June 7th, 2009
On this feast of the Holy Trinity we celebrate a mystery of faith that separates us from Jewish and Moslem believers in the one God. We believe that Jesus made known to the world what might be called the family secret of God. That secret, that mystery is that the inner life of God is a life of community – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As I mentioned before a mystery is not something of which we can know nothing, a mystery is something of which we cannot know everything. When we stop to think about it we are a mystery to ourselves. Do any of us know ourselves completely, understand ourselves completely. How often do we find ourselves saying to ourselves, “why did I say that, why did I do that, why am I so impatient, so unforgiving?”
Through the gift of baptism we have been invited into the intimacy of that divine relationship. Through the gift of baptism we received the spirit of adoption. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirits that we are the children of God. The Holy Spirit gives us the boldness to call God – Father.
We are told that we are made in the image and likeness of God. What this means is that we have the ability to enter into and live in relationship with others. It is not good to be alone. At every Mass we pray that we “may all of us who share in the Body and Blood of Christ be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit.
The honesty, the integrity, the sincerity of our lives as Christian men and women is proven by our efforts to live out the great commandment of Jesus, “Love one another as I have loved you.” As we all know this is not an easy thing to do. There are days, maybe months, maybe years when we find it almost impossible to forgive spouses, children, friends, collogues who have hurt us, disappointed us, maybe even betrayed us. It can take years to outlive prejudices or a narrow-mindedness that we picked up by osmosis growing up. We all have a tendency to stereo-type other people. But for all our difficulties we still make break throughs, we still find within ourselves the courage to take the first step toward reconciliation, the first step toward accepting and respecting others, the first step toward being there for others in need. In living this great commandment, a commandment by which our lives will be judged, there are days we win and there are days we loose, but we always keep trying.
There is one relationship we especially need to examine and that is our relationship with God’s good creation.
Father Thomas Berry, a Passionist priest who died this past week was a great thinker and writer. When speaking of the environmental and ecological crisis facing all of us, a crisis caused by the alienation between ourselves and the earth community, he speaks of the dire need for the human family to work toward a ‘mutually enhancing earth human relationship.” It is good to remember the earth was around billions of years before our arrival. As you’ve heard before, the earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth, what we do to the earth we do to ourselves. Our present relationship with earth and the life communities on the earth can best be described as exploitive, manipulative and destructive. If we were in a human relationship that fit this description, hopefully we would get out of it for the sake of our own survival.
Fr. Thomas makes this statement: “In the 20th century the glory of the human has become the desolation of the earth and the desolation of the earth is becoming the destiny of the human.” Again, what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
On this feast of the Holy Trinity maybe we can take the time to examine the health of our personal relationship with God’s good creation. Relationships are determined by attitudes. Are we still caught in the mind-set that God make us lords of all creation and everything is ours to use and abuse or do we have an attitude of gratitude toward earth and see in it a manifestation of God’s beauty and graciousness? Do we have the insight which helps us see ourselves in relationship with the entire earth community? Again you’ve heard the saying,’ we did not weave the web we are a strand in the web and what we do to the web we do to ourselves.
As we continue to celebrate the feast of all relationships we can pray for ourselves and for each other that in all our relationship, with God, the church, our families our society and earth we will try to make sure these are all mutually enhancing – that they be all they could be and should be healthy, holy and healing, mutually enhancing.
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $9133
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Number of Envelopes Used: 479
Our parish has decided to participate in the “Pre-Authorized Giving” plan that allows parishioners to make their regular offertory donations by automatic monthly bank withdrawal. This system is widely used in the Archdiocese of Toronto and is a safe and convenient method of giving for those interested. Please read the brochure included with today’s bulletin and complete the authorization form if you would like to participate. Forms, in a sealed envelope, may be placed in the collection basket or dropped off at the Parish Office.
Have you moved into the Parish recently? Have you changed your mailing address?
Please contact the Parish office at 416-221-8866 so that we may update our records. Thank you.
On June 19th, 2009, Father Paul will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination. We are so fortunate in having Father Paul with us for most of those years. His love and service have touched so many of our lives.
On Sunday, June 21st from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM in the Gathering Space the parish will come together in thanksgiving and celebration of this important occasion. So mark your calendars and join us on that day!
Our journey of life and journey of faith are meant to converge at an early age. For many of us, however, we tend to grow physically, mentally, psychologically etc., but remain at a childish level of understanding our faith. The following information is for those who wish to keep growing, to be able to enjoy the Good news of God’s love for us as members of God’s Church.
Monday Nights are R.C.I.A. Nights
R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) meetings begin on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 8:00 PM. These evenings are for persons interested in learning about the Catholic Faith. Because the Parish Community itself is considered the official teacher and guide for potential new members, it is important that some parishioners participate by being present and by sharing their Faith in various ways. It is also an opportunity for “Born Catholics” to deepen their understanding of the faith. Adult Catholics who wish to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist and/or Confirmation are welcome. For more information, please call Mary Landry at 416 – 221 – 8866.
