VESTNIK 2021 | 4. POSTNA NEDELJA 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH 11/57 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 14. 3. 2021 Fr. Drago Gačnik, SDB ŽUPNIK - PASTOR NASLOV - ADDRESS 125 Centennial Pkwy N. Hamilton, ON L8E 1H8 PHONE: 905-561-5971 CELL: 905-520-2014 E-MAIL gregory_sdb@ stgregoryhamilton.ca WEB PAGE www.carantha.com HALL RENTALS CELL: 905-518-6159 E-MAIL hallrental@ stgregoryhamilton.ca Kristus nam prinaša luč Prvo berilo za današnjo nedeljo je vzeto iz preroka Jeremije iz tako imenovane knjige tola- žbe. Slavni prerok je bil priča uničenju Jeruzale- ma s strani Babiloncev leta 586 pr. Kristusom. Današnji odlomek je eden izmed duhovnih vrhov Stare zaveze. Pogumno predlaga spremembo stare sinajske zaveze in sklenitev »nove zaveze« z Gospodom. Pavel povzema to Jeremijevo oznani- lo v pismu Korinčanom (2 Kor 3,3-6) in ves prero- kov govor povzema v pismu Hebrejcem, ki je naj- boljši starozavezni navedek v Novi zavezi (8,8-12). Poudarek je prav na pridevniku »nova«. Namesto stare »sinajske zaveze«, ki jo je Bog skorajda na politično-vojaški način vzpostavil na Sinaju s svojim »podložnikom« Izraelom, se sedaj vzpostavlja nov odnos, ki je odločno zakoreninjen v »srcu«, to je na zavesti in človekovi notranjosti. Stari, hladni, kamniti tabli nadomesti tabla spre- menjenega človeškega srca, slovesno izročilo zakona nadomesti notranja »vest«, ki se bliža Bogu z voljo, razumom, srcem in dejanjem. Zakon navdi- huje milost, sodbi sledi zmagoslavje odpuščanja, strah se druži z občutkom, ki predstavlja oba »podpisnika« pogodbe, Boga in človeka, kar najtesneje povezuje. Gre za celostno preobrazbo bitja, ki ga napolnjuje Bog. Ta se ne kaže več od daleč, ovit v skrivnostni oblak svoje vzvišene svetosti. Krščanski bralec zdaj prebira Jeremijevo obljubo v luči Kristusovega križa, v tistem odločilnem trenutku, v katerem je »povzdignjen z zemlje ... vse pritegnil k sebi« (Jn 12,32). Janez imenuje ta odločilni trenutek »Ura« z veliko začetnico: »Prišla je ura ...« Tej »uri« se lahko pridruži vse človeštvo. Človeštvo prestavljajo k judovstvu spreobrnjeni Grki, ki želijo v Jeru- zalemu spoznati Jezusa. Kristus vsem tem, ki želijo razumeti pomen njegove »ure«, pove kratko priliko in jim oznani zakon križa. Začnimo s prepričljivo podobo semena, ki mora umreti. Gre za zelo izvirno razlago prilike o seme- nu in sejalcu, ki so jo že pripovedovali drugi evangelisti. Jezus želi razrešiti eno najstrašnejših nasprotij bivanja, tisto med smrtjo in življenjem. Seme prodira v temo zemlje. Razlagalci prvih krščanskih sto- 94 | VESTNIK 2021 Illustration It was midway through Lent and an elderly man slipped into the confessional box. He humbly confessed his sins, but after he had left the confes- sional, he somehow gave the impression that there was something more he needed to say. “Is there anything else?” the priest gently enquired. “As a matter of fact,” the man replied, “there is. You see, I normally have a tot of whisky before I go to bed. This Lent I decided I’d give up the drink till Easter Sunday. And I’ve kept that promise right up to now.” “Well, that’s a wonderful effort,” said the priest. “Tomorrow is Laetare Sunday, and that means we’re already halfway through Lent; it’ll soon be Easter. You must be very pleased.” “I don’t know, Father,” 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT Response: Let my tongue cling to my mouth if I do not remember you! First Reading 2 Chronicles 36:14-16. 