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.
| Posted in Homily |
May 14th, 2016
Congratulations to the following children from our parish attending the Children’s Faith Program, Private and other Catholic Schools who received their First Communion as a group on Sunday, May 8th, 2016.
Makyah Adams Briar Boogaart Alexander Chan Camille Chang-Ying Jessica Martine Joy Lee Jonathan Brendan Jim Lee Rylan Ng Lee Ethan Leung Olivia Li Ngan Sun Lucas Mele Nathan Mong Alexander Phillips Katherine Poon Kunuk Rhee June Stonehouse Kostan Supan Chloe Tsang Ethan Tsang Norah Yee Joshua Ronyn Yong Madison Sarah Yong Ryley Matthew Yong Andrew Young Madison Autumn Zuccato Sydney Alexis Zuccato
It was a beautiful celebration. Let us promise to support these young people with our prayers as they continue on their journey of faith.
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.
May 16th to May 21st, 2016 MONDAY – LEWIS ROYES – Requested by Helene Royes TUESDAY – MARGARET CHAN – Requested by Teresa Loo WEDNESDAY – DICK MORAN – Requested by Margaret Anne Leckie & Mary Alice O’Mahony THURSDAY – ANA SOFIA NASCIMENTO – Requested by the Nascimento Family FRIDAY – CECILIA MANALANG – Requested by Tyke Manalang SATURDAY – MIKE PALAZZO & CHRISTOPHER DI LALLO – Requested by Val Palazzo & Family
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.
An urgent appeal for help has been launched by the Canadian Red Cross following the devastating fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta last week. Over 88,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray and surrounding areas. Thousands have lost their homes and belongings as the fire continues to rage.
Donations can be made through:
The Parish making cheques payable to St. Gabriel’s Parish – Fort McMurray The Archdiocese of Toronto website: www.archtoronto.org By phone through the Development Office – 416-934-3411 The Canadian Red Cross directly at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
Each month food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall and the Good Shepherd Centre.
Rosalie Hall assists young parents and their children to realize their potential through the provision of a wide range of child development, community, residential and educational services.
Good Shepherd provides hot meals and shelter for the homeless in our city as well as a chance to start again through the Resettlement or DARE Programs
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.
Working wonders for those who need help in our neighbourhood…
In response to operational challenges and funding cuts, agencies continue to explore creative ways of working together and reaching more clients.
The first initiative known as “Shared Services” encourages agencies to share back office functions in the areas of human resources, financial management and information technology. The vision for this effort is to strengthen the collaboration of agencies guided by the philosophy of working for the common good. ultimately these administrative and program efficiencies will lead to enhanced organizational capacity, reducing overhead and administrative costs for ShareLife supported agencies.
ShareLife to date: $109,042 Next ShareLife Sunday is May 29th. Please give generously. You can work wonders!
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
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.
May 16th at 7:30 PM
St. Luke’s Church, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill
Mosaic Interfaith invites you to attend the next presentation in their series “From Abraham Three Faiths” to take place at St. Luke’s Catholic Parish, 39 Green Lane, Thornhill on Monday May 16th at 7.30 PM.
The subject is “Everyone Wants to go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die” exploring the meaning of death and the kind of faith which disarms death from Jewish, Christian and Muslim perspectives.
Panelists are Rev. Canon John Hill, Rabbi Michael Stroh and Dr. Liyakat Takim from Christianity, Judaism and Islam respectively.
Please see the flyer on the bulletin boards. For more information or to RSVP call Nora at 416-218 0680.
Monday, May 16th at 6:30 PM
Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St., 4th Floor.
You are invited to a New Beginnings Talk on the topic of Marriage and Annulment given by Fr. Alexander Laschuk, JCL at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge St., 4th Floor on Monday, May 16th, at 6:30 PM. The Talk explores the Church’s teaching on the Sacrament of Marriage and why in some cases a declaration of nullity (annulment) is granted.
For more information, please contact us at 416-921-1163 Ext. 2227 or 2235.
Monday, May 16th at 7:00 PM
Boston Pizza, 400 Progress Avenue, Scarborough
The OCY and Faith Connections, along with representatives from your local parishes invite all young adults (ages 19 +) to join them for Theology on Tap on May 16th at 7:00 PM at Boston Pizza in Scarborough. The topic is My Unique Personal Vocation.
