News and Forthcoming Events
JUNIOR CHOIR—our first choir
practice is on 22 Mar after Sunday
School at 11.30am in Room 6. All
parents of our Junior Choir members please take note. New members
are also welcomed. Please see Choirmaster James Ansibin after Mass.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
every Friday in Lent immediately after the 6.30pm
weekday Mass in church.
"STATIONS OF THE CROSS - for all
Sunday school students and their
families” on 22 March at 10.30am in
the church. All students must first go
to their own classrooms for attendance to be taken. Students' family
members are requested to assemble
in church before 10.30am. The front
pews will be reserved for the
students."
NO HOLY HOUR ON
THURSDAYS IN LENT, Mass
at 6.30pm.
NO SUNDAY SCHOOL & CANTEEN on 15 March, resume 22
March. Parents please take note.
MINISTRY OF PASTORAL CARE LENTEN COLLECTION FOR THE
NEEDY - Parishioners wishing to donate
dried and canned food, used clothing,
books, stationery, toys and other essentials
can bring them to the church office during
the week or to the hall on Sundays during
this Lenten season. These will be distributed to the less privileged communities by the
pastoral outreach team. God bless you for
your generosity.
St Simon Catholic
Church Likas
Address:
Jln Punat Tanah, Off Jln Tuaran
Mile 3.5 (KM 6), 88400 Kota Kinabalu
Tel:
088-212713
Fax:
088-288713
Email:
[email protected]
Webpage: http://stsimonlikas.wordpress.com
Office Hrs: Mon-Fri:
Sat:
PARISH MISSION IN EASTER Preparation has begun to have a parish mission
led by a team of Redemptorist Priests from
around the middle of April to Pentecost. Let
us pray and support the preparation
works!
CHILDREN HELP CHILDREN
(HOLY CHILDHOOD SOCIETY) Love offering collected RM391.00.
Thank you to the children and parents
for their generous contribution.
CHRISM MASS on Thursday, 26
March at 7.30pm at SHC. NO weekday
Mass at St Simon that day.
RCIA SESSION 2015-2016 has begun. All intending to join in the new session are asked to
contact the parish office as soon as possible
COLLECTIONS
20 Feb (Ash Wednesday) - RM6,669.60
22 Feb
Black Bag - RM6,646.85
Red Bag - RM5,119.35
27 Feb (Stations of the Cross) - RM1,330.50
1 Mar
Black Bag - RM7,964.45
Red Bag - RM6,947.10
Thank you for your generosity, and may God bless you!
Rector:
9.00am - 1.00pm;
2.00pm-5.00pm
9.00am - 1.00pm
Rev. Cosmas Lee
Sunday Services:
Masses (Eng) - 8.30am; 5.00pm;
Rosary - 4.15pm
Confession - 8.15am; 4.45pm
Weekday Masses (Chapel)
Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri - 6.30pm
Holy Hour (Chapel)-Every Thursday
7.30pm followed by Mass at 8.30pm
Weekly Intercessory Prayers - every Tuesday after
weekday Mass
Chapel opens 7.00am - 9.00pm
3RD SUNDAY OF LENT-YEAR A—8 MAR 2015
Saints & Feast Days
R1-Ex 17:3-7;R2-Rom 5:1-2,5-8;Gospel-Jn 4:5-42
8 Mar - St John of God, religious
Resp. Ps—O that today you would listen to his voice:
- St Senan, bishop
‘Harden not your hearts.’
9 Mar - St Frances of Rome, religious
10 Mar - St John Ogilvie, martyr
11 Mar - St Aengus, bishop & abbot
4TH SUNDAY OF LENT-YEAR A—15 MAR 2015
17 Mar - St Patrick, bishop
R1-1 Sam 16:1.6-7,10-13;R2-Eph 5:8-14;Gospel-Jn 9:1-41 18 Mar - St Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop
19 Mar - St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed
Resp. Ps—The Lord is my shepherd;
Virgin Mary, solemnity
there is nothing I shall want.
