April 22nd, 2007
Today’s gospel can be looked at from many angles. To begin with, Peter and the others were practical people – they had families to feed, boats to care for and so, even though they were still caught up in the wonder of seeing the risen Lord, when Peter said, “I am going fishing”, in other words I’ve got to get back to work, the others said, ‘so do we’.
Then we see the risen Christ coming to these men in the midst of their work, their unfruitful work. He wants to help them in their work – ‘cast your net to the right side of the boat.’ We too meet the risen Christ in the midst of our work, our careers, and our tasks. We meet Him in our work, we meet Him in the people with whom we work and we can trust that He is willing to help us in our work, see us through our struggles and disappointments – see us through the times when our labor seems to be in vain.
We wonder what is the significance of John telling us that the catch of fish numbered 153. Some sources say that at that time Greek zoology claimed that there were 153 species of fish. The message being, that the apostles – as fishers of people – are to bring all peoples to faith in the risen Christ.
Then we have the three questions of Jesus to Peter – do you love me? Remember Peter, warming himself at a fire, denied, even swore he did not know Jesus. Now warming himself at the charcoal fire Jesus lit, we see Peter’s rehabilitation – his threefold declaration of love – yes Lord I love you, you know all things, you know I love.
The next part of the gospel can apply to a lot of us because we are at a certain time in our lives. Jesus tells Peter, “When you were younger you used to fasten your belt and go where you wanted to go. But when you grow old you will stretch out your hands and someone will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’
I think we can apply this to that time in our lives when we loose our independence. When we have to face retirement, we’re too old for the job – we loose our driver’s license, we need a cane or a walker – we need home care – we have to face the hard realty we can’t live alone, we have to go into a retirement home, a nursing home, or worst of all we have to hang up the golf clubs. And it hurts – in a way it is a form of dying, having to face our limitations, face the fact we can’t do the things we used to do. We have to hand our lives over to others.
John tells us the Jesus spoke these words to Peter to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. In our own life situations we too can glorify God when we stretch out our hands, let go of our treasured independence, our freedom, our self reliance and trust in God’s care for us.
Jesus asked Peter, do you love me. When we are in those situations of having to let go of our independence Jesus can be asking us, not, ‘do you love me’ but ‘do you trust me’, do you trust me to walk with you into your new life situation? Remember the little exercise called a ‘faith walk’? We would close our eyes and someone would take us by the hand and we had no idea where they would lead us, we had to trust them, in a way we handed ourselves over to them.
As we continue to celebrate this Mass we can pray for ourselves and for each other that when that time comes in our lives – and for most of us it will come – when we stretch out our hands and go where we would rather not go – we be graced with the trust we need to hand our lives over to the grace and power of the Risen Christ – and in that surrender come to know new life and new love.
| Posted in Homily |
Total: $9,031
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2006 SHARELIFE TOTAL: $163,159.52 2007 TO DATE: $105,382.00
Tuesday, April 24th 7:30 PM St. Gabriel’s Church
Sunday, April 29th 8:30 AM. All families are invited. Children from the different grades will prepare the readings and usher.
April 24th 7:30 – 9:00PM Library TOPIC: “OTHER SEPARATIONS FROM THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH”
May 2nd 10:30AM – 12 NOON Library TOPIC: VATICAN II – THEN AND NOW
On Tuesday, May 1st, Mayor David Miller, Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone, and Members of Toronto City Council invite you to a ceremony in recognition of this year’s Green Toronto Awards. The awards honour and celebrate leading companies, organizations and individuals who have contributed to the greening of Toronto. Come out and celebrate the achievements of our Green Toronto Award winners. St. Gabriel’s is one of the three finalists. Seating is limited, so please arrive early. Elevators to the Council Chamber will open at 6:30 PM. Additional seating for a televised broadcast will be available in the rotunda. City Hall Council Chamber, 100 Queen St. West. Awards Presentation 7:00 – 8:30 PM Refreshments 8:30 – 9:30 PM. RSVP by April 27th – 416 – 392 – 7667
The parish of ST. GABRIEL’S welcomes into our family the following people who were received into the Church at our Easter Vigil with the CELEBRATION of BAPTISM, COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION:
SANDRA BIN ZHOU GISELLE ARBABI STELLA CHAN RAMONA NESMERAK
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 contact Irene Albrecht at 416 221 – 2791.
Membership Invitation The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an organization devoted to the assistance of our neighbours in need within the parish and also within the Greater Toronto Area. The scope of the latter activities is outlined on the St. Vincent de Paul poster on the notice board in the church gathering area. However, the principal and fundamental activity of members is to visit those looking for help, assess their needs and assist them in whatever manner is most appropriate, frequently in the provision of food, clothing and furniture. The St. Gabriel’s group or “Conference” is looking for new members. Anyone who is interested and would like to know more is invited to get in touch with Philip Taylor at 416 225-7750.
