September 17th, 2008
| Posted in Events |
September 14th, 2008
This feast is always celebrated on September fourteenth. It is an extraordinary feast in the history and in the mind of the Church. It is believed that St. Helen, the mother of Constantine, while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 326, found a piece of the “True Cross” on September 14th. The feast became important when it was believed that the “True Cross” was returned from Persia to Jerusalem in the seventh century after its having been stolen.
The second reading – Paul’s letter to the Philippians – pretty well sums up the whole reality of Jesus. Though Jesus was in the form of God, He did not consider being equal to God as something to be exploited or clung to. As the ancient Nicene Creed states, Jesus was God from God, light from light, true God from true God. From His divine reality Jesus was willing to empty Himself taking to Himself the form of a slave and being born in human likeness. Again, as our Creed proclaims, “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.” As one like us in all things but sin, Jesus became obedient to His Father’s will even to the point of death, even death on a cross. As Jesus told the inquisitive Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted up the healing serpent in the desert so the Son of Man must be lifted up on the very cross we honor today, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. On that cross Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our offences, upon Him was the punishment that made us whole and it was by His wounds we are healed.
But that is not the end of Jesus. For handing over His very being to His Father’s will, His Father exalted Him. In the reality of the resurrection, Jesus is given a name above every name that can be named, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven and earth and under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. It is in the resurrection that Jesus the slave is vindicated and exalted by His Father.
In the cross we see the triumph of love over hate and of justice over injustice. In the crucified Christ we see the love of God made visible. As today’s gospel reminds us, “God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world but to embrace the world with all its joys and sorrows” and by His death on the cross Christ bring life to the world.
On this feast of the Triumph of the Cross we can apply Jesus mentality to ourselves. By God’s grace we try to empty ourselves of all that is not Christ like – our selfishness, self satisfaction, bigotry, prejudice, any sense of injustice, anything in the way we live our lives that does not image in some way the teachings and example of Jesus.
I heard an interesting thing the other day. A person was asked, “are you a Christian and the answer was ask my neighbour’ or ask my wife or husband, ask my children, ask the people with whom I work.
On this triumphant feast of the Cross we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be emptied of any un-Christ like aspects of our lives and be blessed to be able to echo the words of St. Paul, “I live now, not I but 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.”
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $11,417.00
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The Archdiocese of Toronto wishes to thank you for your support. The 2008 ShareLife Parish Campaign raised $11,763,375 for 33 Catholic agencies and 10 grant recipients. Your contribution made a difference to more than 200,000 people who turned to Sharelife agencies for assistance this year.
The Altar Service is now recruiting new members. If you are in Grade 4 or higher and are interested in becoming an altar server, please leave your name and phone number with the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. The orientation and training for new members will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2008 from 2:30 PM to 4:15 PM.
The Children’s liturgy of the word, for children 4-10 years old, will begin on Sunday, September 21 at the 10:30 AM Mass. We are in need of volunteers to help us interpret the readings through discussion and activities. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Tim Lychy at 416-953-0555 or email him at tim@dibrinasure.com.
This is an invitation to come to our first meeting on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 7:30 in the Library. Come with your questions, your curiosity, and your point of view. They will be the basis of our discussion.
To Our Parishioners: Because our Parish Community is considered the official teacher and guide for possible new members, it is important that some of you help by being present and by sharing your faith in ways that are comfortable to you. Adult Catholics who wish to celebrate the sacraments of Eucharist and /or Confirmation are also welcome. For more information, please call Mary Landry at 416-221-8866 after Monday, September 8th, 2008.
In past years, Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings have been devoted to religious topics decided on by those who wish to participate. We have studied and discussed parts of the Bible, Church history, viewed videos, listened to tapes and read short but substantial books about Christ and the Church.
On Tuesday evening, September 30th at 7:30 PM, our topic will be “What is Liberation Theology?”.
On Wednesday morning, October 8th at 10:30 AM, we will finish studying St. Paul’s Letters.
Both groups will decide what topics they wish to study through the fall. If you are interested, please come with your questions, your “puzzlements”, your concerns and interests about the faith (and sometimes doubts) we share. For further information, please call Mary Landry at 416-221-8866, Ext. 224.
“Those who sing pray twice!”
We would like to invite new membership to our Senior and Junior Choirs. The Senior Choir practices Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 and sings at the 10:30 Mass. The Junior Choir practices Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 and sings at the 12:30 Mass. We invite all to consider joining this important ministry of music.
For more information, please call Marilyn Calderone at 416-618-2041.
