May 29th, 2016
Every time we celebrate Mass, the Holy Eucharist, we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ. We bring our humble gifts of bread and wine to the altar. The priest calls upon the Holy Spirit to come down upon our gifts to that they may become for us the body and blood or our Lord Jesus Christ as at whose command we celebrate these mysteries, our sacrifice of thanksgiving.
St. Paul tells us in our second reading that as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again. As often as we do these things, say these words, we re-present, we make present here and now, in this time and space, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ.
When St. Paul wrote his letter to the Christian community in Corinth he was hopping mad at the Corinthians. In those days there were no churches, no places of worship like we have today. The believers gathered in one another’s homes, usually in the homes of people who could afford a big home. The breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup was incorporated into the reading of scripture and having a meal. It was a bit of a potluck supper, people brought what they could to the table. Paul tells them he’s gotten reports that in their “coming together” they do not really come together at all. For the more privileged and wealthier among them eat heartily and even get drunk, whereas the poorer members get less, and some are even left out. The social gap between rich and poor becomes evident in their celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
Paul is determined to confront this scandal of division so he tells them again the tradition that he had already passed on to them when he had originally catechized them. Reminding them of the solemn account of the Last Supper is meant to shock them into the realization that their failure to care for one another’s needs in their practice of the Lord’s Supper flies in the face of the very meaning of that ritual enactment. He taught them that the Lord’s Supper commemorates Jesus’ “handing over” of himself for our redemption. So their celebration of that event should be evident of their “handing over” of themselves to one another, at least in seeing that each is decently fed.
Paul drives this point home a few lines later, when he says, “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, without discerning the whole community, not just those of their own social standing, eats and drinks judgment on himself” He goes on to say, “because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” Paul makes it clear that by “discerning the body” he means seeing the believing community as the one body of Christ. And so, however the rest of their culture may discriminate between privileged and non-privileged, the haves and the have nots, the slaves and the free, Christians, when they come together for the Lord’s Supper, are to “receive” one another as mutual guests.
That teaching is as true today as it was when Paul first taught it. One bread one body, one cup of blessing which we bless makes us one body, the body of Christ. The Mass is the sacrament, the sign of our oneness with Jesus the Christ.
If when we come to the priest or a minister of the Eucharist harbouring in our hearts strong feels of resentment or rejection of other men and women because of their social standing, their racial origin, their religious faith, their life style or sexual orientation, is it possible we are receiving Holy Communion unworthily, even though unknowingly? Are we failing to see the unity of our community as we share in the one bread and one cup?
When St. Augustine gave people Holy Communion he would say, ‘Receive what you are and become what you receive – the body of Christ. As each of us receives Communion today may we be given the strength we need to ‘put on Christ, grow to full maturity in Christ’ so that in the ordinary living of our ordinary lives we may accepting and loving to all those who come into our lives.
| Posted in Homily |
Wednesday, June 8th at 7:30 PM
Gabriel Room.
As you all know, St Gabriel’s is a Passionist Parish. Priests who serve the parish community belong to the Congregation of the Passion (Passionists). Their motto is “May the passion of Christ be always in our hearts”.
The Passionists would like very much to strengthen its relationship with the laity. To this end, the Passionist Province of St Paul of the Cross, to which our priests belong, has set up a Commission on the Laity. The Chair of the Commission, Mr. Ernest Rivard, will be visiting the parish for a listening session – to hear your voices on how that relationship could be strengthened.
All are welcome to attend. The listening session will be held on Wednesday, June 8th, at 7:30 PM in the Gabriel Room.
This weekend, on the Feast of Corpus Christi the choir will be singing Exultate Justi in Latin. To help you to appreciate the hymn more fully, here is the English translation.
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones: It is fitting for the upright ones to give praise. Acknowledge the Lord with the harp. Sing to him with a psaltery of ten strings. Sing to him a new song. Sing praises to him well with a loud voice.
At this time we also would like to take the opportunity to thank our musicians, choirs and cantors for their prayerful contributions to our liturgies.
