Parish Bulletin for Sunday, September 5, 2010
23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Wis 9:13-18 Philemon 9b-10, 12-17 Luke 14:25-33
This is our first bulletin in three months and we welcome the opportunity to once again reflect on God's Word with you. Today's readings seem to be recognizing a question that many of us ask again and again at different times in our lives. Let's take this opportunity to see what God may want us to see - to hear - to be - as we prepare to greet this September of beginnings.
What is life about, here on earth?
The First Reading says, "Deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. The body weighs down the soul, the earth weighs down the mind. . . . What is within our grasp we find with difficulty." It sounds like the writer was having a bad day. But these words actually do apply to all life. We have choices, we have problems. What are we to do?
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
This is the Serenity Prayer, well-known, possibly trite to some people. But it shows us the essence of humility: be who you are, not more, not less. Trust in God for everything you cannot do. Let go, let God. So, we have the first answer. Life here on earth, even though timid and weighed down, is about humility.
The second answer is love. Real, toiling, sweating love. Look at the apostle Paul in the Second Reading-the fiery, tempestuous Paul-now an old man and in prison. We are reading a personal letter here, one he wrote to Philemon. It turns out that Philemon's slave Onesimus ran away and came to Paul. Paul became like a father to him, converted him to Christianity and now sends him back to Philemon not as a slave but "as a man and in the Lord." Listen to the language Paul uses. "I am sending him, that is, [I am sending] my own heart, back to you." Onesimus is not a piece of chattel. Paul is sending someone so dear to him that he refers to that man as "his own heart." This is a true personal love. It is what life here on earth is all about.
The third answer, as the Gospel tells us, is to get our values straight. Jesus says he wants you to
1. Hate your father, mother, children, brothers, sisters, and your own life.
2. Renounce all your possessions,
3. Carry your own cross just as he carries his.
Hang on, don't panic. These sound horrible, but examine them. The word "hate" is probably an melodramatic way to say "love them in proportion." If you let love of God be first in your life, your beloved family will come right along with it. If you do not, you will lose them. Hate means not having them be overboard in their importance to you.
"Renounce all your possessions." If you are tempted to love material things above all else, then renounce them. It is God you need to love above all things, and everything else in proportion. Why are we supposed to carry a cross? Why? Because it is far too easy for us to pretend that the world really is not painful, that no one actually suffers.
But they do and we do, in a big way. Taking up our cross sends us out with Jesus to help others carry theirs. And that is the real and final answer to the problems presented in the First Reading. What is life about here on earth? It is about being humble, about loving others truly, and about loving God above all things. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them and believe them and live them.
For all those who have died, that they may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom, especially . . .
- Tuesday, Sept. 7
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison
- Friday, Sept. 10
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Mamie Domenica Liotta
- Lord, hear our prayer. . .
- Wednesday, Sept.8
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. – 50th Anniversary of Legion of Mary - Holy Spirit Presidium
For the sick and for all who ask for our prayers . . . for a greater awareness of Christ's presence, that we may recognize Christ who is present in the Word proclaimed, in the Eucharist, in the celebrant and in one another who make up the Body of Christ . . . Lord, hear our prayer. . .
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, September 12, 2010
24th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
"God was in Christ, to reconcile the world to himself:
and the Good News of Reconciliation he has entrusted to us."
Eventually, and not without great suffering, there comes a time in every lost person's experience when he/she hits the bottom of a seemingly bottomless pit. With nowhere to go but up, that person either changes or dies spiritually, if not physically.
In today's Gospel, the Lucan Jesus refers to this experience in describing the wayward son who "came to his senses." Literally translated, this phrase in v. 17 reads: "he entered into himself." There, in that terrible place, the lost son made a wonderful discovery. He was loved by his father, and even though he had forfeited any legal claim on his father, a small seed of confidence began to grow within him.
Later, this experience of coming to one's senses became an expression in Aramaic and in Hebrew for the turning of the repentant one toward God for forgiveness and healing. Told as the last in a litany of lost parables, the story of the lost son represents the dramatic climax of a three-act play intended to illustrate God's gratuitous love for sinners.
As they listened, the tax collectors and sinners who were present began to realize their value in God's eyes. Devalued by the Pharisees and scribes, who thought that sinners were well outside the pale of God's salvific intentions, these lost ones began to appreciate the nature of God. Like the shepherd who leaves 99 sheep to search for the stray, so does God search for sinners. Like the woman who will not rest until all her coins are accounted for, so does God care for every human being, especially the lost.
And finally, and ever more importantly, like a father who eagerly waits to welcome a wayward son, so does God search the horizon of humanity until every lost child is welcomed home.
While Jesus' words offered hope to sinners, the self-righteous (the Pharisees and scribes represented in the parable by the elder brother) became indignant. Rather than rejoice at the blessings extended to those they thought to be of no account, they cultivated a resentment that made them blind to God's ways and deaf to the rejoicing of the angels in heaven.
Again and again, Jesus' self-righteous contemporaries refused to accept the reversal of values and fortunes that are characteristic of the reign of God. As we look back at their reaction to Jesus and find fault with their attitudes and behaviour, Jesus' parable challenges us to allow its truth to speak also to our own hearts and lives. Most of us would readily identify with one son or the other at any given moment in our lives.
However, Henri Nouwen suggests that believers identify with and emulate the compassionate father of Jesus' parable (The Return of the Prodigal Son, Image Books, New York: 1994). We are to be the one who forgives, not just the one who is forgiven. We are to be the one who welcomes, not just the one blessed by the welcome of another. Only then will we truly understand, in the very depths of who we are, what it means to live in the image of the One by whom we were created. As Jesus said, "Be holy, be compassionate, be merciful, be perfect as is your heavenly Father." Then, all of heaven will rejoice.
For all those who have died, that they may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom, especially . . .
- Tuesday, Sept. 14
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Nicholas James Nigro
- Friday, Sept. 17
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Marino and Conceico Martins
- Lord, hear our prayer. . .
- Wednesday, Sept.15
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. – Praise and Thanksgiving to God on behalf of the Mahanadas Children
For the sick and for all who ask for our prayers . . . for a greater awareness of Christ's presence, that we may recognize Christ who is present in the Word proclaimed, in the Eucharist, in the celebrant and in one another . . . Lord, hear our prayer.
Friends of Dismas Ministry Launch
The weekend of Sept. 18 and 19 will mark the launching of a new ministry for our members of Friends of Dismas at Holy Spirit.
Several members will be acting as hosts to a dinner with the residents at the Keele Centre Halfway House in Toronto. They will be inviting members of our faith community to participate in this ministry by providing the all-important parts of these meals for two dates - Oct. 18 and Feb. 28. More details will be provided during the launch next weekend and members will be available to assist in the logistics.
The objective of this program is to engage people of faith to help build community with those who are on the difficult and often lonely road of re-entering society after a period of incarceration. Our sharing in this ministry is a parish initiative to follow the call to minister to those who are in need.
If you are interested in further works planned by this group, the first prayer meeting for Friends of Dismas will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the parish hall.
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, September 19, 2010
25th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor
Amos 8:4-71 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
Most of us have probably experienced the Charles Dickens tale Oliver Twist in one medium or another. Because of its enduring quality, Dickens' story has been set to music and memorialized in film, and is available on DVD.
Do you recall the touching scene where Oliver, who was being housed with countless other unfortunate boys at an orphanage/workhouse, dared to ask for more food? His, "Please, sir, I want some more" evoked our sympathy for his plight. When his request was met by explosive anger, our sympathy grew even deeper for someone so poor, being abused by someone so uncaring.
Surely we are also frustrated by the fact that Oliver's experience continues to be lived out today, and that there is not one place in this vast world of ours that someone is not asking, "Please, I want some more." Oliver's request is echoed in the growling stomachs of the hungry and in the cries of the poor whose needs go unrecognized, unanswered or under-served.
Too often, the rich - and even the not-so-rich - are too attentive to their possessions to hear, to care and to act. Therefore, it is good for us to be here once again in the company of the sacred texts, whose living words will ask of us, "Will you be stewards of your own wealth, or stewards of one another?" Will wealth be the source of blessing for both givers and receivers, or will wealth and our use of this world's possessions deafen us to the needs of others?
If our wealth is our greatest treasure here and now, it may also be our deepest regret for all of eternity. These words may appear harsh, but they are not unique. Amos deemed it necessary to speak out boldly, even in an offensive manner, in order to awaken care for the poor in the consciences of his contemporaries. "Steward your poor ones among you," he urged. "More precious than the shekel and silver are the needy of the land."
These are the ones that deserve to benefit from the investment of one's time, talents and treasure. Amos' powerful and passionate words have resonated through the centuries in hearts like his who have been mindful of the challenge of social stewardship. Consider Dorothy Day, who became a staunch steward of the poor on the streets of New York. For all her good efforts, she was emulated by some and denigrated by others. The label Communist was pinned on her at a time when that label could ruin a person's future and hinder their good actions. Yet she continued to steward the unwanted and unwashed with love and care that made them feel human.
