SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH 12/59 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 19.3. 2023 4. POSTNA NEDELJA 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT 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 Četrta postna nedelja je nedelja veselja. »Veseli se, Jeruzalem,« poje vstopni spev. Prehodili smo še polovico poti do velike noči in Cerkev nas danes vabi k veselemu počitku. Evangelij pripoveduje o sleporojenem, ki je bil izjemno vesel, ker ga je Jezus ozdravil. Je pravzaprav res, da je naše veselje povezano z lučjo. Kadar manjka svetlobe in smo v temi, je težko biti vesel. Prav drugo berilo jasno govori o luči: »Nekoč ste bili tema, zdaj pa ste luč v Gospodu,« pravi Pavel. Evangelij govori o dveh vrstah slepote: telesno slepoto človeka, ki je bil slep od rojstva; druga pa je duhovna slepota farizejev, ki so nasprotovali Jezusu, ki je luč sveta. Jezus takoj razglasi: »Dokler sem na svetu, sem luč sveta.« Ta luč zahteva, da jo človek sprejme. Ozdravljenje slepega ponazarja božje delovanje duhovne ozdravitve in hkrati priča o božjem usmiljenju. Jezus je zelo sočuten do vseh slepih in do vseh, ki trpijo zaradi katere koli bolezni; velik del svojega delovanja je posvetil ozdravljanju, kajti bil je poln usmiljenja. Dogodek se začenja z vprašanjem učencev glede sleporojenega: »Učitelj, kdo je grešil, on ali njegovi starši, da se je rodil slep?« Vprašanje razodeva prepričanje, da je povezava med boleznijo in prej storjenim grehom. Sleporojeni ni mogel on grešiti, če je bil slep od rojstva; torej so grešili starši in je njihova krivda padla na sina. Jezusov odgovor je jasen: »Ni grešil ne on in ne njegovi starši.« Bolezni predstavljajo priložnost, da lahko pokaže svojo dobroto. Naše preizkušnje in naše trpljenje so priložnost, da lahko on izkaže svojo ljubezen in svoje usmiljenje. Potem pljune na tla, s slino naredi blato in ga razmaže po očeh slepega ter mu pravi: »Pojdi in se umij se v vodnjaku Siloa.« Siloa pomeni »odposlanec«. Slepi uboga Jezusa: gre k vodnjaku, se umije, se vrne in vidi. Razumljivo, da je to dejstvo vzbudilo čudenje. Ljudje se sprašujejo, ali je to res tisti sleporojeni ali je morda kdo drug, ki mu je podoben. Vendar on odločno zatrjuje: »Jaz sem! (...) Ta človek, ki se imenuje Jezus, je naredil blato, mi pomazal oči in mi rekel: 'Pojdi k vodnjaku Siloa in se umij«. VESTNIK 2023 | Zatem ga privedejo k farizejem, da bi razrešili konkreten problem: Jezus je to ozdravljenje opravil na sobotni dan in to je bilo prepovedano. Jezus se zaveda, da mora izvrševati Očetovo delo, delo usmiljenja, pa četudi je v soboto. Farizeji so namreč zelo ozko pojmovali versko prakso in so zahtevali natančno izpolnjevanje sobote: ta dan ni bilo dovoljeno delati. Jezus pa je naredil nekaj, kar je podobno zdravniški dejavnosti, in to po njihovem prepričanju ni bilo dovoljeno. Oni pač niso opazili, da je Bog velikodušen in ne prepoveduje delati dobro v soboto. Tako so razglašali: »Ta človek ne more priti od Boga, kajti ne spoštuje sobote.« Vendar, kako bi lahko mislili, da je ozdravitev slepega greh? Farizeji so torej vprašali slepega: »Kaj praviš o njem, ker ti je odprl oči?« Odvrnil je: »Prerok je!« Slepi je tako že pokazal začetno vero v Jezusovo poslanstvo. Judje niso hoteli verjeti, da je bil ta človek slep in je pridobil vid; zato so spraševali starše. Ti so odgovarjali: »Veva, da je to najin sin in da se je rodil slep; kako to, da zdaj vidi, pa ne veva, in kdo mu je odprl oči, midva ne veva. Njega vprašajte. Dovolj je star. Sam naj govori o sebi.« Kot ugotavlja evangelist, so se starši »bali Judov«. Torej Judje znova pokličejo človeka, ki je bil slep in mu rečejo: »Daj čast Bogu! Mi vemo, da je ta človek grešnik.