Weekend of June 18th and 19th
On Saturday, June 18th and Sunday, June 19th our Youth Group will be having a bake sale. The money raised will help cover the Youth Group’s transportation costs to the Steubenville Catholic Conference in New York from June 23rd to June 27th. Please support our Youth Group.
English: Saturday, June 4th at 3:15 PM in the Gabriel Room. Chinese: Sunday, June 5th at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room.
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Friday, June 3rd from 9:30 AM to 12 Noon
May 30th to June 4th 2016
MONDAY – SPECIAL INTENTION
TUESDAY – NINA SKLIARENKO ? Requested by Fran Moscall WEDNESDAY – LUIS CELESTE ? & MARIO FREIRE ? Requested by the Nascimento Family THURSDAY – MARCELINO FERNANDES ? Requested by Tita Fernandes FRIDAY – JOHN HUYBERS ? Requested by His Family SATURDAY – GUS CALDERONE ? Requested by Marie Calderone
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program are now available in the parish office. This program is for children of the Parish who attend public or private schools. Classes are held at St. Gabriel’s School every second Sunday beginning September 11th, 2016.
Please note that a separate Sacramental registration form is required if your child will receive the sacraments of First Communion, Reconciliation or Confirmation during the 2016/17 year. These forms are also available in the Parish Office.
It is important for you to know that to be hired to teach in any Catholic School Board in Ontario, as part of your application for employment, there must be a letter of reference from your pastor. If you are planning to apply to teach in a Catholic School, a contact with the pastor is highly recommended. Please plan to have a conversation with your Pastor early in the process, well before applications are to be submitted.
Working wonders for people in our homes and parishes…
In 2012, Nadia was brought to Street Haven’s emergency shelter by the police. She was an immigrant from India and had been locked in a garage by her husband and mother-in-law for two years, rarely able to visit the two children.
Upon her arrival at Street Haven, Nadia thrived. She slowly built trust with the counselors, participated in household responsibilities, and loved looking after the gardens. Her counselor set Nadia up with a lawyer and after a year of legal consultations, she received custody of her two children. Street Haven helped them find housing and Nadia and her children now live in a beautiful, safe home where they have started a new chapter in their lives.
ShareLife to date: $117,972 Today is ShareLife Sunday.
Please give generously. You can work wonders!
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. As summer approaches, food donations tend to drop off. These donations are more important than ever as families struggle to make ends meet.
Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
The Archdiocese of Toronto is accepting financial contributions for humanitarian relief following the disastrous effects of a serious earthquake on April 16th.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks have devastated huge areas of Ecuador, with nearly 600 people reported dead, another 5,700 injured and 24,000 families left homeless.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways: • Online through the Archdiocese of Toronto website: www.archtoronto.org • By phone through the Development Office – 416-934-3411 • Through the parish, making cheques payable to:
St. Gabriel’s Parish – Ecuador Earthquake – Humanitarian Relief Funds Raised to Date: $875
Tuesdays, Central Office, 1155 Yonge Street, Suite 100 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM or Thursdays, North York Office –5799 Yonge Street, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Catholic Family Services of Toronto is now offering walk-in counseling services at their two locations. Their staff is trained to offer same-day service to clients with urgent counseling needs. The single-session consultation is aimed at helping individuals, couples, or family clients address their concerns. No appointment required.
Please contact the Central office, 1155 Yonge St., Suite 100, Toronto (Yonge/Summerhill) Tuesdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at 416 921-1163 or by email at info@cfstoronto.com
On Thursdays, contact the North office, 5799 Yonge St., (Yonge/Finch) from 9:00 Am to 3:00 PM. at 416 222-0048 or by email at info@cfstoronto.com.
Wednesday, June 1st from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Gabriel Room
Thank you to all parishioners who are recycling their clean, flattened milk bags at the church. Volunteer milk bag weavers will be meeting next on Wednesday, June 1st from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM in the Gabriel Room. All are welcome!