19-23 Israel’s sinfulness brings destruction on Jerusalem and years of exile; the Lord’s intervention, though Persian king Cyrus, brings an end to exile and offers the pos- sibility of homecoming. Second Reading Ephesians 4:2-10 We are God’s “work of art”; though marred by sin, we are restored as a new creation through God’s loving goodness, shown in Christ. Gospel John 3:14-21 Jesus, hanging lifeless on a cross, is the supreme sign that he came into our world out of love and in order to save us. “God loved us with so much love.” letij so videli v tem simbolični namig na učloveče- nje Božjega Sina v temačnem obnebju zgodovine. Zdi se, da je v zemlji moč semena obsojena na uni- čenje; seme v njej resnično strohni in umre. In ven- dar smo priče večnemu presenečenju narave: ko se poleti zlati klasje, spoznamo rodovitno skrivnost te smrti. Drugič je Jezus poudaril isto misel, ko je začu- den obstal pred plodovitim gorčičnim grmom, zra- slim iz izredno majhnega semena, ki ga je človek ponevedoma vrgel v zemljo (Mr 4,30-32). Če seme ne bi padlo v zemljo in umrlo, bi ostalo nerodovitno in samo, saj je rodovitno le po trpljenju in smrti. Pa- vel naobrne Jezusovo podobo na usodo verujočega in nam tako vliva upanje v vstajenje: »Neumnež! Kar ti seješ, ne oživi, če ne umrje. In to, kar vseješ, ni telo, ki bo nastalo, ampak golo zrno (1 Kor 15,36-37). Jezus vidi, da mu grozi smrt, a je ne slika kot uničujočo pošast. Četudi je tema, čeprav je boleči- na, je v Kristusu tajna moč poroda, saj nosi v sebi skrivnost rodovitnosti in vstajenja. V tej luči torej Jezus povzema veliki zakon križa: »Kdor ima rad svoje življenje, ga bo izgubil; kdor pa sovraži svoje življenje na tem svetu, ga bo ohranil za večno ži- vljenje« (Jn 12,25). Kdor se oklepa lastnega življenja in ga ima za hladen dragocen kamen, ki ga je tre- ba zapredi v skrinjo lastnega samoljubja, je podo- ben semenu, ki je zaverovano vase in jalovo. Dru- gačna pa je usoda onega, ki »sovraži svoje življe- nje«, ko želi izraziti odpoved samemu sebi: podari- tev bližnjemu je ustvarjalna, se spreminja v stude- nec miru, življenja in sreče. To je umrlo seme, ki kali. Toda v Jezusovih besedah je še neka druga raz- sežnost - razsežnost velikonočnega značaja. Jezus čuti, da mora po temni poti smrti na križu, da bi človeštvo usmeril na svetlo pot božjega življenja. V hoji za njim se tudi učenec srečuje s svojo »uro« smrti, vendar tudi ve, da se mu bo na njej prikazalo »večno življenje«, ki je v Janezovi govorici pomeni polno in najvišjo obliko občestva z Bogom. Apostol Pavel piše rimskim kristjanom o istem poslanstvu: »Če smo z njim zraščeni v podobnosti njegove smr- ti, bomo tudi v podobnosti njegovega vstaje- nja« (Rim 6,5). - (Prim. Oznanjevalec 2005-2006, št. 3) VESTNIK 2021 | 95 came the reply. “You see, if I go without the drink much longer, I’m afraid I might lose my taste for the stuff altogether.” Whatever we think about that, our reason for rejoicing today is not that we have made it to the halfway mark of Lent, but rather that today we hear readings that bring us the most incredible news we could ever hear. It’s as though the Church is asking us to raise our eyes and look to the future; to think of the extraordinary events that we’ll soon be cele- brating, events that form the climax of the Church’s liturgical year, the suffering, death and glorious resurrection of our beloved Lord. Gospel Teaching In the Gospel Jesus refers to an ancient story that would be well known to his Jewish audience. It tells how the people of Israel, while trudging through the desert on their way to the Promised Land, were beset by poisonous snakes that caused many deaths. Moses was inspired to fashion a snake in bronze and set it on a standard, promising that whoever looked up at it with faith would be healed. Today Jesus declares that he himself, the “Son of Man”, must be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert. As