A Marriage Preparation Course will take place at St. Gabriel’s Church on the weekend of October 24th to 26th. If you are interested, please contact the Parish Office at 416-221-8866. Register early as space is limited.
Fair Trade organic coffees will be on sale after all the Masses next weekend.
Regular ground coffee: $5 Decaffeinated: $6 Whole beans: $5 Chocolate Bars: $4 incl. taxes Hot Chocolate and Cocoa: $4.50 Teas: $3.25 to $3.50 by variety
Blessed Trinity CWL is having the first General Meeting for the fall on Tuesday, September 16 in the parish hall. There will be a Mass at 1:00 PM followed by a brief meeting and a special guest speaker. All the ladies of St. Gabriel’s are cordially invited to come and socialize with old friends and meet new people.
Blessed Trinity Knights of Columbus will be hosting an Italian Dinner Dance followed by a Silent Auction and Raffle on Saturday, September 20th at Blessed Trinity Church. To order tickets, please contact Rocco at 416-225-7673. All proceeds will be donated to charity.
From September 21 to October 4 and October 15 to October 18, 2008, we will retrace St. Paul’s journeys in Greece, the Greek Isles and Turkey. Paul’s journeys and life are recorded in his letters and in the Acts of the Apostles.
For further information, please visit the Catholic Biblical Association website at www.cbac.org, email Sr. Jocelyn Monette at jocmon@sympatico.ca or call 416 – 406 – 4398
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides an annual receipt for tax purposes for all known donors. This is usually achieved by the donors giving cheques from which all relevant information can be obtained. However, some donors have been putting significant amounts in the Poor Box for which no receipt can be given since their identity is not known. St. Vincent de Paul envelopes are now available on the tables by the doors of the Church for use by those giving cash, if they would like a receipt. Either their name and address or envelope number must be filled in on the envelope so that the amounts can be recorded.
Speak with confidence, control nervousness, communicate effectively and recognize your potential. The Christopher Leadership Course of Canada offers you the ability to develop and enhance your speaking and leadership skills. These enhanced skills benefit your home, place of worship, place of employment and the community. Learn all this while having fun during an 11 week course beginning the week of September 22, 2008 at four different locations in the GTA. For more information call 1-800-418-8925
The televised Sunday Mass on CTV for shut-ins is moving to a new time. As of September 21, 2008, the televised Sunday Mass will begin at 8:30 AM.
Providence healthcare welcomes you to come out and visit us. See and hear first-hand about our excellent programs and services with a personalized tour. To arrange your tour, please contact Gloria Vidovich at 416-285-3669 or gvidovic@providence.on.ca. We are located at 3276 St. Clair Avenue East (corner of Warden & St. Clair Ave.). Our website is www.providence.on.ca
Faith Connections: Scripture Sound Bytes
Are you between the ages of 18-39 years? Interested in enhancing you spiritual life? The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and The Mississauga Parishes invite you to discover with other young adults how the Sunday Readings relate to your life. Join us for an evening of prayer, reflection and social time! Come & bring friends.
Tuesday Evenings from 7:30-9:30pm, St. Christopher’s Parish 1171 Clarkson Rd. North, Mississauga.
More Info? www.faithconnections.ca or call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-222-1101.
| Posted in Bulletin |
September 7th, 2008
I find this a very difficult gospel on which to preach. Maybe we could start with the last words of today’s gospel.
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.” Where two or three are gathered together there is bound to be differences of opinion, different ways of looking at things, personality conflicts, hurt feelings, and jealousy. Where two or three are gathered together anything can happen. Isn’t there a saying that if you get two rabbis together you will end up with three opinions.
One way we can take this promise of Jesus, “where two or three are gathered in my name I am there among them” is that, He will be there in that gathering challenging us to be what they claim to be – Christians – for we are there in His name. Christ will challenge us to respect one another, love one another, support one another, and if circumstances call for it, confront one another. There is such a thing as false charity, false love. There can be time when we know someone is doing or saying something harmful to themselves or another, yet we keep silent. We back off an ‘intervention’, we do not speak to warn another of the serious harm they are doing, to themselves or someone else.
Years ago I was with my brother John in Myrtle Beach. Like me, he had great devotion to our Lady of the Links. We were getting on an elevator and caught the end of a conversation of three southern bells. One lady said to her friends, “Of course that’s the way I feel in my heart, I’d never say it to her face.” That’s really not Christian charity, in fact if it was a serious matter this good lady was failing her friend.
Again in my distant past I was friends with a young couple who eventually married. But they had a great falling out. She wrote to me in Sudbury and told me what had gone wrong and he wrote telling his side of the story. I wrote to him and told him how I saw the situation and that he was being pretty selfish and immature. I got a scathing letter back from him, in which he wrote, ‘and I thought you were my friend.’ I wrote back and said ‘I thought I was your friend too but if a friend is someone who only tells you what you want to hear instead of what you need to here then I guess I’m not your friend.’ I got a quick letter back from him and there was peace in the valley. We’re still friends.
In our original rule there was a section that dealt with fraternal correction. It cautioned the superior that if he felt he had to confront someone for their faults he was to wait three days and reconsider the situation again. There can be times when the problem is with us and really not with the other person. When we find ourselves saying to a spouse, a son or daughter, a fellow worker, “you make me angry, you make me so frustrated,” the conversation goes no where.
The real problem may be our problem. We let ourselves get angry or impatient or close minded and blame it on someone else. Presenting our problem to someone else about their problem we are not always sure whether what we consider to be their problem is just something that bothers us. We need to confront ourselves honestly first, second, and third. What we should be saying is, “I get angry, annoyed, impatient, embarrassed when you do or say or act in this way.” We need to figure out whose problem this really is.
Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there. I am there asking, inviting each of them to be a sentinel – as Ezekiel was to the house of Israel – be a sentinel for one another to warn, alert, counsel one another as a friend, not as a judge. Where two or three are gathered in my name I am there, asking you to be your brother’s/sister’s keeper. I am there asking you to not only warn or alert but to support, encourage and affirm each other saying only the good things others need to hear, things that will really help them. Where two or three are gathered, I am there to remind you “Love does no wrong to a neighbour, love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Total: $7,676.37
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 109 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre during the summer; 34 for June, 35 for July and 40 for August. For September, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of September 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.
This is an invitation to come to our first meeting on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 7:30 in the Library Come with your questions, your curiosity, and your point of view. They will be the basis of our discussion. To Our Parishioners: Because our Parish Community is considered the official teacher and guide for possible new members, it is important that some of you help by being present and by sharing your faith in ways that are comfortable to you. Adult Catholics who wish to celebrate the sacraments of Eucharist and /or Confirmation are also welcome. For more information, please call Mary Landry at 416-221-8866 after Monday, September 8th, 2008.
Have you suffered the loss of a spouse through separation, divorce or death? Are you looking for strength to deal with your grief? Consider a weekend of hope and healing. Special Weekend Retreat – November 14 – 16, 2008
6 week Session Fridays at 7:30 PM September 12 to October 17
October 7th, 8:00 PM Know the Law and Make It Work For You, Vic Szumlanski, LL..B
New Beginnings, 1155 Yonge Street, Second Floor Toronto, Ontario, M2M 3S4 For all enquiries please call 416-921-1163, Ext. 2246.
From September 21 to October 4 and October 15 to October 18, 2008, we will retrace St. Paul’s journeys in Greece, the Greek Isles and Turkey. Paul’s journeys and life are recorded in his letters and in the Acts of the Apostles. For further information, please visit the Catholic Biblical Association website at www.cbac.org, email Sr. Jocelyn Monette at jocmon@sympatico.ca or call 416-406-4398
Blessed Trinity Knights of Columbus will be hosting an Italian Dinner Dance followed by a Silent Auction and Raffle on Saturday, September 20th at Blessed Trinity Church. Please support them by buying tickets after the 12:30 and 4:30 PM Masses. To order tickets, please contact Rocco at 416-225-7673. All proceeds will be donated to charity.
Providence healthcare welcomes you to come out and visit us. See and hear first-hand about our excellent programs and services with a personalized tour. To arrange your tour, please contact Gloria Vidovich at 416-285-3669 or gvidovic@providence.on.ca.
We are located at 3276 St. Clair Avenue East (corner of Warden & St. Clair Ave.) Our website is www.providence.on.ca
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto invite young adults (19-39 yrs) to a thought provoking social evening. Join us from 7:00-9:00p.m. on Mon September 15th @ the Duke of York Pub (39 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto). Marina Nemat, author of bestseller Prisoner of Tehran and Matthew Behrens, organizer of Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture, will be joining us to speak about “Torture & Illegal Detention in Today’s World” Munchies provided, come & bring friends!
Are you between the ages of 18-39 years? Interested in enhancing you spiritual life? The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and The Mississauga Parishes invite you to discover with other young adults how the Sunday Readings relate to your life. Join us for an evening of prayer, reflection and social time! Come & bring friends. Tuesday Evenings from 7:30-9:30pm, St. Christopher’s Parish, 1171 Clarkson Rd. North, Mississauga.
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