St. Margaret Mary’s Church
Volume 4
Behold, the Lamb of God
March 2015
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s we draw close to Easter and reflect upon the mysteries of Christ’s passion, we find ourselves again at the centre stage of God’s scheme of redemption. Christ’s love is universal through locality and time, reaching men and women whose faith lies in the saving grace and love bartered with the Holy Blood of the Lamb of God. Our hope in salvation and the resurrection of the body was promised by the Risen Lord, the forerunner of what is to become of us, from corruptible flesh to immortality.
We share a faith which emphasizes much on the trust in God, in small things and also stormy times in our lives. We have learnt how the Lord calmed the waves in the Sea of Galilee where the apostles were cowering in a weather-battered boat. After Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and have calmed the sea, the apostles were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:27) It took the apostles miracle after miracle to have an eventual realization of who the Lord is; with awe and amazement they bore witnesses to the power of God which time after time redefined what would be reasonable to them. Today some of us may call what they saw and experienced counterintuitive or defying the law of physics. Jesus did not turn away those who doubt. After He was risen from the dead, He appeared among the apostles and asked Thomas, who doubted His resurrection, to “put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:26) Obviously rising from the dead is not a natural occurrence and would be considered illogical by many, perhaps more so on our days as scientific understanding develops at a fast pace. In Thomas we see that the Lord did not condemn the seeking of proof, the seeing and touching that will affirm Thomas of what his fellow apostles already believe. If the pursuit of rationality is a flawed human faculty which cannot coexist with faith, Jesus would not have allowed Thomas to touch him as Thomas was to stay as one of his beloved apostles. However it is not and should not be a prerequisite of believing, as the Lord has said that “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Fr. Andrew Dalton LC., whose highly specialized knowledge in the Shroud of Turin is widely acknowledged, said, “Faith is not the consequence of a syllogism or science experiment but a personal choice and a gift from God. Faith is not reason, but it is reasonable: it involves believing not on the basis of proof experienced firsthand but rather on the basis of the credibility of the one revealing…In a word, science does not prove faith, for then how would faith be faith? The Shroud, therefore, does not prove that Jesus rose from the dead, but its scientific testimony is perfectly compatible with his resurrection. Faith may not be reducible to reason (which is why I must respect my non-Christian friends), but Christian faith is reasonable (which is why they must respect me).” The excerpt above can be found at https://www. shroud.com/pdfs/dalton.pdf and more of his works can be found easily on the internet. We the parishioners at St. Margaret’s and Christ the King are very fortunate and honoured to have Fr. Andrew Dalton LC.’s presence in early April as he will host a two-hour seminar on The Shroud in English. Admission is open and free but entry will be limited to seats available at the Hall at St. Margaret’s.
Date : 5 April 2015 (Easter Sunday) Time : 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Venue : St. Margaret’s Church Ground Hall Free admission (English)
SHROUD of Turin by Fr. Andrew Dalton LC Diploma in Shroud
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Here Comes the Year of the Ram On 22nd February, St Margaret
Mary Church celebrated the Year of the Ram in the parish hall amidst exhilarating drums, gorgeous lion dance and certainly plenty of exchanges of good wishes among friends and lai-sees (money symbolizing good fortune) for the children. The stage, beautifully set up with the traditional Chinese decors for the new year, became the centre stage for people, many of whom were dressed in traditional Chinese costumes, to take photos with their families and friends. At the end of mass on the first day of the Chinese New Year (19th Feb) and the following Sunday, all members of the congregation received special blessings from our priests and a small gift which is an icon of our Lady holding Jesus in her arm. On the other side of the icon is the prayer for vocation, reminding us to say the prayer during the Year of Consecrated Life.
Echoing the Chinese tradition of wishing everyone the best things in life, the Gospel reading of the Eight Beatitudes reinforced the ways for Christians to find blessings from God and focus on storing our “fortune� in heaven. As all of us are happy to be the lambs of God, let us all wish one another and Hong Kong a year of peace, collaboration and prosperity!
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Words from Gospel readings in March 2015 Second Sunday of Lent Mark 9:2-10 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Segundo Domingo de Cuaresma San Marco 9:2-10 Entonces apareció una nube que los envolvió, de la cual salió una voz que dijo: “Éste es mi Hijo amado. ¡Escúchenlo!”
