January 20th, 2008
Total: $9,917
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Tax receipts for donations made in 2007 will be available by the end of February, although every effort will be made to have them in your hands as quickly as possible.
Tuesday evening, January 22th at 7:30 PM The Passionists and their new project – a conversation with Father Steve
Wednesday morning, January 30th at 10:30 AM Reconciliation by Father Michael Himes
Wednesday, January 30, 2008 from 7:30 – 9:00 PM Parents of children receiving First Communion are invited to attend a Parents’ Only meeting in the Gabriel Room. In case of bad weather the meeting will be held on January 31st.
When your children were born, you started on a path of faith development and life-long learning. Let Toronto’s Catholic schools continue this educational and spiritual journey with you and your family.
Registration begins in February, 2008 for Kindergarten and French Immersion at all Catholic elementary schools throughout the City of Toronto. For your convenience, extended registration hours will take place on February 7th from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.
For more information, please contact the Catholic school nearest you or 416-222-8282, extension 5314 or visit the Board’s website at www.tcdsb.org.
Your prepared chicken rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses next weekend for delivery to the Good Shepherd Centre. More volunteers are encouraged to get a copy of the casserole recipe and a pan and give it a try. For more information, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791
This year we are hosting this ecumenical service, written by the Women of Guyana on Friday, March 7 at 2:00 PM. Do we have any parishioners from Guyana? If so, please contact Mary Landry at 221-8866, ext. 224 as soon as possible.
Development and Peace is asking you to sign a card next weekend requesting the Canadian government to establish an ombudsperson’s office. Canadian government consultations in 2006resulted in a report based on a consensus by the mining industry and civil society organizations entitled “The National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries.” One of the main recommendations of the report is to establish an independent ombudsperson. This would give poor communities in the Global South a voice when their human rights and their environment are threatened by the activities of Canadian mining companies. More information is available in a brochure at the entrance to the church and is also available at www.devp.org under Education Campaign.
Parishioners of St. Gabriel’s Parish are invited to attend the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Celebration hosted by Archbishop Thomas Collins. The Archbishop has invited the major religious leaders throughout the metropolitan city of Toronto to join with him in prayer for Church unity. The service will be held on Sunday, January 20th at 4:00 PM at St. Paul’s Basilica, 83 Power Street (at Queen St.) Refreshments will follow. This year’s celebration marks 100 years of formal prayer for Christian Unity, first celebrated as the Church Unity Octave by the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement at Graymoor, Garrison, New York.
Thinking about the priesthood? Wondering what it might be like? Then “Come and See” is for you! February 1st to 3rd, 2008, there will be an opportunity for young men age 18 years or older to visit our Archdiocesan Seminary in Scarborough. This weekend will provide time for prayer, reflection and information on the process of becoming a Catholic priest. If God is calling you, say yes… and come and see. Those interested are asked to contact the Office of Vocations for further information at 416-968-0997.
January 27th, 2008 Our lady of Sorrows Parish Hall 3055 Bloor St. W (west of Royal York Road) from 2 – 5 PM Irish Music, Ceili Dance, Irish kitchen and Prizes…. Adults $10, Children a Twoonie. All are welcome. Ticket and/or Table for Family and Friends, please call Monica at 416-498-0227 or Christine at 416-484-6274 or email info@irishheritagehouse.com
Celtic Family Sunday events are in support of the O’Connor Irish Heritage House project – www.irishheritagehouse.com
| Posted in Bulletin |
January 13th, 2008
Pope John 23rd died on November 23rd, 1961. At his funeral a few days later, Cardinal Suenens of Belgium preached the homily. He told the hundreds of thousands who watched that funeral, “the most important day of this man’s life was not the day he was elected pope, nor was it the day he was named a cardinal, nor was it the day he was ordained a bishop, nor was it the day he was ordained a priest. The most important day of this good man’s life was the day he was baptized.”
Baptism is the foundation of our lives as Christians. It empowers us to receive all the other sacraments. Our baptism is our birthing in our life with God. When talking about baptism some people will say, ‘we’ve got to get the kid done.’ Something like, ‘stamped for the dance’. Our baptism was not a one shot deal, it was the beginning of our life long process of growing in grace before God and others. Our baptism was the beginning of our life time process of growing to full maturity in Christ. We live our baptism every day of our lives.
As St. Paul tells us, at our baptism the Spirit of God was poured into our hearts and in that Spirit we have the boldness to call God, Father/Mother. In that Spirit we have the boldness to approach the throne of grace with confidence, trusting that our Father/Mother loves us more than we love ourselves, knows us better than we know ourselves and will be with us through all the joys and sorrows of our lives.
In the gospel we see Jesus waiting in line to be baptized by John. John is shocked when he sees Jesus and tries to prevent the ritual. “I need to be baptized by you and you come to me.” But Jesus didn’t want special treatment; He was one of many waiting His turn. Matthew tells of what happened when Jesus came up out of the water, “the heavens were open to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And this voice from heaven saying, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
This voice was for Jesus only. It was His epiphany, His coming to a consciousness He never had before, a deep consciousness of His relationship with the Father. He is the beloved son with whom the Father is well pleased. In a way these same words were said over us at our baptisms – this is my beloved daughter, my beloved son with whom I am well please.
