December 25th, 2006
One past president of the United States said that the day a man landed on the moon was the greatest event since Creation. It was a great event, a breakthrough in space exploration. But it can’t compare with the event we celebrate today – the Son of God landing on the earth. The church uses a quote from scripture to describe that moment. ‘When all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of its course your Almighty Word leapt down from heaven, from your royal throne.’
Luke describes the Son of God landing on earth in the beautiful gospel we’ve just heard.
St. Paul describes Christ’s landing on the earth this way – Have this mind in you which was also in Christ. He did not consider being equal to God as something to be clung to, but he emptied himself to take to himself the condition of a slave and became as we are – and being as we all are he humbled himself even to accepting death on the cross. And because of this God has exalted him and given him a name that is above all other names 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 God the Father.
Today we celebrate the awesome truth Jesus became one of us – one like us in all things – though he did not sin. Jesus lived in troubled times as we do today – his homeland occupied by foreigners – a society troubled by political and religious unrest. He grew up in a nondescript home in Nazareth, his father Joseph taught him a trade and we can be sure that there were times when He who made the world was out of work.
Today we celebrate the awesome truth that Jesus is one of us – like us in all things. Jesus knows what it is like to be poor and homeless, he knows what it is like to have to flee one’s homeland for safety’s sake. He experienced the struggles of adolescence, the search for his own identity and the discovery of His life’s vocation – a vocation His parents did not understand. He knew what it was like to grieve the loss of someone he loved when Joseph died. Jesus knew He was to bear witness to the truth of God’s love for all of us – and He was faithful to that witness even to the point of dying. And in His death He gave witness to the truth that God loved the world so much He sent His Son to the world and He loved us so much He gave His life for us.
We all have our own problems and worries, our own joy and our own heartaches. If we think about it too much we can be over whelmed by the injustices, the senseless violence, and the personal tragedies that destroy good people’s lives that we hear about every day. There can be times when we get down on ourselves, we’re disappointed in ourselves; we’re discouraged by unfulfilled hopes and dreams, embarrassed by personal weakness. We can worry about financial and job security, we worry about family stability and well being.
This is why Christmas is such an important feast and celebration for all of us, it reminds us that Christ emptied Himself of divinity to take upon Himself our humanity – to become one like us – knowing and experiencing all our joys and all our pains. Christ walks with us as we live our lives – He knows how burdened we can be and offers us the wonderful invitation – ‘come to me all you who labor and find life burdensome and I will refresh you’.
We can continue our Christmas celebration giving thanks to Jesus Christ for becoming one of us, sharing our burdens, enjoying our joys and trusting His promise that He would be with us, supporting us, healing us, forgiving and loving us all through our lives. We can all go through life trusting the awesome truth of Emmanuel – God with us – God with us in joy and sorrow, but always God with us.
| Posted in Homily |
December 24th, 2006
| Posted in Events |
When the parish staff got together on Tuesday morning to reflect on this Sunday’s scripture we were five women and three men. One of the women – whose name is not written in the book of life – remarked that only a woman should be allowed to preach on this Sunday’s gospel. Only a woman would know the wonder of a child kicking – or as Luke says – leaping in her womb. Only a woman would be able to relate to the feeling Elizabeth knew at the movement in her womb – only a woman knows the joys and the anxieties of pregnancy. So, only a woman should preach on this gospel. In a way I had to agree with her – I can’t speak to the joy of knowing new life is forming within me or the thrill of a child moving in the womb – I only look pregnant.
So, I’m going to preach on Paul’s reflections on Christ coming into the world as we read it in his letter to the Hebrews. Paul doesn’t talk about stars and angels and shepherds – he goes to the very mind of Christ. Paul tells us, “When Christ came into the world he said, sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me – in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, see God I have come to do your will.” Paul sees beyond Bethlehem to Calvary when Christ would offer His very life – a perfect sacrifice, perfect gift offered in total obedience to His Father’s will.
Throughout Jewish history many of the prophets railed against the phony piousity of the religious leaders and the people. The prophets let them know that the elaborate temple sacrifices and correct ceremonies meant nothing to God. God was not interested in their performances – their lip service. God was concerned about how they lived their lives, how they treated one another, especially the neediest among them.
So we hear Isaiah saying, “what are you endless sacrifices to me – I am sick of holocausts of rams and the fat of calves. Bring your worthless offerings to me no more; the smoke of them fills me with disgust. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, and plead for the widow.”
And Hosea has God saying, “What I want is love not sacrifice – knowledge of God not holocausts”.
Micah, seeing through the emptiness of temple worship lets the people know, “this is what Yahweh asks of you; only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with God”.
One time Jesus told those who followed Him, “It is not those who say to me Lord, Lord who will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.” In other words, lip service doesn’t work – faith without good works is dead. Our faith in God and in Jesus as our Christ has to be lived out every day of life, in every circumstance of life. Remember that old question, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Or that other jingle, “Mr. Catholic went to Mass, he never missed a Sunday, but Mr. Catholic went to hell for what he did on Monday.”
We hear of people referring to themselves as ‘nominal’ nominal Catholics, nominal Anglicans, and nominal Jews. They will use the title but not live the life.
The people involved in today’s gospel, the seniors Elizabeth and Zechariah and the teenagers Mary and, though he is not in today’s gospel, Joseph, had one thing in common – they heard the word of God and kept it. Each in his or her own way said to the mysterious request of God, ‘yes, what you ask of me I will do.’ Even though I do not understand what you ask nor where it will take me, yes I will do your will. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph were not nominal Jews; they were phenomenal Jews – making their lives available to God.
When we are thinking about the great feast we will be celebrating tomorrow we have to get beyond star and stable, shepherds and sheep. Jesus, in coming into the world offered the sacrifice, the gift of his obedient will to God, a gift far greater than burnt offerings – ‘see God I come to do your will’. And that’s the gift that is to be imitated by all those who call themselves Christian – doing the will of our father in heaven and trying to live out the new commandment, ‘love one another as I have loved you’
As we continue to celebrate this Mass and prepare ourselves for celebrating the birthday of Christ, we can pray for ourselves and for each other that we will be among those who not only hear the word of God but keep and live the word of God outside these wall, in the lives we live, the work we do, the service we give and the prayers we pray.
Download the Christmas Schedule in MS Word. (This document opens in a new window.)
LEANNA MAN WAH LUI MARCUS ROBERT ALVIN DIXON JOSEPH MAX WEIGENSBERG DEAN MICHAEL CANELLOS AIDAN MAURICE SPADAFORA BERNARD FRANCIS DAYATE BRAEDEN GEORGE LEON-WILLIAMSON
The envelopes are now in the Gathering Space, ready to be picked up. Please enter your full name, address with postal code and telephone number on the first few envelopes. It is important that you THROW AWAY ALL ENVELOPES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS, as old numbers are re-used. TO RECEIVE AN INCOME TAX RECEIPT, PLEASE USE THE NUMBER ON THE NEW BOX.
TIME: 10:30AM to NOON PLACE: Gabriel Room WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2007 (to be repeated on January 10th) This presentation will also be offered on TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 9th at 7:30PM
TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 16th TIME: 7:30 – 9:00PM PLACE: Library
“How are our Christian life and ethics similar to those of other faith traditions? How are they different?”
Once again we are delighted to announce that our CRAFT & BAKE SALE was a great success. We owe it all to you, our fellow parishioners, who so generously gave donations and supported us, along with our students and the wonderful volunteers who donated their time and effort selling tickets and working at the Craft Sale. Not to forget Fr. Paul and our Parish Staff who faithfully support us each year. And what would we do without our promotional manager ‘Ralph’, whose talent is second to none. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. The raffle ticket winners are:
Funds have been donated to: Good Shepherd Ministries, St. Vincent de Paul, Canadian Food for Children, Eva’s Initiatives, U.I.C.C. Missionaries of Charity, The Leprosy Mission, Esk-Omi Missions, Right to Life, African Aids Angels, North York General Hospital, Save-A-Family Plan, The Passionist Missionaries, Hope for Children Fund and miscellaneous. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Your prepared chicken (or turkey) rice casseroles (frozen please) will be collected at the Masses on the weekend of December 30/31 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.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26th – BOXING DAY from 2:30 – 7:30PM at St. Gabriel’s Church in the Gathering Space. Will you help by donating the ‘Gift of Life’?