Christians, it’s hard for us to hear those words without our thoughts immediate- ly switching to Calvary and to the cross of crucifix- ion. Upon it there hangs not a lifeless symbol, like the bronze snake, but the living, tortured body of God’s only Son, and there is a divine promise that whoever looks towards him in faith will enjoy eter- nal life. The scene on Calvary speaks eloquently of how much God loves us. In the simple yet powerful words of John, the Gospel writer, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son.” Calvary is the supreme proof that our God is a God of love, a God who in the person of God’s Son came into this world not to condemn but to save. What Jesus came to save us from is sin. Sin – it’s such a tiny word, but, like an infinitesimally small virus, it represents a hidden enemy which is capable of causing cata- strophic damage and, in the end, can leave us skulk- ing forever in the dark instead of living in the joy of the light. Application Today’s second reading reminds us that Jesus came not simply to save us from something, but to save us for something. That something is life as a son or daughter of God. Through the mercy, the goodness and graciousness of God we are trans- formed: we become, in the incredible words of St Paul, “God’s work of art”, destined to live “the good life as from the beginning [God] had meant us to live it”. Perhaps we tend to think of ourselves more as disaster areas than works of art. But today we are being asked to think again. We are assured by God’s word that we are “God’s work of art”. If that is God’s vision, then can it inspire us, in our own small way, to live up to God’s expectations? Again, when we see goodness not in terms of keeping commandments but rather in terms of making a return of love to a God who first loved us, then what could give us greater joy than trying to live “the good life” as God has always meant it to be? If Sunday by Sunday we could bring to mind these truths, wouldn’t every Sunday be a “Laetare Sunday”, a day filled with grat- itude and rejoicing for all that the Lord has done, is doing, will do in order to turn us into “God’s work of art”? 96 | VESTNIK 2021 Cilj naše kampanje je v treh letih zbrati vsoto $200,000.00 za našo župnijo. Nekateri še vedno ne razumejo, da vse, kar boste darovali preko te kampanje, bo prejela naša župnija in še 10% iz skupnega sklada. Škofijski uradi pa bodo vodili vse računovodske zadeve, tako, da nam ne bo potrebno tega dela urejati. V Vestniku vsak teden objavimo koliko ste »obljubili« da boste darovali za kampa- njo za našo župnijo preko škofijskega računa in koliko je že dejansko »vplačanega«. Iz škofije nam tedensko poš- ljejo tekoče stanje na našem računu. Na računu »Eno Srce, Ena Duša« za na- šo slovensko župnijo sv. Gregorija Velike- ga sta številki: $96,759 - Pledged - obljubili $52,504 - Paid - ste že vplačali Od prejšnjega tedna ni bilo novih pri- spevkov za sklad Eno Srce, Ena Duša. Hvala vsem, ki ste že prispevali. Smo že skoraj na polovici zastavljenega cilja. Heart to Heart MARCH 19th IS THE FEAST OF ST. JO- SEPH – celebrated this year in the Holy Year dedicated to St. Joseph by Pope Francis last December. Information, prayers, and reflec- tions will be sent to Pastors and Parishes in advance of the Feast Day. Pope Francis has a special devotion to St. Joseph. One of his early acts as Pope was to include St. Joseph by name in the Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV, of the Mass (he was already included in Eucharist Prayer I). St. Joseph, pray for us! MISION ROSARIO is an international youth-led campaign hoping to pray one mil- lion Rosaries by