• The parish needs VOLUNTEERS to help in the following essential ministries: Acolytes, Funeral Services, Music, and Filipino Catholic Ministry.We urge parishioners to serve the aforementioned ministries.If you are interested, please get the form next to parish bulletin at the back of the church.

• New Eucharistic Minister training will be held on the following Sundays: 12 September, 3 and 10 October 2021 at 4:00 PM.
• There will be Lector Training sessions on both 19 and 26 September 2021 (3:00-4:00 PM) at the parish hall upstairs. The training will focus on the techniques and quality of reading. Fr. Albertus will talk about the Spirituality of the Lector and the Liturgy. It is recommended that all lectors come; new lectors are required to attend.
• The commissioning for the Eucharist Ministers, Readers, and Acolytes will be held on 17 October 2021 at the 11:15 AM Mass.

During the time of Jesus, the people were confused. They had diverse ideas about him. They regarded him as a political messiah, a teacher, a healer, wonderworker, prophet, king, and many others besides. In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus asked his disciples a sort of a survey question: "Who do people say that I am?" He was not really interested in their answer. He was just testing them whether they were affected by the confusing ideas of people about him. His most important question, however, followed the first: "But who do you say that I am?"

This is the same question Jesus asks of us: "Who do you say that I am?" There are now thousands of religions and sects all over the world, each one preaching about Jesus. But we are not sure whether the Jesus they are preaching is the true Jesus. That is why many people are confused.

Peter gave the correct answer: "You are the Messiah." But Jesus did two surprising things: first, "he warned them not to tell anyone about him" and second, he called Peter "Satan." Although Peter gave the correct answer, this truth about the identity of Jesus was not yet to be made known to the people. Doing so prematurely would risk his mission. The people would be very excited and disturbed and this could threaten the Roman authorities. And secondly, the salvation that Jesus was to bring about was by way of the cross, and the people would not be able to understand and take it. So, his identity had to remain as the "Messianic Secret."

Jesus also surprised everybody by rebuking Peter: "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." This was because, when Jesus was talking about his forthcoming sufferings and death on the cross, Peter objected and tried to dissuade him: "No! There must be some other way, not the cross! The cross is for criminals and evil-doers, not for you!" These words of Peter must have tempted Jesus. So, he quickly rebuked Peter with the hard words ever: "Get behind me, Satan!" Underlying these two surprising actions of Jesus is the reality of the cross. He had to keep his identity hidden from the people because of the cross he was about to carry. And He called Peter "Satan" because he was trying to prevent him from taking up the cross, and thereby disobey his heavenly Father's will.

Who is Jesus? In order not to be confused, there is one particular thing, which will definitely identify the true Jesus: it is the cross. The true Jesus always has the cross. There is no cross- less Jesus. That is why he said: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me" (Mt 16:24). He is the Suffering Servant of Yahweh that the Prophet Isaiah talks about in the first reading. The cross has been the symbol of man's cruelty. It has been used as the instrument of abuse and death to punish criminals and enemies of the state. But Jesus was no criminal. He has no sin. He cannot be punished. Yet he was nailed to the cross. He voluntarily suffered and offered up his life on the cross as sacrifice to atone for man's sins and offenses against God. From that time on, the cross became the most perfect symbol of self-sacrifice, love and salvation. Jesus said: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (Jn 15:13).

Our journey as Christians is like climbing a mountain. It is an upward ascent to perfection and holiness. Jesus said: "Be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect." It is never easy. It is the way of the cross. It is the way of rendering good works and loving service to those in need as the Apostle James said in the second reading. It is the way of forgiveness and love, even love of our enemies. It is the way of self-denial in the midst of temptations to comfort and extravagance. It is never easy. So, if we are looking for an easy life, if we are looking for comfort and pleasure, beware! A quotation says: "If the going gets so easy, be careful! You may be going downhill!"

