Church of The Holy Spirit 3526 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, Ont., M1T 3K7 Phone (416) 293-7974 Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of Toronto, Ont., Canada |
Church of The Holy Spirit 3526 Sheppard Ave. E., Toronto, Ont., M1T 3K7 Phone (416) 293-7974 Roman Catholic - Archdiocese of Toronto, Ont., Canada |
|
Home • Directory • Mass Schedule • Bulletin • Map • Contact • History • Gallery • Links |
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 7, 2004Zacchaeus was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him. . . When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome Him. – Luke 19:3- 6
Jesus, this Lent I am yearning to wear a Zacchaeus heart. I am wanting to hear you call my name just as you did his. I am anxious to know that you are inviting yourself to my home. I am humbled, amazed, excited, and astounded, just as he was. But that is where the desire to wear a Zacchaeus heart stops, because I know what happens when you visit someone's house. Conversations occur. Choices are presented. Changes happen. That's because you look for more than dust when you come to visit and you talk about things more vital than the weather. You move into the heart's dimension. You gaze deeply. You don't just dwell. You interact. You activate. You dwell so lovingly that the truth cannot be resisted. This Lent help me to welcome you and yearn for your love. Grant me a Zacchaeus heart that turns around and sees the truth. I need the gaze of your love to remind me of my truest self. I, too, need the strong call to make amends and start anew. Hurry, Jesus, come and stay at my house today. – Joyce Rupp
Taken from Out of the Ordinary (c) 2000 by Joyce Rupp. The parish community of Holy Spirit welcomed catechumens into it's family during the period of Advent. Since then, these catechumens have been immersed in learning who we are as Catholic Christians, breaking open the Word that we hear every Sunday and beginning that life-long process of relationship with the Lord. They have witnessed the faith life of this community and have been nurtured by our prayers and good works. On the first Sunday of Lent, these same catechumens celebrated a further step on their journey of faith. They have become the Elect, people chosen by God through the Rite of Election; they have signed their names and the bishop himself has ratified their signatures. They have now entered into the final preparations for the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. More than ever, these chosen ones need your prayers and your example of what it means to be a participating member of the community of faith. During this period of preparation, the elect take three more steps. These steps are called the Scrutinies. These rites are celebrated within the Sunday Eucharist and are the means by which all of us are called to do some self-searching and experience a change of heart. Just as we are called to begin Lent with the signing of ashes, symbolizing our intention to turn away from sin and follow the gospel, so too are we reminded through the celebration of the Scrutinies by the elect, that we are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in our own hearts. We recognize within ourselves those areas that we can strengthen – we work on all that is upright, strong, and good. For the elect, the Scrutinies are celebrated in order to deliver them from the power of sin and Satan, to protect them against temptation, and to give them strength in Christ. These rites complete their initial conversion process and are meant to deepen their commitment to come to the fullness of the Christian way of life and to love God above all. For the community, they remind us of who we are and what we are – followers of the Christ who will renew baptismal promises at Easter and commit once more to the Christian way of life and to love God above all. The Scrutinies are celebrated on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. This whole community will move to the gospels of Cycle A – the woman at the well, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus – the Christ who is the living water, the light of the world, and the resurrection and the life. Please join the elect as we all deepen our understanding of sin and our desire for salvation and move ever closer to celebrate the fulfillment of redemption and salvation that is Easter. MASS INTENTIONS
STATIONS OF THE CROSSDuring the period of Lent, Stations of the Cross will be celebrated at 7:00 p.m. on Fridays in the Church. Come and pray the stations with members of our parish community. Facilitators of the stations for March 12: Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 14, 2004THIRD SUNDAY OF LENTIMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE READINGS FOR THE THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH SUNDAYS OF LENT For those of you who follow in your missals, you may think a mistake was made in taking the readings for these three Sundays from Cycle A. However, the images of our faith – water, light, and death to life – are so strong in these particular readings, pastors may elect to switch to them, particularly if the Rites proper to these Sundays are celebrated with the elect – those members of our community who have been chosen to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Such is the case in our parish. Seven adult catechumens have entered a period of intense preparation for the Easter sacraments and will celebrate three Scrutinies over the next three weeks. Please enter into these rites as those who are also preparing. Easter brings us that opportunity to renew our own baptismal promises and enter into once more the dying and rising to new life that is our Easter celebration. THE WOMAN AT THE WELL– John 4:5-42
