VESTNIK 2021 | 4. NEDELJA MED LETOM 4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME SLOVENSKA ŽUPNIJA SV. GREGORIJA VELIKEGA | ST. GREGORY THE GREAT SLOVENIAN CHURCH 5/57 Številka - Number / Leto - Year 31. 1. 2021 Fr. Drago Gačnik, SDB ŽUPNIK - PASTOR NASLOV - ADDRESS 125 Centennial Pkwy N. Hamilton, ON L8E 1H8 PHONE: 905-561-5971 CELL: 905-520-2014 E-MAIL gregory_sdb@ stgregoryhamilton.ca WEB PAGE www.carantha.com HALL RENTALS CELL: 905-518-6159 E-MAIL hallrental@ stgregoryhamilton.ca Prisluhnimo božji besedi Drama dveh svetopisemskih be- ril današnje nedelje nas uvaja v sorod-nost izrazov, »beseda« in »govoriti«. Odlomek iz Mojzesove knjige, pete izmed svetopisemskih knjig, prinaša pravo in pristno zbir- ko »homilij« o božjem zakonu, ki so položene v usta Mojzesu. Prerok, človek besede, je glasnik Boga; nje- gove besede so božje besede: »Položim svoje besede v njegova usta in govoril jim bo vse, kar mu jaz zapovem.« Ljudstvo mora sprejeti dolžnost poslušanja: »Njega poslušaj- te.« Tisti, ki zavračajo besede preroka ali Boga samega, so deležni enake božje sodbe. »Kdor pa ne bo poslušal besed, ki jih bo (prerok) govori v mojem imenu, tega jaz pokličem na odgovor.« Judovsko izročilo je v predstavitvi preroka, ki oznanja, prepoznava podobo Mesija, prinašalca dokončne božje besede. Zaradi tega Markov evangeljski odlomek poudarja pomembnost Kri- stusove besede, saj je On najvišji prerok in najpopolnejši učitelj: »Strmeli so nad njegovim naukom, ker jih je učil, kakor kdor ima oblast in ne ka- kor pismouki ...« Marko želi v svojem evangeliju pokazati, da je popolno razumevanje božje besede počasna in zahtevna, težavna in nenehna naloga. Način spoznanja Kristusove besede in njegove osebe je pogosto skrivnosten in tvegan, včasih je tudi brez jasnega odgovora, zato razi- skovalci radi to poimenujejo kot Markova »mesijanska skrivnost«. Jezus namreč ozmerja nečistega duha, ki »zakriči«, da je Jezus »svetnik božji«. Ta naslov opredeli Jezusa kot tistega, ki v polnosti pripa- da območju božjega. Tudi apostol Peter je po velikem neuspehu govora o kruhu življenja v sinagogi v Kafarnaumu rekel: »Gospod, h komu poj- demo? Besede večnega življenja imaš in mi verujemo in verno, da si ti Kristus, božji Sin« (Jn 6,69). Pristno spoznanje Kristusa, kakor meni Mar- ko, ni v »klicu«, ki je povezan z razglašanjem čudodelnika, marveč v kli- cu, ki ga spoznavamo z vztrajnim poslušanjem in iskanjem. 34 | VESTNIK 2021 Illustration “And his reputation rapidly spread every- where”: that is how today’s Gospel ends, but it is by no means the end of the story; Jesus’ reputation has continued to spread for the past two thousand years and across all the continents. There are countless souls whose lives he has touched and, in some cases, transformed totally; millions upon millions of ordi- nary people – people like ourselves – who have, to a greater or lesser extent. come to know and love him. In 1991 the British boxer Michael Watson was left permanently paralysed after a bout with Chris Eubank. The brain surgeon who conducted the ini- tial operation on Michael thought he would die; later, the doctors said that he would never walk again. But twelve years later he managed to com- plete the London Marathon; he walked it at the rate 4TH SUNDAY IN OT Response: O that todaa aour would listen to the voice of the Lord. Do not harden aour hearts! First Reading Deuteronomy 18:15-20 God’s words will be placed on the lips of a Moses-like prophet who is raised up from among his kinsfolk. Second Reading 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Paul sees the unmarried person as single- mindedly committed to the Lord. Gospel Mark 1:21-28 Jesus speaks with an authority that leaves the people spellbound, and with a similar authority he drives out evil spirits. “And his reputation rapidly spread every- where.” Prehoditi