BIBLE SUNDAY CHILDREN’S CROSSWORDA children’s crossword puzzle is available for Bible Sunday to encourage engagement with the Bible. It can be downloaded at www.dbb.org.au/bible It is based on the Gospel of Luke, and is suitable for primary school aged children.

Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay Website and ContactsFor resources and links, as well as all Biblical news and events, please visit www.dbb.org.au/bible or contact the Catholic Life & Faith Formation team of the Office for Evangelisation, Pina Bernard | pina.bernard@dbb.org.au 9847 0474 or David Patterson | david.patterson@dbb.org.au 9847 0514

BIBLE SUNDAY 24 JULY 2016

Luke 9:51 is a pivotal verse in Luke’s Gospel. It is here that Jesus ‘set

his face to go to Jerusalem.’ The rest of the text has Jesus travelling

and teaching on his way there. We hear of Jesus passing through

Samaritan towns; sending out disciples ahead of him; teaching the

Good Samaritan parable; and visiting Martha and Mary.

We now find him at prayer in a ‘certain place’ when his disciples ask

him to teach them how they too should pray. In Jesus’ time, it was

customary for a rabbi to teach his followers a particular prayer to

use. In fact, John the Baptist had done so with his followers.

Note that the Lord’s Prayer in Luke is shorter than the version in the

Gospel of Matthew which is the basis of the Our Father recited in

the Liturgy and used as our common prayer today.

UNLOCKING THE

IN

References:Commentaries by -Fr John McKinnon http://johnmckinnon.org/Fr Michael Fallon MSC http://www.mbfallon.com/Fr Brendan Byrne SJ “The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel” (St Pauls Publications, 2000)

Other resources - Catholic Resources http://catholic-resources.org/“Studying the Gospels: an Introduction” (Goosen and Tomlinson, 1994)Text cited is the NRSV translation.

BROKEN BAY BIBLE CONfERENCE 201614 & 15 October, 2016Caroline Chisholm Centre, Pennant Hills“The Acts of the Apostles: Taking the Gospel to a Wider World” presented by Dr Michele A Connolly rsj and Dr Laurie Woods

TAKING THE GOSPELTO A WIDER WORLD

The Bishop David L. Walker LibraryThe Bishop David L. Walker Library contains a wealth of books on sacred Scripture, commentaries, and Bible study resources, including DVDs. These resources, for individual or group use, are a good place to start in growing in knowledge of the Biblical texts.Titles include:• Little Rock Scripture DVD studies – a selection• Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible DVD study• Commentaries by Fr Frank Moloney SDB, Fr Brendan Byrne SJ, Fr Michael Fallon MSC and many othersCome in and take a look. All parishioners of the Diocese of Broken Bay are eligible for free borrowing rights. The library is located on the Ground Floor at the Caroline Chisholm Centre, 423 Pennant Hills Rd, Pennant Hills (vehicular entry via City View Rd). Enquiries: Librarian, Heather Lang 9847 0566

Bibles for PurchaseThe Diocese of Broken Bay has a selection of Bibles for purchase at a subsidised price, made possible through the generosity of the Fr Harry Davis estate. These can be viewed at www.dbb.org.au/bibleIn conjunction with Bible Sunday, the Children’s Bible below is now available at a special price of $15 until the end of August 2016 (normal subsidised price $18; RRP $29.95). To order this Bible, please contact Dina Leverett on 9847 0442 or dina.leverett@dbb.org.au Please note that Bibles are able to be delivered to Parish Offices in the Diocese of Broken Bay, or else postage will be payable.

Your Young Christian’s first BibleThis hardcover Bible uses the Contemporary English Version which is a full translation of the whole Bible for children. It means that children of primary school age are able to read all the stories of the Bible themselves. The Bible contains 34 pages of full colour illustrations, as well as maps, a chronology of the bible and a mini-dictionary.

Registrations open 1 August www.trybooking.com/LLLJContact: registrations@dbb.org.au or Colleen on 9847 0448 / 4332 9825Web: www.dbb.org.au/bible

1. How open is the door between you and Jesus? Is it:

• bolted shut without a key• closed for now• barely ajar• halfway open• three-quarters open• fully open• there is no door

2. What can you do to try to open the door a little more? 3. What might it cost you to open the door?4. What do you think is on the other side of the door? 5. Am I knocking? What am I asking for? Do I pray to and for the Holy Spirit, the ultimate gift?6. Is Jesus knocking? Do I dare open?7. If Jesus sent you a ‘friend request’, would you accept it immediately? Jesus is sometimes depicted as knocking on a door. In this image, the door handle is not visible. It is on the other side of the door, waiting to be turned by me or you. “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

5And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” 7And he answers from within, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’

Corporal Work of Mercy: “feed the Hungry”How many people in the world today may have prayed this prayer out of genuine hunger and need?