« Slepi ima preprosto, vendar zelo globoko logiko in odgovori: »Če je grešnik, ne vem. Eno pa vem, da sem bil slep in da zdaj vidim.« In kasneje je povedal: »Vemo, da Bog grešnikov ne usliši. Kdor pa Boga časti in spolnjuje njegovo voljo, tega usliši.« Slepi sedaj vidi jasno ne le telesno, temveč tudi duhovno. Najpomembnejša stvar je duhovno jasno gledati. Slepi imajo lahko zelo lepo krščansko življenje: ko so razsvetljeni od znotraj, lahko napredujejo v odnosu z Bogom in tako lahko živijo življenje, ki je v polnosti vredno tega imena. Na koncu Jezus sreča slepega, ki so ga farizeji nagnali, in ga vpraša: »Ali veruješ v Sina človekovega?« Slepi, pripravljen za verovanje, ga vpraša: »Kdo je, Gospod, da bi veroval vanj?« In Jezus: »Videl si ga; ta, ki govori s teboj, ta je.« Takrat slepi zelo lepo izpove vero: »Verujem, Gospod!« Vrže se mu k nogam, da bi na tak način izpovedal svojo globoko vero. Ta slepi človek je bil duhovno razsvetljen. Njegovo ozdravljenje je bila prva stopnja za dosego božjih darov, ki so veliko bogatejši, kot lahko pričakujemo. - (Prim.: Oznanjevalec 2, 2008) 110 | VESTNIK 2023 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT Response: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. First Reading 1 Samuel 16:1. 6-7. 10-13 The spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day onwards. Second Reading Ephesians 5:8-14 Walk in the light of the Lord and turn away from the darkness of sin. Gospel John 9:1-41 Jesus gives the blind man new sight and the gift of faith. “The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.” Illustration Setting out on a journey, the first thing many people do is enter a postcode into the satnav or into a phone. The route is quickly calculated with a few alternatives and a time of arrival is given. Although it looks very clear, we know that when we set out there are many events that can happen that may delay the journey or even make it impossible. There is always a gap between the plan and the reality, which we can never predict. Life is even more unpredictable. There are so many matters that are out of our hands: the complexity of relationships, sickness, accidents, death, to name but a few. What we know, in faith, is that God loves us and sent God’s Son to walk with us, and that the Spirit will guide us every day and night. As we make our Christian journey, the Holy Spirit is the helper who deepens our loving friendship with Jesus and guides our decisions as well as giving us courage. The Holy Spirit is in “the Son of Man”. The man looks at Jesus and says, “Lord, I believe.” By talking to Jesus, the man has come to a deeper understanding and knows that Jesus is not only a man, not only a prophet, but also the Lord. He is the Messiah who has been sent by God, the one of whom the prophets spoke. He comes with authority from God. He is the Son of God. The man has come from darkness to new sight. He has also made a deeper journey in faith from understanding that he was cured by “the man called Jesus” to knowing and believing that he was healed by the Son of God. He has come to walk in the light as a follower of Jesus. We, too, have been given the gift of faith and walk in the light as followers of Jesus. The Spirit of God is at work in today’s first reading. We hear of Samuel finding the young shepherd David, who is chosen by God to become king. He is a surprising choice, the youngest and least in his family. This reading helps us understand more about Jesus, who is from the House of David, born in Bethlehem. He is a shepherd and king