Slovenska župnija sv. Gregorija Velikega | St. Gregory the Great Slovenian Church 32/56 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 9. 8. 2020 19. Nedelja med letom 19th 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 Kje je tvoja vera? Nevihta in mir, moreč strah in vedrina se srečujejo v dveh napetih | prizorih današnjega bogoslužnega branja. Elija, prerok, čigar beseda je bil »kakor goreča bakla« (Sir 48, 1), preganjan od kraljice Jezabele, je prišel do gore Horeb - Sinaj, to je \ do izvira vere in zgodovine Izraelcev. Njegova pot in cilj je odkritje resničnega božjega obličja: navajen je bil predstavljati si Boga po »nevihtni« in »sinajskem« prizoru; Pričakoval je, da ga bo videl kakor strašno in zmagoslavno moč. V samoti gore Elija, »prerok, podoben ognju«, išče Boga v silovitem viharju, ki kolje gore, v ognju in potresu, to je po osebnih in tradicionalnih podobah. Požari, nevihte, zemeljska razdejanja in vulkanski izbruhi so bili ljudski okvir, v katerem so se dogajala božja prikazovanja: »Gospod pa bo dal slišati svoj veličastni glas in pokazal svoj laket, ki se bo spuščal, s srdito kretnjo in s plamenom ognja, ki požira, z viharnim nalivom in s kameno točo« (lz 30,30). Tudi najstarejši psalm, št. 29, ima za podlago zaslepljujoč izbruh nevihte. Toda ta Bog se ne predstavi človeku na domenjenem sestanku; odloči se, da se bo predstavil Eliju v spokojnosti in miru večernega vetriča. In prerok, zakrivaje si obličje, kajti »noben človek ga ne more videti in ostati živ« (2 Mz 33,20), spozna, da je Bog preprostost, bližina, sladkost, potrpežljiva in nežna navzočnost, duh in življenje. Bog ne prevzema akcije in nepotrpežljivosti, kakor Kristus ne sprejema ogorčenosti Zebedejevih sinov pred vrati samarijske vasi, zaprtimi s pregrado. »Ko sta to videla učenca Jakob in Janez, sta rekla: 'Gospod, ali hočeš, da rečeva, naj pade ogenj z neba in jih pokonča?' Jezus se je obrnil in ju pograjal« (Lk 9,54-55). Svetopisemski Bog je namreč potrpežljiv vzgojitelj, ne neha se predstavljati tudi kot oče, mati, ženin, učitelj, vodnik, odlaša sodbo, ker »hoče življenje in ne smrti grešnika« (prim. Ez 18,23). VESTNI K 2020 j 29S On ne hiti, ampak potrpežljivo čaka prizadevanje novega človeka, ko vabi svoje vernike, da bi delili ista čustva ljubezni in dobrote. Viharen veter, siloviti morski valovi in strah so tudi del evangeljskega prizorišča. Toda tuljenju vetra in potapljanju Petra v vodo sledi veder Kristusov glas v neke vrste velikonočni prikazni: »Pogum, jaz sem, ne bojte se!« Odlomek postane tako znamenje srečanja Kristusa z njegovo Cerkvijo v težavah in z »malo vere«, zastopano po svojem glasniku Petru. Roka poveličanega Kristusa, »Gospoda« vesoljstva in zgodovine, daje gotovost in vliva upanje ter veselje Cerkvi v krizi in iskanju, razpeti nad kaosom zla ali nad morjem dvoma. Ta stegnjena roka proti Petru ni samo rešitev zanj, ampak tudi za nas. Poslušajmo razlago k evangeljskemu prizoru, ki jo je napisal eden prvih krščanskih teologov, Origen iz Aleksan-drije v Egiptu (na prehodu iz II. v III. st.): »Če se bomo nekega dne znašli v primežu neizogibnih in hudih skušnjav, se spomnimo Jezusa, ki nas je obvezal, da se moramo vkrcati in da hoče, naj sami plovemo na nasprotni breg. Ko bomo sredi neviht trpljenja prebili tričetrt temne noči, ki vlada v času skušnjave, smo prepričani, da bo - ob nenadnem prihodu zadnje četrtine noči, ko bo tema že prešla in bo dan blizu (če se bomo bojevali kar najbolje in se čuječi izogibali brodolomu vere) - prišel k nam Božji Sin, da bi nam naredil mirno morje, hodeč po valovih. Tudi mi bomo stopali z njim po valovih skušnjave, bolečine in zla.« Današnji evangelij je veliko spraševanje vesti o naši veri in zaupanju. Ko vidimo in doživljamo krize, nas je strah in nas vznemirja vprašanje: kaj bo s človeštvom, kaj bo s Cerkvijo, kaj bo z nami, kaj bo z mano. Zakaj ne slišimo Jezusovega zagotovila: »Ne bojte se, jaz sem z vami; jaz sem z vami tudi v tej noči, tudi v teh valovih, tudi v tem navideznem utapljanju in nasprotnem vetru. Jaz sem z vami in vem za vas!« (Prim. Oznanjevalec 2005) - 19th Sunday in OT Response: Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. First Reading 1 Kings 19:9. 