Easter: for “peace, liberty, and life”, in the Americas (North and South). Mision Rosario started in Chile after two churches were burned down, and quickly spread throughout America. The intention for peace applies also to widespread political un- rest and the threat of new laws promoting euthanasia and abortion here in Canada. Young people in the Diocese pray the Ro- sary every day on ZOOM. Add this intention to your daily Rosary and then add your Rosary at www.misionrosario.org/us. THE PROMISED CORONAVIRUS VACCINE is now being offered to certain groups accord- ing to need. Priests in the Halton Deanery are scheduled to receive their “shots” in the com- ing days. It is a relief, especially for those with pre-existing conditions, and for those who visit hospitalized parishioners or those in Long-Term Care Centres. Priests who are “on call” at hospitals have also been offered the vaccine. Little by little, we can see the light at the end of this tunnel! March 12, 2021 (#429) VESTNIK 2021 | 97 PRAYER DURING PANDEMIC They cried to the Lord in their trouble, And he saved them from their distress; He sent out his word and healed them, And delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his stead- fast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. Psalm 107:19-21 Lord God, I pray for all who have become sick or died by the coronavirus that has been spreading throughout the world. In your mercy and compassion, deliver us from this disease, In your holy wisdom, guide all who are working to contain the outbreak, In your steadfast love, bring healing to all your children who have fallen sick, Welcome into your arms the ones that died, Comfort the ones they left behind. In faith, I place my trust in you. In hope, I turn to you in my time of need. In love, I give glory to your name. In gratitude, I will praise you with my life. In your Son’s name I pray. Amen. MASS OF CHRISM His Excellency, Bishop Crosby, will celebrate the Mass of Chrism on Monday, March 29th, 2021 in the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton. This year, due to COVID capacity limitations and social distancing requirements, attendance at the Chrism Mass will be limited to Priests only. Each year at the Mass of Chrism, the Bishop blesses the Oil of the Sick, and the Oil of Catechumens, and consecrates Sacred Chrism. The blessed and conse- crated Oils are taken to the Parishes of the Diocese to be used in the celebration of the Sacraments for the coming year. The Priests serving in the Diocese, together with the Bishop, renew the promises of their Ordination in which they committed themselves to serve this local Church in imitation of Christ the Priest, Prophet and Shepherd. Let us pray for all who minister to God’s holy peo- ple in our Diocese – our Bishops, Priests, Deacons, lay leaders, and all God’s holy people. Every year since 1967, Catholics have generously donated to Share Lent to support the work of the Canadian Catholic Organi- zation for Development and Peace. Share Lent is our main source of funding for our sisters and brothers in the Global South. In Hamilton diocese in 2020 Development and Peace received approximately 60% of our average Share Lent collection. As a result we cut in Canada programming, laid off some staff and those remain- ing had their hours reduced to part-time. I know that many people are suffering economic loss due to this pandemic. But when we compare our lives in Canada to those of peo- ple living in many other countries, we realize that we are indeed blessed. This year the Share Lent collection is on weekend March 20-21. 