je treba dolgo pot oblikovanja, ki prečiščuje našo podobo Kristusa. To je proces, ki poglablja najvišjo skrivnost Kristusa, tisto, ki se nam v polnosti razodeva v križu in vstajenju. Na kraju bo šele v nespameti križa Kristus sprejel tisti »sloves«, ki ga sedaj zavrača in se razširja proti njegovi volji. »Vera v Kristusa, je zapisal veliki B. Pascal, ni pristna tedaj, ko se rojeva za- radi čudeža, marveč tedaj, ko se rojeva iz križa«. V današnjem bogoslužju se srečujeta beseda in poslušanje. Zaradi tesne povezave med njima izhaja pomembnost oznanila, ki je namenjeno nam vsem. V svetopisemski kulturi in kulturi Kristusa samega, beseda ni preprosto gibanje zraka ali premikanje ustnic, tudi ni današnje televizijsko klepetanje, rojeno iz praznine in po- slano v praznino. Beseda je slovesno in učinkovi- to dejanje, ki toliko bolj učinkuje, kolikor večji in iskrenejši je tisti, ki besedo oznanja. Ameriška pesnica 18. stoletja E. Dickison je zapisala: »Nekdo je rekel, da je beseda, ki je izrečena, mr- tva. Prav, toda jaz pravim, da ravno v tistem trenutku začne živeti.« Kristusova beseda ni ugasnila, ko je bila izrečena; ravno tedaj se je mogočno dvignila nad zlo in postala meč. V svoji ogroženosti hudobni duh v prestrašeni izpovedi vere, ki smo jo navedli, izrazi tudi odločno zavr- nitev Kristusa: »Kaj imaš ti z nami, Jezus Naza- rečan? Si prišel, da nas pogubiš?» Jezusova beseda pronica v našo zgodovino in pričenja proces uničevanja zla. To je nekak zad- nji udarec z repom njegove agonije, preden utih- ne v smrtnem molku. Kristusov »novi nauk« ni neka nejasna filozofska teorija, marveč ustvar- jalna in odrešilna moč. Vsi jo potrebujemo, da bi mogli odstraniti skrivne demone, ki so v nas in nas vabijo, kakor pravi Kristus, »k nečistovanju, tatvini, zavisti, uboju, prešuštvu, lakomnosti, zlobnosti, zvijačnosti, razuzdanosti, bogokletju, oholosti, nespameti« (Mr 7,21-22). Tako kot pre- rok Ezekijel moramo tudi mi »jesti zvitek božje besede«, da bo prešla v naše življenje. »Sin člove- kov, nasiti si svoje telo in si napolni notranjost s tem zvitkom, ki ti ga dajem! Použil sem ga in bil je v mojih ustih sladek kot med« (Ez 3,3). (Prim. Oznanjevalec 2005-2006, št. 2) VESTNIK 2021 | 35 of two hours each morning and two hours each afternoon, finally completing the whole course in six days. He was accompanied on the last leg of his marathon by the man who had brought disaster into his life; they’d be- come good friends. Indeed, Watson eventual- ly wondered if it had been a disaster after all. “Getting angry”, he said, “won’t change the past. Before the accident I wasn’t a Christian. Now Jesus is my inspiration. How can you fail to be moved by the words of Jesus on the cross: ‘Father, forgive them’?” Gospel Teaching The Jewish people revered Moses; they looked upon him as the greatest of their prophets, the greatest of God’s spokespeople, but as we heard in today’s first reading, Mo- ses promised: “Your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among your- selves.” That was the promise; the Gospel in dramatic fashion shows its fulfilment. It’s the sabbath day; in the local syna- gogue Jesus is invited to preach. The people are deeply impressed. In their astonishment, they ask each other what it can all mean. Jesus is a prophet like no other; his teaching is teaching with a difference: for he teaches with authority. Other religious leaders simply pass on what they’ve learned from others, but Jesus’ teaching seems to well up from within himself. And he displays this authority not only in his words but also in his actions: he puts un- clean spirits, devils, to flight. It’s been said that in Mark’s Gospel Jesus does not merely appear on the scene, he ex- plodes onto it. His appearance is dramatic. Who can ignore a man like this? Indeed, who is he? Where does his power come from? Application