Remember, too, Oscar Romero and the Jesuits of El Salvador, as well as the martyrs who continue to die because they dare to steward the people rightly and cry out for justice while corrupt governments plot their deaths. Even in death, their voices still urge a sense of stewardship on the satisfied and the secure. Through their writings, these good men and women beg us to continue their efforts at being stewards of others, especially the least ones, the voiceless and the victims of injustice.
In today's Gospel, the dishonest manager's actions exemplify something of the character of good stewardship. Caught in a crime and about to lose his job, the steward of his rich employer's property became quite creative in assuring his own survival. His willingness to take whatever steps and risks were necessary challenges contemporary believers to be willing to depart from the tried and true and risk something new.
When the traditional methods of stewarding God's poor ones are no longer viable, why not be willing to attempt another way? "We've always done it this way" is an excuse that has held back many a good plan and frustrated many a willing steward. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" is another way of justifying failure to make the changes necessary to accommodate to changing times and ever evolving needs.
Today, Amos has reminded us that it is broke and that the community needs to rethink the manner in which it exercises its stewardship of the poor. Government programs are in place and do, in fact, meet some of the needs of the human family. But there is no substitute for one-on-one reaching out to another as we offer the stewardship of our care. In the end, we will not be judged by the effectiveness of our welfare system but by the care we shared, the love we offered and the cup of cold water we gave in Jesus' name.
For all those who have died, that they may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom, especially . . .
- Tuesday, Sept. 21
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Anna Fung
- Friday, Sept. 22
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Enid Miranda
- Lord, hear our prayer. . .
For the sick and for all who ask for our prayers . . . for a greater awareness of Christ's presence, that we may recognize Christ who is present in the Word proclaimed, in the Eucharist, in the celebrant and in one another . . . Lord, hear our prayer.
Newcomers Among Us – Did You Know?
Canada has often been a welcoming place to newcomers, including refugees. Dow Marmur ( rabbi emeritus at Toronto's Holy Blossom Temple) in his online column for the Toronto Star (theStar.com at – http://snipurl.com/13eii7 ) Sept. 6, points out: "The positive reception of the Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s is an encouraging example cited by many, yet we haven't always been consistent.
He then notes the difference in the reception given a ship of Tamil refugees that reached Canada's shores recently. "Michael Byers ( professor at the University of British Columbia, author and a candidate for the federal seat in Vancouver Centre) refers to two tragic instances when Canada turned away people in similar circumstances. In 1914, a Japanese ship brought 376 passengers from the Punjab. They were forced back to India where at least 19 of them were shot by police.
"In 1939, the St. Louis arrived in Halifax with some 900 Jewish asylum seekers fleeing Hitler's Germany. Like Cuba and the United States, Canada refused to accept them and they had to be taken back to Europe. More than 200 of them were later murdered by the Nazis. The story of that ship, soon to get its Canadian memorial, has become a metaphor for the plight of victims of persecution and prejudice and should be a lesson to us all."
Marmur continues: "In a recent straw poll, the Star asked readers: Should Canada intercept migrant boats and turn them away before they reach Canadian shores? Seventy-eight per cent of the respondents said yes and only 16 per cent said no. The figures, though not authoritative, may nevertheless be more representative than we'd like to admit.
"Even those who acknowledge that Canada has prospered because of its immigrants often appear to have only themselves and their forebears in mind."
Today, Amos and the Lucan Jesus invite us to use our wealth, however great or small, as an opportunity for exercising that quality of biblical justice that hears the cries of the poor and quiets them with a share of what we have. Something to think about! May we be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us and use these to benefit all of God's people.
Parish Bulletin for Sunday, September 26, 2010
26th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
The God Who Loves Us
September Gospel Reflections
This month, the sacred texts challenge us to learn the lessons that loss may teach in order that we may become better disciples of Jesus. On Sept. 5, the Lucan Jesus held out the loss or the renouncement of our possessions as a way that we can achieve greater attachment to the true values in our life – the most important of which is our belonging to Jesus and our sharing in his mission of service to others.
On Sept. 26, Jesus' parable features the rich man and Lazarus and offers dramatic testimony to the foolishness of clinging to what is transient while neglecting the needs of others. Not only did the rich man lose his life and all his riches, he also forfeited his share of the treasures of God's everlasting reign.