RSVP to sharongusz@gmail.com if you are able to attend.
Saturday June 4th following 9:00 AM Mass
Blessed Trinity Parish, 3220 Bayview Ave., Toronto
All are invited to attend an information session on euthanasia and what it means for your loved ones. The guest speaker is Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, who will speak on the topics of responding to the issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide, what is happening in countries where it is already legal, conscience rights for physicians, improving palliative care and how to respond to euthanasia and assisted suicide. Refreshments will be served.
For more information please contact Blessed Trinity Parish by email at blessed_trinity@rogers.com or by phone at 416-226-0262.
Thursday, July 28th at 6:00 PM
15 Laxton Ave, Toronto
In solidarity with World Youth Day activities, all young adults 18-39 (student, working professional, single, married, young parent) are invited to a house party and barbecue!
Meet and hang out with other young adults! Meet Catholic Sisters, Brothers and Priests and share life experiences! Enjoy a barbecue supper, laughter and fun in a casual and relaxed atmosphere!
Please RSVP by July 15th to Faith Connections at faithconnections@csj-to.ca (so they know how much food to order)
St. Gabriel’s Parish Weekend of September 23rd to 25th, 2016
A Marriage Preparation course will be offered here at St. Gabriel’s the weekend of September 23rd to 25th, 2016.
The course will be held Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM. For a registration package please email Marie Deans at deansm@sympatico.ca.
Note that this course usually fills up quickly and spaces are limited.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for May 22nd, 2016: Envelopes 372 $ 8,241 Loose Change 984 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 537 $ 12,259 Fort McMurray Final Total: $5,560
Please inform the Parish Office if you have changed your address or are moving out of the Parish so that we may update our records.
If you have prior year’s offertory envelopes, please do not use them! Each year we go through the unused envelopes for which no donations have been received and may reassign that number to another parishioner.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 22nd, 2016
Monday, May 23rd is Victoria Day. The Parish Office will be closed. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass that day.
Congratulations to the following young people of our Parish who were confirmed on Sunday, May 15th, 2016. The Sacrament was administered by Rev. Fr. Brando Recana C.P.
Gabriel Aaron Aliling Rosali Hilda Annikie Kaitlyn Bagayawa Azher John Balajadia Lucas Manuel Arocena Derek Aubrey Matthew Bradbury Mitchell Bradbury Kathleen Mackenzie Britton Frederick Cabrias Kyle Jackson Christie Matthew Philip Cooke Elio Copetti Pietro Copetti Amelia D’Alessandro Nathan Kyle Dijamco Valeria Echeverry John Ross Ferragina Jillian Jean Gonzales Francesco Giuseppe Gracile Adrian Jacob Hanna Ryan Justin Hui Vanessa Helen Jepson William Kwong Danielle Lee Evelyn Hei Leung Carl Angelo Loresto Arianna Marie Macaraeg Alison Katherine McCown Hayden Moon Chanwoo Oh Seung Joo Oh Angeline Kayle Panganiban Amy Katrina Pimentel Kayla Julian Pierroz-Wong Lizzacris Mae Portodo Simon Ramirez Ramirez Yvon Joy Sabijon Theo Nacarato Steinstrasser JD Miguel Solidum Kiana Tiangco Joseph Noel Turiano Carlos Dave Valdez Tomas Velez
Let us pray for them as they continue on their journey of faith guided by the Holy Spirit.
May 23rd to May 28th 2016
MONDAY – VICTORIA DAY – No 9:00 AM Mass TUESDAY – LAU KOON TING – Requested Linda Law & Family WEDNESDAY – SPECIAL INTENTION THURSDAY – BERNARD LUK – Requested by Mary Anne Barnes FRIDAY – ALINE LAVERTU – Requested by Helene Lavertu SATURDAY – ERNEST KEEGAN – Requested by Fran Keegan
Working wonders for those in our community…
“I first came to Rose of Sharon as a pregnant, young mom, thinking this would never happen to me,” explains Brittany, now with her five year old son Ethan and one year old daughter Sarah. At 17, Brittany came to the Rose of Sharon to enroll in the mother baby programs designed to assist her and her new family get on their feet. Everything from diapers, food, clothing, cooking classes, completion of high school education, Ontario Works application, resume assistance and more was available to her. Within a year, she was able to use her new-found skills to adjust to her new life.
