SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH 8/59 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 19.2. 2023 7. NEDELJA MED LETOM 7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 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 HALL RENTALS 905-561-5971, ext. 2 E-MAIL hallrental@ stgregoryhamilton.ca Največja ljubezen »Jaz pa vam pravim: Ljubite svoje sovražnike in molite za tiste, ki vas preganjajo . . .« Med najbolj spornimi točkami Jezusovega govora na gori je gotovo zahteva, da ljubimo sovražnike. Poskušajmo jo bolje doumeti tako, da se najprej vprašamo: Kdo so naši sovražniki? V prvi vrsti lahko rečemo, da je naš sovražnik vsakdo, v kolikor je drugačen: drugačnih misli, idej, okusov; drugačnih pogledov, navad in obnašanja. Težko se z njim ujamem; neprijeten mi je in težak. Sovražnik mi je tudi tisti, ki mi ni naklonjen. Če je le mogoče, mi oporeka; mi ruši moje iniciative in mi meče polena pod noge. Nekdo mi je sovražen, ker sem mu odveč; želel bi se me znebiti, me raniti ali celo uničiti. Sovražen mi je lahko človek, ki me duši s svojimi nenapovedanimi obiski ob najmanj zaželenem času in mi požira ure časa z očitnimi traparijami. Sovražnik mi je dvoličnež, za katerega vem, da misli prav nasprotno od tistega, kar govori; da je prekanjen goljuf, prodana duša in sploh človek nikakršnega zaupanja ... Če v tako širokem smislu pojmujemo sovražnike, ki naj bi jih ljubili, spoznamo, da se fronta našega srečanja z njimi razširi na vse naše vsakdanje življenje. Celo na vse ljudi. Saj nam celo najdražja in najbolj ljubljena oseba v trenutku lahko postane sovražnik. Astrid Lindgren je ob podelitvi nagrade za mir v Frankfurtu leta 1978 povedala zanimivo družinsko zgodbo. Nanaša se na mlado mater še iz tistih časov, ko je veljalo pravilo: Šiba novo mašo poje. Čeprav je imela svojega otroka zelo rada in šibe sicer ni uporabljala, se je zgodilo nekega dne, da jo je mali krepko ušpičil in si prislužil leskovega mazila. Zato ga je poslala na vrt, naj sam prinese šibo. Mali je odšel na vrt in ga dolgo ni bilo nazaj. Ko pa se je vrnil, je držal v rokah kamen in dejal: »Šibe nisem našel; vrzi vame kamen!« Češ: tudi s kamnom mi lahko priVESTNIK 2023 | zadeneš bolečino! Ganjena mati je tedaj otroka objela in oba sta zajokala. Od tistega dne je ležal kamen na kuhinjski polici, da bi družino za vedno opominjal: nasilja nikdar! Nasprotujočim in sovražnim izzivom se ljudje v prvotnem nagibu upiramo z nasiljem. In če zlo najde zaveznika v nas, je naša borba že vnaprej izgubljena. Evangeljsko naročilo »ljubite sovražnike« nam odpira pot rahljanja sovražnih mehanizmov. Kristjan zaživi ustrezno svojemu bivanju tisti trenutek, ko poruši logiko: zob za zob; udarec za udarec; ljubezen za ljubezen; pozdrav za pozdrav ... Tisto kar človeka vleče v vedno globlji vrtinec prekletstva. V moči Kristusove vere mora biti kristjan sposoben izstopiti iz krogotoka mehaničnega odgovora: sovražnika obvladaš ne tako, da se mu upreš, marveč, da ga presežeš: da mu ponudiš še drugo lice, da greš z nasilnežem še eno miljo dlje, da tatu prepustiš še plašč ... »Če namreč ljubite tiste, ki vas ljubijo, kakšno zasluženje imate?« Preprosto rečeno: v sovražnih odnosih mora imeti kristjan moči za prvi korak v drugo smer. Nič kolikokrat ostajamo blokirani v svojih odnosih, ko pričakujemo »prvi korak«. Naši odnosi namreč niso nikdar dokončni. Tudi sprejeti jih ne smemo kot take. Ne smemo dopustiti, da se sovražnost naseli v nas; da nitke postanejo vrvice in da vrvice postanejo vrvi. Nič ni dokončnega. In če se mi tudi zdi, da je vsako upanje zaman, da se ne da nič popraviti, imam kot kristjan vedno še eno možnost: pogled na križ. Kristus je prav s križem popustil svojim nasprotnikom; z njimi je šel dlje, do konca in prav na križu odprl neskončne možnosti sprave. V zaključni sceni nekega filma je bilo rečeno: »Na razdalji 300 metrov je sovražnik tarča. Na razdalji treh metrov pa je - človek.« Kristjani povemo to misel po svoje: V bližini Kristusovega križa je naš sovražnik - naš brat. Onstran vseh nasprotij in navzkrižij je področje »svetega«, na katerem je možno tudi v bolečini in potrpežljivosti graditi pravo bratstvo. To pa samo, če verujem, da je ljubezen močnejša od sovraštva, če si v tej veri tudi vztrajno prizadevam živeti. (Prim. Kruh besede, Lojze Bratina, pp. 32-33) 70 | VESTNIK 2023 7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Response: The Lord is merciful and gracious. First Reading Leviticus 19:1-2. 