So Mark’s Gospel isn’t only a drama: it’s a challenge. What do I make of Jesus Christ? Who is he for me? Who is he, not just in theory but in practice; not just on Sundays but in the living of my daily life? And what about evil spir- its? Did Jesus come to conquer them? In our modern, scien- tific world, we perhaps smile a little at the very mention of such beings. But are there not evil forces in each of us, forc- es that threaten our well-being and that of others, dark forces like pride, selfishness, lust, envy and bitterness that can so easily come bubbling up to the surface? And might not these be described as evil spirits? And then on the world stage, too: if we think of wars, crimes, ethnic cleans- ings, terrorism, the use of torture, and global warming caused by human misuse of the world’s resources – we might ask what drives human beings to do these things. If today’s Gospel highlights the authority of Christ’s teaching, it is perhaps not surprising that the responsorial psalm should urge us to “listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.” And if we listen, what shall we hear? Many things, but it will all come down to this: your God loves you, you are God’s child; God has prepared a place for you in God’s kingdom. Do not be afraid, God can conquer every evil that threatens your happiness. Live for God and for your sisters and brothers. When the people in the syna- gogue heard Jesus preach, they said: “Here is a teaching that is new.” And when we truly listen to him – not merely with our ears but our hearts – then his teaching is always new, always carrying an appeal and a freshness, as though we were hearing it for the first time. It is always Gospel, always good news. 36 | VESTNIK 2021 Cilj naše kampanje je v treh letih zbrati vsoto $200,000.00 za našo župnijo. Nekateri še vedno ne razumejo, da vse, kar boste darovali preko te kampanje, bo prejela naša župnija in še 10% iz skupnega sklada. Škofijski uradi pa bodo vodili vse računovodske zadeve, tako, da nam ne bo potrebno tega dela urejati. V Vestniku vsak teden objavimo koliko ste »obljubili« da boste darovali za kampa- njo za našo župnijo preko škofijskega računa in koliko je že dejansko »vplačanega«. Iz škofije nam tedensko poš- ljejo tekoče stanje na našem računu. Na računu »Eno Srce, Ena Duša« za na- šo slovensko župnijo sv. Gregorija Velike- ga je trenutno mirovanje. $90,199 - Pledged - obljubili $44,934 - Paid - ste že vplačali Trenutno je zgleda zatišje. Ta teden ni bilo novih darov, ker nam niso poslali »updates«. Nekaj darov, ki ste jih prinesli za OHOS v pisarno bomo poslali naprej ta te- den. Hvala vsem, ki ste že prispevali. Smo že skoraj na polovici zastavljenega cilja. DIOCESAN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS THE 2021 ANNIVERSARY MASS HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19. As the restrictions from COVID-19 continue and for the safety of all concerned, a decision has been made to cancel the annual Anniver- sary Mass scheduled for June of 2021. Bishop Crosby would still love to offer congratula- tions to all those who will be married 25, 40, 50, 60 and 60 plus years in 2021, so you will be able to register your anniversary via the link below, and we will send you the certificate you would have received if the Mass had gone ahead. https://hamiltondiocese.com/offices/family- ministry/sfm/anniversary-mass.php Zaradi Covida-19 letos v katedrali ne bo skupne maše za tiste pare, ki letos praznujejo 25, 40, 50, 60 in več let poroke. Kljub temu škof Crosby želi vsem čestitati ob tej priložno- sti in prosi, da se registrirate na škofijski inter- netni strani in boste po pošti prejeli »Priznanje«. Zgoraj, pred tem besedilom je povezava na škofijsko internetno stran. Tisti, ki niste vešči ali nimate interneta poprosite svoje otroke, da vas registrirajo. VESTNIK 2021 | 37 FOR THE COMMON GOOD On the Pandemic Sacrifices My dear friends, The decision to close our churches and suspend public celebrations of the Mass has been a painful one for our cler- gy, religious, and all the lay faithful in the Diocese. While the sadness of our inability to gather to celebrate the Eucharist is profound, some of the responses to this closure - in addition to fall- ing short of the demands of charity - betray a funda- mental lack of understanding not only of why this great sacrifice is being made, but also whose exam- ple we follow in so doing. We know that Holy Communion is the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ, the source and summit of the Christian life. His death is the ulti- mate sacrifice of love for us – to which we are joined when we participate in the Mass and receive Communion. When we eat His Body and drink His Blood, we say that “we become what we eat”, the Body of Christ. During these pandemic days we are uniting our- selves closely to Christ by making serious sacrifice for the health and well-being of others. This is not a matter of weakness. In fact, during these days of sacrifice, we live selflessly, as we profess – much as Jesus Christ urges us to live – for the common good. By definition, sacrifice is never easy – and during these days and weeks and months of sacrifice we come closer to Him – we are more like Him – be- cause our sacrifice emulates His! Our children are learning a very important lesson during these diffi- cult days: sometimes we have to give up our free- doms, privileges and pleasures in order care for oth- ers – so they might live! Over the past 22 years, I have been blessed to have served three Dioceses as Bishop: the Diocese of Labrador City-Schefferville, St. George’s Diocese, (the boundaries of which were extended prior to being renamed the Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador,) and the Diocese of Hamilton. In the first two Dioceses there were remote communities of Catholic faithful who rarely had the opportunity to celebrate Mass, because there were few Priests. The people longed for Holy Communion and gathered and rejoiced when a Priest visited and celebrated Mass with them so they were able to receive the Body of the Lord. This experience of a long wait be- tween Masses will continue for them into an un- known future. The fact that they cannot receive Holy Commun- ion, however, does not stop them from praying and nurturing a relationship of love with the Lord: the Rosary is still a staple for prayer, reading the Sacred Scriptures prescribed for the day or for the coming Sunday, sharing reflections and praying with neigh- bours, saying familiar prayers with family and friends. The faithful in these communities will con- tinue to make this sacrifice for months and years to come. In contrast, in Southern Ontario, where we are privileged to have many parishes and priests to serve them, our pandemic sacrifice will last for a few more months, or for as long as it takes to curb the high numbers of citizens – our brothers and sisters – who contract the dreaded virus. Since the Ontario Government declared a lock- down in the Province of Ontario effective December 26, 2020, the decision was made, once again, to close our Parish churches in the Diocese of Hamil- ton. While the current government and public health regulations permit gatherings of no more than ten people for worship (including funerals and scheduled weddings), we are asked to limit all gath- erings outside of our homes in order to limit the spread of COVID in the community. In compliance 38 | VESTNIK 2021 O BVESTI LA - A NNOUN CEMENTS DAROVI - DONATIONS Za gradbeni sklad so darovali: - $20 Regina Črešnjovec v spomin na pok. Jožefa Prša - $100 Družina Jože in Jožica Groznik v spomin na po- kojnega g. Staneta Okorna. Za misijone je darovala $100 Lojzka Saje. Iskrena hvala za vaš darove. VEČNA LUČ V mesecu februarju bo večna luč gorela za pokojne- ga Joe Lackovič po namenu žene in družine. COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER! A reminder to anyone with a business, talent or skill - send us your information including details of what you do, the area you set is and contact information and we will share these details with our parish members. It is times like these that we can come together and sup- port one another. - Heidy Novak HEART TO HEART - BISHOP +DOUGLAS CROSBY, OMI WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, begins the Holy Sea- son of Lent. The Diocesan Office for Evangelization and Catechesis and the Diocesan Office for Liturgy are prepar- ing an Ash Wednesday program that can be celebrated at home – with the Gospel proclamation and a brief reflec- tion by “yours truly”. Parents may bless their children by tracing the Sign of the Cross on their foreheads, marking the beginning of the annual Lenten journey. THE DIOCESAN COUNCIL of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P) is “hoping for the best” for their annual Share Lent Collection which is traditionally held on the Fifth Sunday of Lent: this year, March 21st. Due to the first pandemic shut down, last year’s special collection was postponed to October when a special collection was taken for several charities. D&P received $109K from that collection, plus $191K from with government and public health direc- tives and out of an abundance of charity, gatherings for Masses in our churches, with the exception of funerals and wed- dings (up to ten people), even in small numbers are suspended for the period of the lockdown. The decision to close our churches has not been taken lightly and in no way should it be understood as undermining the central place which the celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments hold for us as Catholics. Our need to gather to give thanks to God remains “our duty and our salvation”; our need for true nour- ishment, which the Eucharist alone pro- vides, continues. Now, however, we unite ourselves spiritually with our priests who are celebrating Mass daily and we rely on the infinite fruits of the Mass to sustain us. We continue to pray for one another, for those who are suffering in any way during this pandemic and for those who have died. Let us pray with confidence in God’s mercy, that the promise of an effec- tive vaccine will be realized and we will soon be able to return to gather again in our churches to give God thanks, to wor- ship with the sacred assembly, and to be nourished with the Body and Blood of the Lord. Sincerely in Christ and Mary Immaculate, +Douglas Crosby, OMI (Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI Bishop of Hamilton January 18, 2021 VESTNIK 2021 | 39 SVETE MAŠE - MASS TIMES: Monday to Friday: 7:00 P.M., Saturday: 5:30 P.M. (Slovenian-Sunday Mass); Sunday: 10:00 A.M. (Slovenian-English - For the time of Covid-19 it is only one Mass on Sundays) - KRSTI / BAPTISMS: For an appointment, call one month before. POROKE / MARRIAGE: For an appointment, call one year before the wedding date. SPOVED / CONFES- SIONS: First Friday of the month 6 -7:00 P.M. (or by appointment) BOLNIKI - Sporočite, če je kdo bolan ali v bolnišnici, da ga obiščemo. You are welcome to call for a personal conversation with your priest – please call for an appointment. Tel: 905- 561-5971. DON BOSCO LIVESTREAM MASSES ON FACEBOOK: Jan 31st, 2021 - 4th Sunday in OT, 10:00 a.m. Feb 7th, 2021 - 5th Sunday in OT, 10:00 a.m. Feb 14th, 2021 - 6th Sunday in OT, 10:00 a.m. https://www.facebook.com/stgregorythegreathamilton/ V tem tednu so naslednje obletnice smrti faranov, ki so zapisani v naših knjigah: Fujs Frances February 1, 1994 Frumen Ernest February 1, 2013 Zorko Rozina