February 2nd, 2014
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus. We heard of the Holy Spirit descending on him in the form of a dove and the mysterious voice from heaven testifying ‘this is my son the beloved in whom I am well pleased.’
Today we celebrate another feast that recalls another event in the infancy of Jesus. By the Law of Moses every first born son was to be dedicated to God. Forty days, days required by the Law for the purification of a mother after the birth of a child, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to present or offer him to the Lord. Then they made the offering the poor make on this occasion, two pigeons as was stated in the Law of Moses.
It was a simple ceremony but it was also a time for the parents and extended family to celebrate the new life that had come into their lives. In a way it would be something like our baptism as infants. At baptisms the child is always the center of attention. He or she wears a special baptismal dress, maybe one used in the family for years. After the baptism pictures are taken and there is a party.
The presentation of Jesus in the temple was a happy occasion, a serious occasion as Jesus, the first born, was dedicated to God. Mary and Joseph were people of the law as was Jesus – born under the law to redeem those who were under the law. As he grew up Jesus was a man of the law even though his enemies accused him breaking the law, especially the law of the Sabbath. In his teachings and by the way he lived Jesus opposed the flawed and hollow ways the religious leaders and authorities used the law to control and oppress the lives of the ordinary men and women who looked to them for guidance.
Simeon was that old stranger who ruined the happy event of Jesus’ dedication to God by telling his proud mother that her child was destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel a sign to be opposed so that the thoughts of many will be revealed and Mary too would suffer because of her child.
We all know what happened to Jesus as the result of his teaching and his exposing the shallowness of the religious authorities of his day especially in their observance of the law. He was betrayed by one of his own, arrested, endured a phoney trial, made a fool of by his guards, crowned with thorns, whipped and marched through the streets to his place of execution and endured the painful and humiliating death of crucifixion. All this because he was a man of the law; “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all you mind and all your strength.” We know too that the Father raised Jesus from the dead.
We know that the night before Jesus died while sharing his last meal with those he loved Jesus said, ‘a new commandment, a new law, I give you that you love one another as I have loved you.’ We all know from life experience that this is a difficult law to live; to love as we’ve been loved. We rub shoulders with so many people each day; spouses, children, parents, fellow workers, strangers, people we like, people who rub us wrong, people who annoy us and are in our face. And we try to live this new, difficult law and as I’ve said so often, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose but always we keep trying.
Each day we try to overcome our prejudices and preconceived ideas about a person’s race or religion, social background or life style. We know it is difficult to see beyond these issues and acknowledge the human dignity and worth of the stranger, the ‘different’ as one loved by God the same as we are, and a person for whom Christ died as he died for us.
So we pray for ourselves and for each other that we will always be men and women of the law. We try as best we can to live the great law of love.
| Posted in Homily |
January 26th, 2014
January 27th – February 1st, 2014
MONDAY – MANUEL COSTA – Requested by His Wife & Family TUESDAY – WINNIE LEE-CHAN – Requested by Julie Chiu WEDNESDAY – IRENE CHUCHRA – Requested by the Family THURSDAY – THANKSGIVING – Requested by John Chan FRIDAY – LIVING & DECEASED RELATIVES & FRIENDS OF THE CHIU-LEE FAMILY – Requested by Julie Chiu SATURDAY – HUI SOU LIN – Requested by Linda Law
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Windel Jay Gapuz Tadios who was baptized on Sunday, January 12th, 2014
And Annie Marisa Lorra Alexander Samantha Bernadette Dizon Sean Philip Dizon Peregrine Alice Luxmore Madeleine Cecilia Meli
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, January 19th, 2014.
Congratulations!
Sunday, February 2nd at 11:30 AM in the Gabriel Room
On the first Sunday of each month, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality facilitates a 30 minute reflection and discussion prompted by the readings for that Sunday’s liturgy. The guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the readings. All are welcome.
Friday, February 7th from 9:30 AM – 12 Noon
English: Saturday, February 1st at 3:15 PM in the Gabriel Room Chinese: Sunday, February 2nd at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room.
For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
February 2nd at 3:00 P.M. St. Paul’s Basilica
On Sunday, February 2nd, the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. The purpose of this day is “to help the entire Church to esteem ever more greatly the witness of those persons who have chosen to follow Christ by means of the practice of the evangelical counsels” as well as “to be a suitable occasion for consecrated persons to renew their commitment and rekindle the fervor which should inspire their offering of themselves to the Lord.” – Blessed Pope John Paul II, 1997 message.
In the Archdiocese of Toronto, we are blessed to have living and serving among us more than 1,000 religious men and women of over 100 different religious congregations. This World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life is a wonderful opportunity for us to thank God for the gifts of these religious sisters, brothers and priests and to pray for God’s blessing upon them in their efforts to faithfully live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.