11-13 Elijah meets God not in the violent storm, but in the sound of a gentle breeze. Second Reading Romans 9:1-5 Paul would do anything to help the people of Israel, his own flesh and blood. Gospel Matthew 14:22-33 Peter's faith is tested when he tries to walk to Jesus on the stormy water. "Man of little faith... why did you doubt?" (JS^J'&Ci^O Illustration On 16 July 1969, three American astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, were strapped in their capsule at the head of a mighty Saturn rocket, and were blasted into space at the beginning of their eight-day mission to land the first human beings on the surface of the moon. This historic event took place as the culmination of years of research, development and planning. They were engaged in something no other human being had done before, and yet they were just part of a huge team of scientists and engineers that worked together to achieve their goal. Nevertheless, each of the astronauts had to make a huge act of faith that this whole operation would work out. Their lives depended on it. Gospel Teaching Today in the Gospel we find Peter being invited by Jesus to do something no other human being had done before or after, to walk on the waters of a 366 | VESTNI K 2020 stormy lake. Here there was no lengthy preparation; no team of collaborators: just Jesus and a crew of frightened disciples. Nevertheless, Peter had to put his faith in Jesus. He had heard the wonderful teaching of Jesus. He had witnessed many miracles of healing and casting out demons. Recently he had witnessed how Jesus had fed more than five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish. But now the act of faith was personal. For him it was a matter of life or death. So long as he kept his gaze on Jesus he was safe. Once he looked around and saw the stormy waters and heard the sound of the wind, his faith weakened and he began to sink. Fortunately, Jesus was there to take him by the hand and bring him safely into the boat, enabling all the disciples to declare their new-found faith, "Truly, you are the Son of God." In our first reading, we find the prophet Elijah hiding from his enemies, Ahab and Jezebel, who want to kill him. He is on his own. He is disillusioned with the life and work of a prophet. He is angry with God for putting him in this situation. Maybe he wants to see God act with power, but God reveals himself not in the wind or the earthquake or the fire. God is revealed in the whisper of a gentle breeze. Application Every day we all make little acts of faith in the wonders of modern technology. Most of the time they are not a matter of life or death, but it is a source of wonder how we can talk to each other and see each other in real time wherever we might be in the world. We take for granted that all the wonders of modern science and medicine will work their miracles for us and we are aggrieved when something goes wrong. However, we are so used to what we human beings can do through our own ingenuity that we lose sight of the bigger picture, of the God who holds all things in being, the God who is the source of all our knowledge and skill. We, like Elijah, can ask ourselves, where is God in the turbulence of our times? We can lose sight of the daily miracles in life all around us. We want God to speak up loud and clear so that everyone can see and believe. But, as with Elijah, so with us. God does not speak in extraordinary ways, in storms and earthquakes and fire. We find God when we quietly listen and look beneath the surface of our lives. We find Jesus, who invites us to step out of the security of our little boat into the rough waters of everyday life. He invites us to keep our gaze on him, to listen to him and not be afraid of the turmoil raging around us. So today let's listen to Jesus, who tells us to have courage and not to be afraid, who invites us to come to him through all the storms of our life. Let's keep our eyes fixed on him, our ears attuned to his voice. We surely will recognise his presence in the daily miracles of our life: the little acts of love that we receive and are able to give. As we try to close our ears to the violence all around us, we listen for that still small voice of calm, who assures us of his presence, "Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid!" VESTNI K 2020 | 367 The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary First Reading Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6. 10 The woman in our reading represents the Church under ongoing persecution; God will prevail in the end. Responsorial Psalm 45.9-10, 11+12c+14, 15 Response: At your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir. Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 Paul reflects on the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus: all people will share in this mystery, each in their appropriate order. Gospel Luke 1:39-56 After the annunciation of the birth of Jesus, Mary goes to Elizabeth to confirm the reality of Gabriel's message. "The Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name." Illustration Fifty years or so ago, there was great rivalry between the United States of America and the Soviet Union in the area of space exploration, especially as to which country would be the first to reach the moon. The Soviets sent the first astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit around the earth, and, when that mission had been successfully completed, triumphantly proclaimed that there was no God, otherwise their cosmonaut would have seen the deity. Whether this claim was true or not, the ability of human beings to go beyond what people on earth call the sky certainly posed questions about what we Christians believe and what our beliefs actually mean. The two dogmas of our faith which are most directly affected in this way are the ascension of Jesus and the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The difficulties which arise from a physical understanding of these events, such as the question "Where is Mary now?" do not disprove the core teaching but rather suggest that perhaps we need to understand its meaning in a different way. Gospel Teaching The Gospels tell us little about the mother of Jesus: this is because the evangelists are not writing biographies of Jesus, but rather expressing through story what they believe about him. All other characters appear in relation to Jesus and his mission: the writers have no interest in anyone else, not even his mother, simply for their own sake. Luke presents 368 | VESTNI K 2020 Mary as the model disciple of Jesus, one who listens to God's word, reflects on it and then puts it into practice. Today's Gospel episode is not an example of Mary's thoughtfulness and generosity in going to look after Elizabeth when she learns that her cousin is unexpectedly pregnant: she visits the mother of John the Baptist to confirm that the message she has received from the angel Gabriel is in fact true. Elizabeth's expecting a child is the sign to Mary that Mary can rely on the experience she has had as being God communicating divine revelation to her and not something she has dreamed or simply imagined. The meeting of the two cousins is a celebration of what God is doing with and through them. Elizabeth stands in the tradition of the mothers of the Hebrew tradition who gave birth to significant figures in the story of God's dealings with Israel. God intervened to enable these hitherto barren women to conceive and bear a child: this miraculous event emphasises the importance of their offspring in God's plan for the people. John the Baptist is the last of these figures: there is no suggestion that Mary is in any way incapable of conceiving in the natural way, and this points to the birth of Jesus being of a uniquely different order. However, it is not in Mary being the physical mother of Jesus that her importance lies for Luke. Later in his Gospel, a woman cries out from the crowd, "Happy the womb that bore you", but Jesus replies, "Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!" This is not a criticism, because the evangelist has told us already that this description fits Mary, the model disciple. Application The Gospel tradition tells us little about Mary and nothing in regard to the end of her life. The Eastern Churches hold the doctrine of the Dormi-tion, which means that she simply fell asleep. We might understand the teaching of our Church in the following way: when the Blessed Virgin, whom sin had never touched in any way, had come to the end of her life on earth, God took her as a complete human being into God's presence. Where is heaven? Perhaps we might think about it not so much as a place but rather as a state of being: it means being in the direct presence of God. Whenever we recite the Apostles' Creed together, we say that we believe in "the communion of saints". By this we declare that we are, in some way, united with all those disciples of Jesus before us, down through the ages. First among those disciples is Mary, not because she was the physical mother of Jesus: rather, she was attentive to the word of God and put it into practice. So, if we want an ideal follower to imitate, then Mary is our example; and in her assumption, we see the future glory God has in store for those who try their best to live by the teachings of Jesus. VESTNI K 2020 | 369 BLED SLOVENIAN CULTURAL CLUB August Long Wknd Slovenski Park 2020 Even though it rained for most of the Long Wknd, Members made the most of the events nonetheless. Thanks to all Members who came out to support Slovenski Park. It is through your contributions of volunteerism and patronage we can keep the park going. Thanks to Kristina Kajin and her crew for MOVIE NIGHT. Kids of all ages had fun even though we had to move the event from "under the stars" to inside the hall. The movie was great and the snacks were yummy. Together, Apart, we