Keynote Address: Friday, April 27th at 7:30 PM Plenary and concurrent presentations and workshops: Saturday, April 28th from 9:00 – 5:00 PM
Keynote speaker Douglas Roche a journalist, author, MP, ambassador for disarmament, and senator will kick off a conference based on the life and thoughts of 20th century monk, Thomas Merton (social critic, poet and prophet) on Friday, April 27th at 7:30 PM at Seneca College Conference Centre, 1760 Finch Ave. East, Toronto, ON. The conference explores spiritual responses to despair over global warming, terrorism, nuclear weapons, consumerism, etc. Plenaries with Donald Grayston and Ron Dart; nine concurrent sessions. Sponsors: Thomas Merton Society of Canada & Seneca College.
Cost: $60 (includes lunch) $15 Friday evening $30 half day Saturday. Registration/information: tmsc@telus.net or 604 – 669 – 2546.
is pleased to announce the third in a series of free forums to engage, empower and involve parents in the education of students. Join us at St. Cyril Catholic Elementary School on April 25th at 7:00 PM at 18 Kempford Blvd., Toronto, ON. The guest speaker is Fr. James Mulligan, CSC. For additional information visit www.gtcpn.com or call 416 393 – 5270 or 416 618 – 0872 or e-mail: info@gtcpn.com. We are a volunteer group of catholic parent advocates.
Monday, April 23 7:00 – 9:00 PM This is a thought-provoking social evening for young adults (19-39 yrs) where a speaker provides an opportunity for discussion. Fr. Allan MacDonald, CC, Chaplain York University, will speak on “Proofs of the Resurrection”. Duke of York Pub, 39 Prince Arthur Ave. Munchies provided. Cash Bar. For more information contact Vanessa Nicholas 416 222 – 1426 ext 276
Monday, April 30th 2:30 – 7:00 PM St. Gabriel’s Parish – Gathering Space
| Posted in Bulletin |
April 15th, 2007
Let’s situate today’s gospel. John tells us it was the evening of the day Jesus rose from the dead. The disciples gathered together fearful and bewildered. They locked the doors for fear of the authorities. They did away with Jesus, would they be next in line. But they faced their fears together, supporting one another, praying with one another, knowing they were not alone. And it was into this community of fear Jesus came with his greeting of peace, breathing His gift of the Holy Spirit on them and propelling them out into the word to preach the good news of God’s love for all of us.
Thomas was not with them. He made the decision to deal with his grief, his shame alone. He didn’t want to be with the others, he isolated himself from the very people who needed him and who could have helped him deal with his grief and his shame.
Thomas had been so shaken by what happened to Jesus on Friday – he couldn’t fathom how things had come crashing down around Jesus and his followers. He was there for the wonderful reception the people gave Jesus as He came to Jerusalem for the Passover. Like the others he could just sense the energy of it all. Now it is over. Thomas, to his shame, took off when they came to arrest Jesus – from a safe distance he saw Jesus dragged through the streets to the place where they executed common criminals. From a safe distance he saw Jesus die – and with that Thomas’s hope that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel died.
With all this so fresh in his mind Thomas was not about to trust the stories told him by his friends, that they had seen the Lord. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Thomas was afraid to believe such an awesome story. Because he decided to deal with his deep grief isolated from Peter and the other, Thomas missed Jesus; he missed Jesus’ gift of peace and His gift of the Holy Spirit. In the gospel, we hear Jesus offering His wounded hands and side to Thomas inviting him into faith and we have Thomas’s words of love and faith – ‘my Lord and my God.’
This gospel of John puts before us a very basic truth.
God relates to us in community and as community. There’s the saying, ‘there are two things in life you cannot do alone, get married and be a Christian.’ The Mass we celebrate, the sacraments we receive are all celebrations of a faith community. We are all in this together.
One time my father was complaining about all the changes in the church, especially at Mass. He said,’ they’re standing and their singing, they’re sitting and they’re singing you’d think we were Baptists. I can’t go to Mass and say my rosary in peace.’ He wouldn’t buy it when I tried to explain, you don’t go to Mass to say your rosary in peace, you go to Mass to celebrate the Mass with those around you, to participate.
Like Thomas we may try to cope with our grief, confusions and disappointment privately. The truth of the matter is when our faith is tried and tested we need the community of faith to see us through. It helps us to know that we live and pray in a community with other struggling, hurting and searching men and women. We need them and they need us, that’s why we pray for those whose pains are known to themselves alone because we want them to know they are not alone, they are family.
