Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Nov 7, 2004
32nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
November – Month of The Souls in Purgatory

      As our Church year winds down, we are preparing to move from one cycle to another in our liturgical readings. These next few Sundays mark the end of Cycle C and we will move from the gospel of Luke to the gospel of Matthew. It is still a surprise to many of our assembly to find that our new year starts with the period of Advent, that time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. But more on that later!

      As we finish listening to the gospel of Luke, it is time to look back at the picture of Jesus that Luke has drawn for us. Who is the Jesus we have met in Luke? What do we take with us that we didn't have before this past year? Do we hear from Luke during this coming year or do we wait for another full cycle?

      If I may, I will share with you a few of the thoughts these questions have raised for me. As we have explored before, Luke was writing for a predominantly Gentile world. His gospel is filled with explanations of Jewish customs, a fact that helped his early readers and also helps us today to understand the radical nature of Jesus' preaching. Luke is very clear: his purpose is to proclaim that Jesus is the saviour of all the world. Luke takes us on a journey of the public ministry of Jesus that begins in Galilee and leads to the city of Jerusalem. Jesus is faithful to the mission. Nothing stops him from fulfilling the will of God.

      Luke's portrait of Jesus differs from his fellow authors of the gospels. People of all ages have cherished the warm, compassionate, gentle, and forgiving Jesus revealed in Luke's gospel. It is from Luke that we hear the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Tax Collector, stories that open up the Christian way of life and the compassion of God. It is from Luke that the portrait of Jesus in prayer becomes an important part of his ministry. When Jesus prays, stuff happens. Prayer always leads to action. In Luke, we find a Jesus who befriends the outcast, the lost, the forgotten and leads them into the gift of salvation. His concern for the poor and the marginalized leads Jesus to challenge each and every one of us to break free of the grip of money.

      As we leave this gospel, know that you will continue to hear from Luke in the days to come. Luke is also credited with the authorship of Acts of the Apostles. A difference in style, theme, and spirit between the gospel writers means that we have a richer vision of Jesus. We get to know who Jesus is from different ways of expressing that are all faithful to the Lord. When we think about the ministry of Jesus and its richness, we are grateful to have the interpretations of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. If we are truly paying attention, each reading, each breaking open of the Word, each writer, brings us ever closer to deeper relationship with Jesus. After all, isn't that what this journey is all about?

Mass Intentions for the Week

MONDAY, Nov. 8

Weekday

No mass

TUESDAY, Nov. 9

Dedication of St. John Lateran

12 Noon - † Ligoury Peiriera and Mrs. Peiriera

Requested by Sha Shi and Nalini

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 10

St. Leo the Great

8:30 a.m. – † Giuseppe Pierri

Requested by wife Frances

THURSDAY, Nov. 11

St. Martin of Tours

8:30 a.m. – † Cecilia and Edward Pierri

Requested by Frances

FRIDAY, Nov.12

St. Josaphat

8:30 a.m. – † Diniz Raposo

Requested by family

SATURDAY, Nov. 13

Weekday

9:15 a.m. Morning Prayer

(Office Of The Blessed Virgin)

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Nov 14, 2004
33rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

      Luke's final gospel for this final Sunday in ordinary time is written in a style called apocalyptic. This is a large word with a simple meaning – anything written about the end times. The writer simply takes experiences he already knows and interprets them in light of revealing what is to come.

      Many of the prophets spoke and are recorded in this style. With the knowledge of looking back at past events, the prophet sees clearly the hand of God in the lives of humans and ‘predicts' the loving action of God into the future. Writers of the gospels and other parts of the Bible were not historians and cannot be judged in any other way than as interpreters of God acting in our lives. They have become the theologians who interpret even today the work of the Master in present time and space. It is not their intention to record historical acts; it is their intention to understand and teach the ways in which God has acted and continues to act in our lives.

      When we take the predictions, made today in Luke's gospel for example, and try to literally interpret the very graphic scenes painted for us, then we become embroiled in the same failed attempts which have plagued us for centuries. Namely, the attempt to predict the end of the world. The last major effort to predict the end of time was as recently as the year 2000. Remember the catastrophes and the preparations for events that would signal the end of life as we know it.

      The forces of good and evil will always be in conflict. Those who follow Jesus will endure persecution and death at the hands of those who refuse to believe. Followers will always be counter-cultural until our world embraces the Reign of God. Discipleship calls us to persevere in our journey of faith – to be faithful even in the face of hardship and rejection. Yet through all this, Jesus promises us salvation. God will and does renew the face of the earth, yet this renewal does not follow the laws of man, but rather the work of our God. Let us pray today for the grace to persevere in our journey and prepare to meet the Lord of all creation in all that we do and all that we say.

Mass Intentions for the Week

TUESDAY, Nov. 16

Weekday

12 Noon - † Vito Virgilio

Requested by sister Frances

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 17

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

8:30 a.m. - † Antonio Franco

Requested by Fred and Luz Balon

THURSDAY, Nov. 18

Weekday

8:30 a.m. – † Barney Begy

Requested by wife Eileen

FRIDAY, Nov.19

Weekday

8:30 a.m. – † Providence Liotta

Requested by Mamie Liotta

SATURDAY, Nov. 20

Weekday

9:15 a.m. Morning Prayer

(Office Of The Blessed Virgin)

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Nov 21, 2004
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

      The liturgical year of the Church ends this week with the feast of Christ the King. The term of king brings to mind many images: power, wealth, majesty, protocol, rules, protection, crowns, castles, palaces, and succession are among the words that come immediately to mind when we imagine kingship.

