from Fr Satheesh
This Sunday we celebrate The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and this is one of twelve “Master feasts” celebrated in the Church to honour Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master. We celebrate this Feast for two reasons: (1) to understand the history of the discovery and recovery of the True Cross and (2) to appreciate better the importance of the symbol and reality of Christ’s sacrificial love, namely, the cross in the daily life of every Christian. The feast celebrates the cross not as a symbol of suffering, but as an instrument of salvation and a sign of Christ's victory over death.
In this week’s Gospel of John, we hear the profound heart of God's plan for humanity. At its core, it is a message of love and salvation, not judgment. Jesus' words to Nicodemus draw a parallel between the ancient story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert and his own destiny. Just as looking upon the serpent brought physical healing to the Israelites, believing in the "lifted up" Son of Man offers eternal life.
The central theme is God's immense love for the world, a love so great that it led to the ultimate sacrifice of his only Son. This verse, John 3:16, is a beacon of hope, reminding us that God's intention was never to condemn, but to save. It assures us that salvation is a gift freely offered to everyone who believes, and that through this belief, we may find not loss, but eternal life. The passage transforms the image of the cross from a symbol of death into a testament of divine love and the path to salvation.
This Sunday is also Safe Guarding Sunday, where we all work towards make a commitment to practices and protocols that create and maintain safe environments for all people. It invites people to pray for those harmed by abuse directly and indirectly.
Please keep in your prayers all our Pilgrims, who are travelling to Italy and France, on 15 to 30 September. There are 37 Pilgrims from our Parish travelling on the pilgrimage. Our Parish Secretary Ivana and I will be away with the pilgrims and so we will not be in the parish office until we come back. While we are away Susanne Bragge our Pastoral and sacramental coordinator and our wonderful priests Fr. Biju and Fr. Boby will look after the Parish office and the pastoral needs. I am so grateful to them.
Thank you for your generous support with the OSH Appeal. If you haven’t contributed anything with this appeal would you kindly consider supporting as you can and it will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you to all who supported with the morning tea by bringing a plate to share.
Wishing you a joyful and peaceful week ahead. If you're new to our parish or just visiting, please don’t hesitate to come up and say hello, we'd love to welcome you!
May God bless you all.
Fr. Satheesh Antony OSH, PP
