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 |
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Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 2, 2004FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTERTHE GOOD SHEPHERD
The gospel reading for this week is short and to the point. In reality, the whole tenth chapter of the gospel according to John deals with the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This image is not a new one in scripture; one of our most cherished psalms is Ps 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." The prophet Ezekiel records our God raging against the false shepherds who have betrayed their people and ignored their responsibilities. God himself 'will be the shepherd of my sheep.' God promises a new shepherd prince in the spirit of King David. Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. The 99 are left while the shepherd searches for the one who is missing. In Luke, Jesus reaches out for all who are lost and abandoned – just like God-just like a shepherd. Our powerful imagery leaves us in no doubt that this shepherd means what he says. Reading this gospel in light of the Resurrection brings us into a new understanding of just how much this shepherd loves his flock. If you truly want to experience the images of this particular reading in its fullness, start at the beginning of Chapter 10 and read it through. You will find yourself filled with the images of a sheepfold, a gate, and a shepherd all working to protect the sheep from harm. A sheepfold is simply an expedient method for shepherds to keep their charges safe in the darkness of the long nights. Sheep are natural wanderers and are the succulent morsels to many predators who are drawn by the odours and sounds of a flock of sheep. During the evening, the sheep are herded into an enclosure surrounded by a stone fence with a single gate. Several shepherds take turns sleeping while one shepherd stands guard at the gate. When it is time to leave, each shepherd calls to the sheep and those who belong to him will follow his familiar voice. The image leads us to discipleship; when Jesus calls to his sheep, they will follow in his path. From the confinement of the sheepfold, the sheep are drawn into the freedom experienced as the sons and daughters of God. Followers of the Christ are in relationship with the shepherd, Jesus. Faith becomes relational and is not restricted by walls of stone (or hearts for that matter) or boundaries. This early community that John is writing for is ripe for becoming that traditional community of faith that is boundary-free and willing to explore what it means to be a follower of the Christ. They are willing to follow the Spirit of Truth who has the habit of leading us into those spaces that no one in the community has seen or experienced before. For them and for us, our faith journey is faithful to the past, especially our beloved Scriptures, and is ever open to the possibility that Jesus in the Spirit may lead us to places it has never been. Relationship with the Lord demands openness to follow, wherever that may take us. Jesus identifies himself as "the gate for the sheep." He has already declared that he is the way, the truth, and the life. In this chapter, he reveals that it is through him that believers will find salvation. He reveals that "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Jesus speaks of himself as the good shepherd, the one who will lay down his life for his sheep. Relationship exists built on mutual knowledge; the sheep recognize the master when he speaks. The master, again in John, says "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." Jesus' whole life-giving ministry, his death, and his resurrection to new life are protecting the flock that he has come to bring into new life and relationship with the Father. He has come to bring all of us into the fullness of life, to be his people, to be our God. It is paramount for us to hear Jesus once again speak to his relationship with the Father. They are totally united in the Spirit and enjoy perfect mutual understanding.