21 Mar - St Enda, abbot
23 Mar - St Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop
5TH SUNDAY OF LENT-YEAR A—22 MAR 2015 24 Mar - St Macartan, bishop
25 Mar - The Annunciation of the Lord,
R1-Ez 37:12-14;R2-Rom 8:8-11;Gospel-Jn 11:1-45
Solemnity
Resp. Ps—With the Lord there is mercy
1 Apr - St Ceallach (Celsus), bishop
and fullness of redemption.
COMING HOME
This Lent is a good time to reflect and experience the compassion of
Christ all over again, and His role as a “bridge” between God and
men. He acts as a seal to a broken relationship between God and men,
like “on that day at Massah and Meribah, when your ancestors put Me
to the test” (Psalm 94).
Like those people with Moses in the desert, how often do we find ourselves putting the Lord to the test, or question His goodness when we
are hurt or disappointed with our circumstances? How many times do
we find ourselves murmuring complaints against God when things
don’t go our way? Sometimes these complaints may be uttered out of
frustration or desperation, and are fleeting. And other times, complaints that could sever our relationship with God.
But Jesus, as recounted in St Paul’s letter today, is “the grace in which
we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).
We have been justified by faith through our Lord Jesus.
Pope Francis in his recent Lenten message challenged us to a tried and
tested form of fasting. An Early Church Father, St John Chrysostom
(circa 349-407), on the true meaning of fasting said: “Let the mouth
fast from foul words and unjust criticism, for what good is it if we abstain from birds and fishes but bite and devour our brothers?”
In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us that He is the Living Water that
quenches all thirst which cannot be found in this world (John 4:10).
Notice that the closer we get to our earthly goals or desires, the drier
we feel on the inside? That is because the “water” that we seek in this
earthly life is fickle. Jesus offers salvation to all, whereas the Prince of
the World (aka the devil) offers damnation disguised as an insatiable
thirst for pleasure in the form of entertainment and easy life.
As is always the case, the ever merciful and compassionate God is
ready to forgive. A Polish nun who had visions of Christ and had
written down accounts of her encounter on Jesus’ Divine Mercy said:
“O soul, whoever you may be in this world, even if your sins were as
black as night, do not fear God, weak child that you are, for great is
the power of God’s mercy.” (Diary of St Faustina, 1652).
Born Helena Kowalska on August 25, 1905 in Glogowiec, Poland, she
offered herself to the religious life and joined a convent at the age of
20. St Faustina, who died in 1938, was later canonized on April 30,
2000. St John Paul II had established the Sunday after Easter as Divine
Mercy Sunday following St Faustina’s accounts on a portrait that
Christ wished to be painted and shown to the whole world. It is a portrait of Christ depicted with Him pointing towards His Most Sacred
Heart, and two lights emitting from there – one red, one blue. And at
the bottom is written in Polish, “Jezu, Ufam Tobie!”, which means,
“Jesus, I Trust In You!”
What better time to speak of conversion and God’s compassion, especially on this Third Sunday in Lent. The Gospel tells of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. The woman, a public
sinner, at first reacted to Jesus’ approach cautiously. Then she grew
curious, and asked him questions. And somewhere in the conversation between herself and Jesus, her heart was converted.
It is the same with us. Conversion is a process. Only when we ourselves have experienced the compassion and love of Christ in our
heart can we show such virtues to our neighbors, too.
Despite our sins, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). When we sin against
Him, we crucify Him all over again. Our sins not only hurt the Holy
Spirit that dwells in us and our relationship with God, but also Christ.
He yearns for our heart like he yearned for the woman at the well.
Like St Peter, we fall many times. If only we learn to trust in Jesus’
love and mercy for such times, the result can only be a conversion beyond our imaginations.
So let us come home to Divine Love this Lent, and learn to love again.
As the portrait depicted by St Faustina on Christ’s Divine Mercy, we
pray: “Jesus, I trust in You!”
Please use the Parish Webpage (http://stsimonlikas.wordpress.com)
to see latest Bulletin for information for Service Schedule, etc..