March 2nd, 2008
In the time of Jesus blindness was regarded as a consequence of sin. Hence the question of the disciples, “Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” The blind were doubly burdened, both by their inability to see and a culture that thought they were living in a darkness they deserved.
Today’s gospel is about the cure of a man blind from birth and the blindness of those who can see. Let’s face it; most of us are probably blind to someone or something at one time or another in our lives. Our biases and prejudices are like cataracts that cloud our sight and prevent us from seeing clearly.
We can be stunned by the unwillingness of the Pharisees to see the wonder that took place before their eyes. A man born blind sees. Their blind spot was that anyone who did not keep the Sabbath could not work such a wonder. But more insightful people responded, “How could a man who is a sinner perform such signs?”
The man born blind went through his own process of seeing Jesus more clearly. He started out by saying, “this man named Jesus put mud on my eyes and sent me to Siloam” Facing the hostility of the Pharisees he saw Jesus as a prophet. Finally when he met Jesus face to face he worshiped Him as Lord. This much like our own journeys of faith. If we are open to God’s grace we can be blessed with sight and insight into our own relationship with God and how God is working in our lives even in our most difficult times.
Where are we in this gospel story? Are we the man blessed with sight or are we among those who refuse to see the wonders worked before our eyes? As I mentioned before we all have our blind spots, our cataracts. Maybe in the light of today’s gospel each one of us can echo the plea of another blind man found in another gospel story, “Lord let me see again.”
Someone wrote, “We should be able to see what our hearts have always taught us to be true: all that truly matters in life are our relationships. If we can see the bonds that are shared with family, with friends, and with members of our faith community and with God as most important, that is the first step in making those relationships better, stronger, truer. Too often we allow our jobs and other interests to stand in the way of our time together.” It would be great that, if in the light of today’s gospel story we could be touched by that healing power of Jesus and be blessed to see in a new way our family, our friends. If we could see in a new way their humanity and their preciousness and come to appreciate what a blessing they are to us and how they enrich our lives. It would be great if we were blessed with an insight into our own worth and goodness and how precious we are to God.
And what about those men and women who do not count in our eyes? The ones we chose not to see; the poor, the homeless, the immigrants, the underemployed, the handicapped. Could we be blessed to see these good people for who they are, our brothers and sisters in Christ? Lord let us see again.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we pray for ourselves and for each other that we see with fresh eyes all those people who touch our lives, may we see with fresh eyes the great love God has for each of us as we see that love made visible in the crucified Christ, may we see with fresh eyes the beauty and the fragility of the world in which we live. Lord let us see again because there is so much to see.
| Posted in Homily |
Monday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 5, 7:30 – 8:30PM
Christ’s Passion can help us to grapple with and respond to the challenges of climate change. The difficult journey of his ministry reached a critical decision when he had to accept or reject a passion that he did not particularly want (Matt. 26: 37-39). A compelling urgency and necessity demanded that a choice be made so that salvation might eventually follow. The model of Christ’s action and the values that informed his decision can guide and inspire our response to the increasingly serious consequences of climate change. Join us for two evenings of reflection and prayer on March 3rd and 5th at 7:30 PM, guided by Dennis O’Hara.
Friday evenings at 7:30 PM.
While remembering the passion of Jesus, we also prayerfully reflect on the passion of Christ as it is experienced in the sufferings of our brothers and sisters today. Please try to join us at least once during this Lenten season.
During Lent we encourage your attendance at our weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings at 9:00 AM.
Wednesday, March 19 at 7:00 PM in the Gabriel Room
This annual parish event is again being sponsored by the Pastoral team. Passover is the oldest festival of the Hebrew liturgical calendar. It has been observed by Jewish people for more than 3,000 years. Passover is a religious family meal celebrating Jewish freedom from slavery. It occurs in the spring the time of renewal in “Nissan”, the first month of the Hebrew year, and it lasts for eight days. Why do we celebrate this “meal” at St. Gabriel’s? First, this celebration helps us to understand our religious roots, which are Jewish. Second, it is an opportunity for us to celebrate our growth as a community, and be together with families and friends at this most special time during Holy Week. Please call the Parish Office at 416 – 221 – 8866 by Friday, March 14 to book your table of 6or 8, or to have your name added to a table.
Tuesday evening, March 4 at 7:30 PM Topic: Catholics in Nazi Germany
Wednesday morning, March 12 at 10:30 AM Topic: St. Paul – Pastor and Theologian
Thursday, March 6, 13 at 7:30 PM
Join us on Thursday evenings as we watch and discuss a video series entitled “THE MYSTERY OF FAITH” presented by Father Michael Himes, a teacher at Boston College. If you are interested in attending, it would be helpful for set-up if you would phone and leave a message with Mary Landry at 416-221-8866, Ext. 224.
Friday, March 7th at 2:00 PM at St. Gabriel’s Church
The World Day of Prayer is an ecumenical service at which seven other local churches will participate with us. We need some volunteers to help us both before and during the service. We will be making crosses using palms (100 of them!) to hand out at the service. We also need a few greeters and four others to take up the collection which goes to various religious and social justice organizations. Please join us as we welcome our neighbouring Christian parishes.
