Church of The Holy Spirit

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, February 3, 2008

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Just for a minute, let's imagine ourselves as one of the Corinth assembly listening to Paul's latest missal, just as we are called today to listen to the same message. Were they a little put out? Are we? Paul has just said that God's foolishness – and think about it folks! Who had ever put those two words together before? – God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. And God's weakness – another shocking pair of words – is stronger than human strength.

Look at yourselves, Paul says. "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something." God has chosen to reveal divine power to save through the foolish, the meek, the lowly, the despised and those who count for nothing. God reversed the popularly held concept of wisdom for both the Corinthian Christians and for us here and now.

Paul reminded them and us that we should be grateful for that reversal. God's call all the way! And paired with this reminder from Paul today is the Gospel known as the Beatitudes. Matthew gives us the litany we all know by heart but often fail to take seriously. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who are hungry to see justice done, the peacemakers, the merciful, the pure of heart." Paul may never have heard these sayings, but he certainly lived them and preached them.

Listen to Paul again: "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly and despised, people who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something." All right now, have we all been summoned to Lent? Ready or not, we have been summoned. Why? Because we are barely on our way to being all those things: poor in spirit, merciful, hungry for justice, lowly, despised, counting for nothing. Barely on our way.

But Lent is coming and Lent can break our hearts. It is supposed to. It means to upset our comfortable ways, our routines, our easy assumptions, our nose-to-the- grindstone lives or our sheltered lives or our it-isn't-my-fault lives. Lent means to put the impolite and offensive question: How come we bother to read those scriptures about who's blessed? How come we dare right here in a public place to say "Thanks be to God" after someone has repeated Paul's ancient words about our God being weak and foolish, about our God being the God of the weak, the lowly, those the world despises? They are a Lenten summons because we are not the weak or the lowly or despised by the world.

We all need to be here three days from today on Ash Wednesday so that we can enter Lent together, signed with ashes. This is an old way of remembering where we came from and where we're going. It's wearing on our very skin, on our very heads, the smear of a cross. We wear it inside and out, the pledge to keep Lent and to keep it together. Let the ashes become the sign that we are not satisfied with some token ‘giving up' of this or that. Young and old, we will do what we must, and do it as a church, a people bound by our baptism. This year our Lent cannot be like any other. Why? Because Lent, like the Gospel itself and the Eucharist itself begins with our striving to understand what it means that "God so loved the world." Lent leads us to such things as fasting and almsgiving and prayer only when those disciplines lead us into this love of God for the world.

How are we to love the world as God loves the world? That is what the Gospel wants us to do, what the Eucharist wants us to do and it is what Lent wants us to do. This is the church being the church, the people we were baptized to be.

— Rev. Thomas G. Moore

For the special intentions we offer for each and every member of our parish community, especially

TUESDAY, Feb. 5
St. Agatha
8:30 a.m. - Tom Donaghy

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 6
Ash Wednesday
8:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Ashes will be distributed within the celebrations of the Eucharist.

THURSDAY, Feb. 7
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Manuel DaSilva

FRIDAY, Feb. 8
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Siftine Baksh

may live in the presence of the God of limitless love . . . that those who grieve may find comfort . . . . Let us pray to the Lord.

Please remember the sick in your prayers during the coming week, especially:

Ken Tai, Hassan Kingrabe, Benjamin Rubio, Mervyn Cardoza, Jack Hamilton, Melita Juliana, Carmelita Cosgrove, George Annett and Sister Jemma

. . . who have asked for our prayers . . . for those among us in special need . . . for those who must use food banks to feed their families . . . for those in mourning . . . for those for whom we have promised to pray . . . We pray to the Lord.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, February 10, 2008

First Sunday in Lent

The Blame Game

From the time sin was first committed, human beings have been blaming the snake! How easy it has been to hide behind Adam and Eve, the garden and the serpent and cast blame for our own actions upon someone other than ourselves.

The story of the fall in the book of Genesis has become more an excuse than an explanation for the existence of sin and its evil consequences in the world. Even in the telling of the story itself, we see how blame is passed from one person to another. Adam himself starts the ball rolling. He blames Eve and, indirectly, God – "the woman you put here with me, she gave me the fruit…so I ate it." (Gen 3:12) The woman, in her turn, blames the snake and so it has been since time immemorial.