17-18 The book of Leviticus can seem rather dry. It begins with the command to be as holy as God. This is an impossible command, but the point is to allow God to live that holiness within us by making space for God in our lives. Second Reading 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Paul writes to the Corinthians, a community made up of common people with no pretensions to greatness. He reminds them that their dignity comes from being temples of God. Gospel Matthew 5:38-48 Jesus sets out the implications of living as his disciples. He reminds us that God gives the same grace to good and bad people alike. The choice is ours, on a daily basis, whether to respond to it or not. “You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Illustration In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale The BirthMark, the brilliant scientist Aylmer falls in love with a beautiful young woman called Georgiana. She is beautiful but has a birthmark like a small hand on her cheek. It is attuned to her emotions, becoming almost invisible when she blushes, but standing out when she is pale. Other lovers have thought this a sign of beauty, telling her that a magical fairy must have touched her cheek, but Aylmer sees it as a blemish, an imperfection that challenges his scientific skills. He becomes unable to appreci- ate his wife’s beauty clearly as he becomes obsessed with what he sees as her imperfection. He urges her to let him remove the mark. Georgiana realises that Aylmer is disturbed by her blemish. He cannot see beyond the blemish to the beauty that is within her. She is deeply hurt but, out of love for him, agrees to submit to whatever experiment he devises to render her beautiful again in his eyes. She drinks a chemical potion destined to remove the birthmark but finds that the mark is linked to her life. As the mark disappears, her life drains from her. Aylmer has achieved his idealistic dream of a perfect wife, but in the process he has destroyed what he failed to love and accept. heavenly Father is compassionate. That in itself is a tall enough order, but it avoids the tyranny of that word “perfection”. Yet here Matthew faces us, without escape, with the challenge of Jesus. There must be a key to this, as Jesus does not place impossible burdens on our shoulders nor make demands that will lead to inevitable failure. The key lies in the promise of God’s grace and in the very fact of the incarnation. God does not demand the impossible of us. Instead, we are offered a share in God’s own life – a life that is lived in us by Jesus himself. His becoming human transforms our human nature from within, making it possible for us to be holy because Jesus himself is our holiness and our healing. When we make space for him in our lives and try our best to follow his teaching, his grace comes alive within us. Application Christian life is never about trying to achieve some impossible state of perfection. It is always about intimacy with God. This means allowing God to become a familiar part of our lives. Most of us are only too conscious of our own sins and imperfections, and even more conscious of those of others. Being harsh and judgemental with ourselves or with others is never the answer, and when we hear that note in our own voice or that of others, we know it is not from God. God’s compassion is infinite, as is God’s grace, which comes to us new every morning. Every day is a day for a new start, and no one is more willing to help us than God. Gospel Teaching Whatever temptations and difficulties we face, whatever The Gospel for today, from Matthew, may defects of character we may think we have, God looks on seem as harsh and burdensome as the urge to us and finds us very good. God has faith in us, loves us and have the perfect image of oneself or another. has hopes for us. It is that faith, hope and love that give us How can sinful people like ourselves measure the strength we need to face each day with its challenges, up to the exacting standard of perfection that knowing that God’s grace is perfection enough