On Sunday, February 2nd at 3:00 P.M. at St. Paul’s Basilica, there will be a special Mass in celebration of the vocation and witness of these special men and women religious who are such a vital and important part of the life and ministry of the Church in our Archdiocese. All are welcome to attend.
This Sunday, January 26th is World Leprosy Day. Leprosy affects the nervous system deadening the body to pain. As a result, cuts and burns go unnoticed and neglected leading to severe infections. Such conditions can lead to loss of function in the limbs and even result in amputation. Please take a few moments to remember the children, women and men living with leprosy.
Please remember to bring us your used postage stamps. These are passed on to the Leprosy Mission of Canada helping them work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated. They are happy to accept any and all trimmed stamps, leaving no less than ¼ inch and no more than ½ inch paper border. Stamps may be deposited in the basket on the cabinet just outside the Parish Office.
For more information on the Leprosy Mission of Canada, please see the brochures on the cabinet outside the Office.
Dear Friends, Thank you for making Christmas 2013 a joyous one for the hundreds of young mothers and children of Rosalie Hall. Celebrations were held and gifts of warm clothing, food, toiletries and toys were made possible by you. Your compassion was felt by all.
On behalf of everyone here at Rosalie Hall, thank you for generously sharing the Christmas spirit in such abundance. We wish you and yours a blessed and prosperous New Year!
Duke of York Pub 39 Prince Arthur Ave (near Bloor St W & Avenue Rd) Monday, January 27th from 7:00 P.M.to -9:00 P.M.
All young adults (19-39) are invited to join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation on theological topics! The special guest will be the Most Rev. Gerard Paul Bergie, Bishop of St. Catharines.
Bishop Bergie will explore the concept of friendship with God and how this influences our friendship with others. We will reflect on the importance of developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and how this will influence all that we do and all that we are in this life and the next.
Munchies are provided and a cash bar is available. Come and bring a friend! For more information visit the Toronto Theology on Tap web page, or contact Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt by phone at 416-467-2645 or e-mail at faithconnections@csj-to.ca.
“Presence: Opening Up to God’s Love in Our Experience of Loss.” Catholic Pastoral Centre, 1155 Yonge Street, 4th Floor Tuesday February 4th at 7:00 P.M.
On Tuesday, February 4th at 7:00 P.M. Catholic Family Services of Toronto and New Beginnings invite you to an inspirational talk with Maureen McDonnell, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regis College, The Jesuit School of Theology at the University of Toronto.
The event will take place at the Catholic Pastoral Centre: 1155 Yonge St (at Shaftesbury Ave. next to the Summerhill Subway station) – 4th Floor and the topic will be “Presence: Opening Up to God’s Love in Our Experience of Loss.”
Free underground parking is available. Pre registration is NOT required.
For further information, please contact Deacon James Shaughnessy MSW., RSW., Psyn.D. at 416-921-1163 ext 2227 or by email at jshaughn@cfstoronto.com.
February 7th to 9th Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre, Mississauga
The theme is “entering the soul through stories.” Call 905-278-5229 to register.
Friday, February 7th at 7:00 P.M. Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles Street West
This question will be explored at the inaugural event of the Chesterton Debate Series, sponsored by the Office of Catholic Youth and the Archdiocese of Toronto. The debate takes place on Friday, February 7th at 7:00 P.M. at the Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West).
Fr. Philip Cleevely, CO, an Oxford and Cambridge educated philosophy professor at St. Philip’s Seminary, will argue the Catholic position. Representing the atheist position is Justin Trottier, the founder of the Centre for Inquiry Canada and one of the country’s foremost advocates of secularism and skeptical inquiry. Stephen LeDrew, longtime host and commentator of CP24, will moderate the debate.
Tickets cost $10. Sales began January 10th through online registration at www.ocytoronto.org.
Our operating expenses average $14,550 per week.
Collection for January 12th, 2014 Envelopes 412 $7,539 Loose Change $1,074 Weekly Portion of PAG 180 $3,461 (Pre-Authorized Giving) Total $12,074
Please pick up your 2014 Offertory Boxed Envelopes as soon as possible. If you are on the Pre- Authorized Giving Plan, you will still receive a smaller green box of envelopes since these include Initial, New Year’s, Christmas, Easter and Maintenance envelopes. You may contact the Parish Office if you do not have envelopes but would like a box for 2014.
There will be a Maintenance Collection at all the Masses next weekend.
We would like to remind you not to use envelopes from previous years as this number may have been reassigned to another family.
| Posted in Bulletin |
In today’s gospel we hear of Jesus calling other people to join him in his work of proclaiming the good news of God’s love for all of us. He calls these men, Peter and Andrew, James and John while they were in the midst of their daily work, Peter and Andrew were casting out nets while James and John were mending their nets – they were all fishermen. Jesus offers them a greater challenge – from now on they would be fishers of people, they would be catching people for God. Jesus began the work of networking, organizing others to help him in his work of proclaiming the good news.