98 | VESTNIK 2021 O BVESTILA - A NNOUN CEMENTS ČIŠČENJE CERKVE - CLEANING OF THE CHURCH March 20th - Novak Peter team March 27th - Lukežič & Volčanšek team April 1st - Gosgnach & Janiak team After April 3rd, we will go to every two weeks. Thanks, Pamela THE ST JOSPEH SOCIETY 2021 MEMBERSHIP 2021 membership cards are available for members. Member- ship cards can be found on the church hallway table. The cards are in envelopes with member’s name and address. Members can take their cards, put their $15.00 membership fee in the envelopes and put them into the church offering box. Those who have not paid for 2020, will find their membership cards also available for pay- ment. Father Drago will collect the envelopes and give them to the Board to record the mem- bership payments. The Board would like to thank the members for their ongoing support and we look forward to social gatherings again in the future. Na mizi v cerkveni veži imate kuverte z vašim naslovom in v kuverti je tudi članska izkaznica. Člani vzemite kartico iz kuverte, v kuverto pa oddajte plačilo članarine $15. Kuverto nato od- dajte v cerkveni nabiralnik, ki je v veži. Tisti, ki niste plačali za leto 2020, boste v ku- verti naši tudi izkaznico za prejšnje leto, in lahko v kuverto priložite plačilo članarine. Fr. Drago bo zbral kuverte in jih oddal odbo- ru, da si bodo zabeležili članstvo. Odbor društva sv. Jožefa se zahvaljuje vsem članom za nenehno podporo in upamo, da se bomo lahko kmalu zopet zbrali k družabnim sre- čanjem pod okriljem sv. Jožefa. Letošnje leto je papež Frančišek razglasil za Jožefovo leto. DAROVI - DONATIONS Za gradbeni sklad so darovali: - $500 - Casey in Anna Žižek (Burlington) - $80 - Majda Lukežič namesto cvetja na grob pokojne Milke Skale. - Hvala za dar. POGREB - FUNERAL V petek, 12. marca 2021, je v 87. letu starosti, odšla k Bogu po večno plačilo naša faranka Ve- ronika Čurič. Pokojna je zadnja leta preživela najprej v domu za starejše občane Amica Stoney Creek, potem pa v Arbour Creek Care Centre. Pokojna bo ležala v Markev-Dermody Fune- ral Home, 1774 King St. East (pri Kenilworth) v ponedeljek, 15. marca od dveh do šestih zvečer. Ob 4:15 popoldne bomo molili rožni venec. Za obisk v Funeral Home se je potrebno prijavit in poklicat na telefonsko številko: 905-547-1121. Ko pridete na parkirišče počakajte v avtu dokler vas ne pokličejo, da lahko greste noter. Pogrebna maša bo v torek, 16. marca, v naši cerkvi ob 10:00 a.m. in potem pogreb na Holy Sepulchre pokopališču. Iskreno sožalje sorodni- kom pokojna Veronika pa naj počiva v božjem miru. OBVESTILA Prihodnja nedelja je peta postna ali tiha nedeljo, ko bomo v cerkvi zakrili križe. Bliža se že cvetna nedelja, 28. marca. Letos, po navodilih škofije, ne bomo delili palmovih vejic, si pa lah- ko sami za to nedeljo pripravite majhno »butarico«, šopek. Tudi ne bomo imeli blagoslo- va v dvorani, ampak se bomo, kot običajno, zbrali v cerkvi. Če bi nas bilo preveč v cerkvi se lahko nekateri zaustavite v veži ali v kapelici, seveda poskrbite za razdaljo. Prav tako je še ve- dno potrebno v cerkvi nositi maske. VESTNIK 2021 | 99 SVETE MAŠE - MASS TIMES: Monday to Friday: 7:00 P.M., Saturday: 5:30 P.M. (Slovenian-Sunday Mass); Sunday: 10:00 A.M. (Slovenian-English - For the time of Covid-19 it is only one Mass on Sundays) - KRSTI / BAPTISMS: For an appointment, call one month before. POROKE / MARRIAGE: For an appointment, call one year before the wedding date. SPOVED / CONFES- SIONS: First Friday of the month 6 -7:00 P.M. (or by appointment) BOLNIKI - Sporočite, če je kdo bolan ali v bolnišnici, da ga obiščemo. You are welcome to call for a personal conversation with your priest – please call for an appointment. Tel: 905- 561-5971. DON BOSCO Ta teden je praznik sv. Jožefa, prav na pet- ek. Sv. Jožef je glavni zavetnik kanadske cerkve in zavetnik vesoljne cerkve. Ta dan je praznik, zato bo tudi maša praznična v belem mašnem plašču. »Z apostolskim pismom Patris corde, ki je izšlo 8. decembra 2020, na praznik Brezmadež- ne, se sveti oče spominja 150. letnice razglasitve sv. Jožefa za zavetnika vesoljne Cerkve, zato bo- mo do 8. decembra 2021 obhajali posebno Leto svetega Jožefa.