Total: $8,694.80
–>
Extra Parking at Elkhorn Public School
Our Place Community of Hope Centre has a client base of 400 individuals ranging in age from late 20s to 70s who are referred by a priest, social worker, case manager, occupational therapist, psychiatrist, or doctor. It is a supportive community and does not provide formal counseling. Services include: group activities, visitation and community building. There is an active membership of 250 who visit the centre at least once a week. Each day there are between 35 to 100 members who visit the centre for support. The hours of the centre include evenings and provide opportunities for individuals with mental health issues to experience socialization and community without charge.
Because You Give … you help ShareLife to make a difference each day!
ShareLife is now receiving funds for our relief partners at the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace as they respond to the crisis in Kenya. If parishioners wish to contribute to the relief effort, they can do so here at St. Gabriel’s or on the ShareLife website, www.sharelife.org
Wednesday, March 12, at 6:00 PM
There will be a Pot Luck Supper for all who cook casseroles or serve at the Good Shepherd Centre. Those interested in becoming volunteers are welcome to attend. The Pot Luck supper will be on Wednesday, March 12 at 6:00 PM. All attending are requested to bring a hot dish, salad or dessert to serve six people. A speaker from the Good Shepherd Centre will make a presentation on their activities and answer questions. If we have not contacted you, please call one of the following: Lily D’Gama at 416 733-3949, Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791, Fatima Lee at 416 221-8866, Ext. 228 or Neil Ahlberg at 416 223-9385.
Thank you to the volunteers who prepared 53 casseroles for the Good Shepherd Centre for February. For March, your prepared casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of March 29/30. 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 a copy of the recipe and a pan, please contact Irene Albrecht at 416 – 221- 2791
Tuesday, March 11, 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
Come and enjoy a day of prayer and reflection with rev. Fr Allan MacDonald, Chaplain of York University. Tickets are $15.00. There will be a catered lunch. For tickets, call Ilene Kennedy at 416-221-2786 or Velma Letterio at 416-226-0590. All are welcome.
| Posted in Bulletin |
February 24th, 2008
It’s all about water. Where would we be without it? Luckily in Canada we have an abundance of water. We can’t conceive of a situation of being without water. Here in Toronto we live on one of the great lakes, the inland seas. The Indian name for the Great Lakes was ‘the sweet water seas’. Right now the greatest sought after resource in the world is oil. Most of the conflicts going on in the world right now are around securing sources of oil. Some say the next great conflicts on the globe will be over water. For many people it will be a matter of survival. When you stop to think of it, we are paying more for bottled water than we are for a liter of gas.
But let’s back to the scripture. Imagine the anger and frustration of the Jewish people out in the arid desert following Moses to an unknown destination. In rage they ask Moses “Did you bring us out into this desert to die of thirst”? We know the end of the story. Moses struck the rock and there was water a plenty. Without this water they could never continue their journey. The water was a symbol of the sustaining presence and companionship of God on their journey.
In the gospel we find the thirsty Jesus standing by a deep well. He has no way of drawing up the water because He has no bucket. He needs someone else. So Jesus breaks two taboos: fraternizing with a Samaritan and a Samaritan woman at that. She was shocked by this encounter. “How is it that you a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria – for Jews did not share things in common with Samaritans.” Jesus is certainly thirsty, walking dusty roads on a dry hot day. But the water Jesus has in mind goes way beyond well water. “The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” Those who drink of the well water will come back time and time again to be refreshed. Those who drink the water Jesus offers will never be thirsty again, He is the living water. His presence, His love, His healing, His life quenches all our thirsts.
I read this thought recently. In John’s gospel there are a few instances where we are faced with apparent impossibilities. At Cana they had no wine – when faced with feeding an enormous crowd they only had five loaves of bread and two fishes, at the end of a long night Peter, James and John caught no fish. Jesus is thirsty, the well is deep and He has no bucket. Apparent impossibilities. But water is turned into choice wine – thousands are fed and there is much left over – there is a catch of fish that threatens to break nets – and at the well Jesus quenches a woman’s thirst for truth and love and acceptance.
How often do we face ‘apparent impossibilities’ in our own lives? How can I cope with this problem, resolve this conflict, let go of this anger and resentment? How can I forget and forgive this wrong done to me, what am I going to do with a son or daughter who is messing up his/her life? How can I cope caring for an invalid mother or father who is cantankerous and unreasonable? How can I cope with my own failing health, my own aching bones? How will I ever get over the grief of losing someone I loved? How do I handle my own doubts of faith in God or the meaning of my own life? Apparent impossibilities. The well is deep, we have no bucket.
We thirst for love, for understanding, for faith, for solutions, for patience, for wisdom, for the ability to forgive, for healing, for the capacity to accept the fact that things are not going to change. The well is deep, we have no bucket. We too meet Jesus at these different wells. He offers each of us in all our apparent impossibilities the refreshing, life giving waters of His life and His love. He offers us the refreshing waters of courage and patience, of insight and understanding, He offers us the refreshing waters of healing and forgiveness, He offers us the refreshing waters to trust in His presence to us, to trust that He knows and understands our ‘apparent impossibilities’ and He will see us through them.
