Slovenska župnija sv. Gregorija Velikega | St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church 34/56 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 23. 8. 2020 21. Nedelja med letom 21st 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 Web page www.carantha.com Hall rentals Cell: 905-518-6159 E-mail hallrental@ stgregoryhamilton.ca »Kaj pa ti praviš, kdo sem?« Cezareje Filipove danes ni več. Kraj, na katerem je stala, blizu izvira Jordana ob vznožju Hermona, se imenuje Banijas; ime spominja na Pana, poganskega boga voda, gozdov in rodovitnosti. Edina sled preteklosti tega mesta, ki ga je v rimskem slogu pozidal eden izmed naslednikov Heroda, je prav votlina boga Pana, ki so ga tedanji romarji častili kakor vir zdravja in uspešnosti. Tudi danes se romarji, ki romajo v Sveto deželo, povzpnejo do te votline, ki kraljuje nad brzicami Jordana, saj tukaj začenja svoj tek proti Tiberijskemu jezeru in potem proti svojemu grobu v Mrtvo morje. Romarji seveda pridejo, da bi poslušali neko drugo besedo, ki jo je na tem kraju izgovoril »Sin živega Boga«, močno različen od Pana. To so besede, ki jih je Kristus naslovil na Petra in ki jih danes poslušamo pri bogoslužju. Te besede temeljijo na treh velikih simbolih, ki osvetljujejo poslanstvo Petra in Cerkve, kakor si ga je Jezus zamislil. Samo na eni skali je mogoče zidati hišo, ki bo obstala pred povodnjimi, viharji in nevihtami. Podobo želi Jezus narediti še razvidnejšo prek novega imena, ki ga da Simonu, Janezovemu sinu. Govoreč v svojem aramejskem jeziku, Jezus imenuje apostola Kefa, kar pomeni »skala« (lat. petra), Peter. Samo Jezus in ta apostol v Novi zavezi prejmeta tako splošno ime. Smisel je jasen: Peter ima v zgodovini poslanstvo napravljati vidno vlogo temelja, edinosti, stabilnosti Kristusa v odnosu do njegove Cerkve. Verujoči v Kristusa ne bodo razpršeni in osamljeni, ampak se bodo našli skupaj okrog Petrove skale, ki v imenu Kristusa zbira Božjo Cerkev. Drugi simbol je simbol ključev. V spomin ga prikliče odstavek iz Izai-ja, ki smo ga brali v prvem berilu. Prerok iz osmega stoletja pred Kristusom, navajajoč neko motno zamenjavo oblasti na vrhu politike Judovega kraljestva, opiše prenos ključev kraljevske palače v Jeruzalemu - to je VESTNI K 2020 j 29S funkcije prvega ministra - od nekega šebnaja k Eliakimu, pravičnemu možu. Ključi neke hiše, neke dragocene skrinje ali ključi nekega besedila, so znamenje avtoritete na sodniškem ali kulturnem sedežu. Peter bo odslej naprej tisti, ki bo delil zaklade odrešenja, bo kanal, prek katerega se bo Kristusova beseda širila in razlagala, bo pot, po kateri bodo darovi božje ljubezni stalno in vidno »pretakali« v krščansko skupnost. lz simbola ključev izhaja tretja podoba odlomka, to je o zavezovanju-odvezovanju, s pravnega področja. Petrovo poslanstvo je podarjati božje odpuščanje, in še širše, tolažiti, opominjati, spodbujati, voditi Božje ljudstvo. »Petrinska« stran, ki smo jo brali, postane portret Kristusove Cerkve, zbrane okrog Petra. Da bi bolje razumeli, poglejmo dva odlomka. Prvi je del posvetilne molitve pri posvetitvi škofa, ki dobro označi službo papeža in škofov: »Izlij sedaj na tega izbranega tistega Svetega Duha, ki si ga dal svojemu ljubljenemu Sinu Jezusu Kristusu. Ta ga je podaril apostolom, ki so tebi v neminljivo slavo in čast po vseh krajih ustanovili Cerkev kot tvoje svetišče.« Drugi je dokument drugega vatikanskega cerkvenega zbora o Cerkvi, Luč narodov, kjer zatrjuje, da »je Bog hotel ljudi posvečevati in zveličati ne posamič in brez vsakršne medsebojne zveze, temveč jih je hotel narediti za ljudstvo, zedinjeno okrog trdnega temelja.« Če hočemo ob vsem, kar smo danes slišali v božji besedi, lahko povzamemo misel, ki naj bo vodilo za naše življenje: »Na poti vere je odločilnega pomena volja in pripravljenost iskati osebne odgovore, ki v naše življenje prinašajo nov smisel bivanja. Petrova izpoved vere v Jezusa Kristusa presega moč človeškega spoznanja, saj je predvsem sad odprtosti Svetemu Duhu. Tudi mi bomo mogli vedno bolj odkrivati skrivnosti božje skrbi za človeka, če bomo v svojih iskanjih, dvomih in vprašanjih ostali odprti Svetemu Duhu, ki nas bo poučil o tem, kaj je bistveno v našem življenju.