thank Kristina for this new event and we look forward to our next movie night. Thanks to Heidi Rumohr and her crew for SATURDAY LATE NIGHT SNACKS and SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST. Nothing like having food delivered to your lot on our ever friendly Covid 19 Mobile Relief aka Golf Cart. Thanks to those in the kitchen preparing the food and those who braved the rain to distribute the food - Heidi, Lee, Heidy, Jessica, Jesse, Leah. Thanks Heidi for organizing the event from taking the orders online to distribution to cleanup. I think this idea will be a keeper. Thanks to Kristina & Johnny Hočevar for taking orders online for our SUNDAY LUNCH. Thanks to Maria Žunič for making the delicious štrudelj (jabolčni zavitek). Maybe next time people will not wait till the last day to preorder. Thanks Kristina for working so well under pressure. Thanks to the roasters Joe, Peter, Andrew and to those who helped prepare, clean, tie, cut, and then cleanup the roasting pit, Tony, Louie, Jerry, Ivan, Maria, Ivan, Johnny. The PEČENKA (roast pork) and PIŠČANEC (roast Vas vabi na PIKNIK v soboto 29. avgusta 2020 začetek ob 12:00» Postregli Vam bodo z madžarsko prekmurskimi specialitetami BOGRAČ in LANGAŠ PICNIC Saturday, August 29th, 2020 at noon Serving BOGRAC and LANGAS Some lively Slovenian music Social distancing in effect! We look forward to your support during this pandemic. Take out will be available if you wish as your health is important to us. For take out orders call: ROMAN STADLER: at 289-241-8218 or email: stadlr4@gmail.com No need to call if staying for picnic. 370 | VESTNI K 2020 Long weekend" na Slovenskem Parku chicken) were delicious. Thanks to the lovely ladies in the kitchen, Mayda ,Teresa Josie, Vida who made the scrumptious potatoes and salad and served the orders to the hungry mobs. The distribution did not run as smoothly as last time and we are sorry that many of you had to wait for your meals, but due to the rain, the charcoal was not burning as well as last time and it took longer (and harder work) to keep the flames burning. But I'm sure you'll all agree, it was worth the wait. We had another successful 50/50 DRAW. Thanks to Nadia and Amanda for selling tickets on our Covid 19 Relief Mobile despite the weather. We collected $ 700 total. Congratulations to the winner, Mary Miklavcic taking home $350. Make sure you buy your tickets next time - you can't win if you don't play. Thanks to those who drive our COVID 19 RELIEF MOBILE to your lots offering refreshment and entertainment and to those at your lots who take advantage of this "door to door" service and donate generously. You may have noticed the TENNIS /BAS-KETBALL/BALINCA COURTS just keep looking better. Many thanks to our boys Aaron, Lucas, Ethan, Evan, Lucas, Dylan and Boris who have now finished painting the basketball court, balinca court, and will continue painting the lines for the tennis court. And to Andrej - our marvellous maintenance man - for repairing and replacing the tennis net and spraying near the children's play area for ground hornets. Thanks to Stefka and her crew who set up the hall for our Social Distancing MASS. Thanks to Kristijan for the Tech Support and Jesse for the photography. You may not VESTNI K 2020 | 371 be aware, but thanks to Kristijan, we are able to live stream our Masses onto Face-book to share with those not able to attend. Thanks to those who did attend our Mass for all deceased Members of our park and to Cimermančič Ivan's family for his special intention. And of course, thank you to FATHER DRAGO - for whose spiritual leadership and community involvement we are most grateful and appreciative. Last but not least (oh I do hope I did not forget anyone) thanks to the leadership, hard work, and selfless dedication of Dan Demšar and the Executive Committee along with members of the Board, who helped run this Members-Only Covid-Friendly Event. From the cleaning of the bathrooms, to the beautification of the grounds, from the ordering of the food and supplies to the removal of the beer empties, from the organizing to the execution, for all the "behind the scenes" efforts all for the love of our beloved Slovenski Park. Thanks to our hišnik Adam and to all Slovenski Park Members who contribute in big ways and small ways to make sure our park not only continues to survive during the Covid 19 Pandemic, but also thrives. Please remember to drive slowly in the park -watch for children - do not speed. Please continue to follow Covid 19 Regulations, Slovenski Park Bylaws, and Gatekeeper Responsibilities. Slovenski Park-your home away from home. Mary Ann Demsar Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Slovenski