Jesus can and does bring us back to the Father. He alone knows the depth and width of the Father's love. He alone reveals that love and shares that love with us. It is through the good shepherd that we too experience the awe and wonder of our God. It is Jesus who reveals the fathomless depths of the reality if our God, a God who has loved and continues to love us first, last and always. So when we are tempted to think that the gospel is really short today – what can it possibly be saying in so few words – we must take the time to explore, to do what John's community was willing to do. To open our minds and hearts to the Good News we must be willing to move and grow and depend on the God who is there for us. Let him lead us to where he wants us to be. MASS INTENTIONS
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 9, 2004FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTERIt must be noted now that John's recording of the events leading to the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord can be summed up in a very short summary: as many of the bible commentators have noted before me, the already Risen Lord takes possession of Jerusalem, inspires his followers with insights on the purpose of his mission, goes forward to his death as the consummation of his life and returns in glory to bestow the Holy Spirit on his friends. For those of you who took my advice last week, you will remember these two lines from Chapter 10. "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again." These are not the words of a man who is defeated, going to his death with passivity or suffering. In other words, this passion and death gospel is filled with the imagery that has led to the description in John of Jesus' last week on earth as a narrative of the Glory of God. It has been called the Book of Glory. The Son of Man is glorified in his obedience to God even unto death on a cross. Jesus is faithful to the end and his integrity is beyond question. He can and does "lay down his life for his flock." The mutual relationship of love and fidelity is fulfilled in the raising of Jesus to new life in the Resurrection. Jesus' victory over death gives glory to the Father and gives witness to our gift of salvation – the redemption that all followers are seeking. The teachings of Jesus on love are firmly rooted in the gospel of John. Certainly, the Old Testament records the commandments of love – Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Jesus takes this commandment and puts a new spin on it – one that is much more difficult and calls for much more commitment from his followers. Jesus asks us to love God and love one another as he has loved us. Again, we remember that Jesus' love has led him to "lay down one's life for one's friends." Before we all clamour that this is far too difficult, and who is going to give up one's life anyway, let's think about this. How many of us are raising children or grandchildren? How many of us are involved in a ministry that demands our time and energy? How many of us are married and committed to working through all the challenges that married life brings to us? How many of us have devoted our lives to service? How many are ordained to ministry and have committed to a life focussed on the needs of a community of faith? Who is caring for a sick parent or relative who has no one else to count on? Laying down one's life does not always involve death, but rather a commitment to life in love. As followers of the Christ, the life of love calls us to service in love to one another at whatever cost this may involve. It is our answer to this call to discipleship that marks us as true disciples. And so we come back to the beginning. It is in discipleship to the Risen Lord that we offer praise and glory to our God. What does this mean to each one of us? How do we answer this call to discipleship in the here and now? Let us pray today for the wisdom to recognize what God wants us to see and the courage to act as disciples of the Lord. This involves struggle and the need to depend on God, the God who has loved us first and given us the strength to follow where he leads. Are we ready? MASS INTENTIONS
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 16, 2004SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTERTHE REIGN OF GODAs we move toward the close of the Easter Season and prepare to begin again that time of the liturgical year that we call Ordinary Time, we look around at the flowers that have dressed the altar, the fountain that has run continuously for the past six weeks and will continue until the great feast of Pentecost, and the Pascal candle that will burn until after the celebration of Pentecost. We have listened to the gospel stories and the readings that have described the early beginnings of the Christian communities and we have rejoiced that Jesus is risen with the singing of the Easter hymns that we know and love. We have been gifted with a 50-day celebration and we have marked this time with the sacraments of New Life. The Vigil remains deep in our memories, particularly for those elect who shared their full initiation into our community of faith and witnessed for us the great gift of salvation. Every weekend has been celebrated with new life: Confirmation, First Eucharist, Baptism. New life surrounds us. As I reflect on the gifts we have shared together during this Easter Season, my thoughts turn to the phrase that is the title of this particular reflection. How often have we said these words and how do we understand them? Do we believe that the reign of God refers to some time in the future or are we convinced by what we do and what we say that Jesus truly brought us into a new life – a life where God can reign in our hearts to transform us, to change our cold hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, to take over our lives in such a way that we can love without conditions and to grow into wholeness – a wholeness that will free us to be true to ourselves and to be faithful to the God who has gifted us with his kingdom. If I were to ask you to tell me what teaching of Jesus seemed to be the most important lesson he wanted us to understand, what would you answer? For some, I suspect, it would be his teaching on love. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Important? Absolutely! And yet, if we study the gospels, we may come up with a different spin on the same answer. A great deal of Jesus' time was spent in describing the kingdom of God. He announces the coming of God's kingdom at the very beginning of his public ministry. His parables describe the reign of God in graphic detail. He taught the people and us that his miracles were to be seen as signs of God' s reign. John, particularly, is very clear on this aspect of Jesus' ministry. Before you start to object, let us look at this more closely. The reign of God is God acting in our lives to bring us to wholeness. The actions of our God influence us and bring us into deeper relationship with him. The reign of God takes over our lives so that we may live in the freedom of God's children. It is a loving initiative that is pure gift. There is nothing we can do or say that will earn us the right to this gift. It is given freely and with transforming actions that have great consequences in the lives if true believers. All we need to do is accept the gift by allowing the reign of our God in our hearts. The reign of God does not act in isolation. To recognize God acting in our lives means that we learn to depend on one another in love. We see the needs of others, sometimes at the inconvenience of ourselves, and we work together to bring the good news of salvation to others through our actions. We reflect the reign of God in all of our relationships and bring that reign to those with whom we interact. Friendship, marriage, parents, children, teachers, all bring the reign into the lives of those who are open to believe. We are nurtured by other believers on this journey of faith. We pray together, we live together, we challenge each other by living the Christian way of life, and we rejoice together that we have been gifted with this way of life. As followers of the Christ, we are also called to forgive one another, even when that seems so difficult to do. We do not operate in a vacuum an we do not walk alone on this journey. The reign of God is now! It is already within us. Jesus came to bring us life and to teach us how to live that life to its fullness. The great work of salvation is dynamic and calls us to wholeness in the here and now. The work is unfinished and it is up to us to contribute our share. We are the Easter people, journeying together toward the wholeness of life in God. We rejoice and we commit – once more to the work of salvation. Let us pray today for the courage to open our hearts and let God lead us into fullness of life and for the wisdom to know that we must depend on each other to accomplish our goals. Let us also offer thanks and praise to the lord of all who has offered such a gift. MASS INTENTIONS
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 23, 2004SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTERFEAST OF THE ASCENSIONToday's first reading from Acts and the Gospel story from Luke are credited to the same author. Luke's accounts in both places lead us into a deeper unfolding of the paschal mystery. Further, the Ascension of Jesus, this very feast, is integral to that very same paschal mystery. Before speaking of the Ascension, however, it is important to remind ourselves that the resurrection was not a return to this life, but rather a dynamic breakthrough into new life characterized by transformation and defined by its very finality. Jesus Christ lived, died and was raised from the dead into new life. Resurrection and Ascension mark the end of one moment of our salvation history and the beginning of another. The Easter Season proclaims that Jesus lives, that He lives with God, and that He lives for us. Luke understands this. His writing reveals that ascension marks the end of the physical appearances of the Risen Lord and begins a new way of Jesus living among us. Think of ascension in another way. Jesus is established above all power, dominion and authority and becomes for us the focus of our lives. Living centred in Christ means living as disciples and as followers of all that he has taught us to be. The Risen Christ shares in the lordship of God and is the head of all creation, including his body, the church. Jesus lives, he teaches, he suffers, dies and God raises him from the dead. Through the man Jesus, God reveals his plan for us and, through Jesus, brings about transformation and renewal to all of humankind. This work cannot stop and must continue through the saving actions of the Risen Lord. This work must continue in the hearts, minds and actions of living followers and is not restricted to individuals or communities. It is meant for all to share in the work of salvation and, just as we talked about last week, takes place in communities of believers. As church, that community of believers in the Risen Lord, we come together in response to the call of the gospels. The Easter message calls us into the mission – Jesus' mission. We are to spread the good news by lives lived as followers, as men, women and children who bear witness, in a world that sometimes turns a deaf ear and a blind eye, to all that Jesus teaches, and to live out all that he said and all that he did. What a challenge! The ascension becomes a necessary condition for the presence of the Risen Lord in a new and life-sustaining way. Only through the coming of the Spirit can the early disciples fully comprehend all that has happened. Only through the gifts of the Spirit can the courage and wisdom and understanding and knowledge and counsel and fortitude and awe and wonder fills the hearts of disciples. To become true followers able to engage in the mission, we need courage and strength and only the coming of the Spirit can enable both the first disciples and us to witness