Brittany thanks ShareLife donors for their financial support to help them deal with the challenges they have faced, and learning to grow as a family and enjoy each other. Last year, over 6,300 young parents received the care, counselling and educational support they needed to care for themselves and their new families.
ShareLife to date: $117,407 Next week is ShareLife Sunday.
Thank you for your very generous response to the Fire Disaster in Fort McMurray. In total $5,030 was raised. This money will be forwarded to the Canadian Red Cross and the funds matched by the Canadian Government. Please keep the people of Alberta and particularly Fort McMurray in your prayers.
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre. With everyone struggling at this time, your food donations are more important than ever. Please check the expiry dates before donating since we cannot pass on food that has expired. Thank you for your generous support.
Your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are 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. Three recipes are available on St. Gabriel’s web site. Printed copies of the recipes are also available in the Parish Office.
Please 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.
Those wishing to help may do so in the following ways: o Online through the Archdiocese of Toronto website: www.archtoronto.org o By phone through the Development Office – 416-934-3411 o Through the parish, making cheques payable to: St. Gabriel’s Parish – Ecuador Earthquake – Humanitarian Relief Funds Raised to Date: $875
Tuesdays, Central Office, 1155 Yonge Street, Suite 100 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM or Thursdays, North York Office -5799 Yonge Street, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
St. Augustine’s Seminary, 2661 Kingston Road Friday May 27th at 7:00 PM to Sunday May 29th at 1:00 PM
The Office of Vocations, Archdiocese of Toronto, will be hosting the Quo Vadis Discernment Retreat on the weekend of May 27th to 29th at St. Augustine’s Seminary. This retreat is for men, finishing high school and older who want to begin to consider what God’ plan might be for them. If you are interested, please email the Office of Vocations at vocations@archtoronto.org or call 416 968-0997.
Blessed Trinity Parish 3220 Bayview Ave., Toronto
Collection for May 15th, 2016: Envelopes 377 $ 6,923 Loose Change 1,870 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 542 $ 11,827 Maintenance Collection: $4,641
Today we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Trinity. This fundamental truth of our faith is what separates us from our Jewish ancestors and members of the Muslim religion.
Today as a people of faith we acknowledge that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below, there is no other. Today we face the mystery of the inner life of God. A mystery is not something of which we can know nothing; a mystery is something of which we cannot know everything. When we see God face to face and know him as he is, we will not comprehend God. Our limited minds cannot fully grasp our limitless God.
As a people of faith we believe in God, the Father Almighty, we believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the giver of Life. We believe though we don’t really fully understand. Through the scriptures and the teaching of Jesus we know that the inner life of God is a life of relationships. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father and the love that binds them is the love of the Holy Spirit. As St. John tells us, “God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God in them. God so loved the world God sent His Son to the world to embrace our humanity. The Son so loved us he gave his life for us.
Before the world began God chose all of us to be God’s adopted sons and daughters. At our Baptism the Holy Spirit was poured into our very being giving us the courage, the boldness to call the effable God, Father. That same Holy Spirit binds people of faith together as a people of God.
As humans we are relational. We began our existence through the loving relationship of our parents. Our lives are lived in a series of relationship, our immediate family, our extended family, our neighbourhoods, our faith community, our school communities, our work and professional communities, our community of friends and through death we join the community of the saints. We cannot live and love in isolation.
We are fully God like when our relationships image the life giving and loving relationship of the Trinity. God is love and our life long struggle is to be loving men and women. We all know that is not an easy task especially when we are dealing with people who really don’t care that much about us or people who have wronged us. But this is our life project to love as we have been loved, to forgive as we have been forgiven.