As we continue to celebrate this Eucharist as a people of faith, a faith that may not be all that strong at times, we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we be blessed with a sense of belonging in this parish community and know that we are in the prayers of all here present as each of us faces those times in our lives when we face whatever it is that makes us wonder, ‘where is God.’
to one and all who made our Holy Week and Easter such a beautiful and uplifting time: those in the Music Ministry, our Lectors and Altar servers, our Eucharistic Ministers, our Ministers of Hospitality, those responsible for decorating the Church, and the members of the Pastoral Team. To you the good people of the parish, your attendance and participation in the ceremonies helped to make this a truly Holy Week and Easter. Fr. Paul
Total: $20,665
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Vivian Ng has been the Program Coordinator of our Children’s Faith Program for the past 7 years. She has done an outstanding job and on behalf of the students and parents of our Children’s Faith Program, I want to thank her. Since Vivian is retiring at the end of this school year, we are in need of a replacement. Our Children’s Faith Program consists of about 20 classes that are held at St. Gabriel’s School during the school year. The classes run from 10:00AM – 11:00AM every other Sunday morning. We are hoping that some of the parents whose children benefit from this program will come forward to coordinate the program. If you are interested in helping, please call the parish office and we will send you a job description of what is involved. Please give this appeal serious consideration, especially if your child is in the Children’s Faith Program, because the future of this program depends upon this position being filled. Fr. Paul
Sunday, April 29th 8:30AM All families are invited. Children from the different grades will be preparing readings and will do the ushering.
Wednesday, April 18th 7:30 – 9:00PM Gabriel Room
April 18th 10:30AM – 12 NOON Library TOPIC: Vatican II
APRIL 19th 7:30pm Gabriel Room TOPIC: WATER
hosted a symposium in November regarding Catholic Education – Navigating through Turbulent Waters. On Tuesday April 17th from 7:00 – 9:00PM there will be a discussion on the value and future of Catholic education at the Catholic Education Centre – 2nd Floor 80 Sheppard Ave. East, North York. Archbishop Thomas Collins will join us for this session.
Wednesday April 25th in the Parish Hall. There will be a Mass at 1:00PM followed by the General Meeting. The guest speaker, Mary Currie, R.N., will talk about Elder Care. All ladies are cordially invited.
Download a PDF of the 2006 Statement of Receipts and Payments
April 8th, 2007
Every Easter I have to say the same thing – this is the most important day of the year – it’s spared most of the commercialism of Christmas – but without this day our Christian faith would have no meaning. As St. Paul teaches, ‘if Christ be not raised then we are still in our sins and we of all people are the most to be pitied.’ If Christ be not raised Good Friday, the life of Jesus, the suffering he suffered, the death he died was a waste. St. Paul writing about how Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity and was obedient even to dying on the cross – was also exalted and given a name above every name that can be named so that at the name of Jesus every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – to the glory of God the Father. Today we celebrate a basic truth of our Christian faith – The Father raised Jesus from the dead and we too have been raised in Him to live a new life for God.
Jesus rose above the hatred and rejection, the degradation and humiliation he endured on Good Friday – He would not be let these things embitter Him or destroy Him. He would rise above them. His first words to the men who denied, betrayed and deserted Him were ‘peace be with you’.
Through the grace and power of His resurrection we can experience our own resurrections when we rise above any resentment, anger, when we rise above any bitterness over past hurts and misunderstandings and get on with trying to live a positive life. We have our own Easters, our own resurrections when by God’s grace we rise above our unwillingness to forgive someone who disappointed, ignored or rejected us and offer such a person Easter peace and forgiveness.
We have our own Easter when we rise above our unwillingness to let people into our lives because of our racism or bigotry – when we rise above stereotyping people and allow ourselves to see the goodness in people of other faiths, cultures or life styles.
We have our own Easter when we rise above our quickness to judge other people and how they live their lives without appreciating their personal struggles and weaknesses.
We have our own Easter when we rise above our own sense of entitlement and come to appreciate how blessed are our lives and develop within ourselves an attitude of gratitude for all that is ours through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
We have our own Easter when rise above our lack of faith in the great mystery we celebrated this past week, that God so loved us God sent His Son into the world and the Son so loved us He gave His life for us. We have our own Easter when we rise above our lack of trust in the truth that God is always with us especially in all our troubled times.
As we continue this Easter Mass, we can pray for ourselves and for each other that the Risen Christ gift all of us with the grace to rise above all those things in our lives that hold us back from opening our lives to the life that is ours through Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection for we celebrate this truth – The Father has raised Jesus from the dead and we too have been raised in Him to live a new life for God.
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