« (Prim. Oznanjevalec 2005) - 21st Sunday in OT Response: Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever! First Reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) The Lord passes authority from one servant to another. Second Reading (Romans 11:33-36) Paul writes of the depth of God's wisdom. Gospel (Matthew 16:13-20) Peter acknowledges Jesus as the Christ, and Jesus gives him the keys of the kingdom. "Who do you say I am?" CJ O^QJ «& 3 Illustration The priest got up into the pulpit and began delivering his homily on "distraction at prayer" and how it can manifest itself. He told the congregation about a woman, whom he actually knew quite well, who got up during his sermon one Sunday and with a fair amount of embarrassment quickly left the church. The priest went on to say that this happened because she was distracted by something. He met the woman later on that week in the street, and she began to apologise, saying, "Oh Father, I am sorry that I had to leave the church during your homily, and they are always very good anyway, but I had the terrible thought that I had left the oven on, so I had to return home immediately." The priest concluded by saying, "And that, my brothers and sisters, is distraction at prayer." Sitting in the church was little Samantha, aged eight years old. She put her hand up and, when the 386 | VESTNI K 2020 priest saw this, he asked, "Have you a question?" To which Samantha said, with no hesitation or embarrassment, "Instead of being a distraction, could it not have been God telling the woman to go home, because the oven would catch fire, her house would burn down and she and her children would have nowhere to stay?" Out of the mouths of babes and children, we might say. We always need to be open to new ways of looking at things and listening to new voices. Gospel Teaching Matthew tells us in today's Gospel that Simon Peter replied to Jesus' question without hesitation, fear or doubt. After the previous answers given by the disciples were passed over by Jesus, it might have been understandable if Simon Peter had been reticent with his answer. We might well imagine the apostle needing time to think about the answer to this most direct and personal question posed by Jesus, "But you... who do you say that I am?" But, according to Matthew's account, Simon Peter simply "spoke up" and responded immediately, and he calmly and with utter certainty said, "You are the Christ. the Son of the living God." The statement, or more properly the proclamation made by Peter, is a strong one and some of his friends and contemporaries might well have been taken aback. It would seem that Peter had truly been inspired and this inspiration could not and must not be kept hidden or remain silent. Now that it was out in the open, Jesus responded, telling Simon, son of Jonah, how blessed he was. In this Gospel we see the crowning glory being given by Jesus to Peter: the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Peter is entrusted by the Lord to receive authority that is beyond his imagination, the authority that has been passed from one generation to another, down to this present age. Application When we find ourselves being asked deeply personal questions, sometimes we can feel like we are being pushed into a corner with little space for moving. Religion is one of those areas where many of us can feel at sea when questioned too closely by others. We think we have a right to privacy and no one should ever ask us about our religious beliefs. And so we can thank God today for Peter's insight and for his courage in speaking up. Today's Gospel passage can embolden us and empower us never to lose our nerve in speaking about our faith. We are the modern-day disciples of Jesus, we have the same mandate as the first disciples, and if we do not act or speak as people of Jesus, who will? The English writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said, "If there were no God, there would be no atheists." We live in a world in which it's all too easy to feel embarrassed or hesitant to