Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 4, 2007

Second Sunday of Lent

The Covenant - The Promise

How many of us really understand what a promise really is? And if we understand what we are doing when we make a promise, do we really think about the ramifications on the lives of others as well as ourselves if the promises we make are broken?

If we check out the dictionary, we find the definition leading us into several different descriptions that all lead back to making a commitment. A promise is an assurance that one will or will not undertake a certain decision, action or behaviour; a promise is a sign, or signs of future achievements or good results.

As we are all aware, some promises are kept, while others are broken – promises are made to be broken – is an old expression expressing a reality we hesitate to acknowledge, but which happens none the less. When promises concern matters of importance, the consequences of breaking them become very serious indeed.

Let's look at a couple of examples. Statistics tell us that one in two marriages ends in divorce. All parties – men, women, and children suffer when promises made on a wedding day are not fulfilled. Caught up in the romance of that perfect day, the promises of undying love, honour, and respect must also meet the faithful, day to day commitment and hard work that are so necessary to nurture and care for relationships in the married state.

What about the promises made between nations? What happens when trade relations turn sour, racial cleansing takes over from humanitarian aid and respect, border disputes erupt or peacekeeping forces are challenged? What about broken promises of aid to those nations already suffering from the ravages of poverty?

Yes, you are correct. Wars happen and entire nations can be threatened with complete extinction. The final example lies with the promises of political candidates who present themselves as the only real way to solve the problems and, as soon as they are elected, seem to forget entirely those campaign promises so earnestly delivered to garner votes. Hard realities that many of us know from first hand experience!

Why are the promises that we humans make to one another so easily broken? Could it be because talk is cheap and our word is no longer our bond? In today's scripture readings, we find that this is not the case with the words and promises of God. In the first reading, the Genesis author puts forth the promises that fuelled the hopes of a people from the time they were first spoken to Abram, to the time that Joshua and his band of desert wanderers settled in the land of Canaan some centuries later. Promises of progeny, prosperity and land continue to inspire the descendants of Abraham because God's Word is God's bond and can be trusted completely.

In and through Jesus, God kept the promises that continue to fill us with joy and upon which we continue to hang our hopes. In Jesus, who is God's Word and God's promise made flesh, God remains ever present, ever bonded to us in love and fidelity. In today's Lucan gospel, Jesus is revealed in our midst as the transfigured Lord. Shown in his glory to Peter, James, and John, they taste what is yet to be for Jesus and for them.

We understand that the Cross is not the end of the story or the end of Jesus. Nor is death the defining end of any believer in Jesus. Jesus would live again, fully and forever. This promise is held out to us as well – the joy of faithful service to him and others will one day be answered. On that day, we shall be, as Paul reminds us in the second reading today, citizens of heaven who have finally made it home. So also will those who believe live and in their belief make his way, purpose, teaching and vision their own.

Until that time, we are to live as the example we find in today's readings today, faithful and true to our own promises. Just like God, just like Jesus.

TUESDAY, March 6

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † John H. C. Fung

Requested by Dr. Joseph Fung

WEDNESDAY, March 7

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Annamma Kurien

Requested by Liz Prasad Maly

THURSDAY, March 8

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Giuseppi Pierri

Requested by Frances Pierri

FRIDAY, March 9

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Michael Joseph

Requested by Liz Prasad Maly

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 11, 2007

Third Sunday of Lent

Call to Lenten Renewal!

The period of Lent calls all of us into a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We are led into the desert along with Jesus on the First Sunday of Lent and we follow the Gospel stories filled with the symbols of our faith-water, light and new life in Christ. Prayer immerses us in the call of the Spirit while fasting allows us an emptying of self so that we may be filled with that same Spirit. We can then recognize those opportunities to accept the responsibility and commitment we have at all times of the year to share what we have with those in need. Jesus' message is very clear: "love one another as I have loved you."

Most of us recognize the need of our fellow human beings. We cannot pick up a newspaper or listen to the news without the message coming through loud and clear. Many times we are pulled to give in many different directions and end up not doing anything at all. The ShareLife Campaign has begun. Letters to alert you to the good work accomplished through donations to the ShareLife drive are arriving in our homes as we speak. It is no mistake that the first official date for contributions in the parish is the Fifth Sunday in Lent – March 24/25. Many of our poor, challenged, and special needs Torontonians would not be cared for without the funding of the more than 33 organizations who are recipients of the ShareLife Campaign.

Lent is also the time for many Catholics to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. In order to allow as many people as possible to prepare for Easter in this way, an opportunity to celebrate will be given on Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. A chance to pray Scripture, examine consciences, and pray together the Act of Contrition will precede individual Confession. Four priests will be on hand to celebrate the sacrament with you. Do not miss this chance – Easter is just around the corner!

TUESDAY, March 13

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Diniz Raposo

Requested by wife and family

WEDNESDAY, March 14

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m - † Agnes and Mary Watson

Requested by Nora Watson

THURSDAY, March 15

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Father James Hayes

Requested by Nora Watson

FRIDAY, March 16

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † John Walter

Requested by wife Margaret

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 18, 2007

Fourth Sunday of Lent

"The Man Born Blind"
John 9:1-41

Jesus said: "I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark. That one will have the light of life." The blind man in today's story does indeed follow Jesus. He allowed the waters of Siloam to wash his mud-anointed eyes and then he affirmed Jesus as healer, as prophet and finally, as God-sent to bring light to the world. This blind man's insight and faith only serve to underscore the complete lack of understanding and faith of the Pharisees. They had eyes, but they did not see; they had the law, the prophets and the other scriptural writings, but they did not hear or heed the message; they, the holy ones of Israel, did not believe. The blind man's journey from darkness to light challenges us to follow toward the Lord Jesus while the mental and spiritual entrenchment of the Pharisees serve as warning to closing our hearts.

