Newsletter 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 14th June 2026

Newsletter 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 14th June, 2026.pdf

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Gospel Reflection

In today’s Gospel, Our Lord chose the 12 Apostles. Jesus commanded them: “proclaim the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.” The central message for Our Lord and for us is to help establish God’s Kingdom on this earth. The Apostles were faithful to Our Lord’s command. Tradition has it that Thomas took the faith to India. Andrew to Russia and Scotland. They obeyed Our Lord’s words to the letter: “Take no money, no bag, no spare clothing.” They suffered intense persecution, imprisonment, chains, stoning and flogging. All but one was martyred. One was crucified upside down. One was skinned alive. What if they had said no to the call? What if they had decided to stay at home and watch TV? Where would you and I be today? We, you and I, are the new Apostles. The Apostles of these times. Just as we depended on the original Apostles for our faith, people in these times depend on us. St Francis Xavier who died in 1552, took the Gospel message from Italy to Japan and India. He founded churches, seminaries and baptized thousands of people. What is St Francis Xavier had said no to the call? My call to the priesthood was miraculous. I was ordained in the year 2000 at the age of 40. As a young man I wanted to get married. I wanted marriage more than all my male peers. From my early twenties I went to Mass almost every day. When people asked me if I had ever thought of the priesthood, I had a standard answer: “I know God wants me to be married and have 10 children.” In November 1986, I attended a Mass celebrated by Pope St John Paul II in Sydney. During that Mass I was given an overwhelming desire to give my life completely to Our Lord as a single person to be single for the Lord. That desire later became a desire to be a priest. I was ordained in the year 2000. I hear over 30 confessions a day, every day. I can’t begin to tell you how fulfilling that is, to give such a high level of happiness to so many people every day. In the confessional one is forgiven, no matter how great their sins, and one can start their life over again, brand new. Only a Priest can offer Mass. At every Mass, all creation receives all the merit that Christ won for us by His death on the Cross. On the Cross and at every Mass, our Lord gives Himself, the Holy Spirit, all that can be given; to all people over all time. What could be more fulfilling than that? Also, at every Mass, I feed people with food which is none other than God Himself. Wow, the life of a priest! Then there are the other Sacraments. The Sacrament of anointing of the sick, for example, forgives the dying person of their sins. Thereby, ensuring that he or she will be saved. Only the priest can bless Holy objects. Holy water for example. I was praying over a person who had howled and screamed all through Mass. It was at a Thursday evening Mass here about the year 2020. She had her own water which she was drinking. I then offered her Holy water. She did not know it had been blessed. As soon as the water touched her tongue, she spat it out and crushed the plastic cup. The Priest’s Blessing is also powerful. In September 2022 I did a parish mission with a priest in Sydney. On the day of the mission this priest’s leg became too painful to walk on. The Priest phoned another Priest to ask him to bless his leg. While on the phone, all this priest did was give my priest friend his blessing, and his leg was completely healed. Not having a wife, the priest can give himself more exclusively to our Lord, giving the priest a more personal or intimate relationship with our Lord. The priest is called to have the deepest possible union with our Lord, Persona-Christi, one person with the Lord. When I desire to give myself completely, Our Lord holds nothing back in giving Himself. No person loves us as much as the Lord does, His love is always more. Priesthood can be difficult because we are only human. If I rely only on my human strength, my priesthood can be too hard but if I rely on God’s Grace, then my priesthood has no limits. Please pray for Vocations so that God’s Kingdom may come soon. There may be men here, hearing this message, who are called to the priesthood; please be open by praying for God’s Will in your life. If you are called, you don’t want to miss out.

by Fr Doug Harris