So much anxiety!
Am I getting the right education? Will I be able to get a decent job? Is he/she the right person for me in marriage? Religious life? Singlehood? What is my baptismal call???
Join Patricia Murphy, Professor of Moral Theology at St. Augustine’s Seminary, as she discusses the discernment of our own unique, personal vocations.
Tuesday May 17th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM
Gabriel Room Hello fellow parishioners, I have booked the St. Gabriel’s Room for Tues. May 17th for our next weaving event. We will try to weave from 1:00 to 3:00 or 4ish as long as our energy and supplies last….
Thank you to those that took bags home to cut…. I have already received some back!! Hope to see you next month and feel free to bring a friend.
Sharon Gusz
Wednesday, May 18th at 7:00 PM
Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home & Cemetery, Thornhill
Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share information about: How to protect your loved ones with a proper will How to ensure your wishes are legally protected Powers of Attorney The advantage of pre-arranging funeral, burial and cremation The cost savings of making an estate plan Finding lawyers and estate planning advisors Our Catholic traditions around wills, burials and funerals.
An estate planning kit will be provided at no cost. Refreshments will be provided.
RSVP to Frank Jannetta, Catholic Cemeteries at 416.733-8544 ext. 2023 or fjannetta@cc-fs.ca.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for May 8th, 2016: Envelopes 411 $ 7,367 Loose Change 1,178 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 165 3,034 Total 576 $ 11,579
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 7th, 2016
To all the Mothers, Single Mothers, Grandmothers and Stepmothers, we wish you a very happy Mother’s day. May you be blessed with the graces you need, with courage, compassion, patience and peace.
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, May 15th for students in Grades 7, 9, 10 and 11 and on Sunday June 5th for students in Grade 8 at 7:30 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. In preparation for this Sacrament, a Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, May 14th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church. All candidates must attend. Candidates are reminded to bring a signed letter from the service coordinator or a parent stating the completion or anticipated date of completion of volunteer service hours.
May 9th to May 14th, 2016
MONDAY – VICTOR ATHAIDE – Requested by Sylvia & Family TUESDAY – BERNARD LUK – Requested by Marie & Michael Gennaro WEDNESDAY – RICHARD CHUCHRA – Requested by Wanda & Jack THURSDAY – PAULINE LAM – Requested by Charlotte Yeung FRIDAY – JOHN C.K. YEUNG – Requested by Agnes Wong SATURDAY – EDNA & GERRY HATCH – Requested by their Family
This Weekend, May 7th/8th
The Society for St. Vincent de Paul is holding their annual Bundle Up Collection this weekend, May 7th/8th. Bring your gently used clothing, household linens, shoes and small household goods to share with others. Appliances, furniture and books cannot be accepted.
A St. Vincent de Paul truck will be in the Church parking lot to receive donations. The truck will be open in the parking lot on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday, May 8th until 1:00 PM Volunteers will assist with the loading before and after each Mass. The Society will donate, exchange for vouchers or sell these donations to support their outreach efforts. Thank you for your continued support.
Gabriel Room
Hello fellow parishioners, I have booked the St. Gabriel’s Room for Tues. May 17th for our next weaving event. We will try to weave from 1:00 to 3:00 or 4ish as long as our energy and supplies last….
Thank you to those that took bags home to cut…. I have already received some back!! Hope to see you next month and feel free to bring a friend. Sharon Gusz
Each month the food we collect is sent to Rosalie Hall or the Good Shepherd Centre. With everyone struggling at this time, these 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 ongoing support.
Working wonders for boys with a unique camping experience…
Having completed his teaching degree, Francis is still involved at Camp Ozanam, where he is presently the Director of Counselors. “I still love working here – most of my best friends have come from this community and it’s great to introduce my students to Ozanam and see them falling in love with it the way I did. As a former camper and staff member, I feel like I have a complete picture of the camp, and try to make sure today’s campers and staff enjoy the same formative experiences that I went through.” Last year, ShareLife-supported Camp Ozanam provided a unique camping experience for 600 boys from underprivileged homes in the GTA.