of God’s kingdom, not of this world. our teacher, like Jesus in the scriptures, and leads us to see God more clearly, love God more dearly and follow God more nearly. Gospel Teaching The Gospel account of the healing of the blind man shows how the man grows in his understanding of the identity of Jesus. The blind man returns from the Pool of Siloam with sight. He can see the beauty of the world for the first time and recognise faces. His neighbours are astonished. Who is this man who has healed him? The man tells them that it was “The man called Jesus.” Who is Jesus? The Pharisees tell the blind man, who has now been given sight, that Jesus cannot be from God. The man tells them that he realises Jesus is a prophet. More people dispute with the man and ask whether he was truly blind or just pretending, and they also ask his parents. Then they drive him away. Jesus finds the man and asks him if he believes Application Who do I say Jesus is? The readings show us how the Holy Spirit leads to a deeper faith. Jesus is a man, a prophet, a shepherd, a king, truly God and truly human. They prepare us for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We are invited to trust in him as a shepherd and walk with him in growing friendship as he accompanies us through life. Today, we give thanks for the gift of our families. Families are full of surprises and life is often a pathway of many ups and downs, struggles and joys, challenges and periods of calm and peace. The psalm invites us to trust in the Lord, who is our shepherd and will lead us to rich pastures. We can find consolation in knowing that it is God’s will to lead us to “fresh and green… pastures”, “restful waters”, “the right path” and “a banquet” and to live in “the Lord’s own house”. May we know the love of the good shepherd VESTNIK 2023 | 111 112 | VESTNIK 2023 VESTNIK 2023 | 113 BISHOP OF HAMILTON March 19, 2023 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dear Friends, On the feast day of St. Joseph, we are given the perfect opportunity to reflect on our mission at St. Joseph's Health System: Living the Legacy. Compassionate Care. Faith. Discovery. Our Patron, St. Joseph, demonstrated the value of dedicated labour. As health care providers, we follow his example and the enduring legacy of our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, through a united system of care offering healing where possible, soothing the worried spirits of our patients, and demonstrating God's love through compassionate service "to the dear neighbour". The past several years have pushed us beyond our comfort zone. COVID-19 swept through our communities without mercy, testing our skills, exhausting our spirits, and leaving many of us feeling unmoored in a new reality that was most often isolating, lonely, and gruelling. I am inspired by your steadfast commitment to the service of the sick and dying in our communities; even in our bleakest moments you held fast, weathered the storm, and shone as beacons of light and faith during dark moments. As a health system, we are one of the largest corporations delivering care to our communities and within this ecosystem; you are each individually leaders and champions of our integrated care approach. Your commitment to excellence, innovation, and leadership from local to international levels has yielded so many achievements to be proud of and celebrate because they distinguish who we are as a united system. A few examples come to mind:  Evidence-based research, education, and evaluation to support the advancement of Integrated Care across Canada  COVID Care @ Home Integrated Comprehensive