This story serves as a sign pointing to Jesus as light and sight giver. The blind man's darkness is a special venue for God's saving power and purpose. Healed and anointed and enlightened by Jesus, the blind man came to see and believe. We, too, are called to live in the light of faith, walk by the light of truth and follow Jesus who is the light of the world in all that we are, in all that we do, and in all that we say. We, too, have been washed and anointed at Baptism, entrance into the community of faith. As we prepare to celebrate the great Paschal Mystery at Easter and to renew our own baptismal promises, let us reflect on the woman at the well and the blind man. As we prepare to witness the great waters of Baptism poured over the heads of our elect at that same Easter celebration, let us renew those promises with new eyes that see and new ears that hear the good news of our salvation.

Anointings

As we mark the mid point of Lent, it is time to make a fresh resolve to continue our individual and collective efforts at repentance and reconciliation. Today's sacred texts take us into the stories of two men who were forever altered by their anointing. The author of Samuel shows us the anointing of David by Samuel. David is filled with the spirit of the Lord who "rushed upon him" and prepared him for the service of leadership. Our blind man in John's gospel account is anointed with mud made by Jesus and smeared on his eyes. Jesus then commands him to go to the pool of Siloam to wash. The man who was born blind not only sees with physical sight but also with the spiritual sight of faith. He will believe and in his believing he will bear witness to and worship Jesus, first as healer, then as prophet, and finally as one who is from God.

Anointing sets someone or something apart for a special purpose. In ancient times, it was a means of investing someone with power or of signifying divine sanctification and approval. David and our nameless blind man were set apart for special service. They remind each of us of our own anointings and the life-changing consequences of those anointings. Each of us, anointed first by God with the breath of life, was created in God's image and graced with the capacity for retaining that image throughout our lives. We were anointed through the sacrament of Baptism, graced with the Holy Spirit of God and claimed and named as God's beloved children. Baptism's anointing bestowed healing, forgiveness and wholeness while initiating each of us into the community we call church. We were set aside, just like David, just like the blind man, for service. Let us, then, look at the privilege and the responsibility we have because of anointing. Are we not called to remain true to our sacramental anointing and then to reach out and anoint one another?

TUESDAY, March 20

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. – † Lydia Arsenault

Requested by husband

WEDNESDAY, March 21

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Salvatorie and Elvira Beltrano

Requested by family

THURSDAY, March 22

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † John Dolan

Requested by wife and family

FRIDAY, March 23

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † John Drake

Requested by wife Rita

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, March 25, 2007

Fifth Sunday of Lent

"I am the Resurrection and the Life"

In the story of the raising of Lazarus, as so often in John's gospel, the miracle that Jesus works is presented as a sign pointing to and illustrating the meaning of his life and destiny. The actual account of the miracle is relatively brief and comes at the end of a rather complicated narrative in which Jesus suggests the significance of what is to happen in his conversations with the disciples and with Martha and Mary.

For many today, one of the more touching aspects of the account is its insistence on the love that Jesus had for Lazarus and his sisters. The evangelist comments on it at the beginning, as do those who see Jesus weeping near the tomb. Lazarus is identified by his sisters as simply the one who Jesus loves. At a deeper level, the phrase applies to each one of us. The dialogue that takes place between Jesus and the disciples introduces a number of key themes. Lazarus' illness will not lead to death, but to a manifestation of God's glory, God's power and goodness. Jesus himself will be glorified and will be revealed once again as the Son of God. The miracle as a true sign will deepen the faith of the disciples.

Unlike the other gospel writers who focus on Jesus' preaching of the kingdom of God, John emphasizes the importance of Jesus himself. It is Jesus who in all that he says and does reveals the Father and who offers us the gift of eternal life. Faith, for John, is above all faith in Jesus and in the gracious God who sent him and who works through him. In John's gospel, Jesus is presented in turn as the bread of life, as a source of living water, as the light of the world, as the true vine of which we are the branches.

In today's reading, Jesus identifies himself as the resurrection and the life. All these different descriptions focus our attention on Jesus and on the gifts that God is offering us through him. The words resurrection and life clearly go together. 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 one day will flow into eternal life. Those who believe in Jesus share in that life even now. Although they will die a physical death, they will never die spiritually.

If Jesus, in his preaching, miracles and final destiny, was the resurrection and the life present in the world, he continues to be that for us today through the power of the Spirit. For us, the Spirit is the Spirit both of God and of the risen Christ. By the gift of the Spirit, we belong to Jesus and share his life. The Spirit is for us the Spirit of life. Paul tells us in the second reading that it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. We have, therefore, every reason to believe that the same Spirit will one day raise us to eternal life with Christ.

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. Our celebration of Jesus' triumph is, at the same time, a celebration of the gift of life he came to share with us, a gift that we first received in baptism. It is a celebration, too, of the hope we have of one day being brought by the power of the Spirit to share in fullness in the risen life of Christ.

TUESDAY, March 27

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Alfred Nieuwenhove

Requested by Brenda Sands and family

WEDNESDAY, March 28

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Robert Powers

Requested by Johns family

THURSDAY, March 29

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † George Dermarkar

Requested by wife

FRIDAY, March 30

Lenten Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Nancy Fung

Requested by Dr. Joseph H. Fung