ShareLife to date: $106,712
Next ShareLife Sunday is May 29th. Please give generously. You can work wonders!
An urgent appeal for help has been launched by the Canadian Red Cross following the devastating fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta this week. Over 88,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray and surrounding areas. Thousands have lost their homes and belongings as the fire continues to rage.
Donations can be made through: o The Parish making cheques payable to St. Gabriel’s Parish – Fort McMurray o The Canadian Red Cross directly at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
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
Collection for May 1st, 2016:
Envelopes 381 $ 8,235 Loose Change 1,132 Weekly Portion of Pre-Authorized Giving 166 3,022 Total 547 $ 12,389 Papal Charities: $3,378
May 12th to 15th Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre
A Women’s ACTS Retreat Weekend will be held on the weekend of May 12th to 15th at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga. This is a powerful new retreat experience based on adoration, community, theology, service with women ministering to women.
To register or for more information please call Queen of Apostles at 905-278-5229.
Panellists are Rev. Canon John Hill, Rabbi Michael Stroh and Dr. Liyakat Takim from Christianity, Judaism and Islam respectively.
Catholic Cemeteries and the Archdiocese estate planning team will share information about: How to protect your loved ones with a proper will How to ensure your wishes are legally protected Powers of Attorney The advantage of pre-arranging funeral, burial and cremation The cost savings of making an estate plan Finding lawyers and estate planning advisor Our Catholic traditions around wills, burials and funerals.
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.
In his letter to the Philippines St. Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider his equality with God as something to be grasped at but he emptied himself of his divinity and took to himself our humanity, becoming as we all are. Jesus became an obedient slave, living an obedience that brought him to his shameful, humiliating death on the cross. But this is not the end of the story.
Paul goes on to say because of Jesus’ great act of obedience God the Father exalted the diminished and humiliated Jesus in and through his resurrection from the dead and his ascension into heaven. This feast of the Ascension we celebrate today is all part the final vindication and exaltation of the crucified Christ. In the resurrection and ascension the Father gives Jesus a name that is above all other names to that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess the Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is depressing to read about or watch on TV the uprooted lives of millions of men, women and children as they seek refuge from civil war in their homelands. It’s discouraging when we know of the human trafficking that destroys the lives of young children. We wonder where is God when find out about the exploitation of men, women and children’s labor in the sweat shops of Asia and even in Canada. The working poor are part of the social fabric of our country.
These examples of man’s inhumanity to man must never blind us from seeing all the good and generous people who reach out to help their brothers and sisters. The response of European countries, the response of Canada to open our borders and welcome these good people who have lost so much is an expression of the resurrection of Jesus. Professional and volunteer men and women who go to poverty stricken or disease stricken area of the world are witnessing to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus even though they may not know it. Men and women involved in environmental and ecological issues trying to sensitize us to the damage we are doing to the life systems of Earth witness to the resurrection and ascension of the Lord. We are surrounded by countless examples of the goodness and the generosity of good people as they respond to the needs of men, women and children whose lives have been turned upside down by civil strife, religious persecution or natural disasters. Just look at Fort McMurray.
We need great faith in the love of God to see that the passion, death, the resurrection and ascension are all part of the truth that love is stronger that hatred, that justice will prevail over injustice, that the violence wreaked by terrorists and religious fanatics will not prevail and that our own personal tragedies will be overcome as we find within ourselves a strength and resilience we never knew we had.
I don’t intend to sugar coat people’s reality but as we continue to celebrate this Mass in which make present the passion and death of Jesus and celebrate his vindication celebrating his resurrection and ascension may we all be blessed with a strong conviction that no matter how bad things are in the world or in our personal life the presence and love of God conquers all things and in the end, all will be well, all manner of things will be well.
May 1st, 2016
In the very early years in the life of the church a very serious problem arose. Peter and Paul and the other apostles preached in the synagogues the teachings of Jesus and told about his death and resurrection to their Jewish co-religious. Then something unexpected happened. Non-Jews, the Gentiles were attracted to this new faith and wanted to join this new community. An important question came up; how to integrate these new Christians coming from pagan religions into this new religion made up of Jewish men and women who believed Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth was the long awaited Messiah?
