Sandpiper: Catholic Diocese of Sandhurst

FEBRUARY 2019 WWW.SANDPIPER.ORG.AU Gospel Readings for February “ ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’ John 21:17 The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple It was a rule among the Jews that the first boy child born to a family was to be taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. There his parents would make an offering to the Lord, to show that the child belonged to the Lord. When Jesus was forty days old, Joseph and Mary brought Him to the Temple. As an offering Joseph brought a pair of young pigeons to place upon the altar of the Temple. Living in Jerusalem at that time was a very holy man, a man whom the Lord had spoken to directly. His name was Simeon, and he was very old, but the Lord had told him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ, or Saviour, whose coming had been predicted in the Bible. One day the Spirit of the Lord urged Simeon to go to the Temple. He went, and was there when Joseph and Mary came with the baby Jesus, to present their offering. When Simeon saw the child, the Lord let him know that this was the Christ who had been promised. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and gave thanks to the Lord for letting him see the Christ: “Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” Then Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary. He also told Mary some of the things the future would hold, for her son and for her. He told her of the greatness her son would attain, but he added that sorrow, like a sword, would pierce her heart. SANDPIT 19 February 24 Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Luke 6:27-38 B ut I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To anyone who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek as well; to anyone who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from someone who takes it. Treat others as you would like people to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get money back, what credit can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High, for He himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap; because the standard you use will be the standard used for you. February 17 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Luke 6:17, 20-26 H e then came down with them and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples, with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said: How blessed are you who are poor: the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall have your fill. Blessed are you who are weeping now: you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, look!-your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets. But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Alas for you who have plenty to eat now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who are laughing now: you shall mourn and weep. Alas for you when everyone speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets. February 10 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Luke 5:1-11 N ow it happened that he was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats at the water’s edge. The fishermen had got out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats -- it was Simon’s -- and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” Simon replied, “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.” And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled both boats to sinking point. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” For he and all his companions were completely awestruck at the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be catching.” Then, bringing their boats back to land they left everything and followed him. February 3 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Gospel Luke 4:21-30 T hen he began to speak to them, “This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.” And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, surely?” But he replied, “No doubt you will quote me the saying, ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ and tell me, ‘We have heard all that happened in Capernaum, do the same here in your own country.” And he went on, “In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country. There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s day, when heaven remained shut for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land, but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a town in Sidonia. And in the prophet Elisha’s time there were many suffering from virulent skin diseases in Israel, but none of these was cured -- only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him off the cliff, but he passed straight through the crowd and walked away.