Jesus networked with each one of us when we were baptised. In baptism we became members of the body of Christ, the church. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul compares the union of the human body to the unity of the church. Each member of the body has its own role to play in the life of the body and no one part can do without the other. Each member of the body of the community of the church, of the community of this parish, has his or hers own gifts that are to be used for the good of the whole body, the church, this parish.
I’m sure you heard the words, ‘I have no hands but yours’. These words are meant for every member of the body of Christ, the church. And they are spoken to each of us as we go about the daily tasks of our lives just as they were spoken in a different way to Peter and Andrew, James and John in the midst of casting nets and mending lives.
Christ says to you and to me, as we go about our daily living our ordinary lives, I have no hands but yours, I have no voice but yours, I have no eyes but yours, I have no ears but yours, I have no heart but yours, no feet but yours to continue my work on earth. These words challenge each of us to live no longer for ourselves but for Christ, to complete his work on earth and bring us to the fullness of grace.
Pope Francis say we share our faith by the way we live our lives and you’ve heard that saying of St. Francis ‘ preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.
So when we speak we say only the good things people need to hear, word that will really help them. So in our conversations, at home or at work, we speak words of encourage and support and avoid gossip and criticism.
We listen to other people’s problems, knowing they don’t expect us to solve their problems; they just want to be heard. We look at others and see in them their dignity and worth as human beings and as brothers and sisters in Christ. We reach out to others and help them in and through the different ways the parish outreach programs offer us.
Jesus called Peter and Andrew, James and John as they went about their daily work. He calls each of us to be attentive, aware of the possibilities offered in our daily contact with others, at work, at the supermarket, on the street – whenever and where ever we are in contact with other people – there is our chance to be the hands and the ears and eyes of Jesus. This is our opportunity to bring the life and love and healing of Jesus to others.
As baptized Christian Catholics we have to know that Christ’s work of bringing the people to the Father must truly be our own.
January 19th, 2014
Have you ever had the feeling of a big letdown after coming home from a vacation or after a great Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration? The party’s over and we’re back to the ordinary, boring day after boring day with its routine, regularity and its predictability. We’re back to the ordinary living of our ordinary lives. Gone are the carefree days of vacation when we could just sit back, relax and enjoy. Gone are busy and exciting days of preparing and anticipating some fun and celebration. We are back in the land of ‘blah’. Same old, same old.
As church, as the people of God we’ve just finished a rash of festivities. In the past weeks we celebrated Christmas, New Year’s, the feast of Mary, the mother of God, the feast of the Epiphany and finally the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. We are all ‘feasted’ out. Now we settle down to what the church calls ‘ordinary’ time.
But ordinary time can be anything but ordinary. It can be a time filled with possibilities. We have time, a quiet time to ponder the teachings of Jesus when we hear the gospels Sunday after Sunday tells us of the daily doings and teachings of Jesus. We can see how Jesus reached out and touched and changed the humdrum lives of so many men and women. In this ordinary time we can find the time to question ourselves as to how faithfully we follow the lessons Jesus taught and the example Jesus gave us.
There is a teaching about the importance of the grace of the present moment. That’s what ordinary time is all about, being aware of God’s presence, love and life in whatever we are doing right here, right now. If we are open to what lies hidden in the ordinary, our ordinary can be far from being ordinary. Think of these ordinary things we do each day and what they can teach us.
Being grateful that we can get out of bed in the morning knowing that there are other men and women can’t, brings us to a deeper appreciation of our own good health. Grateful we can eat a hearty breakfast can remind us of the harsh truth that so many men, women and children begin the day and live the day hungry. Deciding what we will wear could make us conscious of the fact that so many people have nothing to wear but the clothes on their backs. Going off to work or school we might think of the many men and women in the country who can’t find work and that education is for the privileged in many places. We take for granted that at the end of the day we can come home to a roof over our heads and that might make us more aware of the fact this is a far off dream for so many of our brothers and sisters around the world, especially those displaced by the civil wars destroying countries in the Middle East.
If sickness or the stress of being out of work, if struggling with the limitations of mind and body that old age brings our way, all these can be occasions of our own personal growth by trusting that accepting these realities and working through them makes us one with the suffering Christ who was one like us in all things and suffered and died for each one of us.
In this ordinary, down time in our live Jesus wants each of us to reach out to a friend, to a stranger, to someone we like, to someone we’d like to ignore and touch them with a kind word, an encouraging word, loving word to show them they are loved and cared for.
When we travel to another country we are bound by the laws of that country. We may protest,’ that’s not the way it is where I come from’. It doesn’t matter. The law works from the feet up. It is the same with the grace of God. God’s grace, love and life work from the feet up. They are available where ever we are and they are to be shared where ever we are. Some people find their spiritual life is deepened by a pilgrimage to a shrine. God’s grace and love and life are there, surely. But it is back home, where live and work and love, where we rub shoulders with people we know, people we don’t know that we are given the grace to make the best of this ordinary time.