We know from lived experience and from looking around us, there are relationships that are abusive, exploitative and deadly, relationships that ignore a person’s worth and dignity. They are death dealing. We know too from our lived experience there are so many loving, life giving and healing relationships.
If we are to be God-like then all our relationships, from the casual to the intense have to be life giving and life supportive.
Our relational reality reaches beyond the human family. We are one with, related to the rest of God’s good creation. We are related to the community of life that enriches planet Earth. We are related to the air we breathe, the waters that sustain us, the soil that feeds us. “We did not weave the web of life; we are a strand in the web and what we do to the web we do to ourselves. The earth does not belong to us we belong to the earth and what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.” This one relationship is one we least appreciate, the one that is in great need of healing.
As we continue to celebrate the feast of the Trinity, the basic mystery of our Christian faith, we pray for ourselves and for other that we never fail trying to make all our relationship as loving and life giving as possible. Then we will truly be God –like men and women.
Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.
May 15th, 2016
The Acts of the Apostles gives us a beautiful description of what happened to the Apostles and Mary as they gathered together in prayer. Jesus had promised he would send the Holy Spirit to them, the Spirit of truth, and the Spirit who would teach them everything and remind them of all the he had said to them. This is the first role of the Holy Spirit in its relationship to the church, to keep us faithful to the teachings of Jesus. Every church council, every church synod, every meeting of a religious community begins with the prayer, ‘Come Holy Spirit’ asking for guidance that we remain faithful to the teaching of Jesus, faithful to the vision of our founders.
Jesus first gave the Holy Spirit to the Apostles at his first appearance Easter evening when breathed on them and said, ’receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you retain they are retained.’ Today’s gift of the Spirit was more bombastic, the prayerful stillness in the room was shattered by the sound of a mighty and violent wind that filled the room. Strange tongues of fire settled over each of them. The Holy Spirit came to each of them with transforming power and boldness and they went out onto the streets to tell all who would listen that Jesus Christ was Lord. The gift of tongues empowered them to speak in many languages so that all could hear the good news they proclaimed.
The Christian community in Corinth was a very charismatic community with men and women gifted with different gifts of the Spirit. When St. Paul wrote that first letter to the Christians in Corinth, he was addressing a group turned on to the spiritual gifts but divided by a variety of factions and rivalries. Some were boasting that the catechist who brought them into the faith was more authoritative than the teachers of others. Some were maintaining that their ability to speak in tongues indicated their superiority over others. Paul took the occasion of this division to teach clearly that any spiritual gift—healing, tongues, wisdom, leadership—was given not for the promotion of self but for the service and building up of the community.
That is still true today. The gifts of the Spirit must be from the Church and for the Church. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the church today, maybe not as bombastic as the Spirit was in earlier days but active none the less.
I like to think that the way the Spirit acts today is not so much as seizing us so much as by nudging us. The Spirit gives us hints as to what to say or do and it is up to us to be aware of such hints and nudges and try to act on them. Have you ever had a nudge to call someone in your family you haven’t heard from in a while? Have you been nudged to drop a note of sympathy or congratulations to a friend? Have you ever had the hint to apologize for something hurtful you may have said to someone? Have you ever been nudged to bite your tongue and refrain from passing on a bit of juicy gossip? Have you ever had second thoughts about retelling sexist or racist jokes or making racist or homophobic remarks? Have you ever thought of giving some of your spare time to some volunteer group such as meals on wheels or helping in a food bank? Have you been nudged by the Spirit to pray for people driven from their homes by civil strife? Have you ever had to thought of dropping into the church for a visit or to spend a few minutes in peace and quiet and prayer?
These may be the means by which the Holy Spirit is acting in our lives today.
Continuing to celebrate this great feast we pray for ourselves and for each other that we respond as best we can to any hint, and nudge and poke the Holy Spirit may send our way today and any day of our lives and work with the Spirit in renewing the face of the earth.
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.
Learn about Passionists and our insignia »
Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk