December 24th, 2017
I think that by the time this weekend is over Frs. Brando, John, Steve, Bernard and I will be ‘preached out.’ The gospel for this day before Christmas goes back to that moment when eternity was joined to time and the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you – the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”
Mary was certainly confused and overwhelmed by Gabriel’s message. She was probably 15 years old at the time. She put her trust in the living God and said those words that changed human history – ‘let it be done to me according to your word.’
Mary opened her heart and her life to the will and way of God.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the child Mary conceived by the saying of those words – be it done to me, may we pray for ourselves and for each other that we be blessed with Mary’s faith and trust in God and echo her words as we face the uncertainties and challenges of life – be it done to me according to you will.
God knows it is not an easy thing to say, especially as wait for the results of tests that may determine the months and years ahead of us. It is not an easy thing to say as we deal with the death of someone we love. It is not an easy thing to say as we surrender our lives to the mysteries of our future. It can frighten us, if we stop and think of what we say as we rush through the Our Father, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done’.
Pope Paul VI called Mary ‘she whose life was available to God’. As we celebrate this Mass shortly ending one year and beginning another let us pray for ourselves and for each other that we be blessed with the strength to say, in all the circumstance of our lives, ‘be it done to me according to your word’. Thy will be one on earth as it is in heaven. It ain’t easy.
| Posted in Homily |
December 23rd, 2017
My Dear Good People of St. Gabriel’s, With great joy and deep gratitude, I write to express my prayerful best wishes for a holy, peaceful and blessed Christmas.
During this Advent Season, I have been praying that each of you had a great time to ponder and reflect on your own personal faith and relationship with the Incarnate word, the Child Jesus – the reason for the season. Whatever it is that your hearts and souls long for, may you be filled with joy, hope, love and consolation at Christmas.
Christmas is a time of peace and joy, a time to celebrate with family, with friends and loved ones. However, for some, Christmas is a sad time, because they have lost a loved one, or because they are alone and lonely, or overburdened by family problems or for many other reasons. Spare a moment or two to journey with our sisters and brothers who are suffering from one kind of problem or another. Think of those Christian families in Syria, the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. Spare a moment to think of the image of the Child Jesus together with his parents, Mary and Joseph seeking refuge. They found no space in the inn. Jesus was born in a stable. God chose his Son to be born like the rest of us so that we can realize that we are important. If we fail to see the face of Jesus in the poor, then what would our faith in God have become? Would you welcome Jesus in your hearts as He gazes upon you?
Our parish community remains generous and kind as it has always been. You have never failed to see the face of Jesus in the poor and the marginalized. I want to thank you for your generosity this past year as you supported Share Life, St. Vincent De Paul, Good Shepherd Centre, Rosalie Hall and many others.
To the men and women volunteers – those sweating in the Parish gardens, milk bag weavers, casseroles makers, ushers and musicians, lectors and decorators, hospitality and Eucharistic ministers, Good Shepherd Centre volunteers and other centres to serve the homeless and the needy, the youth patrolling the street to console homeless people by preparing and distributing food, planting trees to heal the Earth and the hidden good you’ve all done so the right hand does not know what the left hand has done …For these and for all the good known to you and to God, thank you and may God multiply the good you do immersing it in the joy God brings to our needy world.
As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour and of the coming New Year, I am one with you in asking God to refresh our lives, sustain our love for each other, strengthen our faith, enkindle our bonds with our loved ones and friends and above all, to be sharers of hope to the lost and desperate. Together with our committed and hard-working parish staff, I and Fr. John prayerfully wish you all a Merry Christmas and a bountiful New Year 2018!
Blessings, Fr. Brando, CP
December 27th – December 30th 2017
WEDNESDAY – MICHAEL PALAZZO – Requested by Valentina Palazzo THURSDAY – IN THANKSGIVING – Requested by Agnes Wong FRIDAY – FR. TIMOTHY HIGGINS – Requested by Jeanne Robinson SATURDAY – IN THANKSGIVING – Requested by the Ng Family
CHRISTMAS EVE – Sunday, December 24th
Regular Sunday Masses 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM 5:00 PM Family Mass – Carol Singing 9:00 PM Adult Choir – Carol Singing 12:00 AM Midnight Mass – Contemporary Group
Office Open – 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM
CHRISTMAS DAY – Monday, December 25th
10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Office Open – 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
BOXING DAY – Tuesday, December 26th
Office Closed
No 9:00 AM Mass
NEW YEAR’S EVE – Sunday, December 31st
Regular Masses 8:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 12:30 PM, 5:00 PM Mass Vigil for Feast of Mary the Mother of God
NEW YEAR’S DAY – Monday, January 1st
Feast of Mary the Mother of God 10:30 AM 12:30 PM
Office open – 9:30 to 2:00 PM
Collection – December 30th/31st
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 48 casseroles for November. Your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. Please remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole.