The 14^th of September, we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation or the Triumph of the Cross. It seeks to remind us that we have to remain loyal to Jesus and to follow him no matter what lies ahead. The Suffering Servant in the book of the prophet Isaiah said these words: "I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame" (Is 50:7). "Setting one's face like flint" means to look straightforward; to focus oneself towards one direction, never turning his head to other distractions. This is precisely what the Lord wants us to do. He walks ahead of us with the cross on his shoulders. Let us follow him, with our faces set like flint, knowing that he will lead us to victory and eternal glory.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

• The parish needs VOLUNTEERS to help in the following essential ministries: Acolytes, Funeral Services, and Filipino Catholic Ministry. We urge parishioners to serve the aforementioned ministries. If you are interested, please get the form next to parish bulletin at the back of the church.
• The Adoration will be held on 5 September (Sunday) at 2:00 - 3:30 PM in our church. All are welcome, including non-Catholics.
• New Eucharistic Minister training will be held on 12 September, 3 and 10 October 2021 at 4:00 PM.
• The commissioning for the Eucharist Ministers, Readers, and Acolytes will be held on 17 October 2021 at the 11:15 AM Mass.

In the gospel today Jesus meets a man who is deaf and also has a problem in his speech. It is his friends who bring him to Jesus. We note the sensitivity of Jesus. He takes the man apart in order to cure him. We see the gentleness of Jesus in dealing with the man in a very personal and caring way. He doesn't want to embarrass him or treat him as a case. He treats him as another human being in need of respect and gentleness because of his situation.

But more than a physical healing Jesus allows him to go back into society freed to participate in all social and religious activities. The fact is that at the time of Jesus deafness and the inability to speak were seen as punishments from God. So, in healing him Jesus gives him back his religious and social rights and so the man ceases to be marginalized.

In the text neither the man nor his friends get a name suggesting that the man stands for all of us who need to have our ears opened by God to hear what keeps us enslaved so as free us from things that harm us. As a community open to and really hearing the word of God we must show solidarity with those who suffer physically and socially. Today an obvious situation would be how we treat immigrants, asylum seekers, people with various diseases. Very often they are rejected. The gospel text, then, is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah which says that 'the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.'

In the gospel text we see too that Jesus has crossed the borders from the land of the Jews into what is known as pagan territory to bring the Good News to non-Jews, saying that God wishes to heal and care for all peoples irrespective of religious or other labels. This is an invitation to us to cross the borders to those who do not belong to us socially or religiously, like immigrants, refugees or people of other faiths or indeed those who do not believe at all.

Jesus has gone back to his heavenly Father and he leaves the work of opening the ears of the blind and opening the tongues of the deaf to us. He is not asking us for success stories but rather he asks how we help others to hear by our compassionate listening, by our respectful attitudes. How do we speak to others? Is our manner of speech if in a courteous way not an invitation to others who may be aggressive and angry, etc. to learn a different way of speaking and addressing others?

Finally, Jesus said to the deaf man who had also a speech impediment 'Ephphatha' that is 'Be opened'. Is he not addressing the same words to us? An invitation also to us. 'Be opened' – to the goodness of other people, the innocence of babies, the gentleness of the old, the beauties of creation, the knowing smile, the so many gifts we receive from God daily.

'Be opened' to the unspoken cry for friendship of another, to the call of a lonely person living nearby, the call to share what is surplus to me and no longer needed instead of leaving them in my cupboard when I may never use them again.

Can I practicalize the 'Be opened' invitation of Jesus? We all know that we ourselves and others will be the better for it.

For sure the deaf man with the impediment stands for each of us, woman and man. God speaks to us daily through others in so many ways. Do we hear what he is saying and are our lips continually free from negative comments and other impediments so as to use them to praise and thank God continuously and to encourage others who are down and to try to be positive in our words towards all?

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.

Please note that WEEKDAY MASS now starts at 9:15 AM.

The parish is facing a shortage of manpower at the moment, especially Acolytes, Sunday School Teachers, Funeral Services Coordinators, and Filipino Catholic Ministers.We encourage all parishioners to Consider Volunteering for the Church's Ministries.If you are interested, please get the form next to parish bulletin at the back of the church.

Training for the new Eucharistic Ministers will be held on August 29 (Sunday) at 4:00 PM in the church.