speak up about our faith. As followers of Jesus, we are called never to feel intimidated to announce the message of Jesus, because God knows how much it is needed today. If we, each in our own way, pronounce peace, or joy, or love, or justice, then the world will be a more loving, joyful, peace-filled and just place. That is the simplicity and the power of proclaiming Jesus today. VESTNI K 2020 | 387 Slovenski Park - August 15, 2020 Wow! Yet another Members-Only Covid-Friendly event at Slovenski Park. Thanks to all who made this day special - and thanks to all members who supported this event. On Saturday, August 15th, 2020, the first ever SLOVENSKI PARK SPEEDWAY SLO WAY took place. Special thanks to Kyle Sterling Davidson for spearheading this event. His idea, his organization, his hard work, his entrepreneurial enthusiasm, and volunteer ethic led to a day that was fun for all. A big thanks to Irene Oseli @ Insinc Promotions out of Mississauga for the bounty of wonderful prizes - and to Family Meats on Brown's Line in Etobicoke for their generous donation of gift certificates and to Matthew Kuzyk @ Matthew Kuzyk Industries for his clothing donations. Congratulations to our bikers: Marko Bubaš winner ages 6-9 and Co-winners David Horvat & Robert Kanc, ages 10+. They are the inaugural champions and their names will be engraved on the trophy that will be in the games room mantle for many years to come. Thanks to those who help set up the course and run the bike race - Kyle, Amber Edwards, Paul & Martina Bellmore, Andrej Kanc, Mary Ann Demšar, and our teen volunteers. And then, in the evening, Kyle organised viewing under the stars of the PPV UFC Fight between Croatian Stipe Miočic and Daniel Cormier. Miočic won. Thanks Kyle. Our 50 /50 Draw seems to be an overwhelming success each event. This time we raised $640.00. Wow! Thanks members for donating generously - you are the best! The winner of $310 goes to Dan Scarcelli. Kudos to those who ran the kitchen and provided tasty treats - best ever fries eh - Regina Bell, Drago Horvat, and Kim & Isabella Mekluz. Thanks. 388 | VESTNI K 2020 Shout out to the one and only -Štefka Kanc - who is always there to clean and sanitize our bathrooms, kitchen, walkways, and to beautify our surroundings with her green thumb. Thanks. Great job to Andrej Kanc and the maintenance crew for keeping the grass cut and neat. Thanks so much. And what about those brave Covid 19 Mobile Relief Mobile Operators - Dave and Eric Pušič - they drove the cart and brought cheer to us all. Thanks. Thanks to Adam, our Hišnik, for his dedication to the park and keeping things clean and orderly. Thanks so much to Peter Novak and Danny Demšar of the Executive Committee for executing all the behind the scenes duties that are involved with running any event. You are the lifeblood of our park. And have you seen? The tennis and basketball court lines have all been painted and cleaned. Thanks to Boris Grdadolnik for leading the crew of teen volunteers who did the heavy work -Matthew Kajin, Ethan and Evan Ryall, Dylan Žunič and Aaron and Lucas Grdadolnik. Thanks great boys. I am so proud to see the spirit of vol-unteerism alive and well during these uncertain times of the global pandemic. We are truly blessed to have a safe haven to retreat to, to get away from it all, or to make noise have good times with our fellow members. You the members have been most generous. Thank you! Mary Ann Demšar Chairperson Board of Directors, Slovenski Park Stay tuned for the next Slovenski Park Covid-friendly Members-only event! VESTNI K 2020 | 389 390 | VESTNI K 2020 Bishop Baraga Association_ This year, parishioners and friends of St Gregory the Great Church had hoped to make a trip to the Baraga Days 90th Anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, the border closure has prevented this from happening and so St. Gregory's will be participating remotely, in the Bishop Baraga Memorial Garden/Prayer Garden project. This project, specifically dedicated to the 90th Anniversary, allows us to purchase engraved bricks to be set in one of the gardens. St. Gregory's has chosen to sponsor