« Bomo, kot je to navada vsak postni petek, imeli pol ure pred mašo tudi po- božnost križevega pota. Lansko leto smo, 15. marca, še imeli banket društva sv. Jožefa (in tudi se spomnili pokojnega Jerry Ponikvarja, ki je umrl mesec prej). S tor- kom, 17. marca pa smo zaprli cerkve in 29. mar- ca smo imeli prvi prenos svete maše v živo po Facebooku - žal je bil zaradi naše neizkušenosti, brez zvoka. Leto je minilo, pa koronavirusa še ni V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Miklavčič Florian March 15, 2004 Booth Steve March 15, 2011 Štern Slavko Alojz March 16, 2012 Gimpelj Frank March 16, 2013 Ferfolja Marko March 17, 2016 Rožič Boris March 18, 1996 Lenart Ana Martina March 18, 2014 Halas Teresa March 19, 2008 Stergulc Draga Emma March 21, 1990 Kuzmič Josef March 21, 2011 konec. Upamo pa, da se bodlo razmere počasi izboljšale. Molimo drug za drugega, da bi ohra- nili globoko vero. 100 | VESTNIK 2021 SVETE MAŠE - MASSES od 14. 3. 2021 do 21. 3. 2021 4. POSTNA NEDELJA 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT 14. MARC Matilda, kraljica † † †† † † †† † † † † † Za žive in rajne župljane Tilka Vengar, 4. obl. Anton Vengar Tilka in Anton Vengar Izidor Fujs, obl. Jožef Prša Paula in Franc Pelcar Anthony Krajc Jože Pust Jože Lovšin, obl. Stephanie Pust, obl. Neil Lambert, obl. 10:00 A.M. IN CHURCH AND ON FACEBOOK - - - - - - - - - Rose Marie & Tony Vengar z druž. Rose Marie & Tony Vengar z druž. Jožica Novak z družino Aranka Dundek z družino Emil in Regina Črešnjovec Stan Pelcar & Josie Dubé z druž. Žena Marilyn Družina Pust Družina Pust Družina Pust Družina Pust PONEDELJEK - MONDAY 15. MARC, Ludovika, red. † †† Fr. Stane Okorn Jure in Marica 7:00 P.M. Jožica Novak z družino Hči Dragica TOREK - TUESDAY 16. MARC Hilarij Oglejski, škof † † † † Veronika Čurič Frank Gimpelj, obl. Frank Gimpelj, obl. Pepca Zabukovec 10:00 A.M. 7:00 P.M. Pogrebna maša Brat Jože Gimpelj Žena Elizabeth z družino Družina Erzar SREDA - WEDNESDAY 17. MARC Patrik, škof † † † Joe Prša Marko Ferfolja, obl. Paulina Ordyniec 7:00 P.M. Cecilija Sobočan N.N. Olga Glavač z družino ČETRTEK - THURSDAY 18. MARC, Anzelm, šk. † † Boris Rožič, obl. Eileen MacKenzie 7:00 P.M. Družina N.N. PETEK - FRIDAY 19. MARC Jožef, mož Device Marije †† † †† † † † Križev pot Jožef in Marija Heric Joe Lackovič Marija in Jože Kuzma Joe Hanc Jožef Raduha Florian Miklavčič, obl. 6:30 P.M. 7:00 p.m. - - - - - Hči Anica Miklavčič Vera Lackovič z družino Hči Jožica z družino Rose Marie & Chris Don Garcia Anica Miklavčič z družino Anica Miklavčič z družino SOBOTA - SATURDAY 20. MARC Klavdija, mučenka Marija Jožefa, red. ustanov. † † † † † † Ana Feigel Štefan Prša Rosi Dolar Jože Vuk Jožef Prša Jože Raduha 5:30 P.M. Terezija Prša Terezija Prša Stanka Kodarin Stanko Petek z družino Ivan Nedelko Ivan Nedelko 5. POSTNA - TIHA NEDELJA 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT 21. MARC Nikolaj iz Flüe, puščavnik † † †† † † † Za žive in rajne župljane Frank Verdinšek Frank Marič Pavel in Paul Richard Novak Walter Fylypiw Elizabet Ftičar Štefan Ftičar 10:00 A.M. IN CHURCH AND ON FACEBOOK - - - - - - - - - Družina Kodarin Mary Fylypiw and Branko Ignac in Terezija Sarjaš Mary Fylypiw Mary in Branko Mary in Branko Uro prestavimo naprej! Daylight Saving Time begins.