for each Jesus seems to put before us? Is there any one of us from our birth to our dying day. Addicts in recovpoint in even trying to be perfect as our heav- ery often encourage themselves with sayings such as “one enly Father is perfect? How could we ever hope day at a time”. If we can take up this attitude and spend a to reach such a state of perfection in this life little time with God each day, reviewing the choices we and not be destroyed in the attempt? have made and seeing where we have been present to or Luke’s Gospel echoes the same teaching absent from God’s loving presence in our lives, we will but makes a crucial change in the wording. We begin to see where the path to goodness lies for us, and are told by Jesus to be compassionate as our will find the grace to respond. VESTNIK 2023 | 71 72 | VESTNIK 2023 CWL - KŽZ: BAZAAR The Bazaar is quickly approaching - make your table reservations and join our parish tradition of getting together for lunch, raffles, penny sale and of course pecivo and NOODLES! Quick update: we have decided to update details for noodle purchases - orders can still be reserved, however, there will be - 1 bag limit unless there are noodles still available on the day of the bazaar! Noodles are $20 per bag and made with the TLC of our ladies! Please call Pamela Gosgnach or Theresa Sarjaš for your order and reservations! Remember, any gifts, prizes or toys would be appreciated and accepted on Saturday morning (March 4th) - the day before the bazaar. Pecivo will also be accepted and appreciated on Torkovi večeri pri sv. Jožefu se kar lepo obnesejo. Vsakikrat, ko jih pridem pogledat, je kakšen več. Tokrat pa sta jih Joe Gimpelj in Branko Pouh, ki praznujeta 80. rojstni dan te dni, pogostila s pizzo in domačo torto. Slovenska šola »Kurenti« VESTNIK 2023 | 73 O BVESTILA - A NNOUNCEMENTS KOLEDAR DOGODKOV - Feb 19, 2023 - London - Maša pri St. John the Divine ob 3:00 p.m. - Feb 19, 2023 - Slovenski Park - Family Day - March 5, 2023 - CWL-KŽZ - Bazaar - March 19, 2023 - Društvo sv. Jožefa - Banquet READERS - BRALCI BERIL February 19th, 2023: Slovenian Mass - Mirko Zorko English Mass - Mary Miklavčič GIFT BEARERS - SLOVENIAN MASS Feb. 19th - Aranka Dundek & Danny Fujs Feb. 26th - Sue & Zdravko Augustin March 5th - CWL members CLEANING OF THE CHURCH - ČIŠČENJE CERKVE Feb. 25th - Groznik, Erzar, Lukežič March 4th - Gosgnach team March 11th - Lukežič, Volčanšek team HALL MANAGER Our Hall is back up and running! As we continue scheduling hall rentals, we will be in need of a Hall Manager. If you are interested in the part-time position as the Hall Manager for our parish, please give me a call and we can discuss the details. I will be accepting calls and emails from interested individuals until February 28th. Heidy Novak 905-317-6002 E-mail: novakhsn@gmail.com 74 | VESTNIK 2023 Na račun »Eno Srce, Ena Duša« »One Heart, One Soul« ste za našo slovensko župnijo sv. Gregorija Velikega do 17. februarja 2023: - $146,620. - Obljubili / Pledged - $140,660. - Vplačali / Paid Hvala vsem, ki ste že prispevali. Naš cilj je, da dosežemo vsoto 200.000,- DAROVI - DONATIONS Za gradbeni sklad so darovali: - $500 - Marija Krenos z družino - $100 - družina Berkovič v spomin na pok. Jožeta Gačnik. - $500 - Društvo sv. Jožefa v spomin na pokojnega Jožeta Gačnik Hvala vsem za vaš velikodušni dar. DRUŠTVO SV. JOŽEFA - ČLANARINA Villa Slovenia - Tuesday’s night social gatherings from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. V Villa Slovenia se nadaljujejo »torkovi večeri«. Vabljeni, da pridete skupaj in preživite nekaj uric v dobri družbi prijateljev. Na mizi v cerkveni veži so kuverte za članarino. V kuverti je članska izkaznica za leto 2023. Dajte denar za članarino ($15) v kuverto in kuverto oddajte v nabiralnik za nedeljsko nabirko. St. Joseph Society Meeting - Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday March 5th after the 10 AM Mass at the Villa. POSTNA POSTAVA ZA 2023 22. februarja, na pepelnično sredo, letos začenjamo postni čas, ki traja 40 dni, do Velikega petka, ki je letos 7. aprila. Na ta dva dneva je tudi strogi post. Takrat se le enkrat na dan do sitega najemo in se zdržimo mesnih jedi. Strogi post veže od izpolnjenega 18. leta do začetka 60. leta. Samo zdržek od mesnih