July 1st, 2012
God did not make death. The writer of this statement is trying to find an explanation as to why people die. He goes back to the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent to explain the reality of death claiming death came through the envy of the devil. Death is not a mystery it is a reality of life. As someone has said, ‘no one gets out of this world alive.’ Our Christian faith tells us that death is not the end of life; it is the beginning of new and endless life. That’s all we need to know.
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| Posted in Homily |
This is the last bulletin until September. We wish you all a happy and safe summer! July 1st is Canada Day. The office will be closed on Monday, July 2 for the holiday. There will be no 9:00 AM Mass.
| Posted in Bulletin |
June 24th, 2012
It must have been an interesting gathering for the circumcision of John the Baptist. The relatives presumed he would be named Zachariah after his father but Elizabeth insisted he was to be named John. That’s crazy, no one in the family has that name John. To settle the matter they ignored Elizabeth and asked Zachariah what the child’s name is to be. Zachariah wrote on a tablet, ‘his name is John.’ That’s it. Family and friends were stunned that a woman Elizabeth’s age was having a child. They were more than curious about Zachariah’s muteness. Suddenly Zachariah breaks into a song praising God. Family and friends sense there is more going on here than meets the eye. So the honest question is, ‘what then will child become, for indeed the hand of the Lord was upon him.’ And John grew and became strong in spirit.
In the year 380 the church of Rome decreed that Christmas was to be celebrated on December 25th and by the 5th century it was a common practice in the universal church. How that date was decided on is a matter of speculation. One theory is that there was a Roman feast of the unconquerable Sun celebrated at the time of the winter solstice. The Romans celebrate the fact that the sun was never conquered by darkness but began its ascent into lengthening days. The church took that pagan feast and, you might say, baptized it, gave it new meaning, because for Christians Christ is the unconquerable Son, Christ is the Light of the world.
In the third Chapter of John’s gospel he tells of the time when the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus seemed to collide or better still coincide. John’s disciples reported to him ‘the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordon, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptizing now and everyone is going to him.’ You can just hear their resentment toward Jesus in this complaint of John’s faithful followers. But John reminded them, ‘you yourselves can bear me out; I said I myself am not the Christ; I am the one who was sent before him. And then John says of Jesus, he must increase and I must decrease.’
The feast of John the Baptist is on June the 24th, 3 days after the summer solstice which we had last Wednesday. It’s the longest day of the year. But then the days begin, even imperceptibly to shorten. John’s words, ‘he must increase and I must decrease’ tie in with the very rhythm of nature itself. Maybe the church chose this date for his feast day with John’s words in mind, ‘he must increase and I must decrease.’
As we struggle to live our Christian lives we could make the words of John the Baptist our own; He must increase and I must decrease. All that is in our make up as men and women, all elements of our own personalities, elements in our relationships with others, our concerns for the poor and needy, anything in our lives that fails to imitate Christ and his teachings must decrease so that we can image Christ more in our lives. Through the strength of the Bread of Life we receive at the Mass give the strength to say, as Paul the Apostle said, ‘for me, to live is Christ… for Christ lives in me and the life I live I live trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me.’
Congratulations to the newly baptised members of the parish! In this week’s bulletin, calling all green thumbs, and registrations for baptisms for school-aged children, the Children’s Faith Program and and Adult Faith Development.
June 17th, 2012
Just a few words on today’s first reading from Ezekiel. It was written during what has been call the Babylonian Captivity. About 580 years before the birth of Christ the Jewish people revolted against the Babylonians who occupied their homeland. In punishment for this revolt there were three deportations of the Jews to Babylon. This captivity lasted for 70 years. During that time the Babylonians were defeated by the Persians. The Persian king Cyrus sent the Jewish people back home to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple.
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