This account of the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is so well loved and so beautifully written that the passage has become known as the woman at the well. John has transformed an isolated incident in the ministry of the Lord into a proclamation of the highest measure. This story contains the deep meaning and ministry of Jesus and astounds us in its simplicity and profound revelations. This encounter takes place at a well in the heat of the day and the main characters are Jesus and a woman. The disciples who catch up with the Lord at the well are surprised to find him in conversation with a woman and a Samaritan at that. For her part, she is surprised that this man, a Jew, would engage her in conversation. The conversation begins with a simple request for a drink of water and moves very rapidly to revelation. If the woman knew who he was, she would be asking him for a drink and he would give her living water that would spring up in her to eternal life. The simple water of life has become a symbol for the life-giving gift that Jesus offers, not just to the woman, but to all that come to him to drink. Water is an Old Testament symbol of the life-giving presence of God's Spirit. Water, again in the Bible, was used to suggest divine wisdom and more particularly, the law given through Moses. John has already tied this together in the exchange between Jesus and our old friend Nicodemus: "No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." In the conversation between the woman and Jesus, true worship will no longer be restricted to any particular place but will take place in the Spirit and in truth. Through the gift of the Spirit people will become one with Jesus in his worship of the Father. And the dawning of truth comes in the climax of the story. The woman moves from thinking Jesus a prophet because of his intimate knowledge of who she is to a realization that this could truly be the Messiah. Jesus' answer that "I am he" echoes God's answer from Moses' burning bush – "He who is." The woman is compelled to share what she is realizing and moves to spread the good news. The Samaritans come to hear Jesus for themselves and move to a personal faith "because of his word." The mission may come from the Jewish tradition, but it is universal. This really is the Saviour of the whole world. And so this day we again hear the great proclamation of salvation. We too are offered the Word and invited to the feast. We too are offered the living water that leads us to eternal life. All has been laid before us – we need but listen and hear and respond to the call to the well of eternal life, united with our God through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us pray this day that our hearts may be open to the call! Prayer from the First Scrutiny
MASS INTENTIONS
SISTERS of ST. JOSEPHCELEBRATE ST. JOSEPH'S FEAST DAY March 19 is the Feast of St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary and it is the patronal feast of the Sisters of St. Joseph, of which Congregation Sister Anne is a member. The Sisters promise to remember the people of Holy Spirit Parish in their novena before the Feast, and ask them to remember the Sisters and their Mission and Ministries in their prayers. www.csj-to.ca Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 21, 2004FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENTAgain we are treated to the excellent writing skills of John for today's story of the man born blind. John's skill lies in the truth behind the story that comes to light with startling clarity, particularly in this gospel story. While we can certainly appreciate the benefits that the physical healing has wrought in the life of the man born blind, John wants us to experience the gradual coming to faith in Jesus that transforms this man into a disciple that now clearly has all blinders off and recognizes Jesus as coming from God. The miracles that Jesus works are signs of what God continues to offer us today. The physical healing points to this deeper spiritual reality. Let's look at the story. The unfolding of this story finds Jesus mixing the simple elements of saliva and dirt to create a paste, which is slathered on the eyes of the blind man. He is then told to go wash off the paste and when he does he finds he can see. The hoopla created in the discovery attracts the attention of the Pharisees, who feel compelled to question the man at length. Two things happen: the man enters more deeply into the mystery of Jesus as his faith in him grows; the Pharisees become convinced that Jesus is a sinner who, in spite of appearances, cannot possibly come from God. The Pharisees argue themselves into the position that no good can come from disobedience to the laws of the Sabbath and blind themselves to the good that Jesus is doing. The man is not swayed by their arguments and holds to the belief that Jesus is truly a man of God. The Pharisees do not want to believe and drive the man from their presence. The climax comes in the encounter between Jesus and the former blind man. When Jesus reveals himself as the one who has cured him, the man confesses his faith without hesitation and bows down in worship. His healing is complete. He sees not only with his eyes, but with his heart as well. He is now seeing with the eyes of faith. What is the greatest tragedy here? It is not physical blindness, but rather the spiritual blindness that envelopes all those who choose not to hear the good news of salvation. Jesus says that he came into the world so that people might see the truth about themselves and above all about God and God's intentions for all of us. Jesus reveals God. For those shut into the blindness of refusal, the choice will result in never knowing their need of Jesus. For those who are healed, Jesus is the true light who is capable of enlightening everyone who turns to him. Let us pray this day for the healing power of Jesus light, shining in the darkness of sin and blindness to the Good News. MASS INTENTIONS
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 28, 2004– John 11:1-45
We now find ourselves at the fifth Sunday of Lent and are once again listening to a gospel story from John. In the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, John again takes us by the hand and points us in the direction he wants us to go with our understanding of this particular miracle. John is the writer of signs and this gospel leads us to an illustration of the meaning of Jesus' life and the fulfillment of His destiny. The climax is the raising from the dead, but the route that is taken is the revelation of the sign power of this story. Through the conversations that Jesus has with his disciples and with his friends Mary and Martha, we trace the trail that is left for us leading directly to the tomb-this time, the tomb of Lazarus. The dialogue between Jesus and his disciples introduce us to a number of different themes. Lazarus' illness will not lead to death but rather to a manifestation of the power and glory of God. Jesus himself will be glorified and he will be revealed once more as the Son of the living God. For John, it is important for us to realize that Jesus reveals the Father in all that he says and all that he does. It is, therefore, fitting that Jesus is also the one who offers the gift of eternal life. Faith is, above all, faith in Jesus and in the Father who sent him and continues to work through him. The miracle then, is the sign that will deepen faith in Jesus and in the goodness of the God who sent him. Think for a moment of all the different ways that John has described the Lord – the bread of life, the living water, the light of the world, the true vine of which we are branches. In today's reading, Jesus identifies himself as the resurrection and the life. Our attention is arrested by these powerful images: Jesus is our focus and the gifts we are offered are clearly revealed. Jesus is the resurrection because of the hope he offers to all who believe in him. He is the life because he is the source of that new life that will one day bring us into eternal life. Physical death is fleeting while spiritual life is forever in the Lord. And yet for us Martha becomes that reminder that faith is not something we can take for granted. She hesitates when Jesus asks her to roll away the stone at the tomb of her brother. She has professed her faith in Jesus and truly believes. Yet, that faith still needs to be deepened – for Martha and for us. Jesus prays that everyone will understand that it is God who is about to manifest his glory and, in seeing it, all will believe in him as the one sent by God. Powerful stuff! Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, the coming home of Jesus in the fullness of his humanity to the God from whom and for whom he lived and died. Easter is a celebration of life, the life he came to share with us. It is a celebration of hope-the hope we hold that we too will share in the fullness of the risen life of Christ. Let us pray this day and for the days we have left before Easter that we will celebrate with hearts and minds open to the Lord and to his call to new life. This life that he so wants to share with us! — Rev. Thomas G. MooreCELEBRATING THE TRIDUUMAt the end of the season of Lent, the Christian community gathers together to celebrate the most holy of days in our Christian experience. The triduum is a single celebration that takes place over a three-day period – from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday and continuing until the conclusion of evening prayer on Easter Sunday. One of signs that marks these three days as one celebration is the silence that is woven through the fabric of the triduum celebration. We are called to remember and celebrate the saving death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. As followers of the Christ, we are meant to focus on our immersion in the paschal event and to discover anew how we are to live the saving death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus – right here and right now. When we celebrate the triduum, we find ourselves placed right at the centre of the paschal mystery. Holy Thursday THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2004 AT 7:30 P.M.The one feast of the triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening. The gospel reading from John draws us into a deeper understanding of Eucharist. Through the powerful symbolic washing of feet, we ourselves are called to embrace the lifestyle of the servant Jesus. This is no mere role-playing or re-enactment but rather a clear message that eucharist and service are intimately intertwined. Good Friday FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2004 AT 3:00 P.M.The Mass of the Lord's Supper ends in silence and the gathering of the community for the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord begins in silence. The focus of this day is the saving death of the Lord Jesus and our participation in it. How do we live out the values of the reign of God so that we are able to stand as a stumbling block to the forces of darkness and evil? Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2004 AT 8:00 P.M.The Vigil begins in darkness and silence. As the third celebration in the triduum, the Easter Vigil proclaims Christ's victory over sin and death and our sharing in this wondrous gift of salvation. The great Paschal Triduum is meant to be celebrated as one. A solemn proclamation from the Lord God begins the liturgy of the word on Holy Thursday; the solemnity of solemnities has begun. From the original celebration of Passover, when the Lord liberated Israel from captivity, we progress over the next three days to the fulfillment of the Passover, when the risen Christ liberates us from sin and death. Join your community of faith as we celebrate the Easter Triduum
MASS INTENTIONS
Stations Of The CrossEvery Friday during Lent, Stations of the Cross will be said in the church at 7 p.m. except on Good Friday, when it will take place at 12 noon
EVENING OF RECONCILIATIONPreparation for the Easter season has always included that chance to reconcile with the Lord. We are called to celebrate Lent through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We are signed with ashes to remind us that we are meant to turn away from sin so that we can follow the gospel. For Catholic Christians, it is a time to come into right relationship – with God, with each other, and within ourselves. On Thursday, March 25, we will all be given the opportunity to celebrate Reconciliation (Confession for those who still use that term). There will be several priests available in the church at 7:30 p.m. We will begin the evening with a short reflection, prayer, and examination of conscience. Mark the date on your calendars: Thursday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Spirit Church SHARELIFE SUNDAYS ARE HERE!Our goal this year is to raise $11 million in Parishes across the Archdiocese! Overall, our target is $13 million for Campaign 2004! Today's Disciple... Ready To Share! Please give generously! ShareLife has grown to 28 agencies from only 8, offering services to children and youth, families at risk, women in need of shelter and abuse counseling, services for single and teen parents, the elderly and refugees regardless of religious affiliation. ShareLife agencies have an open intake policy: no-one is turned away based on religious or ethnic background Remember: 91 cents of every dollar goes to those who really need it. More than 100,000 people used the services supported by ShareLife last year. Please be as generous as possible for those who are in need. Answering the call to discipleship in our tradition has always meant that we take Jesus' message seriously. Let us each answer the challenge that ShareLife itself makes to each and every one of us: Maintain the Existing Programs While Fulfilling New Needs.
More information is available at the back of the church. Nurturing Hope In ServiceThe Catholic Social Ministry Network of Scarborough is organizing a Conference. To take place Saturday March 27, from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at St. Rose of Lima.(Lawrence and McCowan). The key note speaker is Rev. Jim Casper C.S.J All those who serve in our parishes and care for others are invited to attend. To register call: Odilie Gaudet 416-934-3401 ext 430. Registration closes March 22. |