For centuries Jewish people were guided by the Law and the Prophets. For centuries they were taught, unless you were circumcised according to the Law of Moses you cannot be saved. Many were convinced that these new comers must be told they are to keep the Law of Moses, especially the law of circumcision.
We read in the Acts of the Apostles that at a special meeting in Jerusalem there was no small discussion and debate about all this and some questioned why those who wanted to put the yoke of Jewish laws on the Gentiles when the Jews themselves found them unable to bear.
Down through the ages people have been convinced that certain practises can never be changed because they are expressions of the will of God. A big section of the early Jewish Christian community felt this way about circumcision. They forgot that circumcision was the ritual by which a Jewish boy child was initiated into the Jewish people, it had nothing to do with that child’s relationship with God, with that boy’s salvation.
The Apostles taught that our relationship with God, our salvation came about through our belief in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. For the Apostles this was of first importance. Circumcision was not an issue.
As one church historian observed, ‘One of the most seductive temptations of the believer is to identify the will of God with the will of the believer, and not the other way around. God’s will has been squeezed into patriotism, leftism, capitalism, feminism, the hierarchy, ecclesiastical tradition. Things have been given an importance they did not deserve. How often have we heard that certain practises must never change because they are the will of God? When I was in the seminary a professor spent a whole class pontificating that the Mass will never be celebrated in the language of the people because it could lead to nationalism. Seven years later he was celebrating the Mass in English.
Our first reading tells us about what has been called the First Council of Jerusalem. It remind us that our Christian Catholic faith entails the remarkable belief that the Spirit of God continues to work through the very human processes of decision-making in our Church best happens when we take seriously both our religious experience and our tradition, trusting that the Spirit of God works even through endless debate, exhausting meetings, and hesitant leadership helping us to bring about clarifications and resolve conflicts.
We had a recent example of this in our own time. Pope Francis called for a Synod of Bishops to discuss the pastoral needs of the modern day family. He called together 279 bishops from around the world. Seventeen married couples were also invited. The Synod was held over a two year period and Pope Francis was at most of the meetings. He began the Synod by encouraging all present to speak their minds and not hold back for fear of repercussions.
The main concerns of the bishops as they gathered for the Synod were. ‘How can we heal the wounds of a broken culture? How do we best support families, given the challenges of modern life? What is truly merciful? If the family is central to both society and the Church, how do we best express the truth of its importance? What to do about co-habitation. The divorced and civilly remarried and other matters. The bishops discussed how the early Church addressed issues of marriage and separation, and reviewed the history of Church practice and discipline on marriage. They also explore how contemporary moral attitudes have shaped modern perceptions of marriage and divorce, and how the Church can offer pastoral guidance in this area. Some bishops were determined to hold the line on the disciplines of the past while others called for new pastoral ways of looking at the stresses that challenge the modern family.
The synod issues that garnered the most headlines revolved around the question of Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, as well as Catholic attitudes toward homosexuality.
In his own pastoral reflections on all the reports from the Synod Pope Francis took a very pastoral stance as opposed to a canon law stance.
He was adamant when he wrote, “In no way must the church desist from proposing the full ideal of marriage, God’s plan in all its grandeur,”
He disappointed many when he stated with the synod’s insistence that the church cannot consider same-sex unions to be a marriage as it has been understood for centuries but Francis also insisted, “Every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity.”
Pope Francis wrote that he understood those “who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But he said ‘I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a mother who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, always does what good she can, even if in the process, her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street.”
The Holy Father also said ‘The worst way of watering down the Gospel is when we put so many conditions on mercy that we empty it of its concrete meaning and real significance.
As always Pope Francis does not judge but he meets people where they are and wants to walk with them, encouraging them to be where God would want them to be in their journey toward God.
As we continue to celebrate our Mass may be pray for all the families in our parish family. We pray that solid families be stronger, that troubled families be healed, that single mothers or fathers be strengthened to not give up, that those divorced and civilly married know they are welcome here and may we all remember the advice of Pope Francis that Holy Communion is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.
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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Companion for the Walk of the Stations of the Cosmic Earth
St. Gabriel’s Garden – Guided Sensory Reflective Walk