Park 372 | VESTNI K 2020 VESTNI K 2020 | 373 Obvestila - Announcements Diocesan Newsletter For information about Activities and Events of interest in the Diocese of Hamilton, subscribe to the online Diocesan Newsletter at www.hamiltondiocese.com. 374 | VESTNI K 2020 DAROVI - DONATIONS Za gradbeni sklad so darovali: - $100 Aranka Dundek - $50 Jožica Vlašič z družino, namesto cvetja na grob za pokojnega Ivana Cimermančiča. - $50 Kathy Prša z družino v spomin na pok. Gizello Ray. - $200 Matilda Bratuž namesto cvetja za pok. Gizello Ray. - $120 Franc in Tončka smodiš namesto cvetja za pok. Gizello Ray. Hvala za vaše darove. Bog vam bodi bogat plačnik. POKOJNI - FUNERAL_ V ponedeljek, 3. avgusta 2020, je Bog poklical k sebi našo faranko Gizello Ray. Pokojna je bila v svojem 89 letu starosti. Od nje ste se lahko poslovili v četrtek popoldne ali zvečer; ob 3:30 popoldne smo se zbrali tudi za molitev rožnega venca. Pogrebno sveto mašo, smo za pokoj njene duše, smo darovali v petek, 7. avgusta 2020, ob 10:00 dopoldne, potem pa jo položili k večnemu počitku, poleg njenega moža Štefana, na Our Lady of the Angels pokopališču. Iskreno sožalje otrokom Mary, Regini in Slavku in njihovim družinam ob izgubi mame; prav tako tudi sestrama Olgi Glavač in Rozini Hozjan in pa bratu Augustu Smodiš. Pokojna Gizella pa naj uživa večni mir in pokoj. Thank you The family of Joseph Prša would like to acknowledge the following for their generous donations to Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice: - Mrs. Sharon Bearpark - Francine and Trent Calver - Gus and Vicki Raditsis - Milka, John, Jeremy and Kristen Sobočan Francisca D'Costa also gave to the Society of the Little Flower Memorial Membership on behalf of Joe, where all members share in the spiritual benefits of all daily Masses, Liturgies, and Prayers celebrated by the Carmelites. Thank you everyone so much for your donations and kindness. V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Žagar Anne August 10, 1982 Kremesec Terezija August 10, 1988 Tompa Ivan John August 11, 2015 Dorenčec Irma August 13, 2019 Troha Zdravko August 14, 2016 Erzetič Slavomir Stan August 15, 1998 Simončič Michael Ivan August 15, 2018 Bratuž Stanko August 16, 1986 Peršin Jacob August 16, 1987 Krampač Ignac (Ana) August 16, 2012 Hočevar Anna August 16, 2017 svete mase - 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 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 | 375 d0^8. 2020 svete mase - masses 19. Nedelja med letom 9. August 19. Sunday in OT Za žive in rajne župljane ff Jože in Marija Zelko f Maks Pavlič ff Pokojni iz družine Ramuš ff Pokojni iz družine Peternel 10:00 a.m. ■ Terezija (Edith Stein), red. tt Paula in Franc Pelcar Marija in Toni Franc Ignac in Terezija Sarjaš Sonja Peternel Sonja Peternel Stan Pelcar in Josie Dube z dru. Ponedeljek - Monday f Ivan Cimermančič 7:00 p.m. Anica Saje 10. August f Martin Simončič Terezija Prša Lovrenc, diakon-muč. f John Ivan Zver Terezija Prša Torek - Tuesday 11. August Klara (Jasna), devica f Ivan Tompa, obl. f John Kobe f Rev. Jiri Macenauer Za zdravje 7:00 p.m. Alojz in Agata Sarjaš Sestra Marija Bajuk H. Kwasniewska Joža Šušteršič Sreda - Wednesday f Janez Donko (TO) in Matija Vogrinec 7:00 p.m. Ignac in Terezija Sarjaš f Martin Simončič Toni Ferko 12. AUGUST f Maks Pavlič Ana Sušic Ivana Santalska, red. f Gizella Ray Family Četrtek - Thursday t Ivan Kirec 7:00 p.m. Štefan in Francka Antolin 13. August Po namenu z zdravje Ana Tadic Gertruda, opatinja t Ivan Tompa, obl. Milka Pavlič Petek - Friday 14. August Maksimilijan Kolbe, muč. f Joe Prša f Leslie Barry Simon f Joe Prša f Maks Pavlič f Štefan Dundek f Zdravko Troha, obl. 7:00 p.m. Žena Kathy z družino Kathy Prša z družino Ivan Mertuk Jr. Mirko in Irena Kolmanič Žena Aranka Danica Maradin Sobota - Saturday 15. August MARIJINO VNEBOVZETJE (Veliki šmaren, Velika maša) f Martin Simončič f Slavko Erzetič, obl. f Jakob Muhič Jr. ff Starši Vlačič in sin Matija Za I. rožo živega rožnega venca f Marija Horvat, obl. f Joe Lackovič f Joe Lackovič f Joe Hanc f Rudi Hanc f Štefan Zadravec 5:30 p.m.Frank in Ljudmila Pinter Žena Manja Družina Muhič Jožica Vlašič z družino N.N. Marija Hočevar Lojze in Dragica Ferenčak Žena in družina Vera Lackovič z družino Vera Lackovič z družino Vera Lackovič z družino 20. Nedelja med letom 16. August 20. Sunday in ot Rok, spokornik Za žive in rajne župljane ff Martin in Matija Zelko f Marija Horvat, obl. ff Pok. iz družine Groznik f Stanko Bratuž, obl. f Terezija Prša f Irma Dorenčec, obl. f Olga Prša 10:00 a.m. - Marija in Toni Franc Družina Škrban Družina Groznik Matilda Bratuž Stanko in Elizabeth Petek Mož Ignac z družino Ignac Dorenčec 376 | VESTNI K 2020