Our bulletin is sponsored by the Diocesan Investment Fund (DIF) currently paying 2.15% at call. Local Agent: Roberts, First National Real Estate, 10 Bowra Street, Nambucca Heads

THIS WEEKEND’S READINGS — THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Next Week’s Readings: Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 4:8-12; 1 Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18

FOLLOWING THE MISSAL Preface of Easter II, Eucharistic Prayer II

Gospel Acclamation Lk 24:32

Alleluia, alleluia!

Lord Jesus, make your word plain to us:

make our hearts burn with love when you speak.

Alleluia!

Gospel Lk 24:35-48

The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread.

They were still talking about all this when Jesus him-self stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. But he said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; yes, it is I indeed. Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this he showed them his hands and feet. Their joy was so great that they could not believe it, and they stood dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before their eyes.

Then he told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, has to be fulfilled.’ He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘So you see how it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this.’

First Reading Acts 3:13-15. 17-19

Peter said to the people: ‘You are Israelites, and it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant Jesus, the same Jesus you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate, after Pilate had decided to re-lease him. It was you who accused the Holy One, the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a mur-derer while you killed the prince of life. God, howev-er, raised him from the dead, and to that fact we are the witnesses.

‘Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing; this was the way God carried out what he had foretold, when he said through all his prophets that his Christ would suffer. Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.’

Responsorial Psalm Ps 4:2. 4. 7. 9. R. v.7

(R.) Lord, let your face shine on us.

1. When I call, answer me, O God of justice;

from anguish you released me, have mercy and hear me! (R.)

2. It is the Lord who grants favours to those whom he loves; the Lord hears me whenever I call him. (R.)

3. ‘What can bring us happiness?’ many say.

Lift up the light of your face on us, O Lord. (R.)

4. I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once,

for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (R.)

Second Reading 1 Jn 2:1-5

I am writing this, my children,

to stop you sinning;

but if anyone should sin,

we have our advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ, who is just;

he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away,

and not only ours,

but the whole world’s.

We can be sure that we know God

only by keeping his commandments.

Anyone who says, ‘I know him’,

and does not keep his commandments,

is a liar,

refusing to admit the truth.

But when anyone does obey what he has said,

God’s love comes to perfection in him.

A PRAYER FOR THOSE

TRAVELLING

My holy angel guardian, ask the Lord to bless the journey which

we undertake, that it may profit the health of our soul and body; that we may reach its end; and that, return-ing safe and sound, we may find all at home in good health.

Do thou guard, guide, and preserve us. Amen.

Have a blessed and fun school holiday!!

Catholic Parish of the Nambucca Valley *Corpus Christi, Bowraville *St Patrick’s, Macksville *Our Lady Star of the Sea, Nambucca Heads *Christ the King, Taylor’s Arm

Administrator: Fr Shelwin Fernandez

Parish Secretary: Mrs Angela Argent

Parish Office: Postal Address: PO Box 38, Macksville 2447 Street Address: 78 Wallace Street, Macksville Telephone: 6568 1107 Email: nvparish@lismore.catholic.org.au

Website: www.nvparish.com.au

Urgent Matters: 0481 277 532

Office Hours Monday & Tuesday 8.30am to 2.30 pm Thursday 8.30am to 3.30 pm

Nambucca Presbytery:

Telephone: 6568 6642 Parish Schools:

St Patrick’s Primary School—Macksville 32 Macksville Heights Drive, Macksville Phone: 02 6568 1397 Website: moodle.macvplism.catholic.edu.au

St Mary’s Primary School —Bowraville 4 Carbin Street, Bowraville Phone: 02 65647369 Website: www.bwpplism.catholic.edu.au

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER 15TH APRIL 2018

Welcome everyone! Especially to the new members of our parish and to our visitors from near and far.

Being wrong You thought you lost your wallet only to find it down the side of the lounge chair! You thought you failed the exam but to your surprise, passed with a credit! You thought you made an enemy of your neighbour, but it turned out to be a minor misunderstanding! Sometimes, you can be wrong and sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

Something like this occurred to the disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion. In a situation of despair, they thought all their ideas about Jesus and their hopes for the future were dashed. Then, something remarkable happens: the cruci-fied Jesus appears to various groups of disciples. So ex-traordinary is this experience, the disciples find it very hard to believe and admit they were wrong. He had died on the cross. How could they have got that wrong?

In today’s gospel, we find the disciples gathered around to hear the story of Cleopas and an unnamed disciple meeting Jesus on the way to Emmaus: for most of the jour-ney they do not recognise who the stranger is. Only when they break bread together do they realise it is Jesus, but he immediately disappears from their sight.

Then Jesus appears in their midst offering his blessing of peace. The disciples become fearful and panic which Jesus addresses by asking: “Why is there fear in your hearts?” He shows them his wounded hands and feet and invites them to touch him to allay their doubts: “A ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Jesus eats with them and explains how his death and rising were predicted in the scriptures … as he had already told them, but they were too blind to see. They remember Jesus saying: “O you of little faith!”

The transformation of Jesus from death to life is matched by the transformation of the disciples. Their despair and cowardice in abandoning Jesus give way to the experience of forgiveness and peace. They had been so wrong but, after the initial struggle to believe, they cannot hold back their new-found joy.

Making wrong decisions and bad judgment calls is some-thing we all do. It is called being human. How easy it is to fall into the trap of doubting God’s goodness and mercy because this seems so counter to a world in which suffer-ing and disappointment abound. Yet there is something deeper in our hearts challenging such hard-nosed cynicism.

The Easter story confirms these deepest longings in our human hearts. It does not annul the reality of pain and sorrow, but transforms these into something more won-derful where death no longer reigns. Let us not live our lives as if Jesus had not risen! Like the first disciples, let us experience the joy of being wrong! - Gerard Hall SM © Redemptorists 2018

GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY APPEAL—22nd APRIL

We ask that we may be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit as we carry on the mission of Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Let us pray for one another that we may be strengthened in our Christian vocations as married and single people, priests, deacons and religious. May our young people listen to God’s call and be encouraged to respond generously.

We ask that you support the education of your future priests by donating to the Good Shepherd Sunday Appeal next weekend.

Parish Diary

Tuesday 17TH APRIL

5:00 pm Reconciliation, Macksville 5:30 pm Mass, Macksville

Wednesday 18TH APRIL

9:00 am Rosary, Bowraville 9:30 am Mass, Bowraville

Thursday 19TH APRIL

9:30 am Mass + Benediction, Macksville

Friday 20TH APRIL

9:00 am Mass + Benediction, Nambucca Heads

Saturday 21ST APRIL

5:30 pm Reconciliation, Nambucca 6:00 pm Mass, Nambucca Heads

Sunday 22ND APRIL

8:00 am Mass, Macksville 10:00 am Mass, Taylors Arm

FUTURE DATES

APRIL:

16th—NO OFFICE

19th-20th—Cleaning of Macksville Presbytery

26th —Pre-baptism Program, St. Pat’s Church, 7PM

28th—Parish Men’s Group Meeting, OLSS, 11AM

MAY:

1st —Anointing Mass, Macksville, 5:30PM

2nd—Early Learning Education Meeting, 5:30PM

4th —Anointing Mass, Nambucca Heads, 9AM

NO WEEKDAY MASSES

Father is away on study

leave in Brisbane

15th April — Weekly Inspirational Quote from Pope Francis in conjunction with the World Meeting for Families 2018

“The home is where children first learn about God. Parents hand on faith to their

children not only by what they say but, more im-portantly, by what they do and how they treat others both inside and outside of the home.”

Sharing with you Pope Francis' homily during the Divine Mercy Sunday. What a homily!

"You can have flaws, be anxious, and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from going bust.

Many appreciate you, admire you and love you. Re-member that to be happy is not to have a sky without a storm, a road without accidents, work without fatigue, relationships without disappointments.

To be happy is to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. It is not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It is not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures. It is not only to feel hap-py with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity.

Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achieve-ment for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become your destiny's author. It is to cross deserts, yet to be able to find an oasis in the depths of our soul. It is to thank God for every morning, for the miracle of life.

Being happy is not being afraid of your own feelings. It's to be able to talk about you. It is having the courage to hear a "no".

It is confidence in the face of criticism, even when unjustified. It is to kiss your children, pamper your par-ents, to live poetic moments with friends, even when they hurt us.

To be happy is to let live the creature that lives in each of us, free, joyful and simple. It is to have maturity to be able to say: "I made mistakes". It is to have the courage to say "I am sorry". It is to have the sensitivity to say, "I need you".

It is to have the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness ... That in spring may it be a lover of joy. In winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start all over again. For only then will you be in love with life. You will find that to be happy is not to have a perfect life.

But use the tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your losses to train patience. Use your mistakes to sculptor sereni-ty.

Use pain to plaster pleasure. Use obstacles to open win-dows of intelligence. Never give up ....

Never give up on people who love you. Never give up on happiness, for life is an incredible show." - (Pope Francis)

On Monday 9 April, Pope Francis released his new Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” (Rejoice and be glad), subtitled “On the call to holiness in the contemporary world.” He started the letter with these couple of paragraphs.

1. “REJOICE AND BE GLAD” (Mt 5:12), Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The Lord asks everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre exist-ence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in the Lord’s words to Abraham: “Walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

2. What follows is not meant to be a treatise on holi-ness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of sanctification. My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportu-nities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us “to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4).

If you want to have a copy, please ring the Parish Office. This will be ordered through St Pauls and will be available early May.

WE PRAY FOR OUR COMMUNITY...

Lord we ask healing for those who are sick. We thank you for those who have recovered. We pray for all who have died and those whose anniversaries occur at this time.

** Mass intention envelopes are located at the back of the church **

SICK: Jude Ross, Lenny Diack, Gordon Ryan, Jessie Vin-cent, Max Irvine, James Cook, Leo Yorke, David Miller, Leo Channells, Sr. Martha PBVM, Glendon Jones, Ernie Thorne, Robyn Ryan

ANNIVERSARY: John Mulvihill, Tom & Judith Mulvi-hill, Jack & Mary Howle, Michael Howle, Alan & Judy Howle, May & Raymond Simpson, Elaine Gallagher, Bishop John Satteryjwaite, Fr Charles Kakumanu, Fr Steven O’Donnell, Molly Forrester, Irene & Gordon McFadyen, Kathleen Hoffman, John Thomas Ingold

RECENTLY DECEASED: Allan Bannon, Daphne Spinks, Sharon Jarrett, Nathan Wycech, Carly Taylor

If you wish us to visit any family members who are in hospital or infirm, please notify the parish office so the Pastoral Care team or Father can arrange a visit and administer the sacrament for the sick.

Ministry Roster — 21st & 22nd April 2018

Nambucca Heads

6:00 PM

Macksville

8:00 AM

Taylors Arm

10:00 AM

Commentator S Dwarte J Thorne H Spear

Reader Pat Smith Z White J Desmond

Extra-ordinary Ministers of

Holy Communion

S Bolton, D Nicholls,

P McShane

I Allan, B Goswell

Procession of Gifts J & M Harris S & J Nebauer

Greeters/Hospitality Betty / Melina J Cowin, M Howle

Altar Servers P Smith L Townsend, C Gleeson,

S Gleeson

J & B Desmond

Sacristan P Baker U Goodwin

Counters F & J Wesley

Church Caring * I Dallas

PARISH EARLY LEARNING CENTRE

After the initial meeting last 7th March, it seems like this might be a worthwhile enterprise that the parish will be devoting with in helping the local community. Thus, another meeting is being organised on Wednesday, 2 May, @ 5:30pm at the Parish Office Function Centre, Macksville to continue investigate and assess this possibility.

In order to really know the ‘feeling and need’ of the community, we are inviting young parents, carers, even grandparents who are looking after the young ones to attend the meeting. Kind-hearted people whether you may or may not have an experience with Early Learning Education but may want to get involve in the process of establishing the centre are also invited.

See you then. Fr Shelwin

PARISH MEN’S GROUP

After a number of discussions and reflections, Fr. Shelwin and I are inviting all men of the Nambucca Valley Parish to attend a meeting on Saturday, the 28th of April, 2018 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church commencing at 11am to determine the level of need/support/nature for men’s groups in the parish, e.g., social-scriptural- prayer-singing, etc.

Your prayerful and inspiring contributions would be much appreciated. - Pat Wolf, SFO.

Caritas Australia would like to THANK YOU for supporting Project Compassion. If you still have your Project Compassion box or set of envelopes at home, please bring them back next week or visit www.caritas.org.au to make your donation online.

Thank you for supporting programs around the world that provide vulnerable people with the skills and opportunities they need to establish sustainable food sources for life. www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion 1800 024 413