Mass on Thursday, February 28 at 9:00 AM
St. Gabriel was a member of the Passionist Community. He was born Frances Possenti on March 1, 1838 in Assisi, and died February 27, 1862 at the age of 24. He had a special devotion to Mary and chose as his religious name Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin. He is remembered for his enthusiasm in life and his extraordinary generosity. Pope John XXIII proclaimed him as a special Patron of Youth.
Thursday, February 28, March 6, 13 at 7:30 PM
Wednesday, February 27TH at 7:30 PM
This is an opportunity to spend some time in peace and quiet, to reflect upon how we are responding to our call to be sons and daughters of God. Recognizing the fact that we are “good people,” we also accept the fact that good people can sin. Through an examination of conscience we face those sins, admit them and are reconciled to God. For those who wish, individual confessions will be celebrated after the service. We encourage you to take advantage of this celebration.
Wednesday morning, February 27th at 10:30 AM Topic: St. Paul – Pastor and Theologian
Monday, March 3rd and Wednesday, March 5th from 7:30 – 8:30 PM
CRITICAL CHOICES – PASSION RESPONSES THEN AND NOW
Saturday, March 1 at 3:15 PM in the Library For information, please contact Linda Law at 416 -918-8029.
Sunday, March 2 at 3:30 PM in the Gabriel Room For information, please contact Linda Law at 416-918-8029.
Sunday, March 2 at 11:30 AM in the Gabriel Room
On the first Sunday of each month, the Passionist Centre for Ecology and Spirituality facilitates a 30 minute reflection and discussion prompted by the readings for that Sunday’s liturgy. This guided reflection brings an ecological perspective to the readings.
Sunday, March 2 at the 12:30 PM MassCom e and celebrate with us.
Please remember in your prayers those who will be received into the Church at Easter.
Total: $8,230
There will be a potluck dinner for newcomers to Canada on February 29th at 6:30 PM in the Gabriel Room. It will be an excellent opportunity to meet other new immigrants in the parish and to share with one another the experiences of settlement and perhaps even some strategies for adjusting to new life in Canada. Please join us if you can. For more information, contact Fatima Lee at (416) 221- 8866 ext 228.
Society of Sharing has been dedicated to serving seniors and the disabled since 1981. The Society seeks to serve isolated and disabled adults over 50 or frail elderly persons who may not have family and friends. A request for a volunteer may be made by a visiting nurse, social worker, parish or community worker, family, friend or self. The Society of Sharing provides support to enhance the quality of life and to extend independent living in the community. Volunteers make regular visits to shut-ins. They also provide telephone medication reminders daily.
Your schedule for March 1 to June 29. 2008 and Holy Week is now available. Please pick it up as soon as possible.
Daria Morson Aidan Simms Murray Felin Czarina Therese Reye Lyliana Rene Jones Ella Benita Fernandes
The Marguerite Bourgeoys Family Centre will be selling Belgian chocolate Easter eggs for $3.00 each or two for $5.00 before and after the Masses on Sunday, March 2. Your support will help them promote and maintain their service in the Diocese to youth and couples.
There will be a Pot Luck Supper for all who cook casseroles or serve at the Good Shepherd Centre; those interested in becoming volunteers are welcome to attend. The Pot Luck Supper will be on Wednesday, March 12 at 6:00 PM. All attending are requested to bring a hot dish, salad or dessert to serve six people. A speaker from the Good Shepherd Centre will make a presentation on their activities and answer questions. If we have not contacted you, please call one of the following: Lily D’Gama at 416 733-3949, Irene Albrecht at 416 221-2791, Fatima Lee at 416 221-8866, Ext. 228 or Neil Ahlberg at 416 223-9385
March 3 & 4, 2008 on VISIONTV
Father Ron Rolheiser, O.M.I. will be the guest preacher for this year’s National televised Mission. His topic: Keeping a Mellow Heart in a Bitter Time. A powerful testimonial on this topic will be given by a father and his daughter, Tom and Barbara Zanig. Monday, March 3 – Show #1: 7:00 PM, 11:00 PM (repeat) Tuesday, March 4 – Show # 2: 7:00 PM, 11:00 PM (repeat)
Registration begins in February 2008 for Kindergarten and French Immersion at all Catholic elementary schools throughout the City of Toronto. For more information, please contact the Catholic school nearest you or at 416-222-8282, extension 5314 or visit the Board’s website at www.tcdsb.org.
At our Archdiocesan school renowned for it’s boys choir, auditions are now in progress for the 2008-9 school year. The Choir School forms young Christian gentlemen through a unique learning environment of musical and academic excellence. Entrance is normally at grade 3, but space may be available in upper years including the high school. For information, visit www.smcs.on.ca or call the Main Office at 416-393-5518.
February 22nd, 2008
| Posted in Events |
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