There is a story about a saint who, while still alive, was granted the privilege of seeing heaven. He was at the entrance, waiting for St. Peter. While waiting, he walked around, and was very surprised to see hundreds of thousands of human ears hanging all over the place. He managed to ask an angel about those ears. And the angel replied: "Those ears belong to people who were good listeners of the Gospel of Jesus. They loved to listen to the Word of God. But they did not practice what they heard. So, it's only their ears that are here."

Brothers and sisters, following Jesus is not a matter of listening, or talking. Rather, it is a matter of doing and obeying God's will. In the second reading, the Apostle Saint James urge us: "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.This was precisely the problem with the Pharisees.They were good listeners and preachers of the word of God. In fact, they were the acknowledged spiritual leaders of the Jewish people. But they were not doers. After all, listening and preaching are easier than doing what the word of God tells us.

In our first reading today from Deuteronomy, Moses says, "In your observance of the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I am commanding you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it" (Deut 4:2). The Pharisees were definitely guilty of this self-deception, and worse, also of deceiving others. They were guilty of adding, subtracting and distorting God's commandments in order for them to look good and to readily condemn others. They were quick in criticizing others for not observing the ritual washing of hands, as if unwashed hands are worse than unclean hearts. So Jesus pointed out directly: "Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person, but the things that come out from within are what defile" (Mark 7:14-15). And he went on to mention the sins that most of us are prone to fall into: "evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly" (Mk 7:21f.).

The world nowadays has been very successful in deceiving us. We have learned to live with ambiguity, double meanings and double standards, especially in matters of morality and spirituality. We have managed to justify our sins and make them appear and sound harmless by the clever use of words and expressions. Abortion is no longer called murder, but "reproductive rights"; euthanasia which was called "mercy killing" is now referred to as "compassion for the terminally ill"; This is the bitter fruit of what Pope Benedict XVI called "the dictatorship of relativism." We have learned to live with immorality and lies for we ceased standing up for truth and goodness. We have compromised our Christian principles and values in favor of this world. This is aptly expressed in an old adage: "Unless we live in accordance with what we believe, in due time we will believe according to what we live."

The readings this Sunday invite us to have sincere and honest examination of conscience. Once and for all, let us set ourselves free from self-deception. Let the word of God, without adding or omitting anything from it, guide us to the truth, no matter how unpleasant and painful it is. For the truth will set us free and lead us to true repentance and conversion of hearts. The time has come to stop being mere listeners, but doers and followers of the word of God. Then, as St. James said, we will be blessed in all we do.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

Taize prayer will be held on 27 August (Friday) at 8 p.m. at St. Anne's Church, and there will be synchronized playback on Facebook.  

We welcome all brothers and sisters to participate.

1. The 1st Sunday Eucharistic Adoration will be held on 1 August at 2:00 - 3:30 in our church. We hope that more can participate.
2. The parish is facing a shortage of manpower at the moment, especially Acolytes, Eucharistic Ministers, Sunday School team, and Filipino Catholic Ministers. We encourage all parishioners to consider volunteering for the Church's Ministries.  If you are interested, please get the form next to the parish bulletin at the back of the church.
3. Baptism for babies will be at 3:00 p.m. on 25 September ( Saturday ) & 3:00 p.m. 25 December ( Saturday ) this year.  Please collect the form placed next to the parish bulletin at the back of the church.  For further details please refer to our notice board. 

Taize prayer will be held on 30 July (Friday) at 8 p.m. at St. Anne's Church, and there will be synchronized playback on Facebook. 

We welcome all brothers and sisters to participate. 

If you enjoy making music, please join us in the music ministry. We welcome all vocalists and instrumentalists, our members are all ages and all nationalities, and we always welcome new members. We are also looking for a NEW COORDINATOR to help with scheduling and communications. If you are interested to find out more, come talk with one of the choir members after mass, or e-mail me at peggiefitch@gmail.com. 