If we are in any way conscious of how deeply we are loved by God, then God’s love evokes our mutual love for God. Jesus heard this voice of love ‘this is my beloved son’ and then left for the desert to prepare Himself to give His whole life to God in gratitude. If we could truly appreciate God’s love for each of us, a love proven beyond doubt in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus – we would do our best to live our lives in thankfulness to the God Who loves us.
Just a word about our second reading and the words of Peter,’ I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God.’ There are three forms of baptism; baptism by water, baptism by blood, and baptism of desire. We were all baptized by water. In the early years of the church people who were under instruction for baptism but who died for their faith were considered to have been baptized in their own blood. Anyone who fears God, not fear as we usually think of it, but fear as a reverence and an awe of God as he/she knows God, and does what is right, receives the baptism of desire. The fact is the most common form of baptism is that of desire given to good people of all faiths as they do their best to love and serve God as they know God.
As we continue to celebrate this feast of the baptism of Jesus we are brought back to our own baptisms – which most of us don’t even remember. St. Paul tells us that before the world began God chose us in Christ to be His adopted sons and daughters, to be God’s own. As Jesus had His own epiphany at His baptism when He became deeply conscious of His relationship with Father, may each of us be blest to have our own epiphany of knowing that we are loved by God, we are God’s own. May each of us live our lives in such a way that the Father may say of us; this is my beloved daughter, my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $12,007
Please remember to take your envelopes home with you today. If you have not been assigned envelopes and wish to use them, please register in the parish office.
Tuesday evening, January 15th at 7:30 PM The Passionists and their new project – a conversation with Father Steve
Wednesday morning, January 16th at 10:30 AM Eucharist by Father Michael Himes
This year we are hosting this ecumenical service, written by the Women of Guyana on Friday, March 7 at 2:00PM. Do we have any parishioners from Guyana? If so, please contact Mary Landry at 221-8866, ext. 224 as soon as possible.
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 $4 by variety
The Development and Peace (D&P) Action Campaign for this year continues last year’s focus on Canadian mining companies operating in the Global South to respect human rights and the environment. D&P is asking you to sign a card on the weekend of January 26/27 requesting the Canadian government to establish an ombudsperson’s office. This office will receive and investigate complaints of Canadian mining companies operating abroad, make recommendations and make the results of investigations public. More information will be provided and is also available at www.devp.org under Education Campaign.
invites members of MOSAIC congregations to a Shabbat celebration on Friday, January 18th at 6:00 – 7:30 PM. This is a special Shabbat – the Sabbath of Song commemorating the Song of the Sea the Children of Israel sang when they were freed from Egyptian bondage. The Temple is located at 7360 Bayview Ave., north of Steeles Ave. on the west side. See the bulletin board for more details including parking. RSVP needed to Nora at 416 218 – 0680 (or for more info) by January 14th at the latest.
at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre, Mississauga, January 18-20, 2008. The theme “DISCOVERING THE MYSTIC WITHIN US” will be given by the Queen of Apostles’ Centre Team. For further information or to register call 905 278 – 5229.
January 6th, 2008
A number of years ago a young fellow I know came home from school on his 16th birthday carrying all his text books. He went to the trash can, kicked it open and dropped all the books into it. Then he announced to his parents his schooling days were over. Legally he could leave school – he was never going back, it was a waste of time. Needless to say there was a family discussion with a lot of shouting. In the end he won out. His mother and father could not convince him of his need to finish high school
For the next couple of years he worked at a number of Joe jobs. He didn’t make enough to pay a reasonable rent. One job, in a warehouse, lasted for a year and a half. One day during lunch break he looked around at men much older than himself. He looked at them, good men all, and it dawned on him, this is my future. Many of his high school friends had gone on to college or university; he was still working in a warehouse.
He got up, walked into the office and told his boss he was quitting. Then he went up to the Finch Campus of Seneca College and asked to see a student counselor. Hours later when he left the counselor’s office he had a whole course of studies lined up and he started classes the next day. Of course he went home from Seneca and asked his mother and father why they didn’t make him stay in high school. It was their entire fault.
On that day, on that lunch break, in that warehouse this young man had an epiphany – an insight, a revelation about himself and the value of education for him. He’s never looked back.
Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany – the feast of the Maritimers because as Matthew tells us, the wise ones came from the East.
As you’ve heard before, the communities for whom Matthew wrote his gospel were basically Jewish men and women who believed Jesus was the Messiah. They were seen by family and friends as traitors to their ancient faith. They were persecuted for their faith. As these communities grew and as the teaching of Jesus spread from country to country, non Jews came to believe in Jesus and became members of the community. For many Jewish Christians this was a problem. They, the Jews, were God’s people. Time and time again they read in their scriptures, “I will be your God and you will be My people.” They believed this promise was for themselves alone. They resented these Gentiles, these intruders. Years after the death and resurrection of Jesus these communities had their epiphany, their insight into the mercy and love of God. That epiphany is described in the story of these holy and searching strangers from the east, looking for this new born king of the Jews, wanting to pay him homage. They represented all those non Jews who searched for the life and the love of God, made visible in Jesus the Christ and experienced in these Christian communities.