SUNDAY COLLECTION: December 9/10, 2006
Total: $11,230.50
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| Posted in Bulletin |
December 17th, 2006
From the description of John the Baptist that we get from the gospels of Luke and Matthew we can get the impression of a very severe person. John comes out of the desert – wearing a garment of camel hair – he ate wild locusts and wild honey – he was strange. In his preaching John made no bones about it – the people were to shape up, get their act together – repent – John told them they were not living as God would have them live, they had wandered far from will and way of God. John didn’t mince words – he called the religious leader of the day a brood of vipers. It was time they told God they were sorry and show their sorrow by turning their lives around and getting themselves ready for the day of the Lord.
Many people thought John was the Messiah but John denied it. John pointed to someone who was coming after him, a person far greater than himself; in fact he was not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. But this one who was to come after him would set things straight. It sounds like John is saying to the people, ‘ you think I’m rough, wait til he gets here, he won’t fool around’ – his winnowing fork is in his hands to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary – but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.
John borrows the example of the winnowing fork from the prophets – every farmer had a large forklike shovel used to throw grain high into the air – the good heavier grain would fall onto the floor and be gathered up and saved, the light chaff which blew aside was swept up and burned. Those who did not listen to John’s and Jesus’ call to change their lives would be like the chaff burned in unquenchable fire.
Can you remember a time when you were a child or especially a teenager and something went wrong during the day and the dire message was – ‘you wait til your father gets home – you’re going to get it.’ And your wait was an anxious wait. In a way that’s was John’s message to those who didn’t answer his demand for repentance. You wait til the one who comes after me gets here – you just wait. It was all so threatening.
Then Jesus comes and begins his own task of calling people to God. He gives what we would call today his ‘mission statement,’ when He was asked to preach in the synagogue in Capernaum. Jesus quotes Isaiah to describe what He wants to do; the spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor.’ No hell fire and brimstone here – everything is positive and inviting.
John and Jesus seem to have different concepts of God. John’s God was a judgmental and punishing God Who brooked no nonsense – Jesus’ God was a loving Father with arms outstretched in welcome – John thundered threats while Jesus would not crush the bruised reed. John spoke about sweeping away, Jesus spoke of gathering up, John spoke of banishment, Jesus spoke about inclusion. Jesus saw Himself as the good shepherd Who would lay down His life for His sheep.
Paul echoes the thoughts of Jesus in his encouraging words to the Philippians calling them to rejoice always in the Lord Jesus. They have every reason to rejoice because the Lord is near – Jesus is God with us. Jesus promised He would not leave those who followed Him orphans, He would be with them always, and Jesus invited all those who found life burdensome to come to Him for refreshment. Paul wanted the Philippians to know Jesus is near to them in their struggles to be faithful to Him in the midst of hostility and misunderstanding. They have every reason to rejoice. Paul encourages them not to worry about anything but with great trust in God they were to make their needs known to God praying always with thanksgiving for the many ways God enriched their lives in Christ Jesus. In this frame of mind they would come to know the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.
Maybe we can take these words of Paul to heart ourselves. Whatever troubles, tensions and uncertainties we may be facing right now we can still listen to his call to ‘rejoice’ because we trust in the Christ Who came into our world and lives not to condemn us but to love us and die for us and Who is with us in all the circumstances of our lives – this truth is our reason to rejoice in thanksgiving appreciating the many ways in which our lives are blessed.
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.
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