May God give us the grace to see and realise the possibilities that are ours in this ordinary time, living our ordinary lives.
January 20th – January 25th, 2014
MONDAY – LOUIS & MARIE FUNG – Requested by the Family TUESDAY – MARY LAM – Requested by the Family WEDNESDAY – HUGH KELLY – Requested by Carol & Hugh Mackenzie THURSDAY – RAYMOND PAUL LANDRY – Requested by Staff of St. Gabriel’s Parish FRIDAY – ANGELA ROSE UMBRIO – Requested by Marisse Roco SATURDAY – VIOLET PREVIDSA – Requested by Steve Previdsa
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.
Sunday, January 26th is World Leprosy Day. Leprosy affects the nervous system deadening the body to pain. As a result, cuts and burns go unnoticed and neglected leading to severe infections. Such conditions can lead to loss of function in the limbs and even result in amputation. Please take a few moments to remember the children, women and men living with leprosy. Please remember to bring us your used postage stamps. These are passed on to the Leprosy Mission of Canada helping them work towards the day when leprosy is eradicated. They are happy to accept any and all trimmed stamps, leaving no less than ¼ inch and no more than ½ inch paper border. Stamps may be deposited in the basket on the cabinet just outside the Parish Office. EVENTS
This Sunday, January 19th at 3:00 P.M. St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power Street, Toronto
Did you know that 160 parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto are involved in sponsoring refugees to resettle in Canada? Join us for a Mass to celebrate the many individuals and families who have escaped turmoil to resettle in Canada and to pray for those still seeking to leave areas of war and strife. Bishop McGrattan will preside. The Mass is hosted by the Mission of the Vietnamese Martyrs. A special invitation is extended to those who have been involved in refugee sponsorship across the Archdiocese. For more information, visit www.archtoronto.org. All are welcome.
Saturday, January 25th at 9:00 P.M. Newman Centre, 89 St George St, Toronto
Faith Connections and the Newman Young Adult Ministry invite young adults (18-39) to a New Year’s Dance Social and charity fundraiser! Tickets: $10. Snacks and refreshments provided. For more information, e-mail nyamtoronto@gmail.com or call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-467-2645.
Saturday, January 25th from 9:30 A.M. to 2:30 P.M St. Augustine’s Seminary 2661 Kingston Road, Scarborough
The workshop will include: Bioethics in the Headlines
Session One: Beginning of Life Issues at 9:40 A.M. What does the Church teach about recent developments in some of the “new reproductive technologies”?
Mass at 11:30 A.M followed by lunch.
Session Two: End of Life Issues at 1:00 P.M. How should Catholics respond to the call for physician-assisted suicide today? What does truly compassionate and dignified “end of life” care involve? The cost is $40 including lunch.
Please register by emailing ioftsas@rogers.com or by calling 416-261-7207, Ext 235
Sunday, January 26th at 3:00 P.M. St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power Street, Toronto
Come and join us in prayer with His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Anglican Archbishop Colin Johnson, Slovak Catholic Bishop John Pazak, Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald and other city-wide religious leaders on Sunday, January 26th at 3:00 P.M. at St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power Street (1 block East of Queen and Parliament Streets.) Homilist: Anglican Bishop Right Rev. Mark MacDonald (Canada’s first National Indigenous Bishop)
Parking is available. Refreshments will follow in the parish hall. For further information, please contact the Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs at 416-934-3400, Ext. 344 or Ext. 527 or vkwok@archtoronto.org.
In the Archdiocese of Toronto, we are blessed to have living and serving among us more than 1,000 religious men and women of over 100 different religious congregations. This World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life is a wonderful opportunity for us to thank God for the gifts of these religious sisters, brothers and priests and to pray for God’s blessing upon them in their efforts to faithfully live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. On Sunday, February 2nd at 3:00 P.M. at St. Paul’s Basilica, there will be a special Mass in celebration of the vocation and witness of these special men and women religious who are such a vital and important part of the life and ministry of the Church in our Archdiocese. All are welcome to attend.
The debate series is inspired by G.K. Chesterton, an English Catholic who is widely regarded as one of the most gifted writers and orators of the 20th Century. The initiative reflects one of the core goals of the Pastoral Plan of the Archdiocese of Toronto, which challenges believers to “ensure the voice of faith is heard in the public square.”
Tickets cost $10. Sales begin January 10th through online registration at www.ocytoronto.org.
Collection for January 12th, 2014
Envelopes 474 $9,743 Loose Change $1,047 Weekly Portion of PAG 180 $3,461 (Pre-Authorized Giving) Total $14,251
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