Relying on his scriptural sources, Paul tackled the Romans and us in the second reading as he traced human sin to one man, Adam, and held him accountable for the death that came to all human beings. Now Paul was not out to shift responsibility for this world's evil onto the shoulders of one human being; however, down through the ages, interpretations have led us to believe we have a fall guy in Adam.

The doctrine of original sin was developed based on Paul's insights as well as through the insights of the pre-history writers who crafted the story of Adam and Eve to begin with. Unfortunately, understanding evolved that sin is somehow hereditary, and that understanding has been transmitted from one generation to the next; even some of our traditions' theologians have taught that sin is an inevitable aspect of human existence because we are born handicapped by the sin of Adam. When we really think about it, no wonder it has been so easy to blame someone else for what I have done because it would seem that I cannot help myself.

Yet time, prayer, reflection and the constancy of God's grace have led us as human beings into new ways of thinking and interpreting the message. We now encourage believers to appreciate the very real contagion of sin as environmental rather than genetic. Human beings have been created in goodness by a good and loving God, yet are sunk into a world that knows evil by name, and many use their free will to court it at every opportunity.

Free will – choice - evil is avoidable and no one forces us to choose it. When we freely choose to do what is evil, there is no one to blame but ourselves. Not Adam, not Eve, not even the snake or original sin can bear this responsibility for us. The guilt is ours and that popular expression, "The Devil made me do it" does not apply.

In today's Gospel, Matthew offers us Jesus as an example of one who used his free will to overcome evil rather than succumb to it. Born into the same environment as we were, subject to the same limitations as we are, lured by similar desires, filled with the same yearnings for fulfilment, security and the respect and esteem of others, Jesus faced all of it head-on. He refused to abuse his power; he refused to allow another to replace God in his life. In all his refusals, he relied on the revealed word of God. In that word and in his relationship with God, he found the strength he needed to stand up to evil and not be bowed by it.

Jesus stands out as one with strength of will and character and one who took responsibility for himself. Oh how easy it would have been to ‘go with the flow.' Instead, he chose to face them down. He blamed no one for the struggle of wills with Satan; he blamed no one for the ordeal that became his ministry; he blamed no one for his innocent death. Not only did he take responsibility for himself, he also took on the responsibility of all of us and all our sinning.

Following Jesus' lead as Lent begins, let us find the strength to take responsibility for ourselves, our thoughts and our words, for what we have done and for what we have failed to do. Let us look clearly and without ego at ourselves. Let us admit who we are and who we should be. Let us, like Jesus, rely on God and on the power of Bread and Word for strength and inspiration. Let us welcome grace freely and deliberately. Let us own our sin and shoulder our guilt. Let us humbly and willingly surrender our tendency to beat up on ourselves to the all-powerful love and forgiveness of our God. Let us stand in truth before God and be grateful for new beginnings. And, above all, don't blame the snake!

— Rev. Thomas G. Moore

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Feb. 12
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Diniz Raposo

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 13
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † John and Elizabeth D'Souza

THURSDAY, Feb. 14
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † John Dolan

FRIDAY, Feb. 15
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Jack Williams

may live in the presence of the God of limitless love . . . that those who grieve may find comfort . . . . Let us pray to the Lord.

. . . who have asked for our prayers . . . for those among us in special need . . . for those who experience the shadows of sickness and pain . . . for those who feel isolated in their illness . . . for caregivers . . . We pray to the Lord.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, February 17, 2008

Second Sunday in Lent

The Call to Change Inside

The first world cultures of today's society live and breathe transformation – world-renowned plastic surgeons, elegant and expensive spas, diet clinics, diet pills, and television commercials vie for our dollars to provide us with everything from Botox treatments to a full, and often devastating, transformation of physical appearance. We can stave off the effects of aging and we can change how we look as long as we have the money to pay for it.

For those that read the plethora of magazines at the check-out counters of our local supermarkets, dramatic before and after pictures allow us to see radical transformations. And, if that is not enough, you can also, with the help of modern science, completely change your physical appearance. What about our make-up artists, who can make actors look older or younger according to the parts they play?

