather in his name. This is especially so when we gather, as the Body of Christ, to pray, to listen to the words of Scripture and to open ourselves to welcome Jesus into our minds and hearts and community at Mass. There in the Sacrament of the Eucharist we share in the self-giving love of Jesus which culminated in his gift of himself to his Father and to us on Calvary – a gift made present for us again when we celebrate the Mass together. Sunday, the Day of the Resurrection, celebrates the beginning of new life, the new creation. It celebrates a new beginning in the life of the Christian community as we are sent out on mission to live the Gospel and to take it to those who hunger and thirst, but who do not know or do not experience the gift we are privileged to receive in communion. Some like to come together at 6:00pm on Saturday evening (a practice that goes back to the very beginnings of the Church, when the new day was considered to begin at sunset). Others come on Sunday morning (8:30 or 10:00). Others celebrate the end of their weekend by gathering at 6:00pm on Sunday evening. An average of 800 people come over the four Masses, so that at any one Mass you can expect to celebrate your faith with somewhere between 150 and 250 people. You may be familiar with the story of the two dejected disciples who were journeying to Emmaus (see Luke 24:13-35). Mysteriously, the risen Jesus was journeying with them. As they explained later, their hearts were burning within them as he explained the Scriptures to them, and they finally recognised him ‘in the breaking of the bread’. This has been the Christian experience for two thousand years. Depending, of course, on how receptive you are to grace, and on how receptive the community is, our hope is that your hearts, too, will burn within you as you are exposed to the Scripture readings and the homily, and that you, too, will experience the presence of Jesus in your heart as you join the offering of your life to his, and as you receive him in communion. The intimacy of this sacramental communion with Jesus draws us into a closer union with those around us, for it is Jesus’ Spirit of love that binds us together as brothers and sisters in the faith. The Emmaus story is our story. It is the story of our parish community. As we share our journey, Jesus is present with us. As we re-enact in ritual our redemption, Jesus is present with us. It is Jesus who accepts our offering of ourselves. It is Jesus who relives the Last Supper, breaking the consecrated bread and pouring the consecrated wine and giving himself to us in unconditional love. Again and again the Gospel stories recount how Jesus was rejected because he ate and drank with sinners. He refused to conform, for it was his mission to love us sinners so that we might have the encouragement and strength we need to cease sinning and learn to love as Jesus loves.
The declared mission statement of the parish of Saint John the Apostle reads: ‘Inspired by the Beloved Disciple, Saint John the Apostle, our parish at Kippax is committed to be on earth the Heart of God.’ We go on to state that our aim is to ‘continue to develop a parish community in which we “harness for God the energies of love”(Teilhard de Chardin). We will nurture a community that is to be loving, just, inclusive and welcoming. We recognise that each member of the parish has unique gifts and we invite you to offer these gifts for the enrichment of the community. We will be sensitive to where people are in their lives, and respectful of their freedom and readiness to contribute to the life of the parish’. The mission statement is genuinely intended. We need your help if we are to live it. The great Saint Augustine wrote: ‘If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that which you are you respond “Amen”(Yes, it is true!), and by responding you assent to it. For you hear the words “The Body of Christ”, and you respond “Amen”. Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true’(quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church n. 1396). Watch this space
The pattern of physical touch is everywhere present in Jesus' ministry… people are either trying to touch him or he cures, heals, liberates by touching them. The primary sacrament of forgiveness is touching and being touched by Jesus. Today, we have our sins forgiven in the same way as in all the gospel accounts. Since Jesus is present in the community, and we are the body of Christ, we experience forgiveness through contact with Christ's Body. Zechariah spoke well when he said that God would "give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sin." [Lk 1:77]. It is as important to receive forgiveness as it is to give it. One of the hardest things, I feel, as a people, is to receive forgiveness, to allow ourselves to be forgiven… and even to forgive ourselves! Forgiveness given (unearned) and forgiveness received (also unearned) are always the pure works of God's Grace. "Forgiveness is the supreme work of God for the re-creation of all things: Nothing new happens without it." So, what is this Liturgy of Forgiveness about? A Christian community is not where forgiveness is unnecessary or unneeded. Christian community is where forgiveness is free to happen… "seventy times seven" In our coming together, gathering as the Body of Christ, "Where two or three are gathered in my name I am with you," we touch the Body of Christ and we are healed and forgiven fully by the Body of Christ. We