It’s a wonder troubled teens do not have to call the streets their home…
“Covenant House has helped me tremendously. I’ve gotten off drugs and found work. But I think the best thing is that they’ve helped me feel better about myself, to be more confident.” Jeff, 24, Resident of Covenant House, Toronto
Today is the 3rd ShareLife Collection By supporting ShareLife social service agencies, you are working wonders; providing shelter, care and respect for those living in our communities who most need it. Thank you for your generosity. You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $156,281.51
Registration forms for the Children’s Faith Program for next year are now available in the Parish Office. Please note that all registrations must be returned by June 30th.
Catholic Parents of Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons Day of Reflection
Saturday, June 13th, 2009 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Cost: $40.00 (includes lunch) Scarboro Missions, 2685 Kingston Road, Toronto For Brochure and information call John Montague at 416-523-6449.
Golf Tournament at Eagles Nest Golf Club June 16th, 2009
The Hope for the Children Foundation is holding its Annual Corporate Golf Tournament on June 16th, 2009 at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in support of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society.
Funds raised support post-secondary scholarships and emergency care in times of crisis.
For more information, please contact the Foundation at 416-395-1634.
Newman Centre Tuesday, June 16th, 7:00 PM 89 St. George Street, Toronto
Faith Connections and the Newman Centre invite young adults (18 – 39) to join them for a June Justice Month presentation and focused conversation led by Toronto artist Ilona Staples. For more information, call 416-222-1426, Ext. 276 or visit www.faithconnections.ca.
Single women, 18 – 39, are invited to a retreat being given by a team of Sisters of St. Joseph, June 19th to June 21st.
For more information, call Sister Dorothy: 416-927-0720.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 46 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for May. For June, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of June 27/28 for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to become active in helping to feed our less fortunate sisters and brothers. If you require more information or would like to get a copy of the recipe and a casserole pan, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791.
For many years, volunteers from St. Gabriel’s have served one of the daily meals provided to the homeless and disadvantaged that the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd offer as one of the services at the Good Shepherd Centre on Queen Street East in Toronto.
The kitchen and serving areas of the centre were recently renovated and when the meal service restarted, the serving times were changed. This change means that St. Gabriel’s will need more volunteers to continue to provide our contribution to this continuing and growing service.
St. Gabriel’s will now serve on the second Monday of the month from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. If you are interested in being a part of this volunteer service, please contact Lily D’Gama at 416-733-3949 for more details.
The Centre also urgently needs groups of 4 to 20 individuals to make beds, weekdays only between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM until June 20th.
The Centre is in need of the following items:
For more information, please contact Rebecca Ferguson at 416-869- 3699, Ext. 262.
The Way of the Universe: Wisdom for the Ecozoic Era O.I.S.E. Auditorium June 26, 27, 2009 252 Bloor St. W. Toronto
Brian Swimme will be in Toronto Friday evening and Saturday, June 26th and 27th at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.). Brian co-authored the Universe Story with Father Thomas Berry and collaborated with him and the Passionists over the years.
For more information on this event, please see the flyers available in the Parish Office.
| Posted in Bulletin |
May 31st, 2009
Today we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost. It is the culmination of our Easter celebration. Our three stain glass windows depict the wonder of it all; Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost.
What Mary and the Apostles experienced at Pentecost was something beyond words, something mystical. Luke tries to put the experience into words by using images. We can imagine him saying, “They told me some kind of sound came from the sky, something that sounded like, uh, oh, let’s see, uh, wind! That’s it. It wasn’t wind but that is the closest I can get. And then things that looked sort of like tongues, you know, like tongues of fire. Only it wasn’t really fire or tongues either. But they were sure that it was the Holy Spirit, and it descended upon each person.”
Most of us don’t have these manifestations of the Spirit in our lives. We hear of people slain in the spirit, or people speaking in tongues but for most of us this isn’t how we experience the Holy Spirit in our lives. We know the Holy Spirit came to us in our Baptism giving us the boldness to call God, Father. We know the sacrament of Confirmation strengthened that original gift. We know the Holy Spirit is with us always helping us in our efforts to live Christ like lives.
In our second reading St. Paul is quite clear that the gifts of the Spirit are given to us not for ourselves but for others. Paul speaks of God activating our gifts for the common good. That’s a word we don’t often hear, the common good. We usually ask, ‘what’s in it for me, what can I get out of this?’ This is not the mind of the Spirit. Whatever gifts with which we’ve been blessed are given us for the benefit of others. They are given us to build up the body of Christ, the Church. Our gifts are given us for the betterment of the society in which we live. As we pray during this Eucharist ” and that we might live no longer for ourselves but for Him, He sent the Holy Spirit from you Father to complete His work on earth and bring us to the fullness of grace.”
This is a feast of power. A violent wind whips up the Apostles and drives them out of their closed room out into the streets to broadcast the news “Jesus is Risen, Jesus is Lord” The Spirit gave them voice to proclaim to one and all God’s deeds of power. That was a long time ago. Today I don’t think the Spirit ‘whips us up’, rather I think the Spirit nudges us, elbows us to complete God’s work and bring us to the fullness of grace.