Today's Gospel takes transfiguration to a new level. We are invited to look beyond mere skin-deep changes. Jesus calls forth a change from within – a transfiguration of mind and heart and spirit. Abram's transformation from a wandering Bedouin to the blessed patriarch of many peoples fills the account from Genesis in today's first reading. Abram's willingness to risk being transformed by God into Abraham calls forth similar courage in us.

The ancient writer of our second reading is quick to point out that the hardships associated with being transfigured by our relationship with Jesus and the Gospel come through the grace of God. Through the gift of grace, the process of transfiguration begins, and by grace it continues until we become clearer reflections of Jesus in our world.

The closer we become to Christ and the more we profess to love him, the more change becomes a way of life. Each day we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we are to become less selfish and more actively concerned with others and their needs. Each day we encounter Jesus at prayer, in the Word, in the sacraments, the experience of that encounter compels us to work more avidly for justice and for peace.

Each time we recognize the face of Jesus in the least ones of our world, that face calls us to be loving, kind, caring, patient, and compassionate. Each time we let an injustice go unchallenged or a need go unanswered, the process of transfiguration is halted. The person who has known the saving power of the Gospel and of grace is a changed person. Grace is the power to conquer all that is not of God and goodness, power to go on living when life seems unlivable, power to continue to be Christian in every way, especially when being so seems impossible.

This power is ours for the asking.

Rev. Thomas G. Moore

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Feb. 19
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Mary McCollan

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Eva Mannion

FRIDAY, Feb. 22
Chair of St. Peter
8:30 a.m. - † Margaret LeBlanc

may live again in the presence of the God of limitless love . . . for all who are grieving the loss of their health, their youth, their lost hopes, their loved ones
. . . Lord, in your mercy . . . hear our prayer.

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For the special intentions of all members of our parish family and in particular for:

THURSDAY, Feb. 21
Weekday
8:30 a.m. – Alice Ajayi Ogunpolu

that she may be surrounded with the healing power of God, Lord, in your mercy . . . hear our prayer.

. . . who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for the sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those who struggle with the challenges of everyday life . . . Lord, in your mercy . . .hear our prayer.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, February 24, 2008

Third Sunday in Lent

Living Water

Exodus: The people in the desert

Today's first reading takes us into the desert crossing leading the people from captivity in Egypt into a dangerous and sometimes monotonous crossing into the land of milk and honey. The people turn once again to the God who has freed them, again in desperation and struggle for their very lives. They pose the question: "Is God in our midst or not?"

Trusting Moses and his prophetic message, the escapees followed him into the wilderness, a wilderness where complete reliance on God was the only way to get through. Thirst – have you ever been thirsty? I am talking about the cracked lips, parched tongue, weak-in-the knees, dizzy in-the-head thirst that comes from going without water for an extended period of time.

Believe it or not, many in today's world would be able to relate to this thirst and can and do die from it. For the Israelites in today's reading, one can imagine the questioning going on. Is freedom really worth it? Should we go back? Where was God in all of this turmoil? Has he deserted us? Can Moses fix this?

Here were people living on the edge, praying from that edge in fear for their very lives and crying out to God in passion and hurt. If you are God, why are we thirsty? And God was just as clear in acknowledging that their thirst had led them to a new level of intimacy and trust. The very fact that the Israelites were demanding results from God and Moses indicated that they knew that our God is a God who saves, that God could satisfy all their thirsts, even in a desert.

That deeper knowledge of God also led them to understand that God's gift of salvation does not guarantee a life without hardships and struggle. God's gift of water in the desert revealed once more the God who always sustains life. Like Israel, we would like God to come to us on our terms, to act in a manner that we propose and in a timetable that fits into our life schedules.

This story reminds us that faith and trust demand that all conditions we may wish to place on God's action must be surrendered to God's will, God's ways and God's time.

Rev. Thomas G. Moore

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Feb. 26
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Annamma Kurien

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Christine Kaye

THURSDAY, Feb. 28
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Mary Vanaker

FRIDAY, Feb. 29
Weekday
8:30 a.m. - † Peter D'Sa