are all familiar with the beautiful sacrament of reconciliation, where we open our heart to a priest who, in Christ's name, offers us reconciliation with God and with each other. We might not be as aware of the fact that this sacrament is wisely required of us by the Church only when we have completely broken our relationship with God and with the Church by mortal sin. Most of our sins are not like that and there are many, many ways in which Jesus, present in the community, offers us his healing and forgiving touch. This happens most beautifully at the Eucharist. St Augustine, whose depth in understanding the Body of Christ has few rivals, frequently made this point in his homilies, reminding the community as they stood around an altar and prayed the Lord's Prayer, that the ordinary sins of daily life were being forgiven. (see Sermo 272, In die Pentecostes Postremus - Ad Infantes, de Sacrament, Vol. 38). Besides the various Rites of Reconciliation, the Church also offers us a 'Litugy of Forgiveness" such as we are offering (Refer: Rite of penance 1973 # 36 & 37), in which we come together, acknowledge our sinfulness, and experience the healing touch of Jesus present in the community. Such is the power of the incarnation. Such is the power, and the responsibility that God has given us in Christ. We can forgive each other's sins; not we, but the power of Christ within us. As Jesus himself tells us: "In truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works that I do myself, and will perform even greater works." What has just been said about the forgiveness of sins through touching and being touched by the Body of Christ does not in any way lessen the importance of explicit confession. Properly understood, it does the opposite. When a person understands herself or himself as part of the Body of Christ, as touching the Body of Christ, the modern individualist who tempts us never to confess to another person, especially a priest, drops away and we, in fact, begin to sense a burning need to talk over our sins with a priest.
The Community – the very notion of community calls for people to gather together, to gather around and to be close to one another. In the first century church, folks gathered around the table in the home of a hospitable community member. There were no barriers between the worshiping assembly and the action of the Eucharist. Even as the early Christian community began constructing buildings specifically for worship, the architectural attempt was to gather people around the focal point of the table with no barrier between people and table. The Lectern – symbolizes the Head of Christ… where his word is proclaimed and broken open. The Altar – at the very hear of our community is where Christ is present… the Eucharist is the source and summit of our life… it is the juices that nourish us – from His Heart flowed Blood and Water… The Cruciform – the way the floor plan of the church is laid out… it is in the form of a crucifix… the symbol places the main centre and the arms either side of the altar, where bread and wine are transformed into the very life and blood of Christ in the community. The word making up the head and we, in our active participation, form the body. What is Liturgy? Liturgy emerges from lived experience, and is realised in celebration. It uses words, symbols, gesture and music mediums for dialogue with God. ‘In the liturgy, more than anywhere else, we find our place to stand before God. We recognise God's plan for us, to stand not alone but together, sharing a common purpose and a common destiny. In the liturgy we realise our identity as parts of one body, sharing in Christ's sufferings so as to share in his glory' – Extract from Exploring Liturgy , New Zealand National Liturgy Commission.
1. The container… earthen vessels… they are what hold the water… they symbolise God the creator… The One who holds all things in being… "To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live there; it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on the flowing waters fixed it firm." [Psalm 24:1-2] 2. The Water… "On the last day, the great day of festival, Jesus stood and cried out 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me! Let anyone who believes in me come and drink!'"[John 7:37-38] Jesus is the water of Life. 3. Movement of Water… "The water I shall give you will become in you a spring of water, welling up for eternal life." [John 4:14] "From his heart shall flow streams of living water." [John 7:38] The Spirit… the Sacramental life of the Church. Various Liturgical Ministries
Liturgy CommitteeMembers You are welcome to join and contribute to the liturgical life of the parish. Mission The aim of the Parish Liturgy Committee is to assist the people of God who gather as a community to appreciate their identity as the Body of Christ, and to worship in Spirit and in Truth. We seek to enrich our communal celebrations, in which prayer and liturgy are realised, by drawing on lived experience using words, symbols, gesture and music to enhance our dialogue with God.
Meetings We meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 6:00 to 7:30pm. Other meetings are arranged when necessary
|
|
•
|
PASTORAL |
•
|
CHURCH HISTORY |
•
|
HEART SPIRITUALITY |
|
•
|
HOMILIES |
|
•
|
FAITH FORMATION |
|
•
|
LITURGICAL LIFE |
|
•
|
YOUTH |
|
•
|
SOCIAL GROUPS |
|
•
|
|
| PARISH MAINTENANCE | |
|
•
|
WEEKLY BULLETIN |
•
|
VOCATIONS |
|
•
|
LINKS |
| to
be on earth the |
|