We would understand if Jesus was not recognized by people from other towns. But not to be recognized and even rejected by his town mates in Nazareth is truly heartbreaking. That is why the Gospel said that Jesus could not work any miracle there, "apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them."

There are several reasons why the people of Nazareth did not recognize and accept Jesus. First, they were in error. They thought they knew what a Messiah should be. They rejected Jesus because he did not conform to their mistaken idea of a true messiah. They thought they knew Jesus: that he is the carpenter, the son of Mary, a simple and ordinary guy next door. They were very sure of this because they have known him since childhood. What they did not know was his divinity hidden behind his humanity. They were familiar with him, but it was only on the superficial level. The image they had of him, which they held on to with great tenacity, became a block to their learning more about him. As it is always said, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." It is always prone to errors, prejudices and misconceptions.

Second, the people of Nazareth did not recognize and accept Jesus because "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." A prophet is the spokesman of God. He speaks what God wants to say to His people, whether they like the message or not. Jesus is the prophet par excellence. In the past God spoke through human instruments; but now God speaks through His own Son, Jesus. It is not surprising therefore, that he will be rejected, even by his own town mates, because his message and teachings ran counter to their values and preconceived notions and ideas about God.

And finally, the people of Nazareth lacked the most important element to be able to accept Jesus: the gift of faith. The Gospel said: "He was amazed at their lack of faith." If faith can move mountains, lack of faith builds mountains that block the hand of God. Nothing is impossible with Jesus. He has the power to do any miracle. But he just could not do any miracle in his hometown because of their lack of faith. He knew that in such a situation, tragic things could result instead of spiritual benefits for the people. Working a miracle for people who have no faith will do more harm than good. As a quote says, "For those who do not have faith, no miracle is enough; for those who have faith, no miracle is necessary."

Let us examine ourselves. Have we truly accepted Jesus as our Lord? The Lord invites us now, not just to be familiar with him, but more importantly, to be intimate with him, to enter into a personal relationship with him so that we will truly know and love him.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

1. Fr. Paulus, the parish priest of St. Anne's Church, will not be in the office from 06 June to 15 August.  Fr. David Tristianto will be the person in charge of the office during this time.

2. COVID PREVENTION MEASURES – Please refer HERE for the latest Chancery Notice with regard to pastoral measures in relation to public masses, guidelines, etc.

MEDITATION is a way of deep praying. Through the silence, it helps you understand yourself and leads you into the presence of God.

Come and learn this silent form of prayer - prayer of the heart.

The St Anne's group meets 7:00 PM every Tuesday in the sanctuary. Come a little earlier to quiet down.

Praying for our children and children of the world.  This group meets at the St. Anne's Parish Hall (1/F) --

Every TUESDAY at 10:45AM (Cantonese)

 Every WEDNESDAY at 10:30AM and 6:00PM (Bilingual)

Nowadays, we see various systematic and concerted efforts from secular society to erase God from the lives of the people. Secular governments all over the world are becoming more and more bold in their attempts to put God away from public life and curtail religious freedom. It is a blatant and deliberate attempt to take away the Christian faith from us. We have to be very vigilant. Faith is a gift from God, and it could be totally lost. Losing our faith is very disastrous to our soul.

In our relationship with God, there are three theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. St. Paul said that these are the three things that last. And the greatest among them is love. St. Thomas Aquinas added some qualification to that statement. He said that in the order of dignity, it is true that love is the greatest. But how can we love God when we do not know Him? Nothing is desired unless it is known beforehand. It is faith that helps us to know God. And we can love God only if we know Him. So, in the order of knowledge, faith comes first. Losing our faith, therefore, means to lose our means to know God, making it impossible to love Him.

The Gospel this Sunday gives us the story about two miracles done by Jesus: the healing of a woman who was hemorrhaging for twelve years, and the raising back to life of a twelve-year old girl, the daughter of Jairus.

The woman touched the garment of Jesus, uttering to herself: "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." And in the second instance, Jesus made sure Jairus had faith in him: "Do not be afraid. Just have faith." It is faith that moves the hand of God to do wondrous deeds. It is not the other way around. Some people think that for them to have faith, they need to witness a miracle. "To see is to believe", they say. That is wrong. As the Gospels clearly illustrate, one has to have faith first, and this faith will produce miracles: "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move.' Nothing will be impossible for you" (Mt 17:20).