Whether we appreciate it or not we experience the nudging of the Spirit when we are grateful for the gifts that enrich our lives, family, friends, faith, health and career. The Spirit elbows us to appreciate the goodness that is within us, when the Spirit helps us know we are ‘good people.’
The Spirit activates the love within us when we resist racist or sexist attitudes, the Spirit activates His gifts when we are willing to open our hearts and lives to men and women of other faiths, cultures and life styles.
Whenever we find patches of charity or joy in ourselves, or patience and kindness, or the ability to endure hardship and injuries; when we are tempted toward mildness and modesty, then we can be sure that the Holy Spirit is at work within us.
On this feast of wind and flame and as we continue to celebrate this Eucharist we can pray for ourselves and for each other that the Holy Spirit activate in each of us an appreciation of the full meaning of this sacrifice. May we appreciate the words of Jesus as He gives Himself totally to us saying – this is my body, this is my blood, this is my life given to you. Inspired by these words of love may we have the courage and generosity to live” no longer for ourselves but for Him to complete His work on earth.”
Total: $9077
Number of Envelopes Used: 495
Friday June 5th from 9:30 AM to 12:00 Noon. Please see the time schedule on the table inside the Church
“In our parishes, as in the neighborhoods of the wider community, there are plentiful opportunities for neighbor to help neighbor….each person should ask: How can I be a good steward of the gifts I have received, so that I may make fruitful use of them for the glory of God and the service of my neighbor.” Most Rev. Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
Third ShareLife Collection. June 7th 2009
Please give generously. You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $150,061.51
Saturday, June 6th at 3:15 PM in the Library. For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Sunday, June 7th at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Volunteers from the Parish to teach or to assist the teachers are always welcome. Please contact Lynette Fernandes at lynettefern@yahoo.com if interested.
To all the parishioners of St. Gabriel’s: You will never know how much we appreciate your most generous support of us with food, baby items and clothing. Truly, as Father Paul says, “You are good people!”
On behalf of all the young mothers and babies who will benefit from your generosity, we say a very sincere and heartfelt thank you and promise to keep you in our prayers. We count on yours. God’s blessing on you as you are a blessing to us.
Sunday, June 7th, 9:00 AM East Don River Park
Please join the local community in raising awareness of organ donation in tribute to 7 year old Olivia Barron.
To register, go to www.runningroom.com, bbarron@rogers.com or register at the park at 8:00 AM.
May 24th, 2009
Number of Envelopes Used: 463
The Parish Family of St. Gabriel’s would like to welcome: Emily Grace Chan, Michael Douglas Henderson Cosley, Dante Eliahou, Domina Eliahou, Gabriel Mari Galvez, and Kunuk Vincent Rhee.
These children received the Sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, May 17th. Congratulations!
Congratulations to the young people of our Parish who were confirmed last Tuesday, May 19th by Most Reverend Richard Grecco. It was a beautiful celebration marking an important moment in their journey of faith. We were proud to celebrate this important event with them. We promise them our continued prayers and support.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be celebrated on Saturday, May 30th.
Saturday, May 30th 2009 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Raindate: May 31st St Gabriel’s School, 396 Spring Garden Ave ( Bayview and Sheppard)
Our Grade 8 students will be holding their annual car wash. Join them at the school for a fun-filled day with a BBQ, carnival games, bouncing slide, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn and many more game booths.
A day of food and fun in the summer sun for the whole family!
It’s a wonder the silent can be heard…
Somewhere a mother is trying to ask her family for help but isn’t understood. Tomorrow, a boy will try to get his sister’s attention from across the room, to no avail.
In 2007, Silent Voice offered 311 one-week placements for deaf and hearing youngsters in its Sign Language Summer program, giving them an opportunity to be better understood at home, at school and in the community.
You can work WONDERS!
2008 ShareLife Total: $174,507.20 2009 ShareLife To Date: $128,709.51
The Altar Service is now recruiting new members. If you are in Grade 4 or higher in the September 2009 school year and interested in becoming an altar server, please call Thomas Li at 416-756-4995 or email him at li_tomas@yahoo.com.
The orientation meeting will be held on Sunday, May 31, from 1:30 to 2:30 PM in the Gabriel Room at the Altar Service Annual Appreciation. Lunch will be provided for all members.
Volunteers from the Parish to teach or to assist the teachers are always welcome. Please contact Cheryl Teixeira at checheboo@yahoo.com if interested.
Your prepared chicken rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at all the Masses next weekend, May 30th and 31st for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre.
More volunteers are encouraged to pick up a copy of the casserole recipe and a pan. Why not give it a try?
Please contact Irene Albrecht at 416-221-2791 for more information.
The Hope for the Children Foundation is holding its Annual Corporate Golf Tournament on June 16th, 2009 at the Eagles Nest Golf Club in support of the Catholic Children’s Aid Society. Funds raised support post-secondary scholarships and emergency care in times of crisis. For more information, please contact the Foundation at 416-395-1634.
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