Care Program  Integrated Comprehensive Care 114 | VESTNIK 2023  International outreach programs and our work in partnership with Nunavut's Department of Health promoting thought leadership, skills development, administrative guidance, and improved care  Compassionate care to patients wherever we meet them: long-term care, homecare, acute, chronic, mental health, and end of life care  Nurturing whole person care with interdisciplinary team cooperation, including our robust spiritual care team. We owe our gratitude to the individuals who generously volunteer their time on the member and foundation boards of our institutions, sharing their expertise, keeping us focused on our mission, vision, and values, while also ensuring good governance and stewardship throughout the year. Our leadership's teams must also be acknowledged for their unwavering dedication to the people we serve and the talented team who deliver on our promise of care daily. Your ability to work together for the benefit of all is inspiring. As we celebrate everything we have accomplished together, we remain committed to the privilege of service embedded in our mission and vision as a health system and the values of dignity, respect, service, justice, responsibility, and enquiry that personify our leadership as healers and as people of faith. Be assured of my continued support and that of the Diocese of Hamilton for each of you as you serve our patients and families with dedication, excellence and enthusiasm. I pray for you, sisters and brothers in Christ, in my daily prayers, as faithful leaders in our community and steadfast carers who serve those seeking help and who continually stretch out a hand of peace and love "to the more" in our communities. Today, and everyday, as we serve in our respective roles, please remember that "we are all Sisters of St. Joseph". Happy St. Joseph's day! Sincerely in Christ and Mary Immaculate, (Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI Bishop of Hamilton VESTNIK 2023 | 115 WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS This week we have had several calls from people who haven’t received their mailed invitation for Anniversary Mass and they called because they thought they had registered for the Mass. When we checked, their registration has not gone through, so they had missed a step in the process. We do not want anyone to be disappointed because they think they are registered, but they in fact have not. We have also had several calls from people asking about what the date is in June (the last several Masses before COVID were in June!) for the Anniversary Mass. This year Anniversary Mass is on April16 at 1:30 p.m. If you registered for the Anniversary Mass on the Diocesan website you should get an email saying you are registered. If you did not receive this e-mail then your registration, for some reason, has not gone through and you should register again, or call the office (905528-7988). If you still wanting to register you need to do so in the next week or two. - Theresa Iz škofije smo dobili zgoraj omenjeno sporočilo glede registracije za mašo v katedrali maša za tiste, ki obhajajo različne obletnice porok, ki bo 16. aprila ob 1:30 popoldne. Če ste se registrirali preko internetne strani hamiltonske škofije, pa niste dobili e-mail potrdila, da ste registrirani, se ali še enkrat registrirajte ali pa pokličite škofijo (905-528-7988). 