More volunteers are urgently needed to become active in helping to feed the needy and homeless in Toronto. Three different recipes are available in the Parish Office or online at the Church website. Casserole pans are also available in the Parish Office.
Please give it a try! If you require more information please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
December 27th from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish
Canadian Blood Services helps ensure lifesaving blood products are available to hospital patients in need. This organisation hosts monthly blood donor clinics at St. Gabriel’s Parish, and will again host this clinic on Wednesday, December 27th, 2017 from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. You can take part by making an appointment for this clinic at Give Life https://blood.ca/en/givelife by selecting St. Gabriel’s Parish for December 27th, 2017.
Please note: All donations for 2017 must be received in the Parish Office by Sunday, December 31st, 2017 to be included in your 2017 Tax Receipt.
| Posted in Bulletin |
December 16th, 2017
There is a term Pope Francis often uses when he tries to sensitize us to the blights of poverty and injustices suffered by our brothers and sisters around the world, he calls it ‘global indifference’. These so many nameless people just like the man who fell among thieves on the road to Jericho and was avoided or worse still ignored by other travellers. Finally a Samaritan, himself an outsider to the Jewish community came to the victim’s rescue.
When Jesus told this story to people he ended it by telling them, ‘go thou and do likewise.’ In other words, be there for those who need you as best you can.
When Jesus began his public ministry he came home to Nazareth and like an observant Jew went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He was asked to do a reading and the reading for that day was the same as our first reading at our Mass today.
Making the words of Isaiah his own Jesus read,’ the Lord has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And Jesus would say to us today who may be caught up in global indifference, ‘go thou and do likewise.’
Not one of us here is going to head to the refugee camps in Iraq or Turkey or Jordan, of Yemen or Bangladesh or other camps around the world. The best we can do is to send a donation to those agencies that help the people in these areas. Can we hear the words of Isaiah and Jesus as challenges to us to ‘be there’ not only for those in distant lands but for those in our own homes, our relatives, our friends, our co – workers?
There’s a song that sings, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. We can be so caught up in our own concerns, our own projects that we become too dense to appreciate what is going on in our own families or among our friends or co-workers? Questions. Are we willing to aware of and be there for the oppressed, people we know who may be oppressed by financial burdens, oppressed by unfair working conditions, oppressed by depression and discouragements?
Can we be there for the broken hearted; people we know to be grieving for deceased loved ones? Can we support spouses dealing with divorce or marriage breakdown? What can we do for a relative or a friend held captive by his or her addictions?
What about family members who are still brooding over past hurts or slights? Can we make an effort to be for them and encourage them to let the past be past? Are we patient and understanding and supportive of sons and daughters, young adults who are still trying to figure out their uncertain futures? Do we spend the time and listen to mothers and fathers held captive in dementia appreciating that their situations could be our future?
There is a saying, ‘The law works from the feet up’ wherever we are we follow that law. The grace of God works from the feet up as does the mercy of God. We don’t have to go looking for it. The challenges of God work from the feet up. We don’t have to go looking for them – they are where we are.
The question is; are we open to receive God’s love and are we willing to accept the challenge, ‘whatever you do for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you do to me.’
Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen.
Fr. Henri J.M. Nouwen
December 18th – December 23rd, 2017
MONDAY – DAVID LI – Requested by Linda Law TUESDAY – CANDELARIA TERRADO – Requested by the Manabat Family WEDNESDAY – OPHELIA CHOW – Requested by David Chung THURSDAY – JOHN BARNES – Requested by Mary Anne Barnes FRIDAY – DRAGICA PETROVIC – Requested by Mira Petranovic SATURDAY – FRANCO INTINI – Requested by Chiara & Tina Intini
FAMILY MASS – CHRISTMAS EVE AT 5:00 PM Rehearsal: Sunday, December 17th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Each year, young people, Grade 3 and up, form a special choir for the Family Mass on Christmas Eve. Children must be at the Church by 4:00 PM. One rehearsal, which is mandatory, will be held on Sunday, December 17th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM.
Please call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041 for more information.
Sunday, December 17th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM
Each year a Nativity pageant takes place at the 5:00 PM Family Mass. S.K. to Grade 5 children are invited to participate in the pageant. The rehearsal will be held on Sunday, December 17th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the Church
INDIVIDUAL ADVENT CONFESSIONS
Wednesday, December 13th: 10:30 AM to 12:00 Noon 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
While parking at ground level is limited to 51 spaces, there is plenty of space in the underground parking lot. Please follow the instructions of the attendants. Do not park in front of the Church since this is a fire route and must be kept clear.
Additional parking is available on the east side of Elkhorn Public School and in the bus loop. Again, please follow the instructions of the attendant. The school requests that we do not park on the grass. Many thanks to Holly Richards, the Principal of Elkhorn Public School, for allowing us the use of the school property.
Thursday, December 21st at 7:30 PM St. Gabriel’s Church
Advent’s preparations culminate in a radical new beginning – the birth of the Christ child – not just for humanity but for all of creation. The winter solstice marks a transition toward brighter times. Together, the Advent-Solstice reminds us of our profound connection with all of God’s creation and wakens us to the opportunity for a new beginning in that relationship. We will explore the surprising gifts that result when we make choices that foster such relationships.
There was a man named John, sent by God, who came as a witness to testify to the Light, so that through this person all people might believe. Is it possible God could be calling your name to witness to the Light of Christ in our day? If you think God is calling you to be a priest, religious or deacon, call Fr. Chris Lemieux, Vocation Director, Archdiocese of Toronto, at 416-968-0997 or email at vocations@archtoronto.org and www.vocationstoronto.ca
Weekend of December 30th/ 31st
Your prepared frozen casseroles will be collected at the Masses the weekend of December 30th /31st for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
Although this is a very busy time, there are still many hungry people who are counting on us to make a difference. Good Shepherd Ministries serves more than 1,300 meals a day, every day.
More volunteers are urgently needed to help feed the hungry in our city. Please get a copy of a casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. Remember to mark the label on the pan lid with the name of the casserole. For more information, you may contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791.
December 10th, 2017
Recently I read a letter from a college student who had volunteered to work with our Passionists priests in Jamaica for a year. He wrote about how difficult it was to adapt to Jamaican ways especially getting used to the way Jamaicans express certain things. He used as an example the often used term, ‘soon come’. A visit from a friend, some food, some rain, some anything or anybody will ‘soon come.’ He discovered too that ‘soon come’ could mean tomorrow or next month, there was no hurry, no rush. Someone or something would eventually arrive. Soon come meant you had to wait patiently for what is to be. In our age of ‘instant coffee, instant e-mail, instant everything, this is not an easy thing to do.
Isaiah’s promised to an exiled people of a time of restoration and deliverance. His promised ‘soon come’ took over 500 years when God sent God’s son into the world not to condemn the world but to embrace our humanity. Can we see these weeks of Advent as a time of ‘soon come’? Can we be patient enough to trust that God’s grace is with us, even though is seems to take forever for that grace to transform our lives?
What might be our soon comes? What is it in our relationships that we wish was better? Do we recognize our soon come is our need for patience as we live with family members who keep forgetting they’ve told this story time and again or they keep forgetting where they left the glasses or their hearing aids?
Could our ‘come soon’ be our struggle to be more accepting of men and women of other cultures, other faiths, other lifestyles. Is our ‘come soon’ found in our struggles with alcohol or drugs, our addiction to booze or drugs or pornography, or eating?
Maybe our soon come is our impatience with how slow we seem to be when it comes to being still and spending some time in peace and quiet with God. Is our soon come our frustration with God because our prayers are not answered immediately? Maybe our soon come is in our wondering will this sermon ever end.
In one of her early books, Annie Dillard, who wrote the famous book Silent Spring, shares how she once learned a lesson, the hard way, about the importance of waiting. She had been watching a butterfly slowly emerge from its cocoon. The oh-so-slow process of transformation was fascinating, but, at a point, she grew impatient. She took a candle and heated the cocoon, though only slightly, in order to speed up things. It worked. The butterfly emerged a bit more quickly, but, because the process had been unnaturally rushed, it was born with wings that were not properly formed and it was not able to fly.
The lesson wasn’t lost on Dillard. She understood immediately what was wrong, she had short-circuited the soon come of the butterfly. The secret behind our soon come is patience, waiting for peace, love, acceptance, forgiveness, waiting for our advent to end so that Christ can come into our lives. The Jamaican ‘soon come’ calls us to be patient! Learn to wait—for everything: each other, love, happiness, for God.
Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, every Passionist takes a special vow to spend his or her energies in promoting remembrance of the sufferings of Jesus, the memory of the Cross, and reflection of the meaning of the Cross for the world.
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