Through the loss of his job, the steward featured in Jesus' parable on Sept.19 learned how to change his ways in order to ensure his survival. Unlike the rich man, who waited too long to change and whose experience of loss became permanently irreversible, the steward, despite his initial dishonesty, developed coping skills that would sustain him and secure his future.
Triple losses were featured in the uniquely Lucan Gospel on Sept. 12. As the value of each loss escalates – first a sheep, then a coin, then a beloved son – the pathos of the parable builds. Finding the one lost sheep out of the 100, finding the one lost coin out of the 10, finding the son who chose to be lost . . . all lead into a verbal crescendo of rejoicing.
As it builds, Jesus' disciples learn that their experiences of loss can become opportunities to be found and forgiven by God, who has perfected a delightful version of finders-keepers. As we allow these texts to speak to our own experiences, we are invited to deepen our appreciation of our losses, both large and small, as teachable moments. Each can be an opportunity for growth and for redirecting our path toward God.
Small losses, which are of little consequence, can teach patience. More significant losses, like that of a job or one's home or one's savings, offer painful lessons in perseverance and perspective. But even greater losses like that of a loved one through divorce or to addiction, to disease or to death, weigh heavily on the human heart. Still, these losses, however difficult they are to bear, are not the most costly.
The loss of one's self or that of another's to sin and the resulting alienation from God – or even worse, the loss of one's faith in God, who seeks out the lost and waits eagerly for their return – these are losses that can alter lives and that ultimately can end in death. These are the losses that were addressed in Jesus' parables, through which he led his listeners to realize the character and the depth of God's love.
Like the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to look for the stray, like the father who searches the horizon for a first glimpse of his returning son, so does God long for the safe return of the lost.
Today, when a child is lost, an Amber Alert is immediately issued so that all law enforcement agencies and the general public might cooperate in finding and returning that child to its parents. When necessary, authorities follow up this alert by posting the child's picture in a variety of public venues. Since Etan Patz disappeared from Soho, New York, in May 1979, parents of the lost in the United States have been putting their child's face on milk cartons, hoping to reach as many people as possible so that their child might be returned.
If Jesus' parables were retold today and set against the backdrop of our 21st-century experiences, he might say that the name of every beloved child of God has been broadcast in an Amber Alert. Similarly, the picture of every lost loved one would be posted on a milk carton, and the God who loves and searches for each of us is waiting to throw a party to celebrate our safe return. Finders keepers!
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For all those who have died, that they may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom, especially . . .
- Tuesday, Sept. 28
- Weekday 8:30 a.m. - † Saverio Giusti
Lord, hear our prayer. . .
For the sick and for all who ask for our prayers . . . for a greater awareness of Christ's presence, that we may recognize Christ who is present in the Word proclaimed, in the Eucharist, in the celebrant and in one another . . . Lord, hear our prayer.
The Riches of the Kingdom!
Luke - 16:19-31
The story of a rich person ignoring the plight of the poor is unique to the Lucan Gospel, but it is certainly not unique in the human experience. For many, the poor have become like unpleasant and unavoidable props in the ongoing drama of life; they are always there, always needy, but seldom noticed except for the nuisance they bring to an otherwise neat and pleasant landscape.
The poor and their need will not be worthily attended by the occasional band-aid approach to charity, but by a thorough justice that sees in their need an opportunity for living the Gospel and honouring God.
With the death of the rich man in today's Gospel, it became too late to make amends or to reverse the eternal consequences of what he had done or what he had failed to do. With death, the situations of the two men were reversed, and the result was surely a shock to Jesus' listeners. They would have expected that the rich man's riches, which were regarded as God's blessing, would continue into life everlasting; conversely, they would have thought that the poor man's death would mean release, but not reward.
Addressing these expectations, the Lucan Jesus attested to the reversal of fortunes that had come to characterize the reign of God. Jesus also attested to the decisiveness of death and indicated that if change or growth were to be effective, these transformations would have to take place on this side of the grave.
Abraham's statement in the parable regarding the fact that the law and the prophets had taught a similar message is made more poignant by the reference to the resurrection. Many of those who were unconvinced by the earthly Jesus' teaching also refused to accept his resurrection and its implications for their own futures. To these, the parable continued to provide both a warning and a challenge.
Acceptance of God, belief in Jesus and commitment to the Gospel as a way of life are possible only before one's death and judgment. To refuse these opportunities is to refuse the repentance that will evolve unto everlasting life and fulfilment in God's kingdom. Therefore, if you see another in need, do what you can to help. If you do not see the need, pray for God to open your eyes.