116 | VESTNIK 2023 V soboto, 25. marca obhajamo praznik Gospodovega oznanjenja, ki je Gospodov in Marijin praznik: Kristusovo učlovečenje in Marijin pristanek da se Kristus učloveči pod njenim srcem. Na to nas opozarja papež Pavel VI. v spodbudi o Marijinem češčenju: »Prazniku učlovečene Besede smo v rimskem koledarju upravičeno vrnili staro ime 'Gospodovo oznanjenje'. Toda praznujeta in slavita se skupno Kristus in Marija, namreč Beseda, ki postane 'Sin Marije' (Mr 6, 3), in Devica, ki postane Božja mati«. 25. marec zato, ker je tesno povezan s praznikom Gospodovega rojstva - božičem, ki je 25. decembra. V starih časih je 25. marec, ki je spomladansko enakonočje, veljal za dan stvarjenja sveta in prav zato tudi dan Jezusovega spočetja, s katerim je bil položen temelj za novo stvarjenje, to se pravi za povzdignjene k veličastvu Božjega otroštva, omogočeno s Kristusovo velikonočno skrivnostjo. Bogoslužje nas ob tem praznovanju usmerja na Kristusa in Marijo. Na Kristusa, ki postane človek, izpolnjuje Očetovo voljo in tako uresničuje delo odrešenje človeškega rodu. Na Marijo, ki s svojim zgodi se pristane, da bo Kristusova mati, s tem pa stopi v zgodovino odrešenja kot soodrešiteljica. „Ko je Kristusa spočela, rodila, hranila, ga v templju darovala Očetu in ko je trpela skupaj s svojim Sinom, umirajočim na križu, je s pokorščino, vero, upanjem in gorečo ljubeznijo na popolnoma edinstven način sodelovala pri Odrešenikovem delu za obnovitev nadnaravnega življenja v dušah. S tem nam je postala mati v redu milosti“ (C 61). VESTNIK 2023 | 117 O BVESTILA - A NNOUNCEMENTS KOLEDAR DOGODKOV - March 19, 2023 - Društvo sv. Jožefa - Banquet - Mass: 10:00 a.m. - March 26, 2023 - Breslau - Maša za Slovensko skupnost ob 1:00 p.m. - April 2, 2023 - St. Gregory - Cvetna nedelja-Palm Sunday - Slovenian Mass 9:30 a.m. - English Mass: 11:00 a.m. - London: Mass at 3:00 p.m. - St. John the Divine Church - April 3, 2023 - Hamilton Cathedral - Mass of Chrism at 2:00 p.m. - April 7, 2023 - Slovenska Šola - Fish Fry at 4:00 p.m. - April 8, 2023 - London - Easter Food blessing 10:00 a.m. - St. Gregory - Easter Food blessings: 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 p.m. - Easter Vigil: 8:00 p.m. - April 9, 2023 - St. Gregory - Easter - Slovenian Mass: 9:30 a.m. - English Mass: 11:00 a.m. READERS - BRALCI BERIL: MARCH 19TH Slovenian Readings - Rosemary Šušteršič English Readings - MaryAnn Demšar GIFT BEARERS - SLOVENIAN MASS March 19th - St. Joseph’s Society March 26th - Sam & Elizabeth Petek April 2nd -Jožica Vegelj & Terezija Sarjaš CLEANING OF THE CHURCH - ČIŠČENJE CERKVE March 25th - Lojzka Novak and team April 5th- Special Easter cleaning 118 | VESTNIK 2023 Any team members who are available. DRUŠTVO SV. JOŽEFA The Annual St. Joseph's Banquet will be held on Sunday March 19th. Please join us for lunch after the 10:00 a.m. Mass. All profits will be do- DAROVI - DONATIONS Za gradbeni sklad so darovali: - $200 - Marianne in Frank Škerl v spomin na + Jožeta Gačnik - $200 - Frank Mramor z družino v spmin na pok. Marijo Glavač - $100 - Ivan in Minka Šemen v spomin na pok. Magijo Glavač Za misijone je darovala $100 Angela Kobe v spomin na pokojne sorodnike iz družine Radovičevič. Hvala vsem za vaš velikodušni dar. VELEPOSLANIŠTAVO OTTAWA - KONZULARNE URE V ponedeljek, 3. aprila 2023, bodo zopet konzularne ure v Burlingtonu, 5096 South Service Road, Burlington, ON L7L 5H4. Imel jih bo Blaž Slamič, prvi svetovalec. Pri njem boste lahko uredili, če potrebujete potni list, osebno izkaznico ali druge zadeve. Za vsa vprašanja lahko prej pokličete na: 1-613-565-5781 ali pišete na e-mail: sloembassy.ottawa@gov.si. Na račun »Eno Srce, Ena Duša« »One Heart, One Soul« ste za našo slovensko župnijo sv. Gregorija Velikega do 17. marca 2023: - $152,270. - Obljubili / Pledged - $146,595. - Vplačali / Paid Hvala vsem, ki ste že prispevali. Naš