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2018HTWeb150Tonight we begin the Great Three Days with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. It is a meditation on the connection between the Eucharist and Christian love expressed in serving one another. A meditation on Jesus not only present in the Eucharist but also in the deeds of loving kindness offered to others through us.

On this night we recall Jesus’ commandment to love one another, his washing of the disciples’ feet and the breaking of the bread of his own life, not just at table, but also on the altar of the Cross, for the healing and nourishment of the world.

There is no formal end to the liturgy tonight. What has been begun is not yet ended.

2018UDGV150You can watch Fr Januario and Brs Agedo and Martinho receive their degrees at the University of Divinity Graduation Ceremony on 16 March. The short clip shows the actual presentation of the degrees.

The East Timor Students Association also made a video of the Graduation evening which you can see here.

2018UDGWeb150St Michael’s Church, Melbourne, was filled to capacity last night for the University of Divinity Graduation Ceremony. Among the 317 graduands were Carmelites, Fr Januario Pinto, Br Agedo Bento and Br Martinho Da Cruz Lemos.

Fr Januario graduated with the degree of Master of Theology and Brs Agedo and Martinho with the degree of Bachelor of Theology.

Januario is now ministering the Carmelite parish of Coorparoo (QLD). Agedo and Martinho are continuing their studies in the Bachelor of Ministry program at the University. Congratulations, Brothers! Parabens! More photos.

2018FIFSLWeb150The first reading this Sunday looks forward to a new covenant between God and his people. This covenant will not be written on stone, but on human hearts. This new covenant cannot be broken since God always forgives and never remembers our sins. It is in our hearts that we learn the truth about the strength of God’s love for us and recognise ourselves as God’s beloved people.

There is a lovely phrase in the preface of Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I which captures this sense: You have bound the human family to yourself through Jesus your Son, our Redeemer, with a new bond of love so tight that it can never be undone.

2018MBSWeb150Australia and Timor-Leste have signed a new treaty establishing a permanent maritime border between the two nations. The treaty was signed at the United Nations Headquarters in new York on 6 March by East Timor's Deputy Prime Minister, Agio Pereira, and Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop.

The new treaty gives Timor-Leste a greater share of the revenue from the Greater Sunrise oil and gas deposit which lies between Timor-Leste and Australia and is vital for the economic future of Timor-Leste.

2018CITCWeb150Every person has a story. Stories are rich messages about who we are and who we want to become. This term in Religious Education, our new Year 7 students have been learning about the Whitefriars story in the unit Belonging to Community.

Brothers Sean Keefe and Matthew Tonini generously volunteered their time during the last few weeks to visit each of the Year 7 Religious Education classes to educate our boys about the story of the Carmelites, and how that vision of community, prayer and action shaped, and shapes, the story of Whitefriars.

2018FORSLWeb150This Sunday marks a change in the Lenten focus. We are no longer so absorbed by our own limitations and weaknesses in faith. We are more confident of God’s kindness, forgiveness and healing without which we would never dare embark on this journey. We look forward to the Easter celebrations with joy and hope.

On our journey from temptation to transfiguration we are becoming, through faith in Christ, the living presence of God in the world, the light in the darkness.

2018HTOCWeb150Br Avelino Dos Santos (far right) and his English Language class recently went on an outing to practice ordering coffee in English. After successfully ordering and drinking their coffee they couldn't resist standing in front of the 'No Standing' sign outside the cafe. See the full photo.

The English Language School for Pastoral Ministry in Box Hill (VIC) helps students develop their English language skills for theological studies and pastoral ministry. Carmelites, Marcolino Gomes, Agostinho Dos Santos and Avelino are all studying at ELSPM this year.

2018TSLWeb150The Gospels of the last two Sundays showed us that the Christian journey is from Temptation to Transfiguration. The Gospels of the next three Sundays of Lent present Jesus as the road (or The Way, as the early Christians referred to him) from temptation to transfiguration.

In the Old Testament scriptures the idea of the people of Israel being ‘the people of God’ is clearly established. By their behaviour they were to be a ‘light to the nations’, and the dwelling-place of God’s presence. Only much later did the idea of God dwelling in a building called a temple develop. Even so, the Jews never lost the sense that they were to be God’s own people.

JPIC73Web150This month Peter Thomas looks at 'Our Forgotten People' and the connection between mental illness and homelessness.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that 105,000 Australians are homeless on any given night and a high proportion of these people have a mental illness. Some estimates are as high as 75%.

Peter Thomas

JPIC No 73 March 2018 | Visit our JPIC page

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