to the way, the truth and the life. For the Spirit to come, Jesus must join the Father to continue his role as priest, prophet, and king. Christians have always believed that Jesus completed his earthly mission and returned to God from where he was sent and now continues among us in a new and dynamic presence. Our God is a loving God filling his family with the Spirit so that they may live more abundantly in his love. We are called to live fully and authentically and to be faithful to all that the Lord has taught us. When we bear witness to Jesus and to what God has done for us in him, we not only speak, but we also act that belief – word and deed become one. We live out the gospel message! Only in the power of the Spirit is such witness possible. It is the Spirit who molds us into the body of Christ. As we celebrate this day, we must remind ourselves that the Risen Lord is with us. Let us pray for the wisdom and understanding to know the power of our God and to see what riches our inheritance of the kingdom brings to us. What God has done in the resurrection of Jesus is a promise of what he will do for us. MASS INTENTIONS
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, May 30, 2004PENTACOST SUNDAY"Alleluia! He is Risen!"For fifty days now, Easter liturgies have resounded with cries like this one. We have feasted and celebrated with great joy. Signs of our celebration surround us. The liturgies have been filled with the signs of new life. Baptisms, Confirmations, and First Communions have filled us with members who are participating in new life. The music surrounding our liturgies has been joyous and inviting us to full and active participation. The Pascal candle has been lit for the whole of the Easter Season; the light of Christ pierced the darkness of Easter Vigil and has not been extinguished since. The altar has been adorned with fresh flowers and, lo and behold, we have even acquired our own fountain that truly runs with fresh water. The signs of new life and the symbols of our tradition have been actively used to engage all of our senses. Only those with closed hearts can remain untouched by an assembly alive with the good news; our God is a God of love and He loves us and wants only the best for us. So what does all this mean to our community of faith? We understand that Easter Season finishes at Pentecost and we now return to that season known as Ordinary Time. The Paschal candle will burn only at Baptisms and Funerals. The fountain will retire until it is needed again next year. Fresh flowers will appear, but will not be in such abundance. What has changed? What does Pentecost change in us? What has this Easter Season called this assembly to do right here and right now? Are we ready to respond? Let us move to the Scriptures to explore a bit deeper just what we are meant to take from all of this. Both the reading from Acts and the reading from John speak to faith and to a community founded on belief in the Risen Lord. Jesus made no secret that he was leaving the disciples in the presence that they had become used to. We discussed that last week in the Ascension reflection. They would no longer 'see' him, but were challenged to believe in the good news and spread that good news to everyone. The Spirit will come and make all things clear. Acts records a familiar story; the faithful were gathered in the upper room following the Ascension, waiting for the Spirit that Jesus promised to come. John records a bit different interpretation. Jesus' appearance and conferring of the Spirit occurs on Easter Sunday. Both Scriptures live out the call of the Psalm – 'Send us your Spirit Oh Lord and Renew the Face of the Earth.' The message for the disciples and for all followers of the Christ is the same. The gift of the Spirit completes Jesus' earthly ministry because we, Christ's arms and legs, are empowered to continue the work of redemption in the presence of Christ through the power of the Spirit. The gospel of Pentecost records the gift of the Spirit for the early disciples because we need to know: the gift is for all of us and has been through all of Christian history. How do we appreciate fully this gift of the Spirit? How do we possibly describe the transformation that occurs in those who are open to receive the gift of God's Spirit? This wondrous gift of God's life enables each and every one of us to enter into right relationship – with God, with each other, and within ourselves. We share in God's life and in our inheritance as God's children. Because we have been gifted with God's Spirit, we can speak to each other in the language that knows no boundaries and can be understood by all people everywhere, regardless of race or language. We are empowered to speak in the name of love, we are empowered to act in the name of justice, and we are empowered to live with dignity and respect. The Scriptures today do not speak of endings, but challenge believers to beginnings. So, while the candle will not be lit next Sunday and the fountain will not be running, we remember the power of the signs. We go back to Easter Vigil and we remember our baptismal promises. We have recommitted to those promises and we have celebrated that commitment. We have read the Scriptures describing the struggles, the joys, the triumphs and the sufferings of our early Christian brothers and sisters. We have remembered once again what it is to be a follower of the Christ and we prepare to begin again the great work of redemption. Just as Christ has called us to do; just as the Spirit empowers us to be. No, it is not a time to rest on our laurels. The celebration was a good one. The assembly has been fed and will continue to be fed. The great work is waiting for us to continue. Where will you start? Let us pray today for the wisdom to discern the mission that Christ has called us to complete, for the fortitude to accomplish the work in Christ and for the humility to depend on the Lord to lead us to completion. MASS INTENTIONS
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