jedi je na vse petke v letu. Izven postnega časa smemo zdržek od mesnih jedi zamenjati z drugim dobrim delom pokore ali ljubezni do bližnjega. Zdržek od mesnih jedi veže vernike od izpolnjenega 14. leta dalje. Kadar je praznik (cerkveni ali državni) na petek ali kakšna slovesnost v družini, post in zdržek odpadeta. Na pepelnično sredo bomo med sveto mašo lahko prejeli na čelo znamenje križa, in s tem znamenjem spokornosti začeli postni čas. Post je lahko čas, ki je več kot odpoved; lahko je čas praznovanja. Nekaterim stvarem se lahko odpovemo in praznujemo zaradi drugih. Svete maše - Masses 7. NEDELJA MED LETOM 7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 19. FEBRUAR Bonifacij, škof DON BOSCO † † † † †† † † † † †† V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Nedelko Zabukovec Nemec Skale Prša Bembenek Ritlop Stegne Žigon Zelko Za žive in rajne župljane Cecilia Sobočan Irma Dorenčec Marica Majzelj Frank Halas Pok. iz druž. Arko in Simrajh Francka Ziernfeld Ivan Doma Jože Gačnik Cecilija Sobočan Pokojni Slovenci iz Londona Ivan Izidor Yolanda Milka Veronika Marta Martha Neža Hilda Martin Tue., February 21, 1978 Sat., February 22, 2003 Sat., February 22, 2020 Mon., February 22, 2021 Mon., February 23, 1987 Mon., February 24, 1997 Tue., February 24, 2009 Sat., February 24, 2018 Fri., February 25, 2022 Frid., February 26, 1999 9:30 A.M. - - - - - - - Slavko Miklavčič z družino Može Ignac Družina Malevič Regina Halas Magda in Joe Razpotnik Rosemary Šušteršič in družina 11:00 A.M. Mary Hanc z družino Rosemary Šušteršič in družina Liz Tyler Clarke z družino 3:00 P.M. St. John the Divine Church SV. MAŠE - MASSES: Mon. to Fri.: 7:00 P.M.; Saturday: 5:30 P.M. (Slo); Sunday: 9:30 A.M. (Slo); 11:00 A.M (Eng) - From July to Fall Banquet only 10:00 A.M. - KRSTI / BAPTISMS: For an appointment, call one month before. POROKE / MARRIAGE: By appointment, call one year before the wedding date. SPOVED / CONFESSIONS: First Friday of the month 6 to 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 or Cell: 905-520-2014 VESTNIK 2023 | 75 SVETE MAŠE - MASSES 20. 2. 2023 - 26. 2. 2023 PONEDELJEK - MONDAY 20. FEBRUAR Frančišek in Jacinta TOREK - TUESDAY 21. FEBRUAR Peter Damini, šk.uč. SREDA - WEDNESDAY 22. FEBRUAR Pepelnica Ash Wednesday ČETRTEK - THURSDAY 23. FEBRUAR Polikarp, šk-muč. PETEK - FRIDAY 24. FEBRUAR Matija, apostol SOBOTA - SATURDAY 25. FEBRUAR Alojzij in Kalist, muč. Taras, škof 1. POSTNA NEDELJA 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT 26. FEBRUAR Aleksander (Branko) škof 76 | VESTNIK 2023 Za mir v Ukrajini † Rick Patterson † Eileen MacKenzie Po namenu † Frank Pavlakovič † Cecilia Sobočan † Jurij Rajbar Na čast sv. Jožefu † Dane in Marija Bukovac † Marica Majzelj † Milka Skale, obl. Na čast sv. Jožefu † Ivan Dobršek Na čast sv. Jožefu † Elizabeth Farkaš (Strina) † Jadwiga Tomkow †† Vid Kastelic in pokojni iz družine Za zdravje (Janeza) †† Za pok. duhovnike naše župnije Za versko rast mladih † Julijana Sagadin Za zdravje (Franceta) 7:00 P.M. Jožica Novak z družino Jožica Novak z družino N.N. Ivka Pašalić 7:00 P.M. Društvo sv. Jožefa (5) Društvo sv. Jožefa (2) Žena Marija in sin Karel Rajbar Ana Tadić Hči in sin z družino 7:00 P.M. Franc Pleško Elizabeth Lukežič z družino K. H. Marija Korošec z družino Ana Tadić 7:00 P.M. Družina Miklavčič K.H. Jožica Vegelj z družino Anna P. 7:00 P.M. Družina Vegelj Slomškovo oltarno društvo Ignac Dorenčec Anna P. † † †† † † † † 5:30 P.M. Žena in otroci Marija Korošec z družino Amalija Štadler z družino Marija Volf Joe Fotivec (To) Martin in Regina Nedelko Emilia Mertuk z družino 9:30 A.M. - - - - - - - Žena Milena z družino Marija in Toni Franc John Božnar z družino Družina Pust Tereza Prša Družina Kisner (Slovenija) Družina Mes Družina Mes 11:00 A.M. Heidy, Adam in Rosemary Mary in Ryan Tocher z družino Vera Gonza z družino Žena z družino Jožica Novak z družino † †† † † † † †† † † † † † † Matija Vlašič Marica Majzelj Marija in Alojz Mes, obl. Julijana Sagadin Ivan Doma Julijana Sagadin Štefan Gabor Za žive in rajne župljane Maks Pavlič Martin in Matija Zelko Ann Božnar Francka Pust Marica Majzelj Julijana Sagadin, 30. dan Marija in Alojz Mes, obl. Cecilia Sobočan Cecilia Sobočan Cecilia Sobočan Ivan in Cecilia Sobočan Joe Lackovič Slavko Intihar