cilj je, da dosežemo vsoto 200.000,- Svet e maše - Masses †† † † † †† 4. POSTNA NEDELJA † † †† 4TH SUNDAY OF LENT †† † 19. MAREC †† Jožef, Jezusov rednik † †† † † DON BOSCO V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Stergulc Draga Emma March 21, 1990 Kuzmič Josef March 21, 2011 Suhadolc Anthony March 21, 2021 Stegne Miroslav March 22, 1990 Medica Branko March 22, 2022 Glavač Martin March 24, 2001 Kričaj Stephanus March 24, 2021 Rogerson Jeffrey Thomas March 26, 2009 Košir Juliana March 26, 2020 Kapušin Franc George March 26, 2021 Madronich Edward Robert March 26, 2021 †Za žive in rajne župljane 10:00 A.M. Teresa in John Halas Jože Gačnik Jože Kolenko Jože Razpotnik Sr. Pok . Iz družine Erzar Cecilia Sobočan Jože Gačnik Jožef in Marija Heric Frank in Mary Hanc Jože Kolenko Jožef in Marija Heric Za duhovne poklice Lojze Prilesnik Pok. iz družine Perko Za zdravje Stane Krampelj Štefan Horvat ------Alojz in Agata Sarjaš z družino Farani Regina Halas Joe in Magda Razpotnik Družina Erzar Slavko Miklavčič z družino Heidy in Adam Novak z družino Hči Annie Miklavčič z družino Toni n Marija Franc Toni in Marija Franc Hči Francka in Štefan Antolin Bojan in Terezija Milosavljevič z družino Žena Marija z družino Vanda z družino Vanda z družino Žena Elizabeth z družino Žena Marija z družino 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 | 119 20. 3. 2023 - 26. 3. 2023 SVETE MAŠE - MASSES PONEDELJEK - MONDAY †† Ciril in Alojzija Novak 20. MAREC † Ivanka Trump Klavdija, mučenka 7:00 P.M. Jožica Novak z družino K.H. † Frank Mramor 7:00 P.M. † Po namenu Nikolaj iz Flue, puščavnik Bogu in Materi Božji v zahvalo † Marica Majzelj 7:00 P.M. SREDA - WEDNESDAY †† Pok. iz družine Šemen 22. MAREC Lea, spokornica † Marija Glavač †† Helen in Stan Burda 7:00 P.M. ČETRTEK - THURSDAY †† Martin (obl.) in Marija Glavač 23. MAREC Alfonz, škof † Cecilija Sobočan Križev pot 6:30 P.M. †† Pokojni iz družine Vegelj 7:00 P.M. PETEK - FRIDAY † Ignac Prša 24. MAREC † Ivan Glavač, obl. Katarina Švedska, red. † Igor Dobrič Za duhovno prenovo župnije † Kazimir Kotula 5:30 P.M. † Martin Lukežič, obl. †† Franc in Vera Pavlin † Štefan Gabor SOBOTA - SATURDAY † Martin Glavač, obl. 25. MAREC † Viktor Glavač Gospodovo oznanjenje Rebeka, sp. žena † Jurij Fabina †† Rudi in Terezija Hajdinjak †† Mihael in Sofija Ferenčak † Štefan Kričaj, obl. Za žive in rajne župljane 9:30 A.M. † Julijana Sagadin † Magda Udovč † Cecilija Sobočan 5. POSTNA - TIHA † Julijana Sagadin NEDELJA †† Katarina in Franc Kapušin †† Bratje in sestra Mary Grdun 5TH SUNDAY OF LENT † Marica Majzelj † Julijana Sagadin 26. MAREC † Štefan Prša 11:00 A.M. Larisa (Lara), muč. † Vida Sajder †† Starši Ivan & Lues in sin Ivan Jr. Sarjaš †† Pokojni Slovenci društva Sava 1:00 P.M. TOREK - TUESDAY 21. MAREC 120 | VESTNIK 2023 Društvo sv. Jožefa (5) Ana Tadić Jožica Novak Franc Pleško Ivan in Minka Šemen z družino Ivan in Minka Šemen z družino Stanko in Elizabeth Petek Olga Glavač z družino Olga Glavač z družino Stations of the Cross Družina Vegelj Joe Fotivec (To) Jenny Antolin z družino Anna Plosinjak Slomškovo oltarno društvo Stanko in Elizabeth Petek Boris Lukežič z družino Alenka in Tomaž Košir z družino Francka in Štefan Antolin Matej in Mary Glavač z družino Matej in Mary Glavač z družino Mary in Matej Glavač z družino Jože in Albina Antolin Jože in Albina Antolin Frances Stegne ------Marija Volf Levstek & McLean Families Toni in Marija Franc z družino Toni in Marija Franc z družino Hči Sonya in sin Joe z družinama Vera Gonza z družino Družina Berkovič Družina Berkovič Joe Fotivec Family Alojz in Agata Sarjaš z družino Maša v bivši dvorani društva