In this Year of Mercy, what is one thing I and/or my family can do right now to help someone else to have enough for today?

Contribute to preparing my family’s evening meal

Invite a neighbour over for dinner Offer to assist at a local soup kitchen Sponsor a child in need Set up a weekly parish community dinner Set up a school program to provide lunches for children who may go without

“forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us”“The sense is not that God waits to see whether humans forgive before offering forgiveness, but that human beings block the flow of God’s forgiveness if they do not themselves lead forgiving lives.” (Fr Brendan Byrne SJ)

Spiritual Work of Mercy: “forgive All Injuries”How many people in the world today carry a heavy burden, unable to feel the peace that forgiveness brings, or unable to forgive themselves? Am I one of them?

In this Year of Mercy, what is one thing I can do to bring peace and healing to myself or to those around me?

Let go of grudges with family members, and be readily open to forgiving them each day

Take a step towards forgiving someone who has wronged you, and try to pray for them

Make peace with an estranged family member

Have the courage to say ‘sorry’ to someone you have hurt by word or action

Go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to start to remove any blocks to reconciliation, and to experience God’s mercy first hand

As a parish or school, offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation more frequently in this Year of Mercy

“Jesus receives you, he receives you with so much love. Be courageous and go to Confession!” Pope Francis, 19 February, 2014

For a family guide on living the Works of Mercy, please visit www.dbb.org.au/yearofmercy

1He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ 2He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins,for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

Give us each day our daily bread“The request assumed both need and powerlessness. God is humanity’s ultimate source of nourishment. The prayer asked simply for enough, for bread for the day (daily) each day – as God had given the Chosen People the manna in the desert.” (Fr John McKinnon)

PERSISTENCE OR SHAME?Another interpretation

In the culture of Jesus’ time and place, hospitality to visitors was an essential ingredient which was always expected to be honoured. The situation proposed by Jesus in this parable would have been unthinkable to Jesus’ listeners – how could the sleeper refuse? He would surely be shamed when everyone else in the town found out the following day.

In translating this parable from its original Greek, there are a number of possible understandings for the word ‘persistence’ in verse 8 (‘anaideia’). This is an uncommon word, and it means ‘shamelessness’, ‘negation of shame’, or ‘shameless persistence’.

In the NRSV translation above, it is applied to the friend in need - his shameless persistence in asking for the bread. But another reading is possible, and indeed, more likely: the word applied instead to the sleeper and the shame that he would experience if he didn’t help. The text might therefore read: “he will get up and give him what he needs in order not to be shamed” (translation – Fr John McKinnon)

This then ties in very well with the later passage where parents give gifts to their children. The message would be:

• If even the reluctant and ungenerous sleeper is prepared to get up, how much more is God willing to answer the request?

• If even human parents know how to give their children good things, how much more is God willing to do the same?

Hence, be confident in prayer – ask, seek, knock! On offer is the very life of God himself, the Holy Spirit.

“Jesus therefore encourages his disciples to ask. We may not have the wisdom to know what is good for us. We are still invited to ask, with our eyes fixed not on the object of our request but on God our Father. God is wise and God will certainly give us what we need. He will lead us to find what it is we are really seeking. He will open for us the door that leads to life. He longs to give his Spirit to us.” (Fr Michael Fallon, msc)

It is thought that the Gospel of Luke has as its sources:

the Gospel of Mark (350 verses in common, 55% of Mark). Many today believe Mark was the first Gospel written.

a source in common with Matthew (known as ‘Q’ from the word ‘quelle’ meaning ‘source’ in German, 230 verses in common).

a Lukan source (unique to Luke).

Luke also wrote the book of The Acts of the Apostles, and so his writings make up a large part of the New Testament.

Tradition attributes the writing of this text to Luke, a physician and companion of Paul (Col 4:14; 2Tim 4:11; Phlm 1:24). Style is good, elegant, literary Greek, implying Luke was well-educated (cf. Mark’s grammatically poor Greek).

It was written mid–late 80s AD, possibly in Greece or in Antioch (Asia Minor). Audience was mainly gentile converts.

Gospel Part 2: Luke 11:5-13

Gospel Part 1: Luke 11:1-4