      As a member of the British Commonwealth, this country offers allegiance to Queen Elizabeth. Our history is intimately connected to the royalty of England and there are not too many of us who can legitimately claim ignorance of kings and queens. As Christians, we call Jesus a king and that He is. Yet we must also recognize the radical differences in the power of His kingship; indeed, we must also recognize His kingship as a powerful symbol. He is the one to whom we look for strength, guidance, and protection. As king, He tells us that our past does not have to define us or deter us from leading fulfilling lives. In short, reconciliation, healing, and forgiveness rule His kingdom. The ultimate goal is peace and justice for all and the ruler is God, not self.

      And yet we find our king on a cross, crowned with thorns not gold, stripped of all dignity and respect, and being put to death in a way reserved for criminals. He is mocked and taunted and He is at the mercy of others. Echoes of the temptation in the desert at the hands of Satan reverberate through the taunts and jeers. If you are the Messiah, if you are the Chosen One, if you are the King of the Jews – if you are the Son of God, change these stones into bread or throw yourself down from the temple. Jesus is tempted once again to take matters into His own hands and admit that His trust in God is not enough. This love and trust in God becomes total as Jesus resists all temptation and by doing so He refuses to play by the rules of the world.

      God's ways once again do not conform to the ways of the world. His power is based on love, a sharing of goods, interdependence, and justice. God does not force us or impose His will upon us. His love is invitation to the kingdom, an invitation that has been ours for the taking since the beginning of time and space. Walking in the ways of the Lord of all creation is the source of real and tangible power.

      Yes, Jesus accepted death on the cross to put an end to violence, tyranny, and injustice. Love, obedience to God, and total trust in the Father were His power sources and these same gifts are offered to all that would be disciples. Think about the final moments of Jesus' life. In what seems to be a desperate end, Jesus looks at another with the eyes of love. He loves the thief because he understands him. The power of His love says to the thief and to each one of us that we are redeemable, lovable, forgivable. No mush, no sentimentality, no Hallmark card, and definitely no sweetness mark His simple acceptance and offering of freedom to the thief – "this day you will be with me in Paradise."

      Think back over the past year. Remember the message of hope and faith that Luke has recorded in his gospel stories. Jesus said to leave everything behind, take nothing on the journey, be a good neighbour like the Samaritan, choose the better part like Mary; that He had come to set a fire on earth, that the door to enter was narrow, that you have to carry the cross, to take the lowest place, to store up heavenly not earthly treasure, that you cannot serve two masters.

      Lazarus is in heaven, you only need faith the size of a mustard seed, we must be grateful like the leper who returned, persistent like the widow who annoys the judge, pray like the tax collector, take a risk like Zacchaeus, believe in the resurrection, and even if things look like the end, hold on to hope. We remember because we are to see our lives in these stories. We know from them that we can always begin again. This is the good news that our Lord and our King chose to share with us. As we reflect, as we are meant to do on this day of celebration, let us remember too the words of the thief: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Mass Intentions for the Week

TUESDAY, Nov. 23

Weekday

12 Noon - † Willie Forst

requested by Kaspar Mentzen

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24

St. Andrew Dung-Lac

8:30 a.m. – Thanksgiving

requested by Carmen Machado

and family

THURSDAY, Nov. 25

Weekday

8:30 a.m. – Thanksgiving

requested by Margaret

FRIDAY, Nov.26

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Vida and Milan Grlj

requested by Vida Furlon

SATURDAY, Nov. 27

Weekday

9:15 a.m. Morning Prayer

(Office Of The Blessed Virgin)

First Sunday of Advent

      Why, you may ask, do we have a season called Advent? What does it mean? The word makes us think of preparation and, translated from its Latin root, means "before coming." This liturgical season starts our new year and brings us into the preparation for the great winter festival of Christmastime. We move ever closer to this feast through days that are getting shorter and shorter and our world gets darker, colder, more desolate, as all the trees lose their leaves and we prepare for the first snowfall.

      Advent is a time of expectation and renewal. The gospels over the next four weeks talk to us about the historical coming of Jesus as well as his return at the end of time. They warn us to be awake, to pay attention, to prepare and to welcome the Risen Lord into our midst-right here and right now! Jesus himself encourages us to be morally and spiritually awake as we await the time of his coming. Not only awake, but also living in a way that follows Jesus: care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the homeless must be a way of life for us all year and not just at this time of year. Paul tells us the same thing; we must put on Christ. We are called to put away the works of darkness and live in the light of the gospel. Anything that undermines and destroys life will also mean that we will be caught short. We will not be ready. Our destiny is to be with Christ for eternity.

      Advent tells us that our God is a God who comes. He has come in the course of our individual and collective histories. He came in a unique and definitive way in Jesus. As the God of the future, he will continue to come into our lives both now and at the end of time. If we believe, then we will choose to live open to his comings and ready for them at all times and in all places.

      Today's readings all tell us to prepare for God's coming. The light that opens our path is the teaching and example of none other than Jesus himself. We need Advent. Without it, we stop being what we are: a people who are waiting. We need the gospel's terrifying announcement of the end of time. We need the prophet's consolations and threats. We learn who we are in the uneasy ravings of John the Baptist and in the gentleness and strength of Mary.

Mass Intentions for the Week

TUESDAY, Nov. 30

St, Andrew

12 Noon - † Glen Vardy and Vera Nolan

Requested by the Vardy Family

WEDNESDAY, Dec.1

Advent Weekday

8:30 a.m.- † Carmine Spadafora

Requested by daughter

THURSDAY, Dec. 2

Advent Weekday

8:30 a.m.- † Georgina Aprle

Requested by family

FRIDAY, Dec. 3

St. Francis Xavier

8:30 a.m.- † Anthony Farano

Requested by Mona

SATURDAY, Dec. 4

Advent Weekday

9:15 a.m. Morning Prayer

(Office Of The Blessed Virgin)