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.”
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $7,676.37
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
More Info? www.faithconnections.ca or call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt at 416-222-1101.
| Posted in Bulletin |
August 31st, 2008
Remember last Sunday’s gospel in which Peter answers Jesus’ question, “who do you say I am’ with the words,’you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’? Jesus praises Peter’s answer and calls him the ‘rock’, the rock on which Jesus will build His Church. In the gospel for today Jesus tells them the full dimensions of what it means to be “the Christ” the Anointed, the Messiah. It’s not all that glamorous. He will go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering. He will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes and be killed. He will be buried but on the third day he will be raised from the dead. Messiahship will be costly.
This is way beyond Peter. There is no way this is going to happen. All of a sudden Peter the rock becomes Peter the block, a stumbling block on Jesus’ way to Calvary. Jesus has to make it clear to Peter and the others that if they want to follow Him they have to put aside their ideas of what He was all about, and they have to know that their discipleship will be costly. Jesus wants to make it perfectly clear to Peter and the others that following Him, being one of His, means having a change of expectations. Finding or gathering things switches to losing or surrendering. Gaining a life that lasts for all eternity is theirs by letting go of things they think to be so important.
The cross was symbol of shame – there was nothing glorious about it. As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, to the Jews the cross was a scandal, to the Greeks it was foolishness. To be crucified was the ultimate humiliation. The early Christians did not want to be identified with such a cross. The most important symbol of the early Christian communities was the fish. The Greek letters that spell out the word fish clearly described the character of Jesus – Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. Even when the cross came into Christian art it was always a jeweled cross. If the image of Jesus was on the cross it showed him as priest and king, never as a naked defeated man. It was only in the fifth century that the crucifix we’ve come to know became popular.
The cross is central to our Christian faith. Without it there is no resurrection and no reconciliation with God. I’m reminded of a young man who came to Port Burwell for a retreat. We were walking the beach one day and he was telling me what the church had to do to become relevant to today’s young people. Man, he said, you got to get rid of that cross, it’s a downer. That’s one piece of advice we won’t follow. In the crucified Christ we see the love of God made visible, made real. God loved the world so much He sent His Son to the world, not to condemn us but to die for us in the most shameful, painful way.
As followers of Jesus we are promised the cross. It can come in many forms; illness of mind or body, chronic pain, the death of one we love, disappointment in relationships, loss of job, break up of a marriage, struggling with our own and on and on.
Every one of us has carried or is carrying a cross. Usually when a cross comes into our lives, we tend to ask ‘why’- why this illness, why this stress, why this disappointment, why this hurt? The question we could be asking is, what am I going to do with this, how am I going to handle this? Am I going to let this cross crush me, embitter me, make me cynical or sour my outlook on life? Or will I face this crisis, this hurt, this setback head on? Can I see this as an opportunity for growth in my faith in God; can I trust that God is with me, as He was with His Son on that hate-filled day in Jerusalem, as He was with His Son as He hung on the cross? Crosses test our trust in God’s love for us, in God’s presence to us. In those times when we fall under our cross, as Christ fell under His, we make our own the prayer of the confused and desperate father in the gospels who honestly told Jesus, Lord I believe, help the little faith I have – Lord I trust you, help the little trust I have.
I read this in an article written by a woman suffering from cancer; “Learn to be real with yourself and your situation. Try to recognize grief, rage and pain as part of life – a part of what it is to be fully human – because everyone you meet has experienced these things at some point. If they haven’t yet, they will. When life knocks you down, remember you are free to rage, cry, scream, and tremble. Just as you are free to laugh, smile, embrace life and rise again. It’s this freedom that makes me celebrate being fully alive and wide-awake. My hope is you’ll find peace and strength in this freedom, too.”
As we continue this Eucharist in which we remember and are present to the crucified Christ, we pray for ourselves and for each other that when a cross enters our lives we won’t pass it off with pious platitudes but have the honesty to admit it is heavy, it is painful, it is unfair and we resent it but we accept it as Jesus accepted His cross. May we be graced to pray as Jesus prayed in the dark recesses of Gethsemane, “let not my will but your will be done” for this is the cost of my discipleship.
Welcome back. We hope you have had an enjoyable and relaxing summer. For those young people who are off to university, we wish you every success as you begin a new stage of your life. For those students and teachers in our community returning to elementary and secondary schools, we wish you a very positive and rewarding new year.