This epiphany that God’s love embraced all people spread throughout the Christian communities everywhere. St. Peter, after his encounter with the Roman Cornelius, expressed it when he wrote, “the truth I have come to realize is this, that any person of any nationality who does what is right, is acceptable to God.’ In one of the earliest pieces of scripture we have, Paul’s letter to the Christian community of Ephesus, we read his way of expressing this epiphany, “in former generations, namely, in our past history, this mystery was not made known to humanity as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, the Gentiles, all non Jews, have become fellow heirs, members of the same body and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” – through the telling of the good news.
This insight, this revelation that God’s love embraces any person of any nationality is an insight Christian communities often lost sight of throughout history. Outside the church there is no salvation – which church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Church, and the Protestant Churches. We have a sad history of religious wars, of forced conversions. We have failed to see the faith, love and goodness that vitalize non Christian religions. Thank God, in our time, we are more in touch with the real meaning of this feast of the epiphany – that any person of any nationality, who does what is right, is acceptable to God.
The tragic example of the Taliban and their fanatic, limited understanding of Islam and the teachings of the Prophet show the world how disastrous and evil religious fanaticism can become. But throughout our own history we’ve had our own versions of the Taliban.
Prejudices such as racism, sexism, homophobia, are proofs that as an individual or as a community we still need an epiphany – an embracing of the truth that we are all brothers and sisters before God, that any person of any nationality who does what is right is acceptable to God.
I’ve mentioned before that this ‘green church’ is meant to make green people. We all need an epiphany that opens our minds and hearts to the truth – earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth and what we do to the earth we do to ourselves. In the book of Genesis and the story of Noah and the ark we read that when the flood subsided and Noah stood once again on solid ground, God showed him a rainbow in the sky and told Noah, “Here is the sign of the covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature to be found with you for all generations to come. I set my bow in the sky and it will be sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.” This is an ancient covenant the human family has failed to keep. Every day we read in the papers or hear on TV of the crisis conditions which our life styles, our consumerism, our wastefulness have inflicted on the planet. As members of the human family we need an epiphany, an awakening, which brings us to a critical mass of consciousness which convinces us of our need to change if the planet is to be healed.
As we continue to celebrate this great feast may we be blessed to enter into the wonder of this epiphany which teaches that God’s love and salvation are for all people – that any person of any nationality who does what is right is acceptable to God – and should be acceptable to us. May we be blessed with an epiphany that helps us understand our oneness with all God’s creation and live our rainbow covenant with the earth community with deep respect for all God’s good creation.
With the Feast of the Epiphany, we close our celebration of Christmas. As a parish family we had a beautiful Christmas. Sincere thanks to our cantors and choirs, musicians, Ministers of the Eucharist, Altar Servers, Lectors, and Ministers of Hospitality. Special thanks to those who decorated the Church and to those who are keeping the plants looking so alive and healthy. Thank you for your generous support of our Christmas collection, St. Vincent de Paul, the Toy Drive and the Food Drive. You are wonderful people!!
Marilyn, who has been on staff at St. Gabriel’s since 1972, is now retiring. To thank her for her many years of service and ministry, we are having a reception in her honour today, Sunday January 6th from 3:00 – 5:00 PM in our Gathering Space.
There will be no Family Mass in January 2008. The next one will take place on February 3, 2008.
Tuesday evening, January 15th at 7:30 PM Topic: The Passionists and their new project
Wednesday morning, January 16th at 10:30 AM Topic: Eucharist by Father Michael Himes
Please pick up your box of envelopes in our Gathering Space. It is important that you throw away all envelopes from previous years as your number may have been assigned to another family. Remember to enter your full name and address on each envelope so that we may allocate donations correctly for income tax purposes. If you do not have envelopes and would like a box, please contact the office.
Please help us to update our parish records by calling the office with your new information at 416 221-8866.
invites members of MOSAIC congregations to a Shabbat celebration on Friday, January 18th at 6:00 – 7:30 PM. This is a special Shabbat – the Sabbath of Song commemorating the Song of the Sea the Children of Israel sang when they were freed from Egyptian bondage. The Temple is located at 7360 Bayview Ave., north of Steeles on the west side. See the bulletin board for more details including parking. RSVP needed to Nora 416 218 – 0680 (or for more info) by January 14th at the latest.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 49 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for December. For January, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of January 26/27 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.
at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre, Mississauga, January 18-20, 2008. The theme “DISCOVERING THE MYSTIC WITHIN US” will be given by the Queen of Apostles’ Centre Team. For further information or to register call 905 278 -5229.
Monday, January 14th, 2008 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM The Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto invite young adults (19-39 years) to a thought provoking social evening at the Duke of York Pub (39 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto). Francesca Scorsone, Chaplain at All Saints S.S. will speak about “LAITY IN A CHANGING CHURCH”. Munchies provided. For more information contact Vanessa Nicholas at 416 222 – 1101 or www.faithconnections.ca
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