February 2, 1967 Uršič Joseph February 3, 1983 Puscher Miroslav February 3, 2002 Prijatelj Mary February 4, 1998 Rihar Stephanie February 5, 2012 funds received previously, plus funds from pa- rishioners who sent their collection directly to the charity. These funds support our sisters and brothers in developing countries. DOGODKI V ZADNJEM ČASU V ŽUPNIJI Trenutno je bolj mirno. Sem in tja se kdo usta- vi, prinese nedeljske kuverte, vzame oznanila- Vestnik, prinese za maše … tako, da se vedno kaj dogaja. Prejšnji teden smo imeli v dvorani delavce, ki so v obeh kuhinjah zamenjali dotrajane enote nad štedilniki za gašenje v primeru požara. Ne vem, če je bilo to kdaj to obnovljeno, vsekakor iz Jonson Controls, ki opravijo tudi letni pregled, so nam zamenjali obe enoti, tako, da smo zdaj »up to da- te« v obeh kuhinjah. Vsa zadeva ni ravno poceni, skupaj z davkom nas je stalo $10,141.75. Upamo, da sistema ne bo »potrebno« nikoli uporabit. Je pa potreben za varnost. Tisti, ki ste delali v kuhi- njah boste vedeli kaj je ta zadeva. SVETI ANGEL WITH OUR PARISHIONERS With restrictions placed on in person services, finding ways to include our members in some way is definitely a challenge but should also be a priori- ty. With this in mind, we would like to invite our members to submit a video praying Sveti Angel. Each week we would like to insert a video of a family, siblings, members praying the “Sveti Angel” so that we can insert it during prayers after Com- munion. Videos will be inserted in the order they are received and submissions will receive notice of their scheduled Sunday prayer. We ask everyone to consider participating in this small way to not only support your parish, but to stand together during these difficult times. Please submit your video to sgtgparish@gmail.com Together We Are - Together We Pray Heidy 40 | VESTNIK 2021 SVETE MAŠE - MASSES od 31. 1. 2021 do 7. 2. 2021 https://www.facebook.com/stgregorythegreathamilton/ 4. NEDELJA MED LETOM 31. JANUAR Janez Bosko, ustanovitelj Salezijancev † † † † †† Za žive in rajne župljane Za duhovne poklice Rozina Zorko, obl. Joe Lackovič, obl. Joe Hanc, obl. Štefka Rihar, obl. Pokojni duhovniki naše župnije 10:00 A.M. ON FACEBOOK ------ Slomškovo oltarno društvo Milan in Sandy Ferletič Žena in družina Mary Hanc z družino Mož z družino Jožica Vegelj PONEDELJEK - MONDAY 1. FEBRUAR Brigita Irska, opatinja † Gizella Ray Na čast Kristusove krvi NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Ivan in Rozina Doma Ana Tadić TOREK - TUESDAY 2. FEBRUAR SVEČNICA - Jezusovo da- rovanje † †† † † † Lojze Grebenc Marija in Jožef Kuzma Janez Šušteršič Marija Horvat Anton Špiler NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Mary Grebenc Sin Tone z družino Joža Šušteršič in družina Mož Ignac z družino Helen Špiler SREDA - WEDNESDAY 3. FEBRUAR Blaž, škof-mučenec † †† † Martin Simončič Pokojni sorodniki Donald V. Brown NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Žena Kathy Demšar Family Manja erzetič ČETRTEK - THURSDAY 4. FEBRUAR Ivana, kr-red. † † Viktor Glavač Juraj Fabina NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Družina Žižek Sestra Danica Maradin PRVI PETEK - FIRST FRIDAY 5. FEBRUAR Agata, dev.-mučenka †† † Pavel Novak in prijatelji Serafina Bracco NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Jožica Novak z družino Ana Tadić SOBOTA - SATURDAY 6. FEBRUAR Doroteja, mučenka †† † Rajni župljani Joseph Baškovič NO MASS FOR PUBLIC Alois in Agata Sarjaš Manja Erzetič 5. NEDELJA MED LETOM 7. FEBRUAR Koleta (Nika), redovnica † † † † † †† † Za žive in rajne župljane Slavka Mramor Egidij Kodarin Frank Saje Joe Lackovič Joe Hanc Pokojni iz družine Tibaut Fr. Tone Žerdin (SLO) 10:00 A.M. ON FACEBOOK ------ Fani Adamič z družino Milka Pavlič Žena in družina Ančka Kotnjek Ančka Kotnjek Mary in Ivan Horvat Ignac in Tony Horvat