two bricks- one in the name of the parish and one to represent the Catholic Women's League. The blessing of the garden and installation of the bricks will take place at the Bishop Baraga Centre in Marquette in September 2020 and details of a video transmission will be available at a later date. St. Gregory the Great tt t t Slovenian Parish Hamilton, ON, Canada Catholic Women's League - St. Gregory Hamilton, Canada DAROVI - DONATIONS_ Za gradbeni sklad sta darovala $100 Martin in Stanka Malevič v spomin na pokojnega Franka Verdinšek. Hvala za vaše darove. Bog vam bodi bogat plačnik. POKOJNI - OBITUARY V torek, 18. avgusta 2020, je odšel k Bogu po večno plačilo naš faran Anthony Joseph KRAJC. Pokojni je bil star 86 let. Od njega ste se lahko poslovili v Smith's Funeral Home v Burlingtonu v petek zvečer, ko smo tudi molili za pokoj njegove duše. Pogrebno sveto mašo smo darovali v naši cerkvi v soboto, 22. avg. ob 10:00 a.m. Nato smo ga položili k večnemu počitku na Assumption pokopališču v Missis-saughi. Iskreno sožalje ženi Marilyn in vsem sorodnikom. Pokojni Tony pa naj uživa večni mir in pokoj. V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Leskovec Božidar August 24, 1995 Hauzar Drago August 27, 1996 Perhavec Šteficha August 28, 1995 Slobodnik Alojzij August 28, 2016 Berkopec Anne August 29, 1989 Dorenčec Joseph August 29, 1996 Ferletič Darinka August 29, 2010 # i # svete maše - mass times: Monday: 8:00 a.m., Tuesday to Friday: 7:00 p.m., Saturday: 5:30 p.m. (Slovenian); Sunday: 9:30 a.m. (Slovenian), 11:00 a.m. (English); From Long weekend in July to the Long weekend of the September Sunday Mass is 111 only at 10:00 a.m. (Slovenian-English) - krsti / baptisms: For an appointment, call one month before. poroke / marriage: For an appointment, call one year before the wedding date. spoved / confessions: 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 don bosco for a personal conversation with your priest - please call for an appointment. Tel: 905-561-5971, VESTNI K 2020 | 391 do 23: 8: 2020 svete mase - masses Za žive in rajne župljane 10:00 a.m. .. . . . „ . „. Alojz Sarjas z družino 21. nedelja tt Jožef in Eufemia Tompa med letom t Jože Vuk Ignac Horvat z družino 23. avgust t Marija Horvat, obl. Mož Ignac z družino tt Mama, oče, brat Vlado Martin Škrban z družino 21st sunday in ot t Fr. Ivan Dobršek, obl. Zlatko in Marija Berkovič Roza iz Lime, devica t Fr. Ivan Dobršek, obl. Toni in Marija Franc t Martin Simončič Toni in Marija Franc Ponedeljek - Monday tt Pokojni iz družine Kolenc 7:00 p.m. Jožica in Ivan Vegelj 24. avgust t Fr. Ivan Dobršek, obl. Slomškovo oltarno društvo Jernej (Natanael), apostol t Franc Marič Anastazija m Winter G°mb°c Torek - Tuesday t Frank Saje 7:00 p.m. Angela Kobe 25. avgust t Francka in Gašper Karlin Jožica Novak z družino Ludvik, kralj t Jerry Ponikvar DruStvo sv. Jožefa (7) Sreda - Wednesday t A™ N™^ 7:00 p.m. J°hn ^ t Ivan Sarjaš Regina Halas 26 AVGUST t Ignac Korošec Milka Pavlič Tarcizij, mučenec tt Pokojni iz družine Hočevar N.N. Četrtek - Thursday t Kathy S^ „ t Frank Verdinšek AVGUST t Frank Verdinšek Monika, mati sv. Avguština t Drago Hauzar, obl. 7:00 p.m. John Novak Bishop Tonnos Clerical Staff Marija Volf Gizela Hauzar z družino Petek - Friday 28. avgust Avguštin, škof-cerk. učitelj f Ivan Cimermančič f Vlado Dim f Kathy Kolmanič f Alojz Sampl f Tone Lukežič f Mirko Kosem 7:00 p.m. Anica Saje Družina Dim Družina Dim Družina Dim Družina Dim Družina Dim Sobota - Saturday t Darinka Ferletič, obl. 5:30 p.m.Julija Sagadin z družino t Maks Pavlič Žena Milka 29.avgust t Maks Pavlič Družina Raduha t Martin Simončič Toni Ferko Mučeništvo Janeza t Martin Simončič Audrey Hawthorne Krstnika t Joe Lackovič Žena z družino Sabina, mučenka t Jozo in Anda Barun Milka Peric 22. nedelja med letom 30.avgust 22nd sunday in ot Feliks (Srečko), mučenec Za žive in rajne župljane f Lyn Lobo, obl. f Darinka Ferletič, obl. f Ivan Sarjaš f Marija Slebič f Marija Kelenc f Pepi Kolmanič 10:00 a.m. - Pevski zbor Milan in Sandy Ferletič Alojz Sarjaš z družino Toni in Marija Franc Toni in Marija Franc Mirko in Irena Kolmanič 392 | VESTNI K 2020