Let us, therefore, examine our faith. Every Sunday at Mass we recite the Creed. It contains all the most important and fundamental truths of our faith revealed to us by God. If we believe in something, which is contrary to any of these truths, we are committing sin against faith. It is truly important to know and study the doctrines of our faith as taught to us by the Church since the beginning. Knowing them, we must also adhere and hold on to them with firm belief and conviction.

And secondly, trusting more in one's self, in other persons and things rather than in God is definitely wrong. Trusting in our own intelligence and powers, or relying solely on money or in other persons, totally disregarding God's providence, are sins against faith. We must trust in God over and above everything in this world. We are truly blessed and fortunate that, despite our unworthiness, God granted us the gift of faith. We are duty bound to protect and defend it, and to make sure it is nurtured through study and prayer. And most importantly, God expects us to share our faith with others. The more we share it, the stronger it becomes.

As followers of Christ, it is our duty and our mission to share and spread our faith and thereby fulfill his command: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature" (Mk 16:15).

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm. 

"Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" This is not a simple and innocuous question from the disciples. It is actually an accusation and a judgment: "Do you not care?" When does Jesus not care? In His public ministry, Jesus has shown quite clearly and abundantly His care, compassion and love for everyone, especially for the poor, the weak, and the sick.

In the Gospel this Sunday, Jesus gives us two parables of the seeds to describe the reign of God. The first is the Parable of the Growing Seeds. It tells us that God's kingdom, like the seed, will definitely come, regardless of any human intervention. The second is the Parable of the Mustard Seed, "the smallest of all the seeds on the earth." Yet when it is sown, it grows and become the largest of plants. Why did Jesus use the image of the seed in these parables? Certainly, the seed has significant qualities that will help us understand the mystery of the kingdom of God.

First, the seed is small and, in the eyes of most people, insignificant. Only farmers truly appreciate its value. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus pictured God as the farmer who sowed seeds on the ground. And that is precisely how God works – always from humble and small beginnings.

This teaches us the lesson on humility and littleness. Fallen human nature tends to seek for recognition and appreciation. Hence, people aspire to become big – rich, famous, and powerful. But experience tells us that this is not the way to true greatness and happiness. The seed is a reminder that being little does not mean being powerless or insignificant. In fact, as shown by the example of God, it is the way to true greatness. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "A great man is always willing to be little." In other words, it takes a lot of greatness to become little. The way of God is humility; the way of the devil is pride.

Second, the seed grows slowly. It follows the process of nature, which is gradual and slow. There is no shortcut to growth and development. This is the way the Kingdom of God unfolds. Unfortunately, many people nowadays do not subscribe to this truth anymore. Being used to the comforts and convenience in this age of technology, they think that success can be achieved quickly and easily. Everybody is in a hurry and impatient. They hate to wait. But the seed teaches us that the way to greatness and success is a long and painstaking process.

Third, the seed is totally dependent, not on the power of any human being, but on the providence of God. It is God who supplies the minerals and nutrients in the soil, and sends sunshine and rainfall on the seed until it grows and bears fruits. Again, this truth does not resonate with many people nowadays. Progress in the fields of technology and science has made people think they can be self-sufficient, and can now conveniently put God aside. Pope Benedict XVI made this apt observation: "The crisis we are living through carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people's lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life."

Finally, the seed, though nurtured by nature and God's providence, still needs the caring hands of the farmer. God seldom operates directly in the affairs of the world. As a rule, He always uses the instrumentality of human beings who cooperate in His plan to bring about His Kingdom in the world. God gives only the seeds of peace, progress and salvation. And He expects us to plant and nurture them to full fruition. This we do by faithfully obeying His will.

Ultimately, it is God who brings about His kingdom, and He invites us to join Him in building it here on earth until it reaches perfection and fullness in heaven.

Fr. Antonius David Tristianto, O.Carm.