Third Sunday of Lent (Scrutinies) John 4:5-42 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Tercer Domingo de Cuaresma (Escrutinios) San Juan 4:5-42 Todo el que beba de esta agua volverá a tener sed —respondió Jesús—, pero el que beba del agua que yo le daré, no volverá a tener sed jamás, sino que dentro de él esa agua se convertirá en un manantial del que brotará vida eterna. Fourth Sunday of Lent (Scrutinies) Luke 9:1-41 The man answered and said to them, “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything.”
Cuarto Domingo de Cuaresma (Escrutinios) San Juan 9:1-41 Respondió el hombre—: Sabemos que Dios no escucha a los pecadores, pero sí a los piadosos y a quienes hacen su voluntad. Jamás se ha sabido que alguien le haya abierto los ojos a uno que nació ciego. Si este hombre no viniera de parte de Dios, no podría hacer nada.
Fifth Sunday of Lent (Scrutinies) John 11:1-45 Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Quinto Domingo de Cuaresma (Escrutinios) San Juan 11:1-45 Entonces Jesús le dijo:—Yo soy la resurrección y la vida. El que cree en mí vivirá, aunque muera; y todo el que vive y cree en mí no morirá jamás.
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Mark 11:1-10 Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!” Domingo de Ramos – la Pasión de Señor San Marco 11:1-10 Tzzto los que iban delante como los que iban detrás, gritaban: ¡Hosanna! Bendito el que viene en el nombre del Señor; Bendito el reino venidero de nuestro padre David; ¡Hosanna en las alturas!
Article Contributions Welcome
T
he newsletter is in many ways a ‘family letter’, facilitating the communication and shar-
ing of ideas between different groups in our parish. Therefore you will be most welcome to share with us your spiritual life and insights, parish activities and pilgrimage experience, etc. Text should be close to a full-A4 page length or half of it, with high resolution photos for print quality where relevant. We also welcome a simpler photo journal format with titles for the photos and may be a few lines to describe an event you have participated; it would be great to see different members of our family. Please send your contributions by email if possible; in case of handwritten manuscripts, please give it to the counter staff at the amenities building next to St. Margaret’s Church. Originals will not be returned so please make copies if necessary.
By post: St. Margaret’s Church (Newsletter) 2A Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Fax: 25769764 Email: smc@catholic.org.hk
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Easter & Holy Week - Mass Schedule 2015
St. Margaret Mary’s Parish Date Passion Sunday
Time
Amenities Building Hall (at St. Margaret’s)
St. Margaret’s Church
28th of March
6:15 p.m. (Anticipated Sunday Mass) - Procession of the Palms will take place.
29th of March
Sunday Mass hours as usual - Palm Sunday Procession at the 11a.m. Mass.
(Palm Sunday) (Saturday)
(Sunday)
Christ the King Chapel
Sunday Mass hours as usual - Palm Sunday Procession at the 8:15a.m. Mass.
Easter Triduum
The Lord’s Supper
(Thursday of Holy week)
2nd of April
No Masses in the morning.
(Consecration of Holy Chrism will be held at the Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception at 11a.m.)
8p.m. Mass in Chinese
(Friday of Holy April week)
3p.m.
(Holy Saturday)
Easter
Mass in Chinese
(Lenten Almsgiving collection in Masses)
Good Friday 3rd of
Easter Eve
Mass in English
4th of April
5th of April
No Masses in the morning. * Fasting Day (please see remarks) 9a.m. The Way of the Cross 10a.m. to 3p.m. 10a.m. The Way of the (Chinese) Cross (Chinese) Good Friday Retreat 11a.m. The Way of the Cross (English) Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion
In Chinese No Masses in the morning.
8p.m.
9:30 a.m.
In English
In Chinese
Easter Vigil
In English
In Chinese In Chinese (Baptism during Mass) (Baptism during Mass)
Sunday Mass hours as usual
Sunday Cafe closed
Mass for Welcoming the Newly Baptized
Sunday Mass hours as usual
* Remarks: Catholics 14 years and older are bound to abstain from meat, those from age 18 through age 59 are bound to fast. Invalids, pregnant and nursing mothers are exempt. Abstinence: Meat is considered to be the flesh and organs of mammals and fowl. Fish, amphibians, reptiles and shellfish are permitted, as are animal-derived products such as gelatin, butter, cheese and eggs, which do not have any meat taste. Fasting: One meal a day, and two smaller meals which if added together would not exceed the main meal in quantity. Eating solid foods between meals is not permitted.
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