Total: $7,964.85
ShareLife Total, 2007: $164,652.60 ShareLife Total, 2008: $174,507.20
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your very generous support of this year’s ShareLife Campaign. Fr. Paul
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 4:15PM.
The Community of St Gabriel’s would like to welcome all those children who have been baptized during the summer.
Mahana Altmid Reese Boylan Joaquin Burke Jarrell Inshallah Dwyer Alessa Furnari Timothy Findlay Williamson Oisin Kieran Francis O’Driscoll Nicole Gonsalez Naomi Rosemarie Lue Alexander Phillips Elliot Michael Stewart Mauricette Maeve Agnes Rubio Reardon Eric Jesus Viloria Mayven Evangeline Farinha Rylan Ng Lee Lucas Jackson Mele Aliyah Angelica McLennon
Attention: Those who are Interested in learning about the Catholic Faith
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.
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. Register early as space is limited.
Friday, September 5th from 9:30 AM – 12 Noon Please see the time schedule on the table inside the Church.
Saturday, September 6th at 3:15 PM in the Library For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Sunday, September 7 at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
For Separated, Divorced and Widowed Persons
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
Widow/Widower Support Group 6 week Session Fridays at 7:30 PM September 12 to October 17
Mini Renewal Presentations
September 2nd, 8:00 PM Getting back to Our Centre Rev. Fred Scinto, C.R.
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
Invites you…
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
September Hike: Discover the Humber River
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto invite young adults (18-39 years) for an afternoon of hiking, prayer, and social on Saturday September 6th. We will be meeting in front of the Old Mill Subway Station between 10:30am-11:00am. More Info/RSVP before Sept 4th – faithconnections@csj-to.ca or call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt 416-222-1426 ext 276.
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! More Info? www.faithconnections.ca or call Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt 416-222-1101
August 24th, 2008
The symbol that is prominent in the first reading and the gospel is that of a key. Eliakim receives the key to the house of David – Peter is given the keys to the kingdom of heaven. The keys Jesus gave to Peter are those given to Him by the Father – Jesus used His keys to open the eyes and ears and hearts of those willing to listen to His teaching. He used His keys to shut out darkness, sin and despair. The church uses its keys to open to us the truths of scripture and the mysteries of our Christian faith. It has used them to lock out the errors, the heresies that have tried to enter into the life of the church from the very time of the Apostles. The church uses its keys in and through its sacramental life as it opens our lives to the life and love of God especially in and through the great sacrament of reconciliation. God places the key on Eliakim’s shoulder to show that the authority he was given would be a burden not a privilege and it is the same with the keys given to Peter, not a privilege of power but a burden of service to us all.
Keys are the symbol of power or control. Loose the keys to your house or to your car and you are helpless. There is nothing worse that being told you must hand over the keys to your car because you can’t drive any more or hand over the keys to your home because you can’t live alone any more. This doesn’t happen any more but can you remember when you found yourself locked out as you came home from a party past your curfew. Curfew, that’s a word you never hear any more. He who has the keys has the power. As we all know power, authority can be used for good or misused for ill.
Parents hold the keys that empower them to unlock for their children their own faith and life values – just by the example they give them. Parents have the keys that can unlock for their children the security, the love and acceptance they need to establish themselves in positive self love. Parents have the power to lock out of their own lives and the lives of their children the corrosive power of prejudice and bigotry and at the same time unlock the doors that allow them to live with respect for people different from themselves.
We are shocked when we hear stories of parents who lock a child away, hidden in a room for years, subject to abuse of every kind. We wonder what kind of parent could do such an evil thing. But when parents lock a child out of their love and acceptance, when they fail to accept that child for what he or she is, they are locking such a child in a room of self doubt and life long isolation. The terrible power of the keys.
As we get ready for a new school year we can think about the power of the keys teachers possess to unlock the wonders of learning for their students.
Outside St. Peter’s in Rome there is that impressive, larger than life statue of St. Peter holding the keys that give the church the power to lock or unlock. Each one of us has such a key, a power to open or close our hearts and lives to other people, family, friends or strangers. Each of us has the key, the power to open or close our minds to new ideas and insights into our faith, into life itself.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass – in which God unlocks to each of us the treasury of